Today is the Memorial of St. Benedict the Abbot. St. Benedict is renowned for his profound influence on monastic life. Prior to St. Benedict monks lived in prayerful solitude, but St. Benedict changed all of that. He believed that the best way to serve God was through work and that this needed to happen in community with others. St. Benedict’s influence changed monastic life to emphasize communal living, prayer, work, and study. The motto attributed to him is Ora et Labora (prayer and work).

In today’s gospel Jesus shows his deep concern for the spiritual well-being of others even though many in the crowd rejected his miracle as the work of a demon. Instead of letting this criticism stop him, Jesus went on preaching and working miracles, praying and working. Like Jesus’s compassion for the crowds, St. Benedict exhibited a strong sense of empathy and care for those around him. St. Benedict understood the struggles and challenges of those seeking God's guidance and provided a nurturing environment where individuals could grow in faith and find spiritual healing through work and prayer.

Jesus calls upon his disciples to pray for laborers to be sent out into the harvest. St. Benedict dedicated his life to cultivating laborers for God’s harvest. His legacy as an abbot and spiritual guide is rooted in his ability to see the potential in others, to nurture their gifts, and encourage them in their journey towards God. Just as Jesus emphasized and understood the abundance of the harvest, St. Benedict provided an example of how to do this by recognizing the vast potential for spiritual growth and transformation inherent in all individuals when given the right conditions, work and prayer. 

Let us take a nod from today’s gospel and the life of St. Benedict by praying and working towards providing compassion to our fellow man and nurturing spaces in ourselves and around us that cultivate a deeper relationship with God. May we work and pray in that vein.