St. Benedict

  
Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina.
O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me.

It's the first day of spring. Yesterday's rolling thunderstorms have abated. We may have sun. St. Benedict brought a springtime of Christianity to Europe. It is fitting that today is his day to be celebrated.

 In2008 I was privileged to make a trip to Italy with a group from St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic Church in Sacramento, CA. It was extra special, because one of my sons and his wife, and my 17 year old grand-daughter were able to make the trip with me. The occasion was the 20th anniversary of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, a society of priests dedicated to tradition and the traditional Latin rite of the Church.

   After landing in Rome, we took chartered buses to Norcia (or Nursia), in Umbria, birth place of the twin saints, Benedict and Scholastica. The fact that my granddaughter is a twin made the fact more interesting.

   The countryside is absolutely beautiful, with gorgeous farm land, great ruins of castles, very old houses, circa 1600s still in use and green hills full of woods.The town of Norcia has a long narrow street lined with shops leading to the piazza. There are 11 churches in this small town! A huge statue of St. Benedict stands in the middle of the piazza.

   The Benedictine Monastery and Church are built over the crypt where the twin saints were born. The Prior gave us a history lesson from about the year 1 A.D. forward. Benedict and Scholastica were born in 484 A.D. Their father was a proctor of the area. The original foundations of the "city hall." dated from about 1 A.D. The family had living quarters there, which is why the two were born in the city building.

   Today, March 21, is the Feast Day of St. Benedict. He is very important in the history of the Church, the Founder of the Monastic System.  As it says in my missal, "At every turning of history, God raises up great saints in order to strengthen the supernatural hold over souls exercised by the Church in virtue of her divine mission."  We certainly could use a great saint or two these days.

   The Roman Empire had crumbled and the barbarians had invaded all of Europe. This was a time of turmoil. Nevertheless, Benedict, being from a prominent family, was sent to Rome to study. He was wise beyond his years, and contemplative. He decided to go into solitude and spent three years in a cave. Crowds came to disturb his peace and to hear him preach. Great Roman families sent their children to him. Before long he had founded twelve monasteries in the mountains, "schools for the Lord's service." Each was under the direction of an Abbot. The monks learned, by public prayer, private prayer and work to forget self and live in God.

   Benedict wrote a "Rule," for monks to follow in their search for "the work of God, for obedience and for humiliation."  He united physical work, clearing land and planting, with teaching and preaching.  He himself worked with the pagan population around Monte Cassino, founding the great monastery there. His motto for the monks, still used today, is "Ora et labora: pray and work."
 
   "The Holy Rule," the Church Councils called it. During six centureis when no other important Order existed the "Rule" sanctified thousands of souls.  Among his followers through centuries have been more than twenty popes, many numbers of bishops, doctors, apostles, learned men and educators. Some well-known saints who followed Benedict's Rule are St. Dominic, St. Francis (13th century), St. Ignatius (16th), St. Vincent de Paul (17th).

   Pictures of St. Benedict often show him holding a broken vase with a dragon coming out of it. It represents an attempted murder with poisoned wine. As he blessed the wine, the vase broke. Another symbol is of a raven holding bread. Another attempt was made on his life. A raven carried away the bread. God does look after His own. Converting people to Christianity was not popular then. In some countries today, conversions invite death as well. St. Benedict died in the year 543 A.D. His premier Abbey at Monte Cassino, almost totally destroyed in WW II, has been magnificently restored. It is an inspiration just to stand thee, high above the countryside, looking out over the broad, scenic landscape of hills and valleys below. It is a serene place of contemplation and meditation. The monks' vineyards show loving care. They still observe their motto, "Ora et labora."