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Seeking Christ whilst living in a community bound to love one another
Possibly the most famous Rule is that of St Benedict. Benedict lived in the sixth century AD and came from Nursia in Umbria. He was the son of a Roman nobleman, but left his home behind as a young man to live as a hermit in a cave in Subiaco.
He went on to found several monasteries, the most famous of which is that of Monte Cassino between Rome and Naples.
‘It has helped me to focus on God in the midst of all the unexpected ups and downs that life presents.’ Esther de Waal
His Rule for his monks is about seeking Christ whilst living in a community bound in love to one another, and in the ordinary circumstances of daily life.
It balances work and prayer, work being physical, manual labour and prayer through the regular reciting of the psalms and reflective reading of scripture. Gloucester Cathedral started life as a Benedictine abbey.
To find out more about Benedict and his Rule and about Benedictine life today, you might like to read these books:
• A Life-Giving Way: a Contemplative Commentary on the Rule of St Benedict, Esther de Waal
• Finding Sanctuary: Monastic Steps for Everyday Life, Abbot Christopher Jamison (from the TV series The Monastery)
• Seeking God: the Way of St Benedict, Esther de Waal
• Wisdom Distilled from the Daily: Living the Rule of St Benedict Today, Joan Chittister