Saint Benedict
Content
Saint Benedict
Father of Western Monasticism (480-543)
Saint Benedict Saint Benedict, blessed by grace as his prophetic name seemed to foretell, was born of a noble Italian family in Umbria, in the year 480. As a boy he showed great inclination for virt e, and mat rity in his actions. !e was sent to "ome at the age of seven, to be placed in the p blic schools. At the age of fo rteen, alarmed by the licentio sness of the "oman yo th, he fled to the desert mo ntains of S biaco, forty miles from "ome, and was directed by the !oly Spirit into a deep, craggy, and almost inaccessible cave, since #nown as the !oly $rotto. !e lived there for three years, n#nown to anyone accept a holy mon# named "oman s, who clothed him with the monastic habit and bro ght him food. !e was event ally discovered, when, one %aster day, $od advised a priest who lived abo t fo r miles from there, to ta#e food to !is servant, who was starving. &he priest searched in the hills and finally fo nd the solitary, and they too# their meal together. Some shepherds also #new of his retreat, and soon the fame of this hermit's sanctity began to spread. &he demon persec ted him, b t to no avail(
when a temptation of the flesh assailed him, he rolled in a cl mp of thorns and nettles, and came o t of it covered with b t so nd in spirit. )isciples came to him, and nder his direction, n mero s monasteries were fo nded. &he rigor of the r le he drew p, however, bro ght pon him the hatred of some of the mon#s, and one of them mi*ed poison with the Abbot's drin#. +hen the Saint made the sign of the cross on the poisoned c p, it bro#e and fell in pieces to the gro nd. Saint Benedict res rrected a boy whose father pleaded for it, saying $ive me bac# my son, !e replied, S ch miracles are not for s to wor#, b t for the blessed apostles, +hy will yo lay pon me a b rden which my wea#ness cannot bearB t finally, moved by compassion, he prostrated himself pon the body of the child, and prayed. Behold not, / 0ord, my sins, b t the faith of this man, and restore the so l which &ho hast ta#en away, And the child rose p, and wal#ed to the waiting arms of his father. +hen a mon# lost the iron head of his a*e in a river, the Abbot told him to throw the handle in after it, and it rose from the river bed to its former place. Si* days before his death, Saint Benedict ordered his grave to be prepared, then fell ill of a fever. /n the si*th day he as#ed to be carried to the chapel, and, having received the sacred Body and Blood of 1hrist, with hands plifted and leaning on one of his disciples, he calmly e*pired in prayer, on the 23 st of 4arch, 546.
Reflection. The Saints never feared to undertake any work for God, however arduous, because distrusting self they relied for assistance and support wholly upon prayer.
Father of Western Monasticism (480-543)
Saint Benedict Saint Benedict, blessed by grace as his prophetic name seemed to foretell, was born of a noble Italian family in Umbria, in the year 480. As a boy he showed great inclination for virt e, and mat rity in his actions. !e was sent to "ome at the age of seven, to be placed in the p blic schools. At the age of fo rteen, alarmed by the licentio sness of the "oman yo th, he fled to the desert mo ntains of S biaco, forty miles from "ome, and was directed by the !oly Spirit into a deep, craggy, and almost inaccessible cave, since #nown as the !oly $rotto. !e lived there for three years, n#nown to anyone accept a holy mon# named "oman s, who clothed him with the monastic habit and bro ght him food. !e was event ally discovered, when, one %aster day, $od advised a priest who lived abo t fo r miles from there, to ta#e food to !is servant, who was starving. &he priest searched in the hills and finally fo nd the solitary, and they too# their meal together. Some shepherds also #new of his retreat, and soon the fame of this hermit's sanctity began to spread. &he demon persec ted him, b t to no avail(
when a temptation of the flesh assailed him, he rolled in a cl mp of thorns and nettles, and came o t of it covered with b t so nd in spirit. )isciples came to him, and nder his direction, n mero s monasteries were fo nded. &he rigor of the r le he drew p, however, bro ght pon him the hatred of some of the mon#s, and one of them mi*ed poison with the Abbot's drin#. +hen the Saint made the sign of the cross on the poisoned c p, it bro#e and fell in pieces to the gro nd. Saint Benedict res rrected a boy whose father pleaded for it, saying $ive me bac# my son, !e replied, S ch miracles are not for s to wor#, b t for the blessed apostles, +hy will yo lay pon me a b rden which my wea#ness cannot bearB t finally, moved by compassion, he prostrated himself pon the body of the child, and prayed. Behold not, / 0ord, my sins, b t the faith of this man, and restore the so l which &ho hast ta#en away, And the child rose p, and wal#ed to the waiting arms of his father. +hen a mon# lost the iron head of his a*e in a river, the Abbot told him to throw the handle in after it, and it rose from the river bed to its former place. Si* days before his death, Saint Benedict ordered his grave to be prepared, then fell ill of a fever. /n the si*th day he as#ed to be carried to the chapel, and, having received the sacred Body and Blood of 1hrist, with hands plifted and leaning on one of his disciples, he calmly e*pired in prayer, on the 23 st of 4arch, 546.
Reflection. The Saints never feared to undertake any work for God, however arduous, because distrusting self they relied for assistance and support wholly upon prayer.
