Session 7: The Rule of St. Benedict

Start this lesson by watching this brief video about the life of St. Benedict:  

Now imagine that St. Benedict could write you a letter from heaven. That would be awesome. 

Perhaps it would sound like this: (Yes, you have to read the following fake letter from St. Benedict.)

 

From the Heavenly Desk of St. Benedict

Dear Students at Our Lady of the Snow, 

I am so excited that you are learning about my rule for living fifteen hundred years after

I wrote it down for the monks in Italy. I think you will benefit from knowing my rule, and 

using it in your own lives, even in modern times. I’m thrilled that these simple 

guidelines have become one of the most influential writings in Christianity. 

Like I said, I wrote a book called The Rule of St. Benedict and to sum it up, my philosophy

for living directs monks to seek God in prayer, silence, work and service to others. 

Obedience to God is key. Fun fact: obedience comes from the Latin word for “listen.” 

Following the Ten Commandments is also paramount. Loving one’s enemies, not holding 

grudges, not cursing, not being lazy or complaining, and devoting time to prayer are 

essential parts of my Rule as well. 

Let me tell you about myself. When I was a young man, I was very introverted and 

spiritual. I could do things that other people couldn’t do, and so I felt very different. 

I once miraculously restored to perfection a clay kitchen tool called a wheat sifter 

that a servant had shattered. Later in my life I performed other miracles like helping 

a man walk on water to save someone from drowning, and interceding to save someone 

from the grips of addiction. People saw that I could perform miracles, and the more 

they talked, the more I withdrew socially, until finally I moved into a cave. I did this 

because my popularity was bringing fame, and I wanted to live a simple life. I would 

rather make sacrifices for the poor than acquire wealth and fame. Doing service for 

others brought me true happiness. While in the cave my only friend was a monk named 

Romanus, whose monastery was nearby. He brought me food, clothing, and news from 

the outside world. 

In the three years that I lived in a cave, I befriended some shepherds, whom I taught 

about God. Soon many of them started following me as their teacher, and I founded 12 

religious communities of monks. I became even more famous, which I didn’t like at all. 

Simple life is best!

I lived through many hardships, including struggling with a strong temptation against 

chastity. I could not stop thinking about a woman I had known in my past and I almost 

abandoned my promise to live a monastic way of life. A monastic way of life is one that 

rejects worldly pursuits in order to be fully devoted to spiritual work.  In my heart, I 

knew I was called to a different path, and it took discipline to follow the harder road. 

Chastity is a virtue that helps us love ourselves and others rightly. Everyone is called to 

practice chastity-single people, priests, religious brothers and sisters, and married 

couples. Of course, chastity takes different forms depending on your state in life. I will 

explain it in terms of the Sacrament of Marriage: Chastity means saying “yes”  to the 

right action at the right time, which means saying  “no” to the wrong action at the wrong 

time. Chastity allows us to tell the truth with the language of our bodies. In marriage, 

chastity means the couple is physically committed exclusively to each other. Therefore, 

when a married person practices chastity, his/her physical intimacy tells the truth about 

his/her married relationship.  

The virtue of chastity leads to having a pure heart. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in 

heart, for they will see God.” A pure heart is like a clean bedroom- it isn’t crammed with 

mess and layers of junk. Everything is where it should be and it’s much easier to find what

you need. When our hearts are clean and in order, we can recognize God’s presence in 

every person. 

How would a single person practice chastity? A single person would reserve physical 

intimacy for a marriage commitment by practicing abstinence. In my case, discipline and 

prayer helped me overcome my temptation against chastity. For those who fall prey to 

temptation, God offers his unconditional mercy and forgiveness to sorrowful hearts. 

My life became dangerous at times. In fact, once one of the monks tried to poison me. 

Another was so envious of me, I ended up leaving my home. I always had visions of future 

events, which sometimes caused me heartache. I foresaw the destruction of the 

monastery that I founded, but the Holy Spirit gave me the grace to save the monks who 

lived there. 

Life can be confusing at times and it is not always easy to do what God asks of us. God 

gave me the grace to be courageous and to practice the virtues of obedience, chastity 

and poverty. I’m in heaven asking God to give you and your classmates the grace to live a 

virtuous life too. 

With Love, 

St. Benedict

 

Think about it: What is St. Benedict’s Rule and how can I live it out in my own life? 

Can following St. Benedict’s rules increase my happiness? How?

Scripture supports St. Benedict's rule of living the virtues of obedience, chastity and poverty. Take a look

at St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians 4:8. 

(Go straight to line 8.) 

 

This Scripture passage relates to the idea of keeping a pure heart. Whatever captures our minds will 

eventually capture our hearts.

 

Think about it: Sometimes our minds are full of negative thoughts. What does St. Paul urge me to think 

about? 

Before you leave this lesson, share your thoughts in this Exit Ticket.