Benedict establishes a way of life rooted in the gospel and grounded in the scriptural principles of charity, humility, stability, and faithfulness. Benedict exhorts his readers to live in fear of judgment day and have a great horror of hell. Benedict was fully aware of human frailty, as true 1500 years ago as it is today. Texts and translations of the rule of saint benedict osb. Benedict and the twelve steps of humility july 11th is the feast day of st. Composed nearly fifteen hundred years ago by the father of western monasticism, the rule of st. Complete summary of saint benedict of nursias rule of st. Benedicts own life, see the article saint benedict. Benedicts rule for monasteries by abbot of monte cassino. It 7 is modern life, rather, that is not in accord with the fundamental needs of the human heart. The rule of saint benedict contains much more about good leadership exercised by the abbot, often found in passing through any variety of topics dealt with. We might, i suppose, have thought that benedict would suggest that prayer was the first and most important tool for good works and a good life, but maybe he assumes that we have already committed our project to god in prayer at the beginning of the prologue. Benedict is a timeless document in so many ways as fresh and relevant as it was when it was written almost fifteen hundred years ago. Benedict is an important document in the catholic tradition of christianity, a document that informs a communal tradition that remains alive today.
Reflections from mary cockroft, oblate of stanbrook. Benedict was the founder not only of the abbey montecassino, but also the father of the entire benedictine order. Benedict and scholastica god is love deus caritas est benedict xvi st. One community soon grew to twelve, and to establish these new communities on a sound foundation benedict, wrote his simple rule.
Benedict wrote for monks e arly in the 6th century preferring noth ing whatever to christ rb 4. The rule of saint benedict, translated from the latin by leonard j. Almost all we know about st benedict comes from st gregory the greats dialogues, where he says that benedict, vir dei benedictus, the blessed man of god, wrote a rule for monks that is remarkable for its discretion and its clarity of language dialogues, book 11, ch. Before long, however, he left rome out of disgust for the rampant immorality he saw. He has already included us as his sons, and therefore we should never grieve him by our evil actions line 5.
Benedict and his monastic way of life, it might have been something like the. In the benedictine charism, we find a spirit of christianity that is countercultural, yet adaptable. Ora et labora pray and work is the wellknown phrase that reflects the basic idea underlying the rule of monastic life, which was originally formulated by saint benedict of nursia around 480. We mustnt think of benedicts communities as the great monasteries that. In her new introduction to the rule, joan chittister boldly claims that benedicts sixthcentury text is the only one of the great traditions that directly touches todays issues. The rule of st benedict is both spiritually enhancing and widely applicable. Sep 22, 2015 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Guide to saint benedict of nursia with daily readings from and reflections on the rule of saint benedict. It is his commentary on the rule of benedict that constitutes smaragdus magnum opus.
Still, the contemporary reader must realize that some of this is the byproduct of his monastic lectio divina. A monastic rule of life might seem an unlikely bestseller but the rule of st benedict was almost certainly the mostread book outside of the bible for five centuries around ad. The rule of saint benedict spread widely beginning in the seventh century, but in. One of many rules, the rule of st benedict was simple and adaptable and gave priority to communal life based on a balance of prayer and work. Years ago i became an associate with the order of holy cross, which is benedictine in nature. This frailty requires much to be done to give the person strength, and so benedict s rule is designed for an everincreasing selfdiscipline which is supported by community worship and practice.
The rule of benedict relevant and appropriate the christcentredness of the rule and of the life to which it gives rise is overwhelming. Benedict has for centuries been the guide of religious communities. Rule of benedict daily reading benedictine sisters of erie. All quotations from the rule abbreviated as rb are taken from saint benedict, rb 1980. Its logic is the logic of daily life lived in christ and lived well. Here is a common sense approach to arranging life so that christian spirituality. It is clear that benedict based his rule not only on his own experience but also on the writings of other monastic authors, especially a document known as the rule of the master. I was silent and was humbled, and i refrained even from good words ps 3839. Our approach must be simply to do the small and apparently easy things until we do them truly well.
Daily reading from the rule of benedict benedictine sisters. Benedict explains the responsibilities of the abbott, or community leader, in whose care rests the welfare of the community s members. Benedict was born around 480 ad and died around 543 ad, though the purpose of this post is not to provide the biographical information regarding st. Athanasius wrote what would come to be the first biography of a saint, though his. Rule of st benedict new norcia benedictine community. It towers in the great tradition of christian monasticism. Not only do many monks and nuns follow the rule, but many nonmonastics are today finding in the rule fresh inspiration for living the christian life. Benedict explains the responsibilities of the abbott, or community leader, in whose care rests the welfare of the communitys members. This work holds the first place among monastic legislative codes, and was by far the most important factor in the organization and spread of monasticism in the west. Compared to other precepts, the rule provides a moderate path between individual zeal and formulaic institutionalism. The spirituality of the rule of st benedict julian freeman. This work is a compilation of instructions for communal monks who live in.
The rule of benedict penguin classics kindle edition by benedict, st, white, carolinne. Chapter 48 emphasizes the importance of daily manual labour appropriate to the ability of the monk. The rule is a treasure possessing many teachings on good leadership, all of which are directed to bring omnia membra in pace. He proposes to establish a school for the lords service prol. Understand with willing mind and effectually fulfil thy holy fathers admonition.
In this introduction we read about some of the key concepts to the rule. This full commentary predominately literary and historical criticism is based on and includes a latin text of regula benedicti liturgical press. Benedict laid down a short set of guidelines and rules for those entering or already in monasteries. Ten core values distilled from the rule of benedict are. The language used is careful and friendly, sounding like a loving father welcoming and advising his sons. Cotter, using the division into sense lines for public reading of the first edition that was republished in 2001 to mark the 75th anniversary of liturgical press. Rule of st benedict definition of rule of st benedict by. In this kindle version, it is preserved in solid english, with a guide to reading it day by day.
It sets forth an outline for christian discipleship drawn from the heart of jesus ministry. Eventually benedict was asked to be the leader of the community. Saint benedict for busy parents knights of columbus. Daily reading from the rule of benedict benedictine. I said, i have resolved to keep watch over my ways that i may never sin with my tongue. Benedict, patriarch of monks, from the old english edition of 1638.
Is there a great spiritual tradition that deals with the contemporary issues facing the human community. Our daily meditation develops all that benedict means by the spirit of silence. George washington, benedict arnold, and the fate of the american revolution the holy twins. This rule of life is in christ the heart and soul of the most successful religious order in history. Texts and translations of the rule of saint benedict osb dot org. Benedict pdf feedback end users havent still remaining the writeup on the overall game, or otherwise not make out the print yet. Guide to saint benedict of nursia with daily readings from and reflections on the rule of saint pies of the rule of st. My rule was fairly simple entailing daily bible reading, prayer, study, church attendance, retreats and fasting. Rule of st benedict synonyms, rule of st benedict pronunciation, rule of st benedict translation, english dictionary definition of rule of st benedict.
The rules stress on realism, vision and perseverance in the context of strong communities provides business large and small with a way forward to survival and success. The spirit of saint benedict s rule is summed up in the motto of the benedictine confederation. Written by a spiritual father for his children, the rule of st. The following reflection on the rule of st benedict offers us countless. The concept of hell is more foreign, less visceral and immediate, to those of us who live in a secular society than it was for christians in benedict s time. This document has been generated from xsl extensible stylesheet language source. Benedict introduces the main principles of religious and spiritual life. Benedicts rule to fatherhood and family life a benedictine oblate and father of four has discovered how to relate the guidelines of st.
Benedict was a devout italian christian who became a monk at the age of 20, wishing to withdraw from the world after he visited rome and was shocked by how immoral life in the holy city had become. Benedict of nursia, the patriarch of western monks, 1 was born c. Benedicts rules of obedience, humility, and contemplation. Benedict can serve as a constant reminder of the need for us to take up our cross daily and follow the true king, christ the lord, and thus learn to share in the sufferings of christ that we may deserve also to share in his kingdom, as st. Benedict by saint benedict, abbot of monte cassino. This document has been generated from xsl extensible stylesheet language source with renderx xep formatter, version 3. For its general character and also its illustration of st. A translation and commentary collegeville, minn liturgical press, 1996. Although written for monastics, many of the issues addressed in the rule can be applied to life in the world outside the monastic community. Benedict 1 the rule of saint benedict translated into english. If a news report had appeared in the sixth century about st.
Benedict provides tangible advice regarding how a community of christians can cultivate contented souls that are modest and free from want. Benedict is an excellent, quick read that helps the reader understand the aims and mindset of early christian monks. Benedict, i had developed and implemented a rule of life. By not enjoying a genuine common life and by not giving ourselves a degree of contemplation, we wound our. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Publication date 1921 topics benedict, saint, abbot of monte cassino, benedictines publisher. When doing research on the life of benedict, the major problem is a lack of primary source materials. Life at monte cassino during benedicts tenure as abbot. The rule of benedict penguin classics kindle edition. A timeless classic by the founder of western monasticism. Benedicts rule contains seventythree chapters of varying length, and is comparable in size to the gospel of matthew.
Benedict is still the most foundational piece of monastic spirituality in the western world. Rules of saint benedict pdf about the holy rule of st. Benedict to date about the publication we now have rb 1980. The rule itself is the best witness to benedict s life and character, showing us someone who was wise, kind, steeped in scripture and concise in expression.
Introductionhistorical background the man behind the rule. The rule of saint benedict or regula benedict was written by saint benedict of nurisa, the patron saint of europe. The rule opens with a hortatory preface, in which saint benedict sets forth the main principles of the religious life, viz the renunciation of ones own will and arming oneself with the strong and noble weapons of obedience under the banner of the true king, christ the lord prol. The rule of saint benedict is very different from other monastic rules. This early monastic rule is part of the wisdom tradition of christianity and is rooted in the bible for its inspiration and its end. The rule of saint benedict is very different from other. Restraint of speech 1 let us follow the prophets counsel. Christ is the beginning and the end, the ground of my being and the goal of my seeking. Benedict was the creation of his rule, what we call. The rule of saint benedict regula benedicti is a book of precepts written by st. The rule as it is usually called is about community livinga daytoday basic guide originally written for christian men who wanted to be monks, telling them what to do, how to be christfollowers in that unique way, and how to get. When that went wrong he left to start his own monastic community. The benedictine rule is strictits main theme being absolute obedience to the abbot.
The rule of benedict penguin classics kindle edition by. The rule of saint benedict was written in the sixth century by the father of monastic life, st benedict himself. The concept of hell is more foreign, less visceral and immediate, to those of us who live in a secular society than it was for christians in benedicts time. Benedict shows the respect that he himself had for the differences in peoplethat in laying down his rule there would be nothing harsh. The rule of benedict in todays society sisters of st benedict. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the rule of benedict penguin classics. Verses 14 through 19 are the corporal works of mercy. The rule of benedict is not a treatise in systematic theology. Its leading characteristics are its wonderful discretion, moderation, and keen insight into the capabilities and weaknesses of human nature.
In fact, there is something very english about benedict, with his calmness, his gift for organization and his occasional touches of humour. From the viewpoint of the human soul, our modern style of living is the irrelevancy. Regula sancti benedicti is a book of precepts written in 516. This book contains a thorough set of principles for. Managing permanent rapid change is the ultimate task for business from now on. In this life, we are invited to seek god in common with young and.