PRAYER OF SAINT BENEDICT TO SEEK AND FIND GOD

PRAYER OF SAINT BENEDICT TO SEEK AND FIND GOD

Father, in Your goodness

grant me the intellect to comprehend You,

the perception to discern You,

and the reason to appreciate You.

In Your kindness

endow me with the diligence to look for You,

the wisdom, to discover You,

and the spirit to apprehend You.

In Your graciousness

bestow on me a heart to contemplate You,

ears to hear You,

eyes to see You,

and a tongue to speak of You.

In Your mercy to confer on me

a conversation pleasing to You,

the patience to wait for You,

and the perserverance to long for You.

Grant me a perfect end, Your holy presence.  I ask this in the name of Your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

THE BLESSING

Through the invocation of the Immaculate Mother of God and ever Virgin Mary, and the intercession of Saints Benedict and Maurus, may the Power of God the Father, the Wisdom of God the Son, and the Strength of the Holy Spirit free you from your infirmities. Amen.

May God's holy will be done, and may it be done to you as you wish and pray, for the praise and honor of the most holy Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(The priest or deacon then blesses the sick person with the relic of the Cross of the medal of Saint Benedict saying...) May the blessing Almighty God, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit descend upon you and abide with you forever. R. Amen.

(The sick person then kisses the relic or the medal of Saint Benedict).

If necessary, you may repeat this blessing three times.  You may also celebrate three Votive Masses in honor of the Passion, of Saint Maurus the Abbot, and for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.  As an alternative, you may pray twenty decades of the Holy Rosary for the intentions of the sick person.

SAINT SCHOLASTICA AND THE BENEDICTINE NUNS

The twin sister of Saint Benedict, Saint Scholastica, was born in Nursia in the year 480. Just like her brother, she dedicated her life to God at an early age.  During Saint Benedict's reign in Monte Cassino, Scholastica founded a convent of Women in Plombariola, a town close to Monte Cassino.  It is also believed that Benedict directed Scholastica's convent, which in turn made Saint Scholastica the first Benedictine nun.

The brother and sister were very close. The two held a final meeting outside of Saint Benedict's monastery, and three days later Saint Scholastica died, and Saint Benedict had her body buried in his own tomb.

Although the early history of the Benedictine nuns is not concrete, we do know that great English nun-scholars like Hilda of Whitby and Lioba of Wimbourne influenced Europe with their teaching.  During the 10th century new confederations emerged, such as Cluny, which were crucial in shaping Europe during the "Benedictine Centuries".  They served as the foundation in which many different Benedictine convents sprouted from, up to modern day.