- Home
- Speakers
- St. Benedict of Nursia
- When Anyone Is Newly Come For The Reformation Of Her Life
St. Benedict of Nursia
St. Benedict of Nursia (c. 480–March 21, 547) was an Italian monk, preacher, and founder of Western monasticism, best known for establishing the Rule of St. Benedict, which shaped Christian monastic life for centuries. Born in Nursia (modern Norcia, Umbria) to a noble Roman family—traditionally named Eupropius and Abundantia—he was sent to Rome for education around 495 but abandoned worldly pursuits after witnessing the city’s moral decay. Fleeing to Subiaco, he lived as a hermit in a cave for three years, guided by a monk named Romanus, where his reputation for holiness grew, drawing disciples. Though not ordained as a priest, his preaching through example and instruction profoundly influenced early Christian communities. Around 529, Benedict founded the monastery at Monte Cassino, south of Rome, after leaving Subiaco due to conflicts with a jealous priest. There, he composed his Rule, a practical guide blending work, prayer, and study—famously summarized as “ora et labora” (pray and work)—preached to his monks to foster a balanced spiritual life. His miracles, like restoring a shattered sieve or raising a boy from the dead, underscored his sanctity, as recorded by Pope Gregory the Great in Dialogues. Tradition holds he had a twin sister, St. Scholastica, also a monastic founder. Benedict died at Monte Cassino in 547, possibly from fever, and was buried alongside Scholastica. Canonized in 1220, he’s venerated as the patron saint of Europe, leaving a legacy as a preacher of discipline and devotion that endures in the Benedictine Order.
Download
Topic
Sermon Summary
St. Benedict of Nursia emphasizes the importance of testing newcomers who seek reformation, requiring them to endure challenges and trials to prove their commitment. He instructs that novices should be carefully observed to ensure their sincerity in seeking God, obedience, and perseverance. The process involves progressively introducing the Rule to the novice, allowing time for reflection and commitment before full acceptance into the community, where they are bound by the Rule's laws.
When Anyone Is Newly Come for the Reformation of Her Life
When anyone is newly come for the reformation of her life, let her not be granted an easy entrance; but, as the Apostle says, "Test the spirits to see whether they are from God." If the newcomer, therefore, perseveres in her knocking, and if it is seen after four or five days that she bears patiently the harsh treatment offered her and the difficulty of admission, and that she persists in her petition, then let entrance be granted her, and let her stay in the guest house for a few days. After that let her live in the novitiate, where the novices study, eat and sleep. A senior shall be assigned to them who is skilled in winning souls, to watch over them with the utmost care. Let her examine whether the novice is truly seeking God, and whether she is zealous for the Work of God, for obedience and for trials. Let the novice be told all the hard and rugged ways by which the journey to God is made. If she promises stability and perseverance, then at the end of two months let this rule be read through to her, and let her be addressed thus: "Here is the law under which you wish to fight. If you can observe it, enter; if you cannot, you are free to depart." If she still stands firm, let her be taken to the above-mentioned novitiate and again tested in all patience. And after the lapse of six months let the Rule be read to her, that she may know on what she is entering. And if she still remains firm, after four months let the same Rule be read to her again. Then, having deliberated with herself, if she promises to keep it in its entirety and to observe everything that is commanded, let her be received into the community. But let her understand that, according to the law of the Rule, from that day forward she may not leave the monastery nor withdraw her neck from under the yoke of the Rule which she was free to refuse or to accept during that prolonged deliberation.
- Bio
- Summary
- Transcript
- Download
St. Benedict of Nursia (c. 480–March 21, 547) was an Italian monk, preacher, and founder of Western monasticism, best known for establishing the Rule of St. Benedict, which shaped Christian monastic life for centuries. Born in Nursia (modern Norcia, Umbria) to a noble Roman family—traditionally named Eupropius and Abundantia—he was sent to Rome for education around 495 but abandoned worldly pursuits after witnessing the city’s moral decay. Fleeing to Subiaco, he lived as a hermit in a cave for three years, guided by a monk named Romanus, where his reputation for holiness grew, drawing disciples. Though not ordained as a priest, his preaching through example and instruction profoundly influenced early Christian communities. Around 529, Benedict founded the monastery at Monte Cassino, south of Rome, after leaving Subiaco due to conflicts with a jealous priest. There, he composed his Rule, a practical guide blending work, prayer, and study—famously summarized as “ora et labora” (pray and work)—preached to his monks to foster a balanced spiritual life. His miracles, like restoring a shattered sieve or raising a boy from the dead, underscored his sanctity, as recorded by Pope Gregory the Great in Dialogues. Tradition holds he had a twin sister, St. Scholastica, also a monastic founder. Benedict died at Monte Cassino in 547, possibly from fever, and was buried alongside Scholastica. Canonized in 1220, he’s venerated as the patron saint of Europe, leaving a legacy as a preacher of discipline and devotion that endures in the Benedictine Order.