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"You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone." ~ James 2:24
The founder of the Benedictine Ord er, St. Benedict came from a distinguished Italian family (his sister was St. Scholastica). He studied in Rome, but disturbed by the city's sinful a nd chaotic nature, he chose to live as a hermit at the age of twenty. Soon afterwards some monks asked Benedict to be their leader; though this init ial experiment failed (as the monks were upset by Benedict's high standards , and even tried to poison him), the saint was enthusiastic over the idea of monasticism: monks living together in a community, combining contempla tion, work, and shared prayer. The Benedictine Rule emphasizes ora et labora ("prayer and works"). The saint performed many miracles, and when he died, he was buried in the same grave as his sister. H e could never have imagined the monasteries established under his influence played a vital role in preserving Western culture du... |