SAINT BENOIT: St Benedict’s day : July 11. This is the day of the removal of the relics of St. Benedict to the Abbey of Fleury – Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire (France)
Considered the Father of Western Monasticism – Proclaimed Patron of Europe on 24 October 1964 – Patron Saint of Scouts of Europe
saint Benoît (photo Internet)
Considered the Father of Western Monasticism – Proclaimed Patron of Europe on 24 October 1964 – Patron Saint of Scouts of Europe. « Wanting to please God alone, he lived alone in the sight of God. « (St. Gregory the Great, 540-604, Pope). The experience of loneliness opened his heart to the knowledge of himself and opened the way for God. After three years of reclusive life, he was joined by disciples attracted by the radiance of his inner wealth. Around 530, he founded the monastery of Monte CassinoThere he wrote his rule inspired by an existing document, the « Rule of the Master. » The first term, the first invitation of Benedict is « LISTEN » …
« Listen, my son, and open the ear of your heart; accept the recommendations of a real father and follow them effectively » (Rule of St. Benedict – Prologue). Cistercian spirituality is based on this rule of life that has trained generations of monks and nuns from the sixth century to the present day. As the following article highlights, the rule of Benedict is astonishingly modern. The extract is taken from : www.narthex.fr/blogs/abbaye-de-cluny :
« The Rule of St. Benedict shows some surprisingly modern concepts … which are still in use today in modern management. Its 73 chapters (some of which are outdated or unrelated to the business world) include:
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• that daily work is clearly distributed : everyone knows what to do, with a way of sharing out individual tasks and a rotation for the tasks of general interest,
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• the role assigned to the abbot: « Once appointed, the abbot knows that he must serve, and not enslave. He must therefore fulfill his mission and « accompany those he leads in the completion of their own tasks”. This is what is demanded of a manager today !
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• the notion of taking into account individuality and complying with different characters and adapting to all according to the aptitude and intelligence of each;
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• Collegiate decision making: “Whenever important matters have to be dealt with at the monastery, the abbot shall call the whole community together and explain the situation himself. After hearing the opinions of the brethren, he will think over the matter and decide to do whatever he judges most appropriate to the situation. This way of working would not be unanimously accepted by all boards of directors ! « .
