Memorial of St. Benedict Homily

1st Reading: Hos 10:1-3,7-8,12

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 105:2-7

Gospel: Mt 10:1-7

Today we commemorate the memorial of Saint Benedict. Saint Benedict and his order of monks have been close to me for my whole time in seminary. For my first four years of seminary I attended Conception Seminary College which is located in Missouri and for my second half of life in the seminary I attended Saint Meinrad Seminary in Indiana. Both of these communities taught me the values of the Benedictine Order and helped to form me in their spirit of prayer. These monks have been removed from the bustle of the world and have been set aside so that they may come to seek the Lord through their search for holiness.

These Benedictine communities have followed in the footsteps of their founder, Saint Benedict. Saint Benedict who drew away from the busyness of the city to form a community that was removed from it. This community would join together in prayer and aid each other in their search for holiness in everyday life. From this community of followers the Rule of Saint Benedict was written in order to aspire these monks to move towards holiness in their everyday lives. Saint Benedict is an inspiration to our society who finds it so hard to get away from the busyness of life to spend anytime secluded in quiet prayer.

Each of us here today have been called to search for holiness in our everyday lives. We each exist in the busyness of the world, but we have all been called to find time to turn away from this message. Through turning away at times to spend time in prayer we will draw ourselves closer to God and His Son. These experiences of quiet prayer will lead us to seek the face of the Lord at all moments of our lives. This transformation of our lives will lead us into the world and will allow us to proclaim the message of the Kingdom of Heaven. May we be an inspiration to the world of our need to draw out from it and begin to search for a relationship with God.