A deep, objective sacramental life, above all the Eucharist, and their personal prayer life are the places where the monks receive strength to help each other in the search for the face of God under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. One of the most beautiful chapters of De Ranc 's principal work, The Holiness and Duties of Monastic Life , is the one in which he speaks of love for God and for the brothers. He there sets out the foundations of the common life, making his own the 17th chapter of the Gospel of Saint John and the First Letter of John. In this vision the community is the place where the sanctification of the monk occurs. The brothers are true friends of the Spouse, who bear witness to Christ and support each other in their fidelity to him, in whom they live as children of the Father.
Charity is the foundation and bond of monastic communities.
It is charity that forms them and keeps them together. It is charity that makes it possible for the brothers to live according to the law of God in harmony and holy understanding. That is how De Ranc outlines the foundations of the common life. De Ranc puts the emphasis above all on filial obedience to the Father and on humility, of which Christ gave us the example during his entire earthly life. Through this imitation of the Master one reaches conformation to Christ, which is a deep transformation and purification of the heart rooted in simplicity, because God is simple.