Today, the Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Benedict of Nursia (a Latin name which is usually translated as Norcia) whose birthday is traditionally observed on 2 March 480 and who is believed to have been the twin sister of Saint Scholastica.
At the age of 20 years, Benedict could have become a Roman noble. He went to Rome to study but did not enjoy city life so he returned to the countryside - to Enfide (Affile) - forty miles from Rome and two miles away from Subiaco. Not far from Enfide, on the road leading to Subiaco, there is a cave located high up on a mountain, and it was here that Benedict lived in relative solitude for approximately three years.
The prophet Hosea says that it is time to break up ... a new field, for it is time to seek the Lord (Hosea 10:12). This is precisely what Saint Benedict discovered atop that mountain. Eventually, he established twelve communities of monks dotted throughout the Umbrian countryside. It was after this period that he moved to Monte Cassino, located in the mountains of southern Italy, the place where he formally established the Benedictine Order.
In every generation, God calls his disciples to identify the new fields that need to be tilled so that His Word can water the earth and make it fertile. Let us pray today for the eyes of faith that will allow us to give thanks for the fertile fields that have made it possible for us to know and love the Lord, and let us pray also for the grace to do our part to plant seeds of faith so that God's work can continue to bloom in the hearts of those we meet.
Have a great day.
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