Saint Benedict of Nursia is often referred to as the Saint that established the greatest rule for a community of believers. Believers who are in monasteries and convents and believers who are in homes and families. Since the sixth century he has asked the key question we still ask today: What is life’s ultimate meaning and destination? What are we all about? His answer to both was a question: “Are we living a life of humility to reach our heavenly home?”
Saint Benedict advised people that the key to life’s journey was humility. Humility is not a popular word today. It suggests to some people that it is a diminutive lifestyle that disallows success. But for Benedict “humility” meant not thinking about “me, myself, and I” but rather to think of the other first. He taught that “love” is the basis of humility. To love as God has shown us love is to love as we also should. To St. Benedict this is a God given gift. A gift we need to use for all people regardless of who they are or where they are on life’s journey.
Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we adopted this form of humility and ultimately love in our lives? Would we have wars as we have? Would we have insurrections as we see in our country? Would we have prejudice and judgements of people who are not as we are? Would we have anger and distrust? Benedict saw that “community” needed humility to love one another!
The whole of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation tells of all the stages of life we go through to reach the value of life’s meaning. In the end we see the Great Revelation of God’s gift of love by envisioning our heavenly home.
Today we often use the “power” of love to hold others in our control, but Benedict saw that the humility of loving was accomplished by accepting others as they are. The same love that created us, the love that guided us, the love that was a sacrifice for us, and the love that has shown us the resurrection.
Benedict asks: “Are you hastening toward your heavenly home?” Love is the vehicle.