| Monasticism evolved over a
period of several hundred years before Benedict
wrote his Rule in mid-sixth century Italy. Prior
to the rise of the monastic way of life,
martyrdom was the sign of the honored heroes of
the early Church. As the Church became free of
persecution and the age of martyrs came to an
end, Christians looked for another way to live
out their lives in a radical commitment. Just as
the martyrs had lain down their lives to follow
Christ, now monks went out into the desert to do
battle against the evils of society.
Those seeking this austere lifestyle found
teachers to guide them. As teachers gathered
disciples, a rule of life was necessary.
Consequently, each monastery had its own rule
and abbot, or superior, in these early stages of
monasticism. The Eastern Church produced Basil,
Evagrius, Jerome. In the Western Church monastic
life had St. Martin of Tours, John Cassian and
Augustine. In Egypt Pachomias developed a
monasticism by 320 A.D. that eventually housed
seven thousand monks.
It is also important to remember that sixth
century Italy experienced a difficult period of
history. The Roman Empire was in a state of
collapse due to the waves of invasions by
Germanic tribes. The Church also suffered
turmoil and confusion as it struggled with the
many heresies that were cropping up. Many people
seeking community life were often illiterate and
only about one step removed from pagan
practices. New members coming to the monastery
needed the discipline of the rule to stabilize
life and to provide an arena for learning basic
Christianity.
St. Benedict had available to him knowledge
of many of these leaders and their rules. The
most important resource for the Rule of Benedict
is a document known as the Rule of the Master,
written in Italy some time before Benedict.
Benedict copies many sections of the Rule of
the Master verbatim. He also deleted many
sections of the Rule of the Master that were
extreme and added his own perspective to
monastic life. It is in studying both the Rule
of the Master and the Rule of Benedict that one
can clearly see the greatness and insights of
Benedict. He was truly much more than an editor.
The Rule of the Master looked upon the abbot
as the final word for the will of God. The
Master quoted Scripture out of context to prove
his point. The tenor of the Master's community
was one of fear, competition, and blind
obedience to the abbot. Every action of the monk
twenty-four hours of the day was monitored.
Benedict wrote with compassion and wisdom
showing concern and care for all those within
the monastery. His use of Scripture in the Rule
strongly indicates prayerful reflection and a
deep grasp of the Gospels. He states that all
guests are to be received as Christ and that the
sick are to be cared for as Christ himself.
Benedict used the Last Judgment of Matthew
25:31-46 as a backdrop for these statements. The
Master deals with these same issues with great
distrust of the sick and the guests. Because
Benedict deleted the Master's harsh and rigid
statement and shows compassion and understanding
for others his Rule reads very much like the
Scriptures.
Benedict begins the Prologue in the Rule
with: "Listen carefully, my child, to the
master's instruction, and attend to them with
the ear of your heart." He urges those coming to
the monastery to seek life by opening their
eyes, ears, and heart to the voice of the Lord.
Chapter 72 of the Rule encourages the monastics
to respect one another in all patience and
obedience. "No one is to pursue what he judges
better for himself, but instead, what he judges
better for someone else. To their fellow monks
they show the pure love of brothers; to God,
loving fear; to their abbot, unfeigned and
humble love. Let them prefer nothing whatever to
Christ, and may he bring us all together to
everlasting life." (RB 72:7-12) Benedict refers
to the monastery as the "school of the Lord's
service" where one will learn how to "run on the
path of God's commandments with hearts
overflowing with the inexpressible delight of
love."
Although the Rule of Benedict was written for
monastics, the words of Benedict can apply to
anyone who desires to seek God in their lives.
Chapter 4, "The Tools for Good Works" has
directives that fit every Christian: "Never give
a hollow greeting of peace or turn away when
someone needs your love." (RB 4:26) |
