Rule of St. Benedict | Ep. 1 - Foundations of Monastic Life

"And so we are going to establish a school for the service of the Lord. In founding it we hope to introduce nothing harsh or burdensome. But if a certain strictness results… do not be at once dismayed and fly from the way of salvation, whose entrance cannot but be narrow."

In this first of five episodes, we begin The Rule of St. Benedict, a foundational spiritual guide composed around 530 AD by St. Benedict of Nursia, the father of Western monasticism. In the Prologue, St. Benedict sets forth the Rule's purpose, followed by Chapters 1–7, in which he outlines the kinds of monks, the qualities of an abbot, the Instruments of Good Works as a monk's daily guide, and the Rule's core principles of obedience, silence, and humility.

Episode 1: Ch. 1 - 7, with Prologue

00:00 Intro

00:38 Prologue

07:43 Chapter 1 - On the Kinds of Monks

09:51 Chapter 2 - What Kind of Man the Abbot Ought to Be

16:43 Chapter 3 - On Calling the Brethren for Counsel

18:37 Chapter 4 - What Are the Instruments of Good Works

23:44 Chapter 5 - On Obedience

26:18 Chapter 6 - On the Spirit of Silence

27:50 Chapter 7 - On Humility

This work will be released in its entirety in episodic format.

St. Benedict's Rule for Monasteries full text: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/50040/pg50040-images.html#chapter-1

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Theme music: "2 Part Invention", composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.