Amid Rome’s collapse, Benedict founds the first truly Catholic Civilization. Drawn by his sanctity and miracles, men joined him. Benedict founded twelve monasteries in Subiaco, each led by an abbot, thus establishing the Benedictine Order. Notable disciples included Sts. Maurus and Placid, sons of noble Roman parents who sent them to Benedict’s instruction.
Editorial (07/11/2025, Gaudium Press) – As the proud and once‑invincible Roman Empire crumbled under the devastating blows of barbarian hordes—armies and walls, institutions and customs all swept away—one bright star shone in the darkness.
In besieged Hippo, Saint Augustine wrote De civitate Dei (“The City of God”), proclaiming that while the world born of paganism would inevitably fail, the City of God—the Holy Catholic Church—not only would never be destroyed but would triumph over every adversity.
But which means and what men would God use so that from chaos would emerge order and splendor?
A Providential Man’s Calling
A noble youth named Benedict (Benito), born in 480 in Nursia, felt the Lord’s call to follow Him in silence and prayer. Sent to study in Rome, he soon realized that to fulfill his supernatural longing, he could not remain in that chaotic mix of barbarism and decadent Roman culture. Instead, he sought a barren place where he could grow in knowledge and love of God.
“He desired more the scorn of this world than its praise.”
He settled in Enfide (now Affile), about 50 km from Rome, where he lived with his old nanny. A domestic accident—her dropped clay strainer shattered—became his first miracle: Benedict prayed, and the strainer was restored without a crack. Fame followed quickly, and Benedict fled to solitude in a tiny Subiaco grotto.
A Great Temptation, A Triumph of Virtue
On the way to Subiaco, Benedict met a monk named Romanus, who lowered bread to him daily. Soon, visitors brought him food while he began enduring severe temptations from the demon, especially against chastity. At his worst moment, Benedict stripped off his garments and flung himself into brambles and thorns until he was wounded—but his soul remained pure.
He also faced an attempted poisoning. After three years of solitude, monks asked him to serve as abbot. He agreed under pressure—but when they gave him poisoned wine, Benedict made the sign of the cross and the vessel shattered. Realizing the danger, he left and returned to his grotto.
The Benedictine Order Emerges
Drawn by his sanctity and miracles, men joined him. Benedict founded twelve monasteries in Subiaco, each led by an abbot, thus establishing the Benedictine Order. Notable disciples included Sts. Maurus and Placid, sons of noble Roman parents who sent them to Benedict’s instruction.
A Mighty Wonderworker
God endowed Benedict with miracles. He provided water to mountaintop monasteries by directing monks to dig where three stones were stacked. It gushed forth abundantly. Benedict healed the sick, saved the endangered, exorcised demons, walked on water, and even raised a child from the dead. He also could spiritually accompany his monks anywhere, as if present.
One test came when two monks lied about eating outside the monastery—Benedict proved their lie and corrected them.
Persecution and Departure to Cassino
The devil always attacks saints. A nearby priest, driven by envy, slandered Benedict, poisoned him with bread, and later sent immoral women to corrupt his monks. Recognizing the threats, Benedict appointed deputies to each monastery and left Subiaco for Monte Cassino.
At Monte Cassino, once a pagan stronghold with pagan rituals, he destroyed idols, cleared the grove, and rededicated the site to Christ—building chapels to St. John the Baptist and St. Martin. He designed and founded the monastery himself; monks built it under his guidance.
The abbey became a beacon of civilization amid barbarian darkness. Its patriarchal rule, Christian culture, and spiritual authority drew princes, bishops, and neighbors—even retreating warlords—to Monte Cassino for counsel and spiritual renewal.
The Rule and Lasting Legacy
While building, Benedict drafted his famous Rule: “Ora et labora” (“Pray and work”), a balanced code fusing prayer, action, asceticism, and mysticism. The strength of the Benedictine order, however, was not only in the Rule but in its founder’s holiness, obedience, and love of liturgy, beauty, and perfection. From the 10th century, Cluny expanded Benedictine influence—eventually linking 17,000 monasteries worldwide, spreading Christianity, and founding universities like Paris, Cambridge, Bologna, Salamanca, and more. Over 1,500 years, it produced countless saints, scholars, bishops, and popes.
A Holy Death
Saint Benedict foretold his death, prepared his tomb six days in advance, then—after a violent fever—Eucharistally strengthened, died standing with uplifted hands on March 21, 547, in Monte Cassino’s oratory he himself had built. He is remembered as the “Patriarch of the West.”
(Based on Fr. Pedro Morazzani Arráiz, EP, “St. Benedict: Patriarch of the West”)
Compiled by Gustavo Kralj
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