Saint Benedict free essay sample

Saint Benedict Saint Benedict leading others in a life of service to God The life of Saint Benedict dramatically shaped Christianity development through the impacts of Benedicts Law on monarchism and my ministry today. Saint Benedict was born in about the year 480 AD. Many of the milestones in Benedict’s life are approximations as is the year of his birth. The only dated event of his life was in 542 AD when he was visited by a king at Monte Cassino. We know that he was an older man when he was visited by this king because he died shortly after the visit. St. Benedict was born in Nursia which is now Norcia in the province of Ubbria. Many believe his father was a Roman noble. We do not know the names of Benedict’s father and mother. Benedict had a twin sister named Scholastica, who is also a saint. When Benedict came of age he was sent to school in Rome to learn to be a noble man. We will write a custom essay sample on Saint Benedict or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He became very disillusioned with the corruption in Rome and with the lack of discipline he noticed from his peers. He left Rome and his education in order to live in solitude and discern God’s will. When Saint Benedict left Rome in 500 AD, he travelled to Subiaco and lived as a hermit in a cave in the mountains. His nurse was with him and cared for him. It is reported that he was fed by a raven from time to time. The only visitor that came to his cave during his three years was a monk named Romanus that he met on his way up to the cave. The monk also brought Benedict food because he knew where Benedict was hiding and would lower food down into the cave for him. It is believed that shepherds began to visit Saint Benedict and witnessed miracles he performed. Upon the death of their leader a local abbot convinced Saint Benedict to be the head of his monastery. He was knew that he had high standards with regards to discipline and was reluctant to become head. He took the position as leader as an experiment. After a short while the other monks became jealous of Benedict and tried to poison Benedict with wine. It is recorded that as soon as the glass of wine was put into Benedict’s hand it crumbled. Benedict then retreated back into solitude (Abbey 1-10). Benedict’s reputation of being a holy man had been spread by shepherds and other locals and soon there were twelve monasteries that each had a superior and twelve other monks following his rule of life. Benedict lived at a thirteenth monastery with a few monks that he felt would be better instructed by him. These monasteries built schools for children and became a refuge with all the unrest in Rome. Many Roman noble and religious men committed their children to be taught the way of life in service to God by Benedict. Two of Benedict’s students were St. Placid and St. Maurus. Saint Gregory records a miracle involving these two students. When Placid was sent to get water he fell into the lake and was swept away by a strong current. Benedict was sent a vision from God of what had happened. He sent for Maurus and asked him to go and rescue Placid. Maurus ran to Placid and walked on water in order to pull Placid out of the water by his head. Placid said that he did not see Maurus when he was pulled out of the water only the hood of an abbot over his head. As word spread of these miracles, Florentius who was a priest became jealous of Benedict and sent him a gift of a loaf of poisoned bread. Benedict was warned by God that the bread was poisoned. Benedict commanded a crow that visited him daily to take the bread and hide it where no man could be harmed by the bread. Three hours later the crow returned and Benedict gave the crow the food as he always did. Benedict was distressed by this jealousy. About 529 Benedict moved his community to Monte Cassino, a hill 75 miles southeast of Rome and near the source of the Liris River. He and his monks demolished an old temple of Apollo replaced it with a chapel dedicated to St. Martin and one to Saint John the Baptist. This is also the site of the famous monastery that bears his name. It is very difficult to know what Benedict’s daily life consisted of in his monastery. The chronicler at the Monte Cassino only recorded the miracles of the monastery. The chronicler recorded that Benedict predicted the destruction of Monte Cassino. The only dated event of his life was in 542 when he was visited by King Totilla at Monte Cassino. The date generally given for Benedicts death is March 21, 547. He was buried at Monte Cassino next to his sister, St. Scholastica. Monte Cassino was destroyed in 589 (Butler 1-10). Benedict was considered the father of monasticism. The Benedictine Rule dominated religious life in the Middle Ages. Followers of St Benedict, were those who submitted to the monastic rule which he instituted. His rule was different that the others because it focused on balance. The Benedictine Rule is known for its moderation. The areas of food, drink and the length of common prayer are less demanding than the earlier rules which many believe is because in order to survive monks had to work more often. There were tough economic times after the Gothic War. In The Rule of Saint Benedict , Timothy Fry states: The Rule of Benedict manifests a certain liberalism and humanism, in the pristine sense of those terms. The author understands human nature, both its grandeur and its weakness, respects it and wants to facilitate its organic growth. He knows that human persons and their actions are of infinite variety and complexity, and that individual problems require individual solutions. (93) The Rule of Benedict recognizes the community over the individual and focuses on ordering the community. There is the idea that the monks in the monastery must obey the law, but the superior of consulting all the monks assembled in a council or chapter upon all important business. The abbot or superior was also elected by all the monks, whose liberty of choice was unrestricted. It is also noted that the theme of the law was inspirational yet realistic. In The Rule of Saint Benedict , Timothy Fry states: Saint Benedict shows an extraordinary of weakness, a compassion for those who fail or are troubled or distressed, a delicate patience even with the hard of heart. In this respect too, his Rule is deeply human and evangelical. (94) The Rule of Saint Benedict was written in order to govern monks that lived together in community. It gave a set of norms that included all types of laws and norms with regards to community living. It was written so that monks could live in harmony and service to God but is very inspirational to us today. Many people today use the spiritual guidance chapters of the rule as guides to Christian living. There are two parts of Saint Benedict’s rule that will be disciplines that I will use in my personal ministry: spiritual guidelines and hospitality. The first is Chapter four of the Rule. It is titled â€Å"Guidelines for Christian and monastic good practice†. As someone that intends to work in full time ministry I believe that this chapter will be one that I always reflect on in order to focus my priorities. My priorities should be to love God and then love my neighbor as myself. The next thing I should do is I should remember that it is not my will but God’s will that should be done. I need to remember not to get involved in worldly affairs or not to get involved in the politics of church but to keep God at the center. I should turn the other cheek when someone hurts me. I should also not boast but find all of my fulfillment in God alone. I think these guidelines will always helped me stay encourage while ministering to those in my congregation (Vogue 254-259; Fry 90-98). With regards to hospitality The Benedictine Handbook the contributors state: The greatest care should be taken to give a warm reception to the poor and to the pilgrims, because it is in them above all others that Christ is welcomed. As for the rich, they have a way of exacting respect through the very fear inspired by the power they yielded. 75) I feel called to be hospitable to individuals who live in the inner city. I have had the opportunity to begin contextual education at Eau Claire Baptist Church during this semester. The congregation has become dedicated to being wrapped in God’s love. As a reflection and a response to this love there are several programs I have been able to experience. There is a Tuesday night Bible study that focuses on Christian ethics. Many of the themes that are present in Saint Benedict’s Rule are themes of this Bible study. About one-fourth of the active members of the church have become involved in this study in order to really discern God’s call for this church. They are talking about how God call us to Christian action and that each of us needs God’s grace. This group has really talked about being sincere in thoughts and actions and I have noticed that the topics of this study are being discussed in many areas of the church. Eau Claire Baptist church has gone through a change in the last several years as the community around the church has changed. The church made the decision to pick up young men who are middle school and high school age students who are â€Å"at risk† individuals and bring them to church. The church has changed its traditional mission’s curriculum to meet the needs of these young men. The young men have a safe place and feel a part. I work with this group most often. I have visited their homes and I have played basketball with these boys. They have welcomed me with open arms and are really trying to learn about Christianity.