Homily given at St Benedict’s School at the Mass for the Patronal Feast of St Benedict, 21st March 2022
Ælfric, the Anglo-Saxon abbot, begins his sermon for the feast of St Benedict, with the following words, ‘Benedict, the holy Abbot, on this present day departed from this mortal life to the eternal, which he had thoroughly merited by his holy conduct’, that is today 21st March. In this rich homily based on the writings of St Gregory the Great, he describes Benedict as ‘God’s beloved’ (dilectus Domini), and disciples as ‘the students of Jesus’. Ælfric argues in another sermon for the New Year that this feast should be the first day of the year, ‘since it was the day on which time was created,’ quoting the Book of Exodus about the timing of the Passover festival ‘in the first of the months’; and since ‘the earth shows by the shoots which are then quickened again that this is the time which should most rightly be the year’s beginning’. The fertile signs of spring and new life, the sap rising, and the building of nests, all point towards new birth, a new year. For St Benedict his passing was the journey to new and eternal life, the eternal hope of the Christian life in heaven.
Just as we have lived through the credit crisis of 2008, the COVID crisis of 2020 and the climate crisis of this age, so St Benedict speaks into a time of crisis. Although the word PAX is etched into the doorway of the great monastery of Monte Cassino where he died, the saint lived through global crises in the second part of his life. The last fifteen years were a time of war, destruction and hardship with shortages of food and basic goods. In 540 there was a climate crisis when the sun was often surrounded by a cloud of dust caused by volcanic eruptions. This led to global cooling and floods, food shortages and earthquakes. Before his death in 547, there was pandemic of bubonic plague – the plague of Justinian, 541- 549AD – which swept through the Byzantine Empire and is estimated to have killed 30-50 million people. In this crisis, St Benedict forged a rule to help his monks live together before God and in peace.
Whether in the Anglo-Saxon world or more recently, St Benedict’s life and the attraction of his Rule, continue to inspire men and women to follow the monastic vocation to listen to the call of God, inspires the education of students, and influences philosophers and theologians. Alisdair MacIntyre, at the end of his magnum opus, After Virtue, argues that we need a new St Benedict to point the way into the future, develop again the meaning of community and give hope in a new dark age of relativism. St Benedict inspired a religious Medical Missionary of Mary to write a thesis on how the principles of the rule of St Benedict could assist her team of pastoral health workers caring with people living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda as well as looking after their families. She argued that the rule showed a practical wisdom to inspire more balanced lives and helped them avoid burnout. Today St Benedict inspires many to find a new balance in life.
As we celebrate the 120th Anniversary of St Benedict’s School founded in 1902, a few pointers can help us reflect on our learning and use of our God-given gifts for the good of all people.
The prologue of the Rule of St Benedict opens, ‘Listen carefully, my child, to my instruction, and attend to them with the ear of your heart’. Recently a student at university commented on the many hours which she looked at social media, texted and then realised how much time she was wasting. Whilst we receive much good information and the phone can be a wonderful medium for communication, we must keep control of this highly addictive tool in our hands. If we wish to learn, then we must listen. We must listen to teachers, to the writers of the past, watch and observe, dedicate our mind and heart to learning. The example of the patience of the monks who copied medieval manuscripts comes to mind, perhaps years of work knowing that it would benefit the future generations and loving each stroke of the quill pen. I am sure some of them were also often bored but they knew they were engaged in a greater enterprise than themselves. If we wish to become experts or specialists, then it will involve some boring disciplines. We celebrate today the achievement with which these gifts have borne fruit and led to success at St Benedict’s over 120 years. Our foundations are laid at school. I remember gifted leaders and teachers whose passion for their subject inspired me to learn. We pray for those who have died and gone before us with the sign of faith.
St Benedict reminds us that theology or the discovery of God begins on our knees. He teaches us to pray and offer our work to God, ‘First of all. Every time you begin a good work, you must pray most earnestly to bring it to perfection’ (Prologue). This is a good practice.
He teaches us to use the gifts of the creation wisely, with moderation, not over-consuming or acting as though everything belonged to me. I remember an advert on the side of a bus, ‘I shop therefore I am’, a sad parody of Descartes and a very sad way of life. Fortunately, we know that the human spirit rises to the challenge and desires to respond in love. Consider the heroic journeys being made to Ukraine, the openness to families of refugees, the desire to help. St Benedict writes, ‘As it is written: “Distribution was made as each had need.” By this we do not imply that there should be favouritism – God forbid – but rather consideration for weaknesses.’ (Rule 34) In our schools we must consider the care of students who struggle, who have a disability or sickness. We cannot turn from those who are more in need. Regarding the sick, St Benedict writes, ‘care of the sick must rank above and before all else so that they may truly be served as Christ who said I was sick and you visited me and what you did for one of these least of my people you did for me’ (Rule 36).
These few reminders from St Benedict tell us that the Catholic School must consider the good of every student in their dimensions and seek to help them flourish. In this way, each can play his or her part using gifts for the good of others and then be welcomed home to heaven at the end of life like St Benedict, ‘Well done good and faithful servant.’ St Benedict reminds us that our life project has eternal consequences. Thanks be to God.
Bishop John Sherrington
Photo: Statue of St Benedict in the Abbey of the Dormition in Mount Sion, Jerusalem (Fr Lawrence Lew OP)