“Your Way of Acting Should be Different than the World’s Way”
– Rule of St. Benedict

Without the Dialogues of St. Gregory the Great, the “man of holy life, Benedict by name, and the benediction of God upon him” would have remained hidden to the world.  St. Benedict would have no issue with this outcome.  For three years he lived in solitude in an obscure cave, embracing the ascetic life as a hermit on Mt. Subiaco.

It is only after he is discovered that St. Benedict must re-enter the world as a living spiritual compass pointing to Christ.  While no net is wide enough to capture his contributions to Catholic spirituality, the ensuing highlights key areas of influence.

Fear, uncertainty and great suffering surrounded the life of St. Benedict in ways not unlike the world today.  He devoted his life entirely to God, teaching followers to discover the spiritual path by the light of Christ in a darkened world.  Hence, the Rule of St. Benedict has been the chief basis for Western monasticism for centuries, crossing the boundaries of time and staying true to its goal of inspiring perfect followers of Christ.

Compiled from the pure, the simple, yet sublime maxims of the sacred Gospel, the voice of Benedict in the Rule has resounded unceasingly in every nation of the Western Christian world, serving as a light to innumerable souls (Benedict, The Rule p. 2).  Only a spiritual architect in Christ could accomplish such a monumental task while maintaining every quality of humility.

Outside the books of Scripture, no other early text on personal sanctification and seeking God was copied in the Middle Ages as much as the Rule of St. Benedict, the Father of Western monasticism.

Now is the hour for us to rise from sleep…let us open our eyes…let us hear with attentive ears…run while have the light of life.  Is there anyone here who yearns for life and desires to see good days?  If you hear this, and your answer is “I do” …See how the Lord in his love shows us the way of life.” – St. Benedict