Kneeling With Giants - Part 1: St Benedict

I've recently begun working my way through the book Kneeling with Giants by Gary Neal Hansen.  The book takes a look at prayer from the perspective of a selection of spiritual giants throughout history.  Included among these you will encounter St. Benedict, Martin Luther, St. Theresa of Avila, Ignatius of Loyola and others.

Having studied under Dr. Hansen during my brief time at University of Dubuque, I was always greatly impressed with his excellence as a teacher and his integrity as a scholar.  He was always faithful to present a rounded perspective of historical events, movements and individuals.  In his book, Hansen brings this approach to bear as he examines the various traditions of prayer, suggesting ways to approach each tradition in one's own personal prayer life.

St. Benedict(c. 480-547)

The first chapter of Kneeling with Giants is devoted to St. Benedict (Benedict of Nursia).  Benedict (c. 480-547) was a monk who founded several monastic communities in Southern Italy, including Monte Cassino.  He is most known for his "Rule of St. Benedict," a written rule and guide for monastic communities.  This rule was perhaps the most influential rule throughout the Middle Ages and is still followed - with modification - by some Western monastic communities today.

Hansen highlights Benedict's own emphasis on the "Divine Office" of prayer.  Benedict called prayer the "Work of God," emphasizing it as the fundamental element of the Christian life.¹  He divided the day into eight canonical hours, suggesting  "at Lauds, Prime, Tierce, Sext, None, Vespers, and Complin; and let us rise at night to praise Him."²  This last hour of night came to be known as "Vigils," "Matins," "Nocturns" or simply the "Night Office."

Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556)

One can quickly see that Benedict's division would be, shall we say, "incompatible" with individuals living outside the monastery.  Recognizing this, Hansen suggests the abbreviated form of the divine office developed by Thomas Cranmer in the Anglican/Episcopal Book of Common Prayer.  Cranmer consolidated the traditional seven canonical hours into two:  Morning and Evening Prayer.

The BCP (Book of Common Prayer) details a series of liturgical readings, prayers, scripture for each of the offices.  It is a beautiful approach to prayer and provides a "language" for a universal community of believers praying together in unison.  The goal is to center the structure of the day around the "work of God" rather than the work of daily life.

However, it is not particularly user friendly.  Hansen attempts some instruction, but I had to approach a local Episcopal priest for a "tutorial" on how to use the office.  Following are some useful resources for those who would like to pursue the office in their daily devotional life:

1.  Download the entire 1979 Book of Common Prayer (US Episcopal Version) in PDF.  Localized versions of the BCP available here.

2.  The Pocket Common Worship & Prayer app is great and freely available through the android market.

3.  The whole daily prayer service (Morning and Evening) for each day can be found at missionstclare.com.

4.  Just the daily office lectionary readings are available here.

5.  Benedict's Rule is also freely available for reading online at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library, as well as being available for download in various formats.

I very highly recommend it for those who are disciplined in or are seeking discipline in their prayer lives.  For many who have become disillusioned with organizational "church," it provides a healthy means of connection with the universal church.

I must confess that my own experience - being an exceptionally erratic individual - has been less than stellar due to my own inadequacies.  After two weeks, I have yet to establish a consistent time to pray.  The closest I have come to any success is with "Compline" (night/bedtime prayer time) and I would suggest the Evening prayer as the place to start for beginners.  And don't try to read everything.  Start by reading the opening prayer and one or more of the scripture readings, then build on this as time permits.

1.  Benedict, St.  The Holy Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter XVI.
2.   Benedict, St.  The Holy Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter XVI.