A bunch of ordinary people who lived extraordinary lives. Here are some amazing Catholics who will always be by your side and cheer for you up in Heaven :) Uploads every week (I'm sort of hoping)
#4 in Catholic 6/25/18
#4 in Saints 6/25/18
St. Benedict was born around 480 with his twin sister, St. Scholastica (Chapter 12), to a Roman noble of Norcia. Benedict was sent to a nurse/housekeeper to finish his studies of rhetoric (persuasive speaking). His companions began to turn more and more evil and he fled Rome, afraid that he's fall into their ways as well.
Benedict felt a calling to a quiet life and went to the mountains of Subiaco. He lived as a hermit under the direction of another, Romanus. While Benedict lived there, the Devil appeared as a beautiful and tempting woman. Benedict resisted by rolling into a thorn bush until his body was covered in scarps. It's said that through these body wounds, the wounds of his soul were cured.
After years of praying, the pope brought nearby monks to live under his leadership. He said he'd be too strict but they all said they wanted him to be their leader but then tried to poison him when they realized they he actually was too strict for them. When Benedict prayed over the poisoned glass, it shattered. The followers fled.
Another set of followers were more sincere and truly wanted him as their spiritual father. He set up 12 monasteries in Subiaco for them to live in separate communities of twelve. Benedict had to flee again because of the envious attacks of another hermit made it impossible for him to continue.
He founded another monastery in Monte Cassino that was the foundation of his group of monks. St. Scholastica lived nearby in order to live a religious life with him. Benedict set up communities that no one had thought of before which was a bold, risky step but paid off. His beliefs and instructions on religious life are called Rule of Saint Benedict.
Benedict realized that rhetoric is like a hammer where it could be used to build a house or hit someone over the head. It could promote vice or God. He didn't say rhetoric was terrible because it would seduce people but he reformed it instead so it could be used for the better of other people.
Benedict would use the psalms as prayer because they were powerful words and part of the Jewish liturgy in which Jesus would have prayed himself.
He believed that speaking wasn't just enough so he instructed to practice sacred reading. They memorized the Scripture, studied it, and contemplated it. 4-6 hours were set aside to read the Bible.
Once, a poor man came to the monastery begging for some oil. Benedict commanded that it be given, the cellarer refused because there wasn't much left. Angry at the distrust, Benedict knelt down to pray and a bubbling sound came from inside the oil jar. The oil vessel was overflowing and cascaded onto the floor.
Benedict died on March 21, 543, not long after Scholastica. It's said he died from a high fever on the day God said he would.
His order of Benedictine monks are still around today.
Comment if you have a saint who was also a monk that you would like me to talk about!
