The Feast of St. Benedict - 21st March 2025
Today we come to the celebration of St Benedict, our father in God and wise guide to many down the centuries who have sought to live out the gospel in radical ways. He lived in a time when the Roman civilisation was crumbling and there was need for stable communities who could carry forward the best of what was being lost in the world around them. Monasteries following his rule were centres of learning and their copying of manuscripts passed on to later generations the riches of classical as well as Christian literature.
We too look out on a world where civilised values are being set aside and raw self-interest seems dominate. In the environmental and humanitarian crises around the world we are reaping the results of unrestrained greed. What are we as Christians to do? What might the monasteries of today bequeath to future generations? We can feel powerless in the face of the forces that are shaping our world yet each one of us is called to fight evil. As it is put in the Prologue of the holy Rule, we are called to give up our own will and arm ourselves with the strong and noble weapons of obedience, to fight for the true King, Christ the Lord.
In our reading at Vespers this evening, from Colossians 3, Paul writes ‘Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God’. But this is no other-worldly call to a life lived in a blissful cloud of mystical vision. He goes on to ground this in a call to turn away from the behaviours, attitudes and manners of speech that embody worldly desires and to clothe ourselves in the new self, being renewed in the image of our creator.
These worldly desires arise from our self-centredness, our desire for comfort, affirmation and control, and the abusive speech that Paul condemns comes forth when those desires are thwarted. Benedict calls us to be mindful of God at all times, to be aware of our speech and actions. Are we acting as Jesus did, transmuting the difficult things that happen to us into opportunities to love rather than complain? Are we taking in and neutralising any angry or hurtful speech that comes our way by responding gently, not taking the bait to hit back? When we don’t get our own way can we see that as an opportunity to accept graciously the needs of others and let go what we want?
It’s a tough call and few, if any, reach the perfection of Jesus’ love in this life. But if we open ourselves to his love for us, knowing we are held securely come what may and in spite of all our failings, we gradually become more able to respond to others with love. At the heart of Benedictine life is the ‘Work of God’, the rhythm of prayer that is both our work for God and a space where God works in us. Over the years our hearts are opened to God’s words of love, expressed through the scriptures and embodied in the person of Christ whom we receive day by day at the Eucharist. It is a slow but transformative journey.
This is such a contrast to the way the idol of economic growth shapes wider society. Life is about always doing more and doing it faster, with a quick fix for any problem. It is all about ‘me, myself and mine’. The media stoke our fears of those who might take away what is mine or get in the way of my personal fulfilment. The rapid pace of communication inflames debate and cuts across any opportunity for quiet reflection. Not getting what I want or being confronted by someone with whom I disagree then triggers violent and inflammatory speech.
Our monastic life is a witness to the wider world that life doesn’t have to be like this, that we can live together with our differences and seek the common good. We need to cherish our times of prayer both corporate and personal so that we can listen to God’s word with the ear of our heart and let it change us into the likeness of Christ. As we confront the challenges of living together let us seek to respond with love and humility. Our own lives create ripples that flow out to influence others. And those small ripples can together make a powerful flood that changes the world.
Mother Anne - 21st March 2025