Chapter 40: The proper amount of drink to be provided

St Paul says that each of us has a special gift from God, one kind for one of us and quite a different one for another. That reflection makes me reluctant to decide on the measure of food and drink for others. (From para. 1 of Ch. 40 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

Benedict's discussion of gifts from God, in relation to the proper amount of drink, surprises me. I understand self-control to be a fruit of the Spirit. But whether gift or fruit, perhaps the discernment of how to live my life in a way which makes me most consistently open to the selfless praise of God, is what he's talking about.