Saint Benedict, Abbot, Co-Patron of Europe- Feast

The Feast of Saint Benedict, Abbot, Co-Patron of Europe

St Benedict, Abbot, and Co-Patron of Europe was born in Umbria and studied in Rome. Unable to cope with the dissolute life of the city he withdrew into a life of solitude as a hermit at Subiaco to be able to offer himself totally to God. His rule of life has continued to influence a lot of religious orders and lay movements in the Church. When I was reading about the this feast, I  came across this description of his rule of life, I quote, “it drags our eyes up to the stars but keeps our feet firmly on the ground; it calls us to perfection but keeps us sane”.  Emphasising how balanced his rule of life is.

At the heart of his withdrawal from all that the world could offer (such as wealth, prestige, privileges, world’s approval and fame) is the understanding of the truth that to have God is to have everything.  So, for him, the more he dies to the world the more the life of God is manifested in Him so that he become truly the person God wanted him to be. St Paul will say to the people of Corinthians (2 Cori 6:10) that, “although we appear as having nothing, we Possess everything”.

This is a truth that St Peter confronts today in the Gospel and he asked Jesus what our reward will be, having left all to follow him. Jesus says that there is no one that left everything and followed him that will not receive a reward. Sadly, this answer Jesus gave is often understood only in a futuristic term as if we have got nothing in the present as Christians.  Of course, our joy cannot be complete until we see him face to face as he is and all our tears wiped away.  So, we live in Hope.

But We also know that, despites our sufferings, pains and the crosses we bear for the sake of Christ, all these cannot be compared to what we already have even in the present. We have God as our father. His Spirit now lives in us strengthening us and helping us to find meaning in our sufferings. We are no longer slaves to sin but children of righteousness despite our weaknesses.

This understanding strengthens us as we strive to conform ourselves to Him who has called us, knowing that, although we may have very little in the eyes of the people, we truly possess everything because we have God.

When the Holy Spirit led Peter to understand this truth, he freely abandoned not only material things of this world but also his own life to God. The same is true about St Benedict.

So, we pray that the Spirit of God will help us understand what has been freely given to us in time as we await his eternal reward.

St Benedict…. Pray for us.