From the Rule of St. Benedict: “On the feasts of Saints and on all festivals let the Office be performed as we have prescribed for Sundays, except that the Psalms, the antiphons and the lessons belonging to that particular day are to be said. . .” (Chapter 14) From Praying with Saint Benedict: Benedict instituted aContinue reading “All Saints”
Tag Archives: faith
Seeds of Contemplation
From Thomas Merton (1961) Every expression of the will of God is in some sense a “word” of God, and therefore a “seed” of new life. . . In all the situations of life the will of God comes to us not merely as an external dictate of impersonal law but above all as anContinue reading “Seeds of Contemplation”
Ora et Labora
In Chapter 48 of his Rule for Monasteries, Benedict wrote: “Idleness is the enemy of the soul. Therefore, the brothers and sisters should be occupied at certain times in manual labor, and again at fixed hours in sacred reading….” Ora et labora—prayer and labor—was Benedict’s motto. In the Rule, Benedict extols the virtues of physical labor asContinue reading “Ora et Labora”
Celebrating Benedict
Benedict of Nursia was a sixth-century abbot who founded twelve monasteries and gave Christian monasticism its lasting foundation in Western Europe. In the early ninth century, Louis the Pious, son of the emperor Charlemagne, declared that Benedict’s Rule for Monasteries would be the standard of organization for all monastic institutions. It is hard to overestimate Benedict’s role in western civilization. BenedictineContinue reading “Celebrating Benedict”
Scholastica
Today is the feast day of St. Scholastica, Benedict’s twin sister. The two siblings were born around 480 to a Roman noble family in Nursia, Italy. Although little is known of her early life, she founded a religious community for women five miles from Monte Cassino where her brother was abbot. Following her brother’s example of totalContinue reading “Scholastica”
Epiphany
The Christian feast of Epiphany primarily commemorates the visit of the Magi to the Christ child, which in turn represents Christ’s physical manifestation to the Gentiles. It is also sometimes called Three Kings’ Day or Little Christmas. In the Orthodox Church, Epiphany is known as Theophany and commemorates Christ’s baptism by John in the Jordan River.Continue reading “Epiphany”
Improbable Benedictine 