In fact, Benedict was convinced that only after overcoming these temptations would he be able to say a useful word to others about their own situations of neediness. Thus, having tranquilized his soul, he could be in full control of the drive of his ego and thus create peace around him. Only then did he[…]
Day: July 11, 2025
Swtizerland and Frauenthal
Upon arriving in Zurich from Vienna, I had an hour or so before I caught a connecting train down to Knonau and the convent. So thought I would take a stroll through the ‘old town’, divided by the River Limpett, whose cerulean waters flow into the wide expanse of Lake Zurich. Also overlooking the lake[…]
Pope Benedict on Saint Benedict
BENEDICT XVI GENERAL AUDIENCE St Peter’s Square Wednesday, 9 April 2008 Saint Benedict of Norcia Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today, I would like to speak about Benedict, the Founder of Western Monasticism and also the Patron of my Pontificate. I begin with words that St Gregory the Great wrote about St Benedict: “The man of[…]
Saint Benedict: Ora et Labora
A blessed feast of Saint Benedict (+543), as we commemorate the monk credited with saving what we know as ‘civilization’. As a student in the decadence of sixth century fin de siècle Rome, Benedict found he could no longer live amongst the enervating and debilitating milieu of his fellow scholars, their carousing and worldliness –[…]