July 11 | Saint Benedict

Welcome, young history buffs and curious minds, to My Daily Saint, the podcast that digs deep into the incredible lives of the saints, those remarkable people who shaped history and continue to inspire us today. Forget dusty old portraits and boring stories. Today, imagine you are sitting at a heavy wooden table in a medieval dining hall. You are surrounded by a group of guys who practically begged you to be their leader. They hand you a cup of wine to drink. You bow your head to pray over it, slowly making the sign of the cross.

Suddenly, the glass shatters into a million pieces, spilling deadly, poisoned liquid. All over the table. The guys you thought you were leading just tried to assassinate you, but your blessing over the meal just saved your life. Today, we're talking about a guy who ran away from a life of extreme wealth, fought off intense temptations by throwing himself into a bush of thorns, and ended up changing the course of Western history. This is the story of Saint Benedict of Nursia.

Before we get back to the poison, let's go back to the beginning. Benedict was born way back in the year 480 in Nursia, Italy. He and his twin sister, Scholastica, were born into a super wealthy, noble Roman family. He was sent off to Rome to get a top-tier education. Specifically, he went to study rhetoric, which is the art of speaking and writing incredibly persuasively.

But ancient Rome wasn't exactly a wholesome place. Benedict looked around at his classmates and was absolutely horrified. They were partying constantly, living a life of vice, and completely throwing their futures away. For a lot of middle schooler or high schoolers today, the pressure to fit in and just do what everyone else is doing is massive. But Benedict, he completely rejected it. He actually packed his bags, fled the city of Rome, and gave up his entire massive inheritance. He traded a Roman mansion for a small village, and eventually went totally off the grid to live as a hermit in the mountains of Subiaco.

Under the guidance of another hermit named Romanus. Living in a mountain cave doesn't mean your personal problems just disappear, though. One day, Benedict was deep in prayer when he was suddenly hit with a massive temptation. He had a vivid vision of a beautiful woman, and the temptation to give in to his desires was so overwhelming that he knew he had to do something drastic.

So, what did he do? He found a huge, scratchy thorn bush And literally rolled around in it. He later said that the physical wounds on his body healed the spiritual wounds of his soul. Talk about extreme dedication to staying holy.

Words started to spread about this incredibly intense guy living in the mountains. Soon, other monks came out to his cave and begged him to be their leader. Benedict told them straight up, guys, you don't want me. My way of life is way too intense for you. But they insisted. Well, Benedict was right. After a while, these monks got so totally frustrated and annoyed by his strict rules that they decided the The only way out was to kill him. That brings us back to our opening scene.

They slipped poison into his drink, but when Benedict prayed over the cup, it shattered, saving his life. After that, Benedict left and went on to create what is known as the Rule of St. Benedict, a guide for monastic life that is so brilliant it is literally still used all over the world today.

He built new monasteries where the Bible was read aloud constantly. Benedict believed a core truth. You need to hear something frequently and repeatedly in order to truly understand it and live by it. Because of this, he established a practice called Lectio Divina, which means divine reading. It's a deep, prayerful contemplation of scripture. He and his monks were so dedicated that they spent four to six hours every single day just studying and contemplating the Bible.

He continued this amazing work until he died in 547, shortly after his holy sister, Scholastica, passed away. Today, they are both buried at the famous monastery he founded and built, Monte Cassino. Saint Benedict is the patron saint of students and of Europe.

So, if you're ever struggling in school, he's your guy to pray to. Today, take a page out of Benedict's book and practice a little bit of Lectio Divina. Benedict knew that what you put into your mind shapes who you become. If you just listen to garbage all day, that's what will shape you. Instead, spend just five or ten minutes today reading a passage from the Bible. Read it slowly. Think about what it means for your life right now. Put garbage into your mind.

Good, true things into your mind frequently and repeatedly, just like Benedict did. Thank you for joining us on My Daily Saint. We look forward to sharing another incredible story of faith and courage with you tomorrow.