Sister Mary Clair, MICM
Saint
Benedict
Conclusion
Benedict did not leave Rome with the intention of being a reformer. He left the corrupt city when he saw that it was not worth it to stay there when everything around endangered his salvation of his soul.
Looking around at our world today, we can see history repeating itself. The new barbarians have laid waste to our once-Christian civilization. The dethronement of God and the enthronement of man as the end of all creation has put the whole world in a state of chaos.
Do we have the courage, like Benedict, to value things at their true worth? Are we willing to let go of everything in this life for the sake of gaining eternal life?
The question is – do we have the courage, like Benedict, to value things at their true worth? Are we willing to let go of everything in this life for the sake of gaining eternal life?
Like Benedict, we can not hope to stick around and reform it all: the danger is too great; the evil is colossal. Our hope is in God alone.
We cannot take the world by storm. We must not fall into the delusion that the only thing necessary for social reform is ourselves. No YouTube video, “X” post, or “Truth Social” following will ever bring the world back to God.
Like Benedict, we must assess the danger and flee the world. We cannot go into the wilderness of Subiaco, but we can, like him, turn away from the world by retiring into the silence of our hearts. We cannot retreat to Monte Cassino, but we can build up the fortresses of our souls. There, we can shut out the corrupting world; there, we can find peace. The conversion of hearts will happen organically when every Christian determines to enthrone God again in their hearts and their homes. Like Monte Cassino, the Christian home must become again a place of prayer, beauty, and peace; a place where God is adored, loved, and served in the family. The Christian home is the new Monte Cassino, where old ideals are cherished, traditions are preserved, and good reading, music, and art have a place and are expressive of the goodness, beauty, and truth of God.
Meals taken as a family, prayers said in common, Christian charity, respect for authority, and a love for work, are all Christian ideals that come from the rich monastic tradition. These values must be enshrined again in the Catholic family.
Meals taken as a family, prayers said in common, Christian charity, respect for authority, and a love for work, are all Christian ideals that come from the rich monastic tradition. These values must be enshrined again in the Catholic family. Most importantly, our homes must be carefully guarded by a gate. At Monte Cassino, a monk met each guest, and no one was admitted who was not worthy. So, too, we must build a spiritual gate around our home. The world can have no access when its corrupting influence will lead our young ones astray. Computers, cell phones, and televisions are the most obvious, but by no means the only way for the world to corrupt a Christian home.
Beyond the home, there is an even more sacred sanctuary where we can always find a sure refuge from the debauchery of a godless society: that is within ourselves. We are temples of the thrice Holy God; He lives in us by grace. Saint Benedict opens his Rule with the following words: “Listen carefully, my son, to the master’s instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart.”
Christ speaks to us in silence. The ear of your heart will never hear the voice of the Master if you are wearing earbuds! How can the Master speak to a heart distracted by a constant stream of noise, entertainment, news, and notifications? Turn off your phone, take out your earbuds, and pick up the New Testament. Already the world is a better place.
Read the life of Christ; then close your eyes, and go into a place more remote, more beautiful, and more sacred than the deepest caves of Subiaco: your own soul. This is your refuge from the corrupting influence of the world; here you can dwell with God alone.