St. Benedict, the “Father of Western Monasticism”

From the desk of the Tar Heel disciple:

The Memorial of St. Benedict is now observed on the universal calendar of the Catholic Church on July 11, which according to some ancient sources may have been the day of his birth (in Nursia, Italy, around 480 A.D.). If true, this would make him, along with the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist, one of the only saints ever remembered on their earthly birthday with a feast day by the Church. But this is a recent innovation, as prior to 1969, his feast day was celebrated on March 21, the anniversary of his death (at Monte Cassino, Italy, in 547). The change was ostensibly made so that his feast day would more frequently be celebrated because it is outside of Lent, when all Memorials are treated as Optional Memorials and so might not be observed. This, of course points to the importance of St. Benedict and his spiritual heritage.

In 1964, Pope St. Paul VI named St. Benedict the patron saint of Europe, thus indicating the importance of the patrimony of the man and of the form of Benedictine monasticism that he established. More recently, Joseph Ratzinger chose to be called Pope Benedict XVI, also drawing the world’s attention to this great spiritual teacher. The Rule of Saint Benedict, which is widely attributed to him, is a spiritual, liturgical, and administrative guide for monks living in community under the authority of an abbot. It is available in book form and easily accessible on the internet, and many commentaries have been written on the work (see below). But its overall style is easily accessible to the average reader, rich in Scriptural quotes, and eminently practical. About half of the Rule might be described as a guide for spiritual growth, providing rich counsel for any disciple of the Lord Jesus who desires to hear and obediently follow the Lord in his/her life by means of the path of humility.

This is an excellent source of spiritual reading for anyone, not just monks!