Prayers/St. Benedict of Nursia

Benedict of Nursia

Intro and Background

St. Benedict of Nursia (c. 480 - 540)

• Sought to become a hermit but was surrounded by other Christians who wanted to learn from him. So he organized a community bound up with a threefold vow to poverty, chastity, and obedience.
• Created a "Rule of Life" to ordered daily (daily office) based on an anonymous Rule of the Master.
• The "Rule of St. Benedict" became the pattern for Western monasticism, and also for the daily prayer for various traditions.

St. Benedict's Prayer

Gracious and holy Father,
give us wisdom to perceive you,
intelligence to understand you,
diligence to seek you,
patience to wait for you,
eyes to behold you,
a heart to meditate on you,
and a life to proclaim you;
through the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.