The Feast of Benedict
- Abbot David Charlesworth
- Jul 11
- 3 min read
The European project has, and will continue to have, a significant part to play in our lives. Though most people would consider it has some benefit, even those who voted to leave the EU, it is probable that many also think it is becoming a super state and an intolerant one at that. Though it would never be said openly by most politicians, the Catholic Church is regarded as an enemy at worst and perhaps an outdated influence at best. The Church’s teaching on the nobility of the human person is curtailed by laws purporting to be upholding human rights and fairness. This is all quite far from the prime movers concerned with the union of Europe after the last World War - they were politicians well versed in Catholic social and moral teaching. One founding father, Robert Schuman, has even been considered for canonization.
Of course, in our time politicians and bankers will determine the immediate future of the European States. Whether the treaties and fiscal agreements will stand the test of time, who knows? Treaties and agreements of one sort or another, have come and gone in the past, some are remembered, most are forgotten. Generals too, have had a try at shaping Europe - sometimes by prolonged and bloody wars - their methods bring a sort of union, but one that can only last a few generations, for it is only an imposed facade.
Even though the Church does not receive the recognition it deserves regarding its importance in the history of Europe, it has to be said that throughout the centuries of Europe’s recorded history the Catholic Church has been the greatest continual influence on its political, social and moral life. The Church has moulded or at least affected the culture of every present-day European state.
However, if one had to choose one figure who most shaped Europe it would not be a Caesar or a Napoleon, or a Wellington or a Bismarck, or even a Pope, nor even a Jean-Claude Juncker, presently President of the European Commission, or a Chancellor of Germany like Angela Merkel, but Benedict of Nursia. Saint Benedict is remembered by the Universal Church - with the title of Patron of Europe.
When darkness seemed to be spreading over our continent after the fall of the Roman Empire, Benedict's Rule brought the light of a new dawn. Simply put, it offered peace and stability. Benedict's vision created a civilized society where the ordered daily rhythm of prayer and work conquered the deadly infections that circulated in the society of his time. And more than that, the monasteries that followed Benedict's Rule were like the seeds of a new plant - they were planted in the soil of Europe and they took root. Through them the Kingdom of God spread.
The life of monks and nuns highlights and emphasises those things that are essential for all Christian life. Monks and nuns are not necessarily any better than other Christians, but because of our public commitment to a Christian way of life in a community, we are a reminder of that commitment made by all Christians through Baptism and Confirmation, which creates the community which is the Body of Christ.
The lives of monks are centred around prayer and the service to others, which is work – these are the elements that unite us to God and to each other. Prayer - the Work of God, and work - the service of sacrificial love. This form of unity, centred on our Creator, leads to the Peace that Christ offers. It nurtures and dignifies the human person. In this regard, monasticism is as important today as it was centuries ago – perhaps even more so in one form or another.
At a time when so much in our society seeks, unwittingly or even deliberately, to undermine our humanity, we should indeed look to Saint Benedict and seek to reinvigorate his vision. In the words of Saint Benedict: ‘Let us then prefer nothing whatever to Christ that He may bring us to life everlasting!’
Abbot David Charlesworth
2025
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