Listen carefully, my son, to the master’s instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart. This is advice from a father who loves you; welcome it and faithfully put it into practice. Hearken, O my con, to the precepts of thy master, and incline the ear of thy heart; willingly receive and faithfully comply with the admonition of thy loving father. (Rule of St. Benedict, Prologue)
Today, we celebrate our holy father among the saints, St. Benedict of Nursia. St. Benedict of Nursia, born somewhere around 480, would have, as described by Pope Benedict XVI, “a fundamental influence on the development of European civilization and culture.” Indeed, without St. Benedict and the diligent work of his sons in preserving both the literary works of classical antiquity and the early Church, it is doubtful whether Western Civilization would have endured the cataclysm of the fall of Rome and the long dark of the Middle Ages.
St. Benedict began his own monastic career when, as a young man, he fled to a cave high above the small town of Subiaco, in the foothills of Abruzzi, where he lived, much like St. Simon the Stylite, a life closer to that of the angels than men. St. Benedict lived in retreat and contemplation for three peaceful years, however, as is so often the case, God did not allow St. Benedict’s light to remain hidden for very long. After being discovered by both a priest and a group of shepherds, St. Benedict came to be sought out by people for words of wisdom and guidance in the Christian life.
St. Benedict, much like the Lord Himself, did not always succeed with those who came to him for guidance. There are several instances when the Lord had to save St. Benedict from his wayward children. The first of these came when the saint was approached by the monks of Vicovaro, who wished for him to replace the abbot of their monastery, who had recently died. However, the wicked monks quickly chafed under the saint’s gentle yoke and soon began to murmur against him. Before long, the monks had developed the plan to murder their spiritual father so that they might return to their earlier, dissolute way of living. However, the cup, which they had poisoned, shattered when St. Benedict made the sign of the cross over it in blessing. This was not the last time that the Lord would work a miracle to protect Benedict from the evil intentions in the hearts of wicked churchmen, inspired by the demons. Later, a priest called Florentus, envious of St. Benedict’s virtue and miracle-working power, tried to kill the monk by presenting him with a poisoned loaf of bread. God once more preserved the saint by sending a crow to snatch the deadly bread away from him before it could harm him. These are two of the events commemorated on the St. Benedict medal and are part of why the saint, along with his medal, is considered both to have great power over demons and to be a great aid in spiritual warfare.
Anglicans should have a great love and devotion to St. Benedict because of the influence that St. Benedict and his sons and daughters had both on England as a whole, St. Augustine, founder of the See of Canterbury, was a Benedictine monk after all, and because of the Benedictine influence on the shape of Anglican liturgy. Indeed, it can be argued that what Archbishop Cranmer was attempting to do in his reformation of the hours was to open and offer the richness of the monastic office to all the Christian faithful. The Benedictine influence upon Anglican Matins and Evensong is also attested to by Martin Thornton in his English Spirituality where he states that, “I shall also maintain that the Book of Common Prayer, as system, is one of the most brilliant pieces of ascetical construction there has ever been, that it is the consummation of centuries of spiritual development, and that, regarded as ascetical theology, it is almost as Benedictine as the Regula itself.” Because of the Benedictine influence on the Book of Common Prayer, and the way that the BCP shaped the language of the Anglophone world, all English-speaking Christians owe St. Benedict a very great debt of gratitude.
Let us draw inspiration from the life of the great father of Western monasticism as we strive for greater stability, fidelity to the Divine Office, and conversion of life in our own struggle to follow St. Benedict in the way of repentance.
Collect (Prayer) of the Day
O God, your blessed Son became poor for our sake, and chose the Cross over the kingdoms of this world: Deliver us from an inordinate love of worldly things, that we, inspired by the devotion of your servant Benedict, may seek you with singleness of heart, behold your glory by faith, and attain to the riches of your everlasting kingdom, where we shall be united with our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirt, one God, now and forever. Amen. (taken from the Book of Common Prayer, 2019).
Works Cited
- Benedict XVI. “General Audience of 9 April 2008: Saint Benedict of Norcia,” n.d. https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2008/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20080409.html.
- Makarios. The Synaxarion: The Lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Translated by Maria Rule and Joanna Burton. Vol. 4. Mount Athos, Greece: Holy Monastery of Simonos Petra, 2003.
- Marc.Shade, and Marc.Shade. “Prologue of the Holy Rule 1.” Saint Vincent Archabbey, September 14, 2021. https://saintvincentarchabbey.org/prologue-of-the-holy-rule-1/.
- Thornton, Martin. English Spirituality: An Outline of Ascetical Theology according to the English Pastoral Tradition. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2012.
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