Leah Sandwell-Weiss
Dear Friends,
When I was growing up in rural Missouri and attending a Protestant church, I thought being a nun was romantic. I knew nothing about convent life other than what I read in novels or saw on TV. My great-aunt was a nun, but I only met her about three times and never talked to her about her life. But devoting your life to God and living in a community of women who loved God, too, sounded like a great life.
As I grew up, I learned more about monastic life and realized it probably wasn’t for me. But I was still fascinated by the idea of daily prayers and living in community. I learned about the Daily Office, some history of monasticism, and having a Rule of Life. That included learning about St Benedict of Nursia, who we recognize today.
We really don’t know much about St Benedict’s life. We believe he was born in Italy around 480 CE and died in 547. Any other details come primarily from writings of Pope Gregory the Great and are probably based more on legend than on facts.
It’s believed St Benedict came to Rome as a young man to study but left because of the vice which surrounded him. He retreated to live alone, primarily in a cave. As word of his sanctity spread, others came to learn from him. He eventually established a series of monasteries and wrote the Rule by which they were governed.
The Rule of St Benedict became the basis for the rules of almost all Christian monastic communities in the west. The Rule sets out both how to live a life centered on Christ, as well as how to run a monastery. Topics include what to eat and drink and when, how to handle various disciplinary issues, which psalms should be read at what time, and how to assign work.
The Rule has been credited with helping Europe emerge from the fall of the Roman Empire. And, as Sister Joan Chittister has written, “Benedictine spirituality is the spirituality of the twenty-first century because it deals with the issues facing us now—stewardship, relationships, authority, community, balance, work, simplicity, prayer, and spiritual and psychological development.”[i]
If you’re interested in finding out more, there are several translations of the Rule and many commentaries available—including in St Philip’s library. There are also many resources available to help in preparing your own Rule of Life (many of which are available at no cost on the internet).
The Collect for St Benedict of Nursia:
Gracious God, whose service is perfect freedom and in whose commandments there is nothing harsh nor burdensome: Grant that we, with your servant Benedict, may listen with attentive minds, pray with fervent hearts, and serve you with willing hands, so that we might live at peace with one another and in obedience to your Word, Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
—Deacon Leah
[i] Joan Chittister, The Rule of Benedict: Insights for the Ages (1992), 15.