A Look at the Past
Back to the fifth century
We suggest that a new reading of the Rule of Benedict offers practices to train those of us outside of traditional monasteries. That rooted in the text, we can change how we live, and drink from the fountain of living water. (Jer 17:13)
Much has been written about the Rule, from a variety of angles, from textual historical analysis to musing on the thematic content. Here, we regard the Rule as a call to action.
St. Benedict, by the accounts we have, intended his Rule as an aid for those who want to live out the Gospel. Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” (Jn 7:37) Benedict shows us how to live out Jesus' teaching, and become streams of living water ourselves (Jn 7:38).
You may already know that the written record of the life of St. Benedict is sparse. All we know of biographical detail comes from Pope Gregory, whose writing is unlikely to have been motivated by the understanding of historical accuracy we expect today. Pope Benedict XVI explains “In accordance with the ideas of his time, by giving the example of a real man - St Benedict, in this case - Gregory wished to illustrate the ascent to the peak of contemplation which can be achieved by those who abandon themselves to God.”1
As a young man, Benedict traveled to Rome to study, but became disgusted with the habits of life he found there. The Roman Empire was collapsing, and its values and institutions were in chaos. Eventually Benedict retreated to a cave, and lived alone with God for three years. Later, he founded several monasteries, and compiled a rule of life for monks we now call the Rule of St. Benedict, which he wrote based on his experience governing small groups of monastics, to provide the underpinning of spiritual growth for monks after his death. The Rule is based on a deep understanding of both Gospel values and the human condition. It sets out a code of behavior to help mold monastics into the selfless followers of Christ they aspire to be.
For 1500 years Benedictine monasteries have interacted with the rest of society in a variety of ways. They provided schools, hospitals, and marketplaces, as well as producing laboriously created copies of the most valuable books in their possession. More recently, Benedictine monastics have gone out from their monasteries “on mission;” working in schools and hospitals throughout the world.
Benedictines have never turned their backs on people. What they have always rejected is a ‘worldly’ focus that denies the centrality of Jesus’ assertion that the will of the Father is paramount and trustworthy. To that end, they abjure private ownership, stress the importance of collective worship and the expression of love of neighbor. This is a radical, transformative vision that we can build on today, as our own values and institutions are in confusion.2
As the institutions of vowed religious life are shrinking, as the age of the average monastic moves past three score and ten, there is an opportunity for a renewal of Benedictine life among what the religious establishment calls the laity. Regular people with jobs and families who also have a deep thirst for the ‘fountain of living water.
One of St. Benedict’s rules for monastics is to sleep in their daywear, but not to wear their knives in bed, lest they be cut. This is not obviously applicable in our day. Over the centuries, the Rule has been reinterpreted as material conditions and the expectations of seekers have changed. Personal privacy is much more important now, and the Rule’s prescription for dormitory living has largely been abandoned.
The fundamental principles of the Rule offer us a vision of how to live, based neither on the political bedrock of the left or the right, but on--to put it succinctly--the Word of God. To live in the reality of God.
Benedict XVI General Audience, April 2008
For a brilliant and accessible discussion of the confusion of values, see “After Virtue” by Alisdair MacIntyre