St Benedict of Nursia
Today seems as good a day as any to resume blogging after several weeks' break. With all the upheavals of Brexit, the chaos of UK politics and violence around the world, it's a relief to focus on a Christian saint who valued kindness. Just imagine a world in which kindness is institutionalised. How different would that be? Today is a feast day of St Benedict of Nursia (480 - 547 A.D.), Abbot of Monte Cassino and founder of Western Monasticism. He lived at a time of political upheaval as the old Roman Empire crumbled. His rule is based on a balance of prayer, work, sacred reading and sleep which offered a distinctively Christian culture. Rather than following prevailing secular culture his legacy helped to shape modern Europe through education, welfare provision, the arts and the practice of hospitality. 15 centuries after St Benedict's death his rule of monastic life is the most widely used in Christian monastic communities. You can find a brief account of St Benedic...