Ora et Labora: The Feast of St. Benedict

Saturday, July 11th Readings Reflection: Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot

Today is the Feast of St. Benedict, the Father of Western Monasticism and patron saint of Europe. St. Benedict and his twin sister St. Scholastica were born to a noble family in Norcia (present-day Nursia) in central Italy around 480 AD. From a young age, St. Benedict was deeply devoted to prayer. As a young man, his parents sent him to Rome for an education, where the young saint became alarmed at the number of youth who had succumbed to the temptations of the world.

Desiring to preserve himself from these vices, St. Benedict fled the city and spent three years as a hermit in a cave in Subiaco, Italy, where a Benedictine monastery still exists to this day. Several men drew to the saint’s hermitage, desiring to follow his way of life. After a time, these men became unhappy with the rigors of his strict life, so they agreed to poison his wine in order to be rid of him. When St. Benedict received the glass of wine, he made the Sign of the Cross over it, and immediately the glass broke as though a stone had been thrown into it.

Thus began a practice still observed among Benedictine religious to this day of blessing their food and drink with the Sign of the Cross before consuming it. From this incident also comes the cross that is seen on St. Benedict medals, which are powerful sacramentals against the forces of evil.

Around the year 530 AD, St. Benedict wrote his monastic Rule of seventy-three chapters for monks (and later, nuns) to follow as their rule of life. Rooted in stability, obedience, and prayer, the Rule of St. Benedict continues to shape the lives of Benedictine monasteries throughout the world today. His Rule is often summarized in the phrase ora et labora, “pray and work.” As St. Benedict wrote in his Rule, “Idleness is the enemy of the soul. Therefore…be occupied at certain times in manual labor, and again at fixed hours in sacred reading” (Rule of St. Benedict, ch. 48).

St. Benedict saw the monastery as the “school of the service of the Lord” (Rule, prologue), and as such, prayer and work go hand-in-hand as Benedictines strive to live out ever more fully the service of the Lord. The life of the laity, too, can be seen as a school in the service of the Lord, as we seek to grow in virtue and more fully live out our vocations as sons and daughters of God within our daily duties. Our work each day can be offered as a prayer to God, thereby giving us an opportunity to dwell in His presence throughout each day. This work, in turn, must accompany dedicated times of prayer each day; while this routine will look different for each person, the Rule of St. Benedict emphasizes that consistency and stability are important in helping a soul grow fervent in the spiritual life.

St. Benedict’s life and Rule show us that simplicity, diligence, and a certain level of stability or order enable our hearts to be more receptive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and to the outpouring of divine grace. On today’s feast of this great saint, may we seek his intercession as we strive to follow his example in living lives of prayer and work in the service of God, so that our hearts may be ever more open to the divine Will and continuously receive His grace.

Painting of St. Benedict by Fra Angelico. Public domain.