Strategic Monk
You may have noticed that I usually call Benedict “Benedict,” not “Saint Benedict.”
Part of that is my Protestant heritage. Recognized saints were not really part of my background.
When I applied to become a lay oblate at New Camaldoli, Father Robert tried to explain to me that many people chose their saint’s day as the day they would be received as an oblate. It took me a little while to remember that I actually knew when one saint’s day was. I did know that there had been some reorganization of the saints recognized by the Catholic Church, and I needed to ask whether or not the saint whose day I knew had been “decommissioned.” Father Robert assured me that he was “pre-Reformation,” and is still recognized as a saint.
Yes, I was received as an oblate on Saint Aidan’s Day, August 31.
I have no doubt the Benedict is worthy of sainthood. I tend to think of Benedict as fairly tangible and down to earth. Benedict’s Rule is a working guide to practical spirituality and administration. Benedict writes from his experience, turning theory into nuts-and-bolts details. Referring to him as “Saint Benedict” makes him feel more removed or distant.
It might be that I am doing Benedict a disservice, or a disservice to the idea of saintliness. I sometimes think of Benedict writing his Rule at the monastery in Monte Cassino, remembering the monks with whom he had shared his life and the wisdom he had gained from them. Reflecting and writing; turning the lessons of his lifetime into a document that would guide men and women for hundreds of years. There is something very saintly about that.
What lessons would like to leave for the generations that will follow you?
[Image by ashraful kadir]
