It might be easy for anyone who doesn’t live in (or aspire to live in) a monastery or some other form of intentional religious community to simply dismiss the Rule of Saint Benedict as a relic from the distant past that has simply no bearing on the ordinary Christian life in our day. However, anyone who aspires to the contemplative life, whether cloistered or not, will find tremendous wisdom, insight, and spiritual guidance in this little manual designed to help monasteries to run smoothly.
Such is the lavish serendipity of divine grace, that a book with quite a narrow intended readership could be beneficial to so many.
Benedict of Nursia lived from about the year 480 to about the year 547. Apparently he learned the hard way how not to lead a monastic community — the first monastery where he was abbot (spiritual father), the monks tried to poison him! But when he founded the monastery of Monte Cassino (a community still going strong today, despite the monastery suffering horrific damage during World War II), he flourished as an abbot, and toward the end of his life composed his Rule as a guide for both the leaders and the general membership of monastic communities such as his own. Eventually, the Rule of St. Benedict became the most widely used monastic rule in the western church, and remains influential to the present day.
A remarkable development in just the past few decades has been the increasing popularity of Benedict’s rule among secular laypersons — individuals with no desire to become monks or nuns or clergy, but who nevertheless seek a deep and lasting Christian spiritual practice. These “Christian proficients” (to use Martin Thornton’s term) have embraced the Rule of Benedict and given it an entirely new venue where its wisdom is studied, learned, and applied.
What makes the rule so special? Scholars praise it for its moderation and sense of balance. While Benedict frequently speaks of discipline and even corporal punishment to be meted out to wayward monks (policies that seem harsh and unnecessary here in the age of therapy), his overall message is grounded in a positive spirit of reconciliation — he always has the welfare of the overall community in mind, and advocates chastising individual monks only as a means of safeguarding the interests of the monastery as a whole. But what makes the Rule of St. Benedict so attractive to the ordinary Christian is not how it details monastic administrivia or the necessity of upbraiding unruly novices, but rather the spiritual values that it champions: hospitality, humility, perseverance, silence, kindness toward those with special needs, discipline, and an optimistic sense that salvation and sanctity are to be found in the ordinary, everyday tasks of living. Do not read the rule looking for hidden secrets to obtain mystical enlightenment — that’s about as far away from the spirit of the rule as you can get. Benedict, rather than glamorizing the extraordinary possibilities of mysticism, instead celebrates ordinary disciplines and down-to-earth virtues as the surest route to living fully and abundantly in Christ. For this reason, Benedictine spirituality is accessible to anyone who is willing to pray regularly, to cultivate a spirit of humility, and to approach community (whether in the home, or at a public setting like work, school or church) as an arena where growth in the spiritual life may occur.
Those interested in Benedictine spirituality often find it helpful to seek out a monastery where it is possible to make retreats, participate in the Daily Office, and even establish a more formal relationship with the community by becoming an oblate or lay associate of the monastery. Obviously, reading the Rule of St. Benedict is in itself a wonderful spiritual discipline, providing insight into how Benedict’s down-to-earth wisdom can still speak powerfully today — nearly 1500 years after he first set his words to paper. Many commentaries on the Rule are also available (see below for a sampling), often tailoring their perspective toward those who might wish to apply Benedictine insights to the demands of family or work life.
Unless you have a vocation to the consecrated life, reading the Rule of St. Benedict won’t make a monk out of you. But it just might nurture the monk within — empowering your contemplative longing to become an ever-more central part of your spiritual journey.
For further reading:
Translations of the Rule
- RB1980: The Rule of St. Benedict in English, edited b y Timothy Fry, OSB
- The Rule of St. Benedict, translated with introduction and notes by Anthony C. Meisel and M.L. del Mastro
- The Holy Rule of St. Benedict read by John Polhamus (CD audiobook)
- The Rule of St. Benedict, translated by Leonard J. Doyle
Editions of the Rule with commentary
- RB1980: The Rule of St. Benedict in Latin and English with Notes, edited by Timothy Fry, OSB
- Benedict’s Rule: A Translation and Commentary, Terrence G. Kardong
- Saint Benedict: A Rule for Beginners (Excerpts from the Life and Rule of Saint Benedict edited with an introduction and commentary), Julian Stead, OSB
Commentaries on the Rule and explorations of Benedictine spirituality
- Elizabeth J. Canham, Heart Whispers: Benedictine Wisdom for Today
- Michael Casey, A Guide to Living in the Truth: Saint Benedict’s Teaching on Humility
- Michael Casey, Strangers to the City: Reflections on the Beliefs and Values of the Rule of St. Benedict
- Michael Casey, An Unexciting Life: Reflections on Benedictine Spirituality
- Joan Chittister, OSB, The Rule of Benedict: Insights for the Ages
- Joan Chittister, OSB, Wisdom Distilled from the Daily: Living the Rule of St. Benedict Today
- Adalbert de Vogüé, Reading Saint Benedict: Reflections on the Rule
- Esther de Waal, A Life-Giving Way: A Commentary on the Rule of St. Benedict
- Esther de Waal, Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict
- Eric Dean, Saint Benedict for the Laity
- Wil Derkse, The Rule of Benedict for Beginners: Spirituality for Daily Life
- Patrick Henry, ed., Benedict’s Dharma: Buddhists Reflect on the Rule of Saint Benedict
- Daniel Homan, OSB and Lonni Collins Pratt, Radical Hospitality: Benedict’s Way of Love
- Dom Sighard Kleiner, O.Cist., In the Unity of the Holy Spirit: Spiritual Talks on the Rule of St. Benedict
- David Parry, Households of God: The Rule of St. Benedict with Explanations for Monks and Lay-people Today
- M. Basil Pennington, OCSO, Listen with Your Heart: Spiritual Living with the Rule of Saint Benedict
- Laura Swan, Engaging Benedict: What the Rule Can Teach Us Today
- Brian C. Taylor, Spirituality for Everyday Living: An Adaptation of the Rule of St. Benedict
- Jane Tomaine, St. Benedict’s Toolbox: The Nuts and Bolts of Everyday Benedictine Living
- Benet Tvedten, OSB, A Share in the Kingdom: A Commentary on the Rule of St. Benedict for Oblates
- Korneel Vermeiren, OCSO, Praying with Benedict: Prayer in the Rule of St. Benedict
- Norvene Vest, Preferring Christ: A Devotional Commentary on the Rule of St. Benedict
- Corinne Ware, Saint Benedict on the Freeway: A Rule of Life for the 21st Century
