BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:icalendar-ruby CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260313T170832Z UID:45-1015997@holyhermits.com.au DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260712 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260712 CLASS:PUBLIC CREATED:20250926T121044 DESCRIPTION:Benedict of Nursia (480-547)\nSt Benedict is known as the fathe r of Western monasticism\, with his Rule of monastic life becoming the nor m for monastic living throughout Europe.\nLife\nBenedict was born in Norci a (Nursia) in 480CE\, as a youth travelling to Rome to study literature an d law. Benedict was shocked by the licentiousness of the city\, fleeing to a cave in the rocks beside a lake east of Rome\, where he received spirit ual guidance and was provided with food and clothing by Romanus\, a monk f rom one of the nearby monasteries. After some years people started to foll ow his teachings\, and he was encouraged to become abbot of one of the mon asteries\, but his reforms were resisted there\, and an attempt was made t o poison him\, so he returned to his cave for a time. Eventually he establ ished 12 monasteries in the area\, before travelling south to Monte Cassin o where he settled\, converting many pagans in the area. His twin sister\, Scholastica\, joined him and became head of a nearby nunnery.\nTeachings\ nSt Benedict began his monastic life as a hermit but saw the spiritual dif ficulties of a solitary life\, even though he saw its value for a mature s pirit. The Rule of St Benedict focuses on a life spent in community\, and the ordering of that life. Ownership of even the smallest thing is forbidd en\, and the ordering of the offices for the canonical hours of the day ar e laid down with precision. St Benedict’s instructions on humility\, sil ence and obedience are still followed today by monastic communities. St Be nedict displayed moderation in that monks’ clothing should be suited to the climate\, they were to have sufficient food unless specifically fastin g\, and they were to have balanced times of prayer\, manual work\, Scriptu re reading\, and also sufficient sleep. He also made allowances according to age\, ability and disposition\, allowing for weakness and failure.\nIn one story of Benedict's life\, a poor man came to the monastery begging fo r a little oil. Although Benedict commanded that the oil be given\, the ce llarer refused -- because there was only a tiny bit of oil left. If the ce llarer gave any oil as alms there would be none for the monastery. Angry a t this distrust of God's providence\, Benedict knelt down to pray. As he p rayed a bubbling sound came from inside the oil jar. The monks watched in fascination as oil from God filled the vessel so completely that it overfl owed\, leaked out beneath the lid and finally pushed the cover off\, casca ding out on to the floor.\nLectio Divina\nSt Benedict encouraged his follo wers to practice sacred reading for four to six hours per day. In Chapter 48 of the Rule\, St. Benedict instructs us that “idleness is the enemy o f the soul\; and therefore\, the community ought to be employed in manual labour at certain times\, at others\, in divine reading.”\nLectio Divina is Latin for Divine Reading. It is a traditional Benedictine practice of scriptural reading\, meditation\, and prayer intended to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of God’s Word. The practice is d escribed as follows:\n1. Lectio Read the text slowly and prayerfully\, con stantly listening for that word that God has prepared for you. You may wan t to re-read the same text multiple times to help quiet yourself internall y and focus on God’s voice. Listen and receive the Word that God speaks to you.\n2 .Meditatio When a word or phrase strikes you\, stop and rest wi th it. Repeat the word or phrase to yourself. Allow it to speak to you in a personal way. Allow it to speak to you in a personal way by pondering th e word in your heart\, reflecting on what it means to you. Memorise it and repeat it to yourself\, allowing it to interact with your thoughts\, hope s\, memories\, and desires.\n3. Oratio Prayer is your response to God’s word. It begins your dialogue with God. What do you want to say to the Lor d in response to the Word spoken to you? Enter into this loving conversati on with God.\n4. Contemplatio Rest in God’s presence and receive His tra nsforming embrace. Sit still with God\, realising that in this deep and pr ofound relationship\, words are not necessary. Be content and at peace wit h a wordless\, quiet rest in God\, which brings joy to the heart. Remember that contemplation is not your action or doing\, rather it is allowing Go d to act in you.\n5. Finish this moment of rest with a short prayer of tha nksgiving. Commit yourself to be a better person and to apply the words of the Scriptures into your life.\nHere is a 10 minute meditation on St Bene dicts Rule on Youtube: Benedictine Rule of Life - A 10 Minute Meditation with Ed Jansen\nHere is an article from our Ministry Partner Benedict of N ursia (anglicanfocus.org.au)\nServices:\nPrayer with St Benedict | Contemp lative prayer service\n  LAST-MODIFIED:20250926T121044 LOCATION:Remember SUMMARY:Holy Hermit St Benedict of Nursia URL;VALUE=URI:https://holyhermits.com.au/events/holy-hermit-st-benedict-of- nursia/2026-07-12 ATTACH;FILENAME=Benedikt_von_Nursia_in_Muensterschwazach.jpg;FMTTYPE=image/ jpeg:https://dq5pwpg1q8ru0.cloudfront.net/2021/07/06/17/03/31/8a0e4ee8-e5c 8-478e-bf9e-f7d1d55eb001/Benedikt_von_Nursia_in_Muensterschwazach.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR