Prefer Nothing to the Love of Christ: the legacy of St. Benedict

St Benedict of Nursia
by Perugino

As far-reaching as the influence of towering figures like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas has been in the west, it is our holy father St. Benedict of Nursia who is, arguably, the true father of western Christianity. I would go so far as to say that western Christianity is fundamentally Benedictine Christianity.

The life of St. Benedict is reasonably well known, how he was born in central Italy near the end of the fifth century, went to Rome to study as a young man and, disillusioned with life in Rome, left the city to become a hermit in the hills nearby. After several misadventures, he relocated further south and there founded his renowned abbey at Monte Cassino. He remained there until his death in 547.

Benedictine monasteries quickly spread across Europe, and communities grew up around them. They settled and served a tumultuous western Europe, operating as centers of education and trade, as well as giving aid and hospitality to the poor.


The Rule that St. Benedict composed during his time at Monte Cassino became one of the foundational texts of western Christianity, overtaking a number of other monastic rules which had been in use up to that time. Although others remain in use, notably the Rule of St. Augustine and the Rule of St. Francis, it is St. Benedict's rule which has become synonymous with the monastic life, and paradigmatic not only for the life of consecrated communities, but even of the life of devout lay Christians.

The morning and evening offices as found not only in Catholic prayer books, but even in the Book of Common Prayer and many Lutheran hymnals, are almost universally derived from the principles of prayer laid out in St. Benedict's Rule, based on the offices of Lauds and Vespers.

The profound spiritual and ethical wisdom of St. Benedict deserves more time than I can give it here. The principles of Benedictine spirituality resonate deeply with the spirituality of Christ and the Apostles, constituting an indispensable guide to the Christian life. Reading the Rule now I am reminded of following the Jewish tradition of reading "Ethics of the Fathers" every Sabbath afternoon as a young man, a practice instituted to lay the foundation for pious and moral living in Jewish communities. I cannot recommend strongly enough that every Christian adopt a similar practice of regularly reading through the Rule.

In the Fellowship of St Columbanus, with our emphasis on community and education, I am particularly moved by one paragraph from the introduction of the Rule, and with this I will leave you
as a suggestion of our mission and in celebration of our holy father Benedict:

St Benedict Delivering his Rule
unkown, circa 1129

And so we are going to establish a school for the service of the Lord. In founding it we hope to introduce nothing harsh or burdensome. But if a certain strictness results from the dictates of equity for the amendment of vices or the preservation of charity, do not be at once dismayed and fly from the way of salvation, whose entrance cannot but be narrow (Matt. 7:14). For as we advance in the religious life and in faith, our hearts expand and we run the way of God's commandments with unspeakable sweetness of love. Thus, never departing from His school, but persevering in the monastery according to His teaching until death, we may by patience share in the sufferings of Christ (1 Peter 4:13) and deserve to have a share also in His kingdom.