LIFE AND MIRACLES OF SAINT BENEDICT OF NURSIA

 

SAINT BENEDICT OF NURSIA

A. BIOGRAPHY

St. Benedict was born in Nursia, Italy around 500 AD. Born into a wealthy family, he was sent to Rome to finish his studies, but he left Rome before finishing because of the sinfulness in the city. He became a hermit under the monk, Romanus. Some monks sought out St. Benedict to live according to his ways, but he warned the monks that it would be too strict for them. They insisted, and once they found that Benedict had been correct, they decided to poison him. When St. Benedict blessed the poisoned wine that they offered him, the glass shattered, saving his life.

Benedict left them and established twelve monasteries. It was for his monastery in Monte Cassino that he wrote the Rule for which he is known. The Rule, based on the writings of saints and the existing tradition of Christian monasticism, provides guidance for how to practically live the monastic life. It designates sufficient time for daily prayer and meditation, manual work, leisure, and sleep. It provides instruction on spirituality (e.g., obedience, humility), daily life practices (e.g., how to dress, how much food to eat at meals), and specifics concerning how to run a monastery (e.g., how to receive guests and handle unacceptable behavior from the monks).

St. Gregory wrote a biography on St. Benedict, which is how we know some of the details concerning his life (though it is not written in a way that we would think of as a biography). He wrote it primarily to inspire the people at a time when there was political conflict and conflict in the Church, so that they could better recognize that God was still working through His people. May it still lift our spirits to know that there are Benedicts in the world even today, who show us that God is still with us in every age throughout history.

B. SAINT BENEDICTS RULE

St. Benedict is a popular saint, known primarily for the Benedictines, who are named after him, and for composing the Rule. Saint Benedicts Rule combines spiritual and administrative wisdom to provide guidance for the religious who wish to follow the monastic lifestyle. It includes a schedule for daily lifes tasks such as when to pray, work, and sleep. Many religious orders around Benedicts time adopted it for their own religious orders and many still use it today. But it is not just those in religious orders whose lives seem to follow some kind of rule. In Novena to saint Benedict, we pray for all those who are subject to and disciplined by schedules, either in accordance with or against their wills.

C. NOVENA TO ST. BENEDICT

This novena to St. Benedict (c.480-c.547) reflects the father of Western monasticisms goodness and devotion to God. St. Benedict is best known for his Rule for monks (and nuns as well) living in monastic communities devoted to lives of prayer, solitude and contemplation. The prayer goes thus:

Glorious St. Benedict, sublime model of virtue, pure vessel of God's grace! Behold me humbly kneeling at your feet. I implore you in your loving kindness to pray for me before the throne Of God. To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily surround me. Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and to my neighbor. Inspire me to imitate you in all things. May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His kingdom. Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries and afflictions of life. Your heart was always full of love, compassion and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way. You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you. I therefore invoke your powerful intercession, confident in the hope that you will hear my prayer and obtain for me the special grace and favor I earnestly implore (name it). Help me, great St. Benedict. to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His loving will and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven. Amen.

D. SOME OF THE MIRACLES OF SAINT BENEDICT OF NURSIA

1. BROKE A GLASS FULL OF POISON WITH THE SIGN OF THE CROSS

The abbot of a nearby monastery died and the monks there asked St. Benedict if he would become their new abbot. He declined at first, but they insisted, so he agreed. Benedict was stricter than the previous abbot and soon the monks came to hate Benedict. They decided to kill him and put some poison in his glass of wine. But when he made the Sign of the Cross to bless the wine, the wine glass suddenly broke as if a rock had been thrown at it. St. Gregory the Great writes in his telling of the story: on which accident the man of God by and by perceived that the glass had in it the drink of death, which could not endure the sign of life.

2. SAVED A MAN FROM DROWNING BY BRIEFLY BECOMING ANOTHER PERSON

A monk named Placidus was getting water from lake, accidentally fell in, and was swept away quickly by a current. Even though Benedict was a good distance from the lake, he miraculously knew what had happened and immediately ordered another monk Maurus to run to the lake to save Placidus. When Maurus arrived at the lake, without thinking about it he ran across the surface of the lake, grabbed Placidus by the hair, and dragged him back to shore. He only realized he had walked on water after he was back on land. St. Gregory the Great writes that Maurus marveled and was afraid of what he had done. And this is where things got a lot weirder. Talking about the event later that day, Maurus insisted that he had hardly been aware of walking on water as he was doing it. And Placidus? He claimed that the person who had pulled him from the water in the middle of the lake wasnt wearing Maurus clothes, but Benedicts.

In other words, in some mysterious way, although Maurus had been the one who went to the lake, Benedict had miraculously worked through him to walk on water and save Placidus.

3. READING THE MINDS OF HIS MONKS

A few of his monks were sent to deliver a message to another town. For the length of the journey, Benedict ordered them to fast, as was their custom. But the trip took a bit longer than they were expecting and someone invited them to their house for a good meal and they accepted  who would know? Benedict would. When they got back, he immediately asked them where they had been eating. When they said they hadnt eaten anywhere, he told them where they had eaten and what they had eaten, including how many drinks they had had. Caught, as well as afraid of the fact that Benedict could know all the details of what they had done, they fell down trembling at his feet and confessed their sin.

4. BROUGHT A CHILD BACK TO LIFE

During a construction project at the abbey, Satan himself came to St. Benedict and told him that he planned on attacking the monks working on the project. Benedict at once sent a message of warning to the workers. Just as soon as the message arrived, a partially completed wall collapsed on a small boy who was helping with the work, killing him. Grief stricken, the monks brought the dead, mangled body to Benedict, who laid the childs corpse on a table, sent everyone out of the room, and started praying. Miraculously, the boy came back to life, his body healed of all injuries.

5. MOVED A HUGE STONE WITH HIS PRAYER

Some monks were busy building new cells at their abbey and came across a huge stone that blocked the path of their building. Even working all together, they were unable to move the stone. So what did they do? Call St. Benedict of course! He said a prayer for them that the stone would move, and  voilà!  the monks were able to easily move the stone.

6. EXORCISED A STUBBORN DEMON

A man in a nearby town was possessed by a demon, and his local bishop was unable to exorcise it. He sent the man to the shrines of many holy martyrs, but without any effect. Finally, the bishop summoned Benedict, who called on Our Lord Jesus Christ in prayer and immediately freed the man of the demon. Benedict left them man with two rules to follow to avoid another demonic attack: (1) abstain from meat the rest of his life, and (2) do not try to enter the priesthood.

7. UNFAZED BY THE DEVILS TRICKERY

During construction, Benedict requested that the monks dig a deep hole in a certain spot. The monks found an old brass idol. For some reason, one of the monks set the idol in their kitchen; not with the intention of worshipping it, but just as a place to put it.

Suddenly, a massive fire broke out in the kitchen. Worried the fire might engulf their whole building, the monks called for Benedict, who said he saw no fire. When the monks insisted the kitchen was full of flames, Benedict realized that the flames were a trick of the Devil to scare them  a trick that was completely ineffective on him. He prayed that the monks would be freed from the deception, and they quickly were.

8. BENEDICT RESURRECTS THE SON OF A FARMER

One day, Benito had gone with his brothers to work in the fields. He came to the monastery, carrying on his arms the body of his dead son and was overwhelmed with grief over this loss. He asked Father Benito. When he was told that the Father was with the brothers in the camps, promptly he placed the body of her son who died at the door of the monastery, and mad with pain ran frantically to look for the Father.

Just then the man of God was coming back with the brothers from the fields. As soon as he saw him, the farmer who had lost his son began to shout: "Give me back my son! Give me back my son!". At these cries the man of God, he stopped and asked: "Have I taken away your son?". The farmer replied, "He's dead! Come and raise him!". On hearing those words the Servant of God was greatly grieved and said, "back inside, brothers! Comply these things not up to us, but to the holy apostles. Why do you want to impose on us burdens that we cannot bring?". The farmer, increasingly anxious, continued to plead with him, saying that would not go away until you had not given back his son alive. Then the servant of God asked, "Where?". The man replied: "His body is lying at the door of the monastery".

When the man of God came with his brothers, he knelt and then lay down on the little body of the child, and got up, raised his hands to heaven and said, "Lord, do not look at my sins, but on the faith of this man who asks for the resurrection of his son, and give back to this body the soul that you have taken. " 

As soon as he had finished praying, the soul, back in the little body of the boy, he began to do everything trembles, under the eyes of those present. Benito handed him alive and in good health, to his father.

9. THE SICKLE LOST IN THE WATER

A poor spirit asked to enter a monastery, and Benedict welcomed him gladly. One day give him a sickle, an iron tool so named for its resemblance to the sickle, in order to liberate from thistles a piece of land which was to be cultivated as a vegetable garden. The land to be cleaned lay on the shore of the lake. While he was working to cut the thick bush, the sickle slipped from the handle and fell into the lake, in a profound point of not leaving any hope of being able to, recover.

Lost the tool, the worker ran trembling from priest Mauro to tell him what happened, and made satisfaction for his fault. The priest Mauro immediately informed the Servant of God Benito. The man of the Lord, heard what had happened, went to the place, taken from the hands took to the handle and dipped it in water. Immediately the iron came up to the surface, and went back into his handle. Benedict handed the tool saying: "Here, work and do not grieve".

10. THE POISONED BREAD

There are always bad men who envy the virtues of the good, the priest of the nearby church, named Fiorenzo, driven by malice began to nurture envy for the good works of the saint and to denigrate his life. Fiorenzo, blinded and increasingly devoured by the fire of envy, for the esteem he enjoyed Benedict, went so far as to send to the Almighty's servant a poisoned bread, as if blessed. The man of God accepted it with thanks, but escaped the trap that it contained.

From the nearby forest, the hour of the meal was usually get a raven, who received bread from his hands. That day, when he reached the crow, the man of God gave him before the bread received by the priest, has commanded him: "In the name of Jesus Christ, take this bread and take it where no one can find it." The crow began to flutter around that bread, croaking as if to say, of being ready to obey, but it cannot carry out the order. The man of God then repeated several times: "Take it without fear, and go to throw it where nobody can find it." After having lingered for a long time, eventually the Raven grabbed it and flew away. About three hours later he returned without the bread, and from the hand of the saint received the food it used to have.

Fiorenzo having been unable to eliminate Benito tried to kill the souls of the disciples. He sent to the monastery, where Benito was, seven naked girls holding hands, danced for a long time to energize their carnal desires.

Benito saw from his cell and feared for his weak disciples. Convinced that the persecution of Fiorenzo concern him alone, he decided to leave the field before the envy of the priest. Provident ordering of monasteries which he had founded, constituting in them the upper and increasing the number of brothers. Then, accompanied by a few monks, he moved to another place.

As soon as the man of God was withdrawn with humility before hatred of Fiorenzo, Almighty God struck the priest with a terrible punishment. In fact, while he was on the terrace of the house, rejoicing, for the departure of Benito, while remaining intact the whole house, the balcony collapsed, burying Fiorenzo under its rubble.

Mauro, the man disciple of God, thought it appropriate to immediately notify the venerable Father Benito, which was located about ten kilometers from the monastery. So she ran to tell him: "Go back, the priest who persecuted you is dead." At that, the man of God felt great pain, both for the death of his enemy, and for the joy shown by the disciple. Mauro then imposed a penance, because of communicating the news, he had dared to show himself delighted at the death of an enemy.

11. CLERIC GOT FREE FROM POSSESSED BY THE DEVIL

At that time a cleric of the Church of Equine was possessed by the devil. The bishop of that place, the venerable Costanzo, to obtain healing had sent him from many tombs of martyrs, without obtaining the release. The cleric was led then by the Servant of God Benito. He, praying intensely to Jesus Christ, immediately drove the soul in pity to the old adversary. After cured, admonished him, saying: "Go, do not eat meat and do not presume to access to holy orders. The day you dared to do it, you would return by then in the devil's power".

The cleric freed from the possession went, for some time watched as the man of God had commanded. After many years, when he saw that all older than he had died and the younger overtook him in holy orders, he refused to account the words of Benito, became ordained priest. Immediately the devil who had left took again possession of him, and continued to haunt him until his death.

12. THE DEMON TEMPTS BENEDICT

One day, while he was alone, the tempter approached. A small black bird began to fly around, flapping with its wings against his face; importunate, insistent, so that the saint could, if desired, take it with his hands. After he had traced the sign of the cross, the bird flew away. As soon as he was gone, I took a very violent temptation so far never experienced. Malignant called to mind the appearance of a woman seen a long time ago, and with the memory of this figure so inflamed the soul of the servant of God that he was not able to stop the fire of passion: won by desire, he had almost decided to leave his hermitage.

Suddenly, he was touched by grace, came to his senses, and saw a bramble bush of nettles beside it; he took off his clothes and jumped into it naked, rolling around for a long time among the prickly thorns and stinging nettles, and emerged with the body all torn. Through the wounds of the flesh healed the wound of the soul, transformed the temptation in pain, and she burned out, he extinguished the passion that burned within. He won sin therefore changing the fire.

Since then, as he himself told his disciples, the temptation was in him completely won, so as not to sense more stimuli. Immediately many began to abandon the world and to flock under his leadership. 

13. THE DEMON INJURED BENEDICT

The fortified town called Cassino is located on the side of a high mountain. The village is located in a wide cover of the mountain, which, still climbing for three miles, it seems to stretch out its summit into the sky. There stood an ancient temple, where, according to the custom of the pagans, the foolish mass of peasants rendered cult to Apollo. In the surrounding woods they had been consecrated to the worship of demons, and even at that time a crowd of followers flocked to offer wicked sacrifices.

As soon as he arrived, the man of God, Benito broke the idol, overthrew the altar and cut down the groves; the site of the temple of Apollo was built upon it, a chapel dedicated to St. Martin, and the place of the altar of Apollo a chapel in honor of St. John. With assiduous preaching then, he began to attract the people to the faith of the surrounding places.

But the old adversary (the Satan) could not bear all this silently. He showed himself then to the Father's views openly, not in other respects, or in a dream, and with loud cries complained of being subjected to violence, so that even the brothers they heard the voice, though without being able to see the figure. As the same venerable father Benito, later told the disciples, the old adversary showed his body with eyes look terrible, fiery, and seemed to want to turn upon him with mouth and eyes of flame. Everyone could now hear what he said. Before calling his name, Benito answered him not, then filled him with reproaches. He called out loud, but, seeing that the other did not answer him, saying, "Damn, why do you persecute me?"

THE END

Rev Fr Utazi Prince Marie Benignus Zereuwa

June 15 2020