9781644135945

The Light of the World
and with all that could in any way hinder his advance in godliness. “The law of his God is in his
heart” (Introit). He sought only to do God’s will, to comply fully with the law of God; such was
his rule and norm of life. Thus he lived with God at Subiaco in holy solitude, “under the eyes of
the heavenly spectators” (St. Gregory). Therefore God “heard him and his voice, and brought
him into a cloud,” the cloud of His holy presence, the cloud of divine union, as once He led
Moses into a cloud on Mount Sinai. “And He gave him commandments before His face, and a
law of life and instruction” (Epistle).
Eventually God led Benedict from the seclusion of his valley at Subiaco to the towering
mountain of Monte Cassino, that his light might illuminate the whole world. Here, inspired and
guided by the spirit of God, he wrote his Rule, through the observance of which countless souls
have been sanctified and have found a “law of life and instruction.” “Lord, Thou has presented
him with blessings of sweetness” (Gradual). “The just shall flourish like the palm tree; he shall
grow up like the cedar of Libanus” (Alleluia verse). Through St. Benedict a mighty stream of
grace and blessing flowed out upon the world, upon many nations and ages, and enriched them
with countless blessings.
“Behold we have left all things and have followed Thee” (Gospel). St. Benedict, too,
abandoned all things to follow Christ: his father and mother, his home, his family, his
position of honor, his worldly possessions, and all that belonged to him as the son of a
patrician. He abandoned even his studies at Rome, since he saw how many others had
suffered injury to their souls through the pursuit of such studies. He had only one ambition,
and that was to gain Christ, to share His life of voluntary poverty, to subject his
own will, and to suppress the desires and longings of his own heart. He longed for a life
of obedience, of prayer, of consecration to God. He sought a life of strenuous labor, a life
of self-abnegation, a life in a community of brethren, full of mortification and suffering,
providing an ample opportunity to practice humility and to fulfill the law of charity: to
love God and one’s neighbor. “Behold we have left all things and have followed Thee.” For
this reason Benedict was “blessed by God both in name and in grace” (St. Augustine).
“He who soweth sparingly shall also reap sparingly, and he who soweth in blessings shall
also reap blessings” (2 Cor 9:6). Such a one “shall receive a hundredfold [in this life] and
shall possess life everlasting” (Gospel). On earth he will enjoy a life of inner tranquility,
the reputation of a noble, pure, and well ordered character, a life fruitful for the salvation
of his own soul and for the eternal welfare of his neighbor and of all humanity. And in
addition “he shall possess life everlasting.” “He asked life of Thee, and Thou hast given
him length of days forever and ever” (Gradual). “Thou hast given him his heart’s desire,
O Lord, and hast not withholden from him the will of his lips. Thou hast placed on his
head a crown of precious stones” (Offertory).
“He who soweth in blessings shall also reap blessings.” It is the planting which determines the
difference in the richness of the harvest, and this truth was recognized by St. Benedict. If we
would receive, we must first give. If we would gain all, we must first abandon all. “If any man
will follow Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whosoever will
save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel shall save
it. For what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his soul? Or
what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mk 8:34–37.)
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