The rule and the roots

Yesterday, September 18 (until the 27th), the International Congress of the Benedictine Confederation opened in Rome’s Primatial abbey of Saint Anselm. Abbot Primate Notker Wolf said the purpose of the conference is “to promote the union of the Confederation, by extending contacts with its many souls. The Congress occurs every four years and is viewed as the ideal occasion to draw a balance of our order and trace future guidelines, starting from the common project which is represented by the Abbey of Saint Anselm”. “Two hundred fifty-four abbots convened in Rome, 94 of them speak English, 63 German, 52 French, 38 Italian, 26 Spanish – plus the Conventuals”, explained the organizer of the congress, Father Henry O’Shea. The abbots will broach a number of subjects such as the monasteries with diminishing number of monks and nuns, ecumenical and inter-faith dialogue, and the relation between monasticism and the Church. During the meeting decisions will be taken over the future funding of the Pontifical Athenaeum and of the Pontifical Liturgical Institute of Saint Anselm. The program envisages 18 workshops, the vespers in Saint Pail Outside the Walls and the keynote speeches by Father Raniero Cantalamessa, the esteemed Preacher to the Papal Household, and by the Abbot General of the Trappists Bernardo Olivera. The abbots will be received in audience with Pope Benedict XVI and will visit the Saint Egidio’s Community . The Congress will be attended also by Father Imre Asztrik Vàrszegi, the Chief Abbot of the Benedict Monastery of Pannonhalma, the world’s second largest monastery after the Monte Cassino Abbey. In 1996 Pope John Paul II presided over the celebrations marking one thousand years since its foundation decreed by Saint Steven, the first king of Hungary. SIR Europe interviewed Father Vàrszegi, upon the recent Apostolic visit of Benedict XVI in France, where the Pope highlighted the role played by monasteries in the construction of Europe.Father Abbot, is Ora et Labora, the Rule of Saint Benedict, still of topical relevance? And why?«The message of Jesus is addressed to individual lives: the rule of Saint Benedict is to transfer the Gospel into daily life. Hence, until the Gospel preserves its topical relevance, so does the Rule. The Rule is a compendium of divine and human wisdom. It’s the guide of those in need. At the prolusion we read: “Look at his goodness, the Lord shows us the path of life”.Saint Benedict is the Patron Saint of Europe. However, Europe seems to have forgotten it. Do you agree? “In some areas of the European Community (legislation, human rights, charitable regulations) the norms inscribed in the message of Christ and in the Rule of Saint Benedict are still valid. However, public mentality has changed. Europe is marked by widespread secularism and life is often centred on values that are distant from those proclaimed in the Gospel. For almost two thousand years our tradition and our culture viewed man as the creature of God, who despite his flaws and weaknesses bore the divine traits and was the image of God. Today, the more man forgets his “relationship with God”, the harder it is for him to be in touch with his inner self, while listening to the Rule remains the light shed upon a path: “Those who abide by Monastic life will have a big heart and will follow the way paved by the Commandments with the boundless happiness of love”. Many people yearn for an inner balance, and for peace in their hearts, which they no longer experience in their daily lives. A point of reference is lacking and the Benedictine lifestyle that is, the Christian Benedictine Christian model “ora et labora”, is certainly valid if we seek something more than just “bread”. If you were to choose a passage from the Rule that more than others would indicate the path that Europe must follow, which would you choose? “ I would choose a rule of the fourth chapter, that refers to the tools of spiritual art: “May everyone respect his neighbor”. I believe it is highly educational, since it’s a tragedy to see to what extent men are manipulated by economy, by the media, by fashion, by politics, all sectors which deal with issues only linked to money, never to the heart. Manipulation leads unto believing to false promises of happiness and satisfaction while it leads to frustration and delusions. The true deep happiness that nourishes man comes from the heart, where the world of the Creator and the world of man reside. Another consideration: we receive little encouragement today. The Rule is an encouragement to live a full life. The passage opens with these words: ‘My Son, listen to your Master’s teachings, listen with your heart and happily accept the words of the good Father and put them into practice!’ Or: “Let us open our eyes to the divine light and let us carefully listen to the voice of God, who daily calls us and exhorts us. Today, when you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts!” This is the Rule of Saint Benedict: marked by warm encouragements to lead a wholesome life”.