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HR 7 – Living in Community – The Holy Rule of St. Benedict with Fr. Mauritius Wilde O.S.B – Discerning Hearts Podcasts

Published 1 week, 3 days ago

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Living in Community – the benefits for all of society

– The Holy Rule of St. Benedict with Fr. Mauritius Wilde O.S.B

In this episode of The Holy Rule of St. Benedict: A Spiritual Path for Today’s World, Kris McGregor and Fr. Mauritius Wilde, OSB, reflect on the essential role of community life in the Benedictine tradition. Drawing from Chapter 1 of the Rule, St. Benedict distinguishes between different types of monastic life, highlighting the cenobites, those who live together under a rule and an abbot, as the “strong kind.” Community life is not the goal in itself, but a powerful means for growth in holiness. Through shared prayer, work, and daily life, individuals are formed, supported, and challenged in ways that cannot be experienced alone.

Fr. Mauritius describes the monastery as both a home and a “support group,” where individuals help one another grow in virtue, face personal weaknesses, and encounter God more deeply. While community life brings joy, identity, and security, it also requires humility, forgiveness, and perseverance. The presence of others reveals both strengths and wounds, offering opportunities for healing and transformation. Rooted in prayer, mutual responsibility, and love, the Benedictine community becomes a living witness to the Gospel, showing that true growth in the spiritual life happens not in isolation, but together.

From the Holy Rule of St. Benedict Chapter 1:

CHAPTER I

Of the Kinds or the Life of Monks

It is well known that there are four kinds of monks. The first kind is that of Cenobites, that is, the monastic, who live under a rule and an Abbot.

The second kind is that of Anchorites, or Hermits, that is, of those who, no longer in the first fervor of their conversion, but taught by long monastic practice and the help of many brethren, have already learned to fight against the devil; and going forth from the rank of their brethren well trained for single combat in the desert, they are able, with the help of God, to cope single-handed without the help of others, against the vices of the flesh and evil thoughts.

But a third and most vile class of monks is that of Sarabaites, who have been tried by no rule under the hand of a master, as gold is tried in the fire (cf Prov 27:21); but, soft as lead, and still keeping faith with the world by their works, they are known to belie God by their tonsure. Living in two’s and three’s, or even singly, without a shepherd, enclosed, not in the Lord’s sheepfold, but in their own, the gratification of their desires is law unto them; because what they choose to do they call holy, but what they dislike they hold to be unlawful.

But the fourth class of monks is that called Landlopers, who keep going their whole life long from one province to another, staying three or four days at a time in different cell