“Whereby We Cry “Abba” (Father)” (Day 9 of the Holy Rule)

"For he is believed to hold the place of Christ in the monastery, when he is called by his name, according to the saying of the Apostle: “You have received the spirit of adoption of sons, whereby we cry Abba (Father).”"

The authority of abbot comes from the Apostles and these patriarchs among the blackmonks assume the Persona Christi, "the figurehood of Christ", in relation to the other brothers of the monastery who are like His disciples.

This was necessary in the judgement of the first cenobites in the East to reeanct the Gospel.  Through these distinct roles come complementary expectations so as to live the Gospel more fully.  Spiritually, it mirrors the natural order below with its parents/children, sovereigns/subjects, employers/employees as obvious precedents in ordinary life.  This "persona Christi" is similar to what occurs at the Mass by the celebrant who stands at the center of the act of consecration as on the Last Supper.  This tendency to hierarchy runs through the heart of the ecclesiology of the Catholic Faith that it speaks to a Transcendental Ladder of Divine Ascent.

Authority is more than power.  With more authority comes higher expectations in responsibile use of that elected authority whether determined by the community, by one's peers, or by God's Providence.

One should not shirk their duties.  With power or knowledge or experience comes the weight of its execution that is more or less perfect in proportion to that degree of authority.

This is not arbitrary.