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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.
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St. Benedict of Nursia preaches on the importance of living a life of love and righteousness according to God's commandments. He emphasizes the need to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. St. Benedict also teaches against sins such as murder, adultery, stealing, coveting, bearing false witness, and encourages honoring all people. He highlights the significance of self-denial to follow Christ, chastising the body, avoiding attachment to worldly pleasures, and practicing acts of charity and compassion towards others.
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In the First Place, to Love the Lord God
1. In the first place, to love the Lord God with the whole heart, the whole soul, the whole strength. 2. Then, one's neighbor as oneself. 3. Then not to murder. 4. Not to commit adultery. 5. Not to steal. 6. Not to covet. 7. Not to bear false witness. 8. To honor all (1 Peter 2:17). 9. And not to do to another what one would not have done to oneself. 10. To deny oneself in order to follow Christ. 11. To chastise the body. 12. Not to become attached to pleasures. 13. To love fasting. 14. To relieve the poor. 15. To clothe the naked. 16. To visit the sick. 17. To bury the dead. 18. To help in trouble. 19. To console the sorrowing. 20. To become a stranger to the world's ways. 21. To prefer nothing to the love of Christ.
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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.