Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict, The nine days of prayer to Saint Benedict, ending at First Vespers of Saint Benedict’s Transitus (March 20). On March 21, many Benedictine monasteries around the world will observe the death of Benedict (+547) with solemnity, if you follow another liturgical calendar other than the Roman one, while other monasteries will celebrate July 11 as a feast, the translation of Benedict’s bones. Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict, Day 1 The order of prayer There was a man of venerable Life, Benedict, blessed by God both in grace and in name. (antiphon) Pray Psalm 1: The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked 1 The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked 1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners,
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Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict,
The nine days of prayer to Saint Benedict, ending at First Vespers of Saint Benedict’s Transitus (March 20). On March 21, many Benedictine monasteries around the world will observe the death of Benedict (+547) with solemnity, if you follow another liturgical calendar other than the Roman one, while other monasteries will celebrate July 11 as a feast, the translation of Benedict’s bones. Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict, Day 1 The order of prayer There was a man of venerable Life, Benedict, blessed by God both in grace and in name. (antiphon)
Pray Psalm 1:The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked1 The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked 1 Blessed is the manwho walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners,nor sits in the seat of scoffers;2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
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The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict Glorious Saint Benedict, sublime model of virtue, pure vessel of God's grace! Behold me humbly kneeling at your feet. I implore you in your loving kindness to pray for me before the throne of God. To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily surround me. Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and to my neighbor. Inspire me to imitate you in all things. May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His kingdom.
Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries, and afflictions of life. Your heart was always full of love, compassion, and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way. You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you. I therefore invoke your powerful intercession, confident in the hope that you will hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favor I earnestly implore. [Mention your request here.]
Help me, great Saint Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His loving will, and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven. Amen.
and then pray the following prayer.Let us pray.
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Almighty and eternal God, may the example of blessed Benedict urge us to strive for holiness of life and, by celebrating his memory, may we be inspired to follow him in the spirit of his Rule. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict, Day 2 The order of prayerThe man of God, Benedict, forsook the glory of the world, for the Spirit of God was in him. (antiphon)
Pray Psalm 15:Who Shall Dwell on Your Holy Hill?A Psalm of David.15 O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart;3 who does not slander with his
tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; 4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; 5 who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.
The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict Glorious Saint Benedict, sublime model of virtue, pure vessel of God's grace! Behold me humbly kneeling at your feet. I implore you in your loving Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict 4/43
kindness to pray for me before the throne of God. To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily surround me. Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and to my neighbor. Inspire me to imitate you in all things. May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His kingdom.
Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries, and afflictions of life. Your heart was always full of love, compassion, and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way. You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you. I therefore invoke your powerful intercession, confident in the hope that you will hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favor I earnestly implore. [Mention your request here.]
Help me, great Saint Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His loving will, and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven. Amen.
and then pray the following prayer.Let us pray.Mighty God, the source of all perfection, by the gift of Your grace, the blessed Benedict left all things that he might dedicate himself more fully to Your service for the salvation of the world. May all those, who strive to walk the path of perfection, not go Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict 5/43
astray, but run without stumbling and be rewarded by You with the gift eternal life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict, Day 3 The order of prayer I will make you a great nation, and will bless you; and you shall be blessed. (antiphon)
Pray Psalm 23:The Lord Is My ShepherdA Psalm of David.23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.He leads me beside still waters.3 He restores my soul.He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict Glorious Saint Benedict, sublime model of virtue, pure vessel of God's grace! Behold me humbly kneeling at your feet. I implore you in your loving kindness to pray for me before the throne of God. To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict 7/43
surround me. Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and to my neighbor. Inspire me to imitate you in all things. May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His kingdom.
Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries, and afflictions of life. Your heart was always full of love, compassion, and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way. You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you. I therefore invoke your powerful intercession, confident in the hope that you will hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favor I earnestly implore. [Mention your request here.]
Help me, great Saint Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His loving will, and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven. Amen.
and then pray the following prayer.Let us pray.God, our Father, may Saint Benedict be our special patron in heaven so that what we cannot achieve by our own merit, we may obtain through his merits and prayers and Your loving grace. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict, Day 4 The order of prayer A wise man’s teaching is a fountain of life (antiphon)
Pray Psalm 19:8-12:19 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold;sweeter also than
honey and drippings of the honeycomb.11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. 12 Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict Glorious Saint Benedict, sublime model of virtue, pure vessel of God's grace! Behold me humbly kneeling at your feet. I implore you in your loving Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict 9/43
kindness to pray for me before the throne of God. To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily surround me. Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and to my neighbor. Inspire me to imitate you in all things. May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His kingdom.
Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries, and afflictions of life. Your heart was always full of love, compassion, and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way. You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you. I therefore invoke your powerful intercession, confident in the hope that you will hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favor I earnestly implore. [Mention your request here.]
Help me, great Saint Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His loving will, and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven. Amen.
and then pray the following prayer.Let us pray.God our Creator and supreme Legislator, You inspired Saint Benedict to compose a Christ-like rule of life, with the Gospel as his Rule, may we persevere to the end in keeping Your
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commandments. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict, Day 5
The order of prayer No one can work these signs, unless God be with him. (antiphon)
Pray Psalm 96:1-16:Worship in the Splendor of Holiness96 Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth!2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.3 Declare his glory among the nations, his
marvelous works among all the peoples!4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens.6 Splendor and majesty are before him;strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;bring an offering, and come into his courts!9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.”11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it;12 let the field exult, and everything in it!Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy13 before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth.He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.
The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict Glorious Saint Benedict, sublime model of virtue, pure vessel of God's grace! Behold me humbly kneeling at your feet. I implore you in your loving kindness to pray for me before the throne of God. To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily surround me. Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and to my neighbor. Inspire me to imitate you in all things. May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His kingdom.
Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries, and afflictions of life. Your heart was always full of love, compassion, and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way. You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you. I therefore invoke your powerful intercession, confident in the hope Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict 13/43
that you will hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favor I earnestly implore. [Mention your request here.]
Help me, great Saint Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His loving will, and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven. Amen.
and then pray the following prayer.Let us pray.God of power and might, You have shown forth Your goodness by the many miracles which You wrought through Your holy servant Benedict. Grant us the final grace of eternal blessedness. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict, Day 6 The order of prayer By the light of contemplation his spirit was lift heavenward. (antiphon)
Pray Luke 1:68-75:1 68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
71 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear,75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict Glorious Saint Benedict, sublime model of virtue, pure vessel of God's grace! Behold me humbly kneeling at your feet. I implore you in your loving Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict 15/43
kindness to pray for me before the throne of God. To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily surround me. Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and to my neighbor. Inspire me to imitate you in all things. May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His kingdom.
Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries, and afflictions of life. Your heart was always full of love, compassion, and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way. You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you. I therefore invoke your powerful intercession, confident in the hope that you will hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favor I earnestly implore. [Mention your request here.]
Help me, great Saint Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His loving will, and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven. Amen.
and then pray the following prayer.Let us pray.All-seeing and all-knowing God, grant us the gift of holy contemplation, so that we may see and understand life on this earth as You see it, and as Saint Benedict describes it in his Rule for all who
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seek God. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict, Day 7 The order of prayer The holy monk Benedict could not have lived differently from what he taught. (antiphon)
Pray Psalm 34: 11-16:34 11 Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.12 What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good?13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.14 Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.15 The eyes of the Lord
are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict Glorious Saint Benedict, sublime model of virtue, pure vessel of God's grace! Behold me humbly kneeling at your feet. I implore you in your loving kindness to pray for me before the throne of God. To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict 18/43
surround me. Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and to my neighbor. Inspire me to imitate you in all things. May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His kingdom.
Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries, and afflictions of life. Your heart was always full of love, compassion, and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way. You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you. I therefore invoke your powerful intercession, confident in the hope that you will hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favor I earnestly implore. [Mention your request here.]
Help me, great Saint Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His loving will, and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven. Amen.
and then pray the following prayer.Let us pray.God of wisdom and of counsel, raise up in Your Church the Spirit which guided the man of God, Benedict, so that, filled with that same Holy Spirit, we may seek to love what he did, and to practice what he taught. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict, Day 8 The order of prayer Those who offered him food for his body received from his lips the Word of God, the food of life. (antiphon)
Pray Psalm 19: 1-7:The Law of the Lord Is PerfectTo the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.19 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun,5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict 20/43
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
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The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict Glorious Saint Benedict, sublime model of virtue, pure vessel of God's grace! Behold me humbly kneeling at your feet. I implore you in your loving kindness to pray for me before the throne of God. To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily surround me. Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and to my neighbor. Inspire me to imitate you in all things. May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His kingdom.
Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries, and afflictions of life. Your heart was always full of love, compassion, and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way. You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you. I therefore invoke your powerful intercession, confident in the hope that you will hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favor I earnestly implore. [Mention your request here.]
Help me, great Saint Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His loving will, and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven. Amen.
and then pray the following prayer.Let us pray.
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Lord God, it is Your will that the whole world look to You for salvation and deliverance from the slavery of sin. Grant us a sense of mission, such as Saint Benedict had, and fill us with an apostolic spirit that we may, by the example of our life, help to draw others to You. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict, Day 9 The order of prayer Let us rejoice in the Lord, celebrating the memory of the holy abbot, Benedict. (antiphon)
Pray Psalm 9:I Will Recount Your Wonderful Deeds9 I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.2 I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. 3 When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before your presence.4 For you have maintained my just
cause; you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment. 5 You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish; you have blotted out their name forever and ever.6 The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins; their cities you rooted out; the very memory of them has perished. Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict 24/43
7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, 8 and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness.9 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.11 Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds!12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted. 13 Be gracious to me, O Lord! See my affliction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death, 14 that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation.15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.16 The Lord has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah 17 The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.
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19 Arise, O Lord! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you!20 Put them in fear, O Lord! Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah
The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict Glorious Saint Benedict, sublime model of virtue, pure vessel of God's grace! Behold me humbly kneeling at your feet. I implore you in your loving kindness to pray for me before the throne of God. To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily surround me. Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and to my neighbor. Inspire me to imitate you in all things. May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His kingdom.
Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries, and afflictions of life. Your heart was always full of love, compassion, and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way. You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you. I therefore invoke your powerful intercession, confident in the hope that you will hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favor I earnestly implore. [Mention your request here.]
Help me, great Saint Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His
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loving will, and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven. Amen.
and then pray the following prayer.Let us pray.Almighty and everlasting God, You freed the man of God, Benedict, from the prison of the flesh and bore him up to heaven to enjoy the vision of Your glory. Grant us, through his merits, the spirit of penance, forgiveness of our sins, so that we may one day share the joys of eternal life with him and all the saints. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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St. Benedict
Feast Day - July 11
In our modern world, we talk fast, we travel fast, and we even pray fast. Have you ever attended rosaries where people seem to say the words at breakneck speed -- apparently more worried about finishing before Mass starts than savoring each word? Our impatience to get to the end, our focus on completion rather than process is a real danger in
reading Scripture when every word is from God and has a power all its own. Benedict knew that power because he took the time to let it work within him.
In the fifth century, the young Benedict was sent to Rome to finish his education with a nurse/housekeeper. The subject that dominated a young man's study then was rhetoric -- the art of persuasive speaking. A successful speaker was not one who had the best argument or conveyed the truth, but one who used rhythm, eloquence and technique to convince. The power of the voice without foundation in the heart was the goal of the
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student's education. And that philosophy was reflected in the lives of the students as well. They had everything -- education, wealth, youth -- and they spent all of it in the pursuit of pleasure not truth. Benedict watched in horror as vice unraveled the lives and ethics of his companions.
Afraid for his soul, Benedict fled Rome, gave up his inheritance, and lived in a small village with his nurse. When God called him beyond this quiet life to even deeper solitude, he went to the mountains of Subiaco. There he lived as a hermit under the direction of another hermit, Romanus. After years of prayer, word of his holiness brought nearby monks to ask for his leadership. He warned them he would be too strict for them, but they insisted -- then tried to poison him when his warning proved true.
So Benedict was on his own again -- but not for long. The next set of followers were more sincere and he set up twelve monasteries in Subiaco where monks lived in separate communities of twelve.
He left these monasteries abruptly when the envious attacks of another hermit made it impossible to continue the spiritual leadership he had taken.
But it was in Monte Cassino he founded the monastery that became the roots of the Church's monastic system. Instead of founding small separate communities he gathered his disciples into one Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict 29/43
whole community. His own sister, Saint Scholastica , settled nearby to live a religious life.
After almost 1500 years of monastic tradition his direction seems obvious to us. But Benedict was an innovator. No one had ever set up communities like his before or directed them with a rule. What is part of history to us now was a bold risky step into the future.
Benedict had the holiness and the ability to take this step. His beliefs and instructions on religious life were collected in what is now known as the Rule of Saint Benedict -- still directing religious life after 15 centuries.
In this tiny but powerful Rule, Benedict put what he had learned about the power of speaking and oratorical rhythms at the service of the Gospel. He did not drop out of school because he didn't understand the subject! Scholars have told us that his Rule reflects an understanding of and skill with the rhetorical rules of the time. Despite his experience at school, he understood rhetoric was as much a tool as a hammer was. A hammer could be used to build a house or hit someone over the head. Rhetoric could be used to promote vice ... or promote God. Benedict did not shun rhetoric because it had been used to seduce people to vice; he reformed it.
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Benedict did not want to lose the power of voice to reach up to God simply because others had use it to sink down to the gutter. He reminded us "Let us consider our place in sight of God and of his angels. Let us rise in chanting that our hearts and voices harmonize." There was always a voice reading aloud in his communities at meals, to receive guests, to educate novices. Hearing words one time was not enough -- "We wish this Rule to be read frequently to the community."
Benedict realized the strongest and truest foundation for the power of words was the Word of God itself: "For what page or word of the Bible is not a perfect rule for temporal life?" He had experienced the power of God's word as expressed in Scripture: "For just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to him who sows and bread to him who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:10-11).
For prayer, Benedict turned to the psalms, the very songs and poems from the Jewish liturgy that Jesus himself had prayed. To join our voices with Jesus in praise of God during the day was so important that Benedict called it the "Work of God." And nothing was to be put before the work of God. "Immediately upon hearing the signal for the Divine Office all work Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict 31/43
will cease." Benedict believed with Jesus that "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God' " (Matthew 4:4).
This prayer, called the Divine Office, was to be chanted from the breviary at specific times of the day. If a monk could not make it to chapel, he was to immediately fall to his knees in the place where he in the fields, in the stable, wherever he was and perform the Work of God under the vault of the sky. There was nothing special about praying in a chapel -- or praying outdoors -- but there was something very special about the prayer. "We believe that God is everywhere," but "without doubt, we believe this is so especially when assisting in the Divine Office." The Church still believes Benedict's and considers the Divine Office the prayer of the Church.
But it wasn't enough to just speak the words. Benedict instructed his followers to practice sacred reading -- the study of the very Scriptures they would be praying in the Work of God. In this lectio divina, he and his monks memorized the Scripture, studied it, and contemplated it until it became part of their being. Four to six hours were set aside each day for this sacred reading. If monks had free time it "should be used by the brothers to practice psalms." Lessons from Scripture were to be spoken from memory not read from a book. On Benedict's list of "Instruments of Good Works" is "to enjoy holy readings."
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This sacred reading, however, was a study in love, not intellect. Not just an exercise of the mind, it was an exercise of contemplation so that "our voices and hearts harmonize." Each word of God would soak into their minds, their hearts, their very souls, so that the prayers would spring up from the depths of their being, not just from their memory. "We realize that we will be heard for our pure and sorrowful hearts, not for the numbers of our spoken words." A heart was pure when it was empty of all but God's Word and our desire to remain in God's Word.
First came the lectio, reading the Scripture until a phrase was found that inspired the person to stop. Our natural tendency would be to read the phrase and think about what it means, what it has to do with our lives and then move on. But that was not part of sacred reading.
The next step was to memorize the phrase, repeat it over and over and over from memory without reading it, without thinking about it, just repeating it, until it seemed to be coming from the heart not the voice, until the power of the Word of God could take over.
When the phrase had lost all meaning except that power, the person would fall silent, still not thinking, but letting the inspiration of the Holy Spirit speak about the meaning in the heart. And finally the person would sink into contemplation, going beyond
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the voice, beyond the intellectual understanding, to sit in the presence of God in the divine Word.
In one story of Benedict's life, a poor man came to the monastery begging for a little oil. Although Benedict commanded that the oil be given, the cellarer refused -- because there was only a tiny bit of oil left. If the cellarer gave any oil as alms there would be none for the monastery. Angry at this distrust of God's providence, Benedict knelt down to pray. As he prayed a bubbling sound came from inside the oil jar. The monks watched in fascination as oil from God filled the vessel so completely that it overflowed, leaked out beneath the lid and finally pushed the cover off, cascading out on to the floor.
In Benedictine prayer, our hearts are the vessel empty of thoughts and intellectual striving. All that remains is the trust in God's providence to fill us. Emptying ourselves this way brings God's abundant goodness bubbling up in our hearts, first with an inspiration or two, and finally overflowing our heart with contemplative love.
Benedict died in 547 while standing in prayer before God.
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From the book of The Prophecies and Revelations of Saint Bridget (Birgitta) of Sweden, about St. Benedict
The Mother's words to the daughter about how the talent represents the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and about how St. Benedict added to the gifts of the Holy Spirit given to him, and about how the Holy
Spirit or the demonic spirit enters the human soul.
Chapter 20
The Mother speaks: ”Daughter, it is written that the man who received five talents earned another five. What does a talent signify if not a gift of the Holy Spirit? Some receive knowledge, others wealth, others wealthy contacts. However, everyone should yield double profits to the Lord, for example, as regards knowledge, by living usefully for themselves and instructing others, as regards wealth and other gifts, by using them rationally and charitably helping others. In this way the good abbot Benedict added to the gift of grace he had received by scorning the goods that are fleeting, by forcing his body to serve his soul, by putting nothing ahead of charity. Anxious not to let his ears be corrupted by empty talk or his eyes by seeing pleasurable sights, he fled to the desert in imitation of that man who, when he had not yet been born, recognized the coming of his dear Savior and leaped for joy in the womb of his mother.
Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict 35/43
Benedict would have gained heaven without the desert, inasmuch as the world was dead to him and his heart was completely full of God. However, it pleased God to call Benedict to the mountain so that many would come to know him and many would be inspired by his example to seek a life of perfection. This blessed man's body was like a sack of earth that enclosed the fire of the Holy Spirit and shut out the fire of the devil from his heart. Physical fire is enkindled by both air and a man's breath. Similarly, the Holy Spirit enters the human soul, either through personal inspiration or by lifting the mind up to God through some human action or divine locution. The spirit of the devil likewise visits its own people. However, the two spirits differ immeasurably, for the Holy Spirit makes the soul hot in her search for God but does not make her burn in her body. He shines his light in purity and modesty but does not darken the mind with evil. The evil Spirit, on the other hand, causes the mind to burn with carnal desires and makes it terribly embittered. He darkens the soul by making her unreflective and pushes her remorselessly toward the things of the earth.
In order that the good fire that was in Benedict might ignite many people, God called him to the mountain and, after many other flames had been called together along with him, Benedict made a great bonfire of them by the Spirit of God. He composed a rule of life for them through the Spirit of God. Through this rule many people have attained Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict 36/43
the same perfection as he. Now, however, there are many firebrands cast off from the bonfire of St. Benedict and they lie spread out everywhere, having coldness instead of heat, darkness instead of light. If they were gathered together in the fire, they would surely give off fire and heat.”
Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict 37/43
From the book of The Prophecies and Revelations of Saint Bridget (Birgitta) of Sweden, about St. Benedict
The Mother's words to her daughter, showing the greatness and perfection of the life of St. Benedict
by means of a comparison; also, the soul that bears worldly fruit is represented as a fruitless tree, the pride of mind as flint, and the cold soul as crystal; and about three noteworthy sparks arising from
these three things, i.e., from the crystal, the flint, and the tree.
Chapter 21
The Mother speaks: ”I told you before that the body of blessed Benedict was like a sack that was disciplined and ruled but did not rule. His soul was like an angel, giving off a lot of heat and flame. I will show you this by means of a comparison. It is as though there were three fires. The first of them was lit with myrrh and produced a sweet odor. The second was lit with dry kindle. It produced hot embers and a splendid blaze. The third was lit with olive oil. It produced flames, light, and heat. These three fires refer to three persons, and the three persons refer to three states in the world.
The first was the state of those who reflected on God's love and surrendered their wills into the hands of others. They accepted poverty and humility in place of worldly vanity and pride, and loved Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict 38/43
continence and purity in place of intemperance. Theirs was the fire of myrrh, for, just as myrrh is pungent but keeps demons away and quenches thirst, so too their abstinence was pungent to the body yet quenched their inordinate desires and drained away all the power of the demons.
The second state was that of those who had the following thought: 'Why do we love worldly honors? They are nothing but the air that brushes past our ears. Why do we love gold? It is nothing but yellow dirt. What is the end of the body if not rot and ashes? How does it help us to desire earthly goods?All things are vanity. Therefore, we shall live and work for one purpose alone, that God may be glorified in us and that others may burn with love for God through our word and example.' The fire of such people was that of the dry kindle, inasmuch as they were dead to the love of the world and all of them produced hot embers of justice and the blaze of holy evangelization.
The third state was that of those with a fervent love for the passion of Christ who longed with all their hearts to die for Christ. Theirs was the fire of olive oil. The olive contains oil that gives off a scorching heat when it is burned. In the same way, these people were drenched in the oil of divine grace. Through it they produced the light of divine knowledge, the heat of fervent charity, the strength of upright conduct.
Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict 39/43
These three fires spread far and wide. The first of them was lit in hermits and religious, as described by Jerome who, inspired by the Holy Spirit, found their lives wonderful and exemplary. The second fire was lit in the confessors and doctors of the church, while the third was in the martyrs who despised their own flesh for God's sake, and others who would have despised it had they obtained help from God. Blessed Benedict was sent to people belonging to these three states or fires. He fused the three fires together in such away that the unwise were enlightened, the cold-hearted were inflamed, the fervent became more fervent still. Thus, with these fires began the Benedictine order that guided each person according to his disposition and intellectual capacity along the way of salvation and eternal happiness.
From the sack of Blessed Benedict blew the sweetness of the Holy Spirit through which many monasteries were started. However, now the Holy Spirit has left the sack of many of his brothers, for the heat of the ashes has been extinguished and the firebrands lie scattered about, giving off neither heat nor light but the smoke of impurity and greed. However, God has given me three sparks so as to bring consolation to many people. The three stand for many sparks. The first spark was obtained with a crystal from the heat and light of the sun and has already settled on the dry kindle in order that a great fire may be made from it. The second spark was obtained with hard flint.Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict 40/43
The third spark came from a fruitless tree whose roots were growing and that was spreading its foliage. The crystal, that cold and fragile stone, represents the soul who, while she may be cold in her love for God, still seeks perfection in her heart and will and prays for God's help. Her intention thus leads her to God and earns for her an increase of trials that makes her grow cold toward base temptations, until God enlightens the heart and settles in the soul now emptied of desire, so that she no longer wants to live for anything but the glory of God. Flint represents pride. What is harder than the intellectual pride of a person who wants to be praised by everyone, yet longs to be called humble and to seem devout?
What is more loathsome than a soul that places herself ahead of everyone else in her thoughts and cannot put up with being rebuked or taught by anyone? Nevertheless, many proud persons pray humbly to God that pride and ambition be removed from their hearts. God, therefore, with the cooperation of their good will, presents adversities to their hearts and at times consolations that draw them away from worldly things and spur them on toward heavenly. The fruitless tree represents the soul that is fed on pride and bears worldly fruit and desires to have the world and all its privileges.
However, because this soul has a fear of eternal death, she uproots many of the saplings of sins she Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict 41/43
would otherwise commit if she had no such fear. Because of her fear, God draws near to the soul and inspires his grace in her so that the useless tree might become fruitful. By means of such sparks of fire, the order of Blessed Benedict, which now seems abject and abandoned to many people, should be renewed.”
