March 21: Saint Benedict, Abbot

Sordes ejus in pedibus ejus, nec recordata est finis-sui. Lament. jer. I.
The soul that is not oriented towards its natural goal, which is to do the Will of God, is full of filth.
Amicus mundi excluditur a conscelio amicoram Dei. St. Bern. in Epist.
The friend of the World is excluded from the counsel of the friends of God, as the latter confide in God as their only friend.

Example: As much as the worldly man is repulsed by the Will of God, the virtuous man is submitted to it. Here we see two ways of passing through life that are in complete opposition to each other. We follow the path beaten Saint Benedict, which is heavenly. From his childhood, if he fled to solitude, if he rolled naked in briars, it was to resist his passions and to obey God who called him to perfection. One of his disciples, tempted by The Demon, casually left the church when he was supposed to assist with the Divine Office. Benedict disciplined the irreverent brother and the temptation ceased. As his order grew, Benedict established with his followers a home on Monte Cassino. He toppled the idol to Apollo that was there and destroyed his temple. After predicting the future for King Totila with excellent accuracy and after having readied his sepulchre, Benedict died standing in the arms of his brothers. His soul was seen ascending to Heaven along a brilliantly illumined path, and this witness was confirmed by the testimony of an angel.

Practice: Lover of God, would you like to approach your end with happiness? Take that same path: Walk according to the movements of the Will of God. If you have no other goal before your eyes than this, then you shall become perfect before long. If vanity pulls you to one side and wrath to another; if lust attacks you; if sloth crushes you; remind yourself of this Eternal Will, of His Laws, and of His commandments. This recollection will fortify you against vice. You would have to lower yourself to a state of extreme impiety to seriously reflect on what God wants without conforming to it, and one would not know how to attain such comformity without always having moments of joy.