15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Parish Family,

In this Sunday’s gospel reading, we hear Jesus giving instructions to his apostles about how they are to engage in the ministry of evangelization. He was pretty clear: two-by-two, only carrying a walking stick. They could wear clothing, of course, but not more than the necessities. He also gave directions for lodging – specifically to maintain stability in a welcoming place. Poverty and stability. These instructions of Jesus call to mind another important figure in the history of the Church who also gave specific instructions to his followers. I speak of St. Benedict of Nursia, the Father of Western Monasticism, as he is often titled. Benedict played no small part in the preservation of the foundations of Western culture.

Born in 5th century Rome, St. Benedict was turned off by the decadence he saw all around him and fled to a cave in Subiaco where he lived in relative solitude for three years. A friend would bring him food each day. After that time, he came back out of the cave and began to form communities that would strive to live out the Christian ideal. Thence we have the rise of the monasteries throughout Europe. They were regulated – as the word implies – by a Rule (regula). The Rule of St. Benedict serves as a guide for many monks and nuns throughout the world to this very day. This Rule established an ordered way of life, aiming for a balance between prayer and work (ora et labora). Part of the balanced ordering of the Rule is stability in a monastery. Monks and nuns are not to be wandering about. Also, lectio divina, is a core component of the day: divine reading. Early on, as the European continent fell into the “Dark Ages,” with raiding tribes disrupting the peace, the monks copied the Scriptures and secured the canon of western literature up to that point in history. This was and is hugely significant for us today; without the monks, their stability, faithfulness, and discipline, our culture might look a bit different than what we inherited. If you’re interested in reading more about this, a couple of books may interest you: 1.) How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization; and 2.) How the Irish Saved Civilization – if you’d like a decidedly Emerald Isle “hoorah!” Finally, you could get your own copy of The Rule of St. Benedict itself. You may even find therein some practical help for ordering your life!

All of this comes up because we celebrated the Memorial of St. Benedict this past Thursday. As we find ourselves in a period beyond Christendom, he is a good one to ask intercession of. We need to make sure we are continuing to hand down the richness of our Faith, Tradition, and Culture. We will be helped to do that by paying attention to the good instruction of those who came before, like Benedict, but especially to cling to Jesus, “The Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

Peace.

-Fr. Kennell