WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Soldiers of Christ: St. Benedict of Norcia

Episode Date: November 27, 2023

St. Benedict is the founder of one of the oldest communities of monks in the world and is the twin brother of St. Scholastica. His feast day is celebrated on July 11th and he is the patron saint of students and Europe. 

Hi, I'm Faith Roy's and this is Soldiers of Christ on Radio Free Hillsdale, a feature where I highlight the life of Catholic and Orthodox saints. Today's saint is Benedict of Norcha, the founder of one of the oldest communities of monks and the twin brother of St. Scholastica. Born to wealthy parents around 480 AD, he attended primary schools in Norcia and traveled to Rome where he was taught literature and law. Benedict was disappointed in the immorality of Roman culture. and the unhearing attitude of fellow students, so he chose to move to the town of Afuil with a group of priests. During his time there, a miracle occurred. Benedict's servant accidentally broke in earthenware sifter,

and Benedict miraculously restored it to perfect condition. This drew more attention to him, so the young man decided to live in a cave in the ruins of a nearby village. Another monk, named Romanus, provided for Benedict's material and spiritual needs, and gave him a monk's habit. As word spread about the holiness of this mysterious cave-dwelling monk,

men flocked to St. Benedict, eager to live a monastic life. He grouped them into 12 communities, eat with its own abbot. He remained in Subiaco for the next 25 years and was resisted by some who opposed such a strict way of life. One priest named Florentius

was said to be jealous of Benedict's success in popularity. He would spread lies about the monk and even tried to poison Benedict. By the grace of God, Benedict did not accept the poisoned food and was spared in early death. Realizing that the attacks of Florentius would not cease, St. Benedict moved his communities

to the mountains of Monte Cassino. There they converted the old temple of Apollo into a new chapel for St. Martin and built a monastery for the community of monks. During this time, Benedict wrote the final version of his rule of life, which became known as the rule of St. Benedict. This rule was inspired by the Desert Fathers and other monastic writers like St. Basil and St. Augustine

and provided guidance on how to grow in holiness and live in a community. Along with writing this influential guide on Western monasticism, Benedict successfully ran the new monastery and performed many miracles. He brought a young man back to life, prophesied, and provided the community with flour and oil in times of need. For the remainder of his life, he continued to guide young men in the way of monastic, life and would meet with the local group of nuns whose community was founded by his own twin sister, St. Scholastica. He also devoted himself to evangelizing the local pagans and telling them about the Christian life. Right before he died, Benedict saw the soul of his sister, Scholastica, rising up to heaven

in the form of a dove. According to tradition, he died on March 21, 547 AD, and was buried in the orator of St. John the Baptist, alongside his sister. Unfortunately, his original monastery in Monte Cassino was destroyed by the Lombards in 577, but the Benedictine order still spread throughout France, England, and Germany. When he was issuing a reform of monastic life, Emperor Charlemagne shows the rule of St. Benedict as a guide. The motto of this order is Orah at Labora, which means pray and work. St. Benedict's Feast Day is celebrated on July 11th, and he's the patron of students and Europe. We take inspiration from the rule of St. Benedict, for he wrote, Do not be daunted immediately by fear, and run away from the road that leads to salvation.

Thank you for listening to Soldiers of Christ. I'm Faith Roy's with Radio Free Hillsdale, 101.7 FM.