Born in the late 5th century, Benedict was studying in Rome when he decided to become a hermit, being disillusioned at the reality he saw in the Church in Rome. He settled into a life of prayer and fasting in a rocky cave near Subiaco, Italy. Others wanted to join his lifestyle, so he founded communities that lived the monastic lifestyle, governed by Benedict’s teaching and example. After two decades, he left Subiaco and relocated to Monte Casino, where he founded a monastery that became a center of learning and worship that would influence both the Church in Europe and European culture in general for many centuries. The monastery at Monte Casino became the model of Western monasticism centered around the rule of life that Benedict wrote there. Benedict reached out beyond the monastery to the local population: preaching, distributing alms, feeding the poor, and working miracles. He died in 550.
In the Gospel today, Jesus speaks about the adversity we will face when we follow the Way of Jesus and when we proclaim God’s kingdom to the world. Benedict receive a lot of criticism and threats during his lifetime, which is one of the reasons he fled Subiaco, to protect the other monks there. Being a disciple of Christ is certainly not the easiest road to follow. But Jesus is there to lead us and guide us through the challenges and struggles we will face.
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