Another day, another romp. At least that's what many were thinking after Harriet Tubman trounced Nicholas Ferrar in yesterday's Lent Madness showdown. Today we're anticipating a much closer match-up as the father of monasticism takes on the grandmother of Jesus. Is blood thicker than compline? This and other questions will be answered by the Lent Madness faithful over the next 24 hours.
There are many rumors flying around the world about the timing of Pope Benedict XVI's retirement on the very same day that his namesake, Benedict of Nursia, appears in Lent Madness. It's obviously not a coincidence and we're assuming that a bunch of people named Anne will also retire today. We wish them all well in their golden years. For Benedict and Anne, however, only time will tell whether they'll be enjoying their Golden Halo years.
Benedict of Nursia
Benedict of Nursia (c.480-c.550) was born into a world that was disintegrating. The Roman Empire had become a shadow of its former self. Benedict moved from his hometown of Nursia to Rome as a student. But he found there too much of an erosion of morality for his tastes. So he abandoned the “Eternal City” for a hillside cave and became a hermit for three years.
Although Benedict is called the “Father of Western Monasticism,” communities of Christian monks had existed for centuries before his birth. One group of monks, in fact, begged him to become its abbot while he was living as a hermit. Benedict tried that, but it didn’t work out. One legend describes how those monks tried to poison him unsuccessfully. Regardless, Benedict left them and eventually founded a monastery between Rome and Naples at Monte Cassino.
There he wrote his famous Rule for monastic life. The seventy-three short chapters of that Rule present the ideal of a balance between prayer and work. One of them also includes these well-known words about hospitality: “Let all…be received as Christ.” So what Benedict really did was to channel the stream of monasticism in fresh and creative ways that have proven for nearly 1,500 years to be life-giving to the whole world.
Here’s part of an ancient poem that was written after Benedict’s death by one of his companions named Marcus:
With hard and toilsome labour ‘tis that great things are attained:
Within the narrow path alone the blessed life is gained.
While hither coming penitent bow’d down with load of sin,
I felt its weight was gone from me, I felt at peace within;
And I believe in bliss above I too shall have my share,
If thou for Marcus, Benedict, wilt breathe an earnest prayer.
Benedict’s spirit is alive and well throughout the world today (and not only in Roman Catholic circles). My own congregation had a beloved assisting priest who retired last year and belonged to a religious community of Benedictines in the Episcopal Church. And thanks to the hospitality of Roman Catholic Benedictines, the Episcopal House of Prayer sits on five acres on the grounds of St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota. St. John’s is the second largest Benedictine monastery in the Western Hemisphere. It’s home to the world’s largest archive of manuscript photographs and to the St. John’s Bible, which is the first handwritten, illuminated Bible that a Benedictine monastery has commissioned in more than 500 years. Thankfully, guided by the Rule of St. Benedict, the priorities of these Benedictine monks in both the Anglican and Roman Catholic traditions remain the same: Praying, working, and receiving all as Christ.
Collect for Benedict of Nursia
Almighty and everlasting God, your precepts are the wisdom of a loving Father: Give us grace, following the teaching and example of your servant Benedict, to walk with loving and willing hearts in the school of the Lord’s service; let your ears be open to our prayers; and prosper with your blessing the work of our hands; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Anne
Anne is not mentioned in any of the canonical gospels, and there is no historical record of her life. Her name and the legend of her life are instead found in the Protoevangelium of James, a New Testament-era apocryphal gospel dating to around AD 150.
Legend holds that Anne was married to Joachim, and that the two were childless in their old age – a fact which deeply grieved both of them. As Joachim went into the desert for forty days and forty nights to fast, Anne sat and lamented both her pending widowhood and her childlessness. During Joachim’s absence, Anne sat beneath a laurel tree, and prayed she would receive a child just as Sarah received Isaac in her old age. As she bewails her inability to conceive, an angel appears to Anne, and promises her that she will conceive, and that “your child will be spoken of in the whole world.” (Pro.James. 4:1). In response, Anne promises that the child – whether male or female – will be brought as a gift to God, and will minister before God all the days of its life. Nine months later, Mary is born to Joachim and Anne. A year after Mary’s birth, Joachim presents Mary to the priests, and in their prayer of blessing pray that she will be given “an eternal name among all the generations” (Pro. James. 6:2). When Mary turned three, Joachim and Anne give Mary into the service of the temple in fulfillment of the promise Anne made to the angel when she announced Mary’s birth.
Anne’s legend heavily echoes the story of two barren women in the Old Testament – Sarah, who gives birth to Isaac in her old age; and Hannah, who gives birth to Samuel after being thought to be barren, and dedicates him to the service of the temple. Indeed, Anne’s name in Hebrew is “Hannah,” meaning “favor” or “grace.”
Devotion to Anne dates to the patristic era. The emperor Justinian built a church in Constantinople in her honor; her feast began to be observed in the west by the 14th century. By the end of the middle ages, devotion to St. Anne had become wide spread, and became a target for the Protestant Reformers, most especially Martin Luther. Nonetheless, in 1584, it was made a feast in the Roman Catholic Church.
In the Orthodox tradition, Anne is given the title “Forbear of God,” and the Birth of Mary (September 8) and the Dedication of Mary in the Temple (November 21) are principal feasts of the church. In the Western Church, her feast is celebrated with her spouse, Joachim, on July 26.
Collect for Anne
Almighty God, heavenly Father, we remember in thanksgiving this day, Anne, mother of of the Blessed Virgin Mary; and we pray that we all may be made one in the heavenly family of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
-- David Sibley
Vote!
[poll id="52"]
170 comments on “Benedict of Nursia vs. Anne”
anyone else find themselves humming the hymn tune St. Anne today? (Our God, Our Help In Ages Past is the hymn most commonly sung to the tune.)
just me?
well...I confess I voted for Benedict, though it's true Mary must have had a mother, the stories about her (especially if you travel in the holy land) are so outlandish, and they prop up a Marian concept so otherworldly that it makes it hard to remember that Jesus was fully human too.
But I'll still probably be humming the tune all day. Thanks for that.
Now I''ll be humming St. Anne's hymn tune .....
Too many men on the Saints list, alas.
St. Anne's in Annapolis is my home parish- so St. Anne of course. If you are ever in Annapolis, see the Tiffany St. Anne teaching Mary window!
Immediate and unquestioning obedience to a superior . . . been there, done that. Give it a try, it's not always all it's cracked up to be. And while I am eternally grateful to The Liturgical Press for publishing my book, I'm voting for Anne in honor of my grandmothers and my distant Scottish relative Anne of Buccleuch. . . and the Sanctuary House cats & dogs, of course: Anastasia, Anna Justine, Sally Ann, Annie, Anabel, and Annie Oakley!
Is blood thicker than compline?
http://youtu.be/G9FoF7HzmEo
love it!!!
Gotta love those Canadian Anglicans! Compline and Benedict get my vote, even though I'm a proud grandmother.
LOVE!!!!
Hmmmm. Although I think our saints list overrepresents males, especially white males, I do prefer we stick with people we know existed.
Though I was baptized at a parish named for St. Scholastica (Benedict's twin sister) and am missing the "e" on my middle name, I am casting an enthusiastic vote for Anne. Hooray for even an apocryphal story of an angel announcing the birth of a special child who turned out to be female, and her mother's reaction: "And she said to the midwife: What have I brought forth? And she said: A girl. And said Anna: My soul has been magnified this day." Mine too when my own wonderful daughter Mary was born--go Anne!
Our children confuse Santa with God, and when they find out Santa is a myth,a new committee is formed at Council on why we have no youth. Let's not be confused about historicity and conjecture; gotta go with Benedict. (Although if any less ephemeral candidate ran against him, I would be reluctant to vote for him.)
Well, there is this.
http://youtu.be/eyVTD6yfGqg
Well, do I have a choice? Both because I am named for her and because Jesus' grandma must have been one rockin' lady. Can you hear her? "My grandson walks on water. No, really!"
My (Presbyterian) experiences with the Benedictine monasteries in Idaho, both men and women, lead me to vote for Benedict. What a wonderful mix of hospitality, intellect, and service they are!
The Father of Western Monks verses a mostly invented figure. No question.
Benedict.
Benedict and Scholastica's lives were also filled with questionable stories and he was not in the gospels either if that counts for anything, and it is suspected thay certain aspectd of his life were wholly the creation of Pope Gregory I in his book Dialogues. The only contemporary info we have on him is flimsily assembled into a "spiritual portrait". St. Anne's story is in the Protoevangelion of James which was written not too long after much of the New Testament. I am not saying that that necessarily proves its veracity but just because it was discarded by early church fathers does not lessen its testamony. Jesus as a living human had a Grandma. That is truth because of biology. Benedict was no doubt a real individual but we know about as much true info sbout his life as Anne. The truth vs. myth thing is invalid.
Shoot. I should have read the comments. I voted for Benedict on the reality principle, but being pro-grandma could have been even more comfortable.
In Pemaquid, Maine, stands a place of mission
Where seekers craft boats for the folk who go fishin'.
A common house and an uncommon school:
Hands to work, hearts to God, all by Benedict's Rule.
The Carpenter's Boat Shop builds lives--not just boats--
And in honor thereof, Benedict gets my vote.
Anne is the patroness of Carpenters....
Shouldn't that line line about hands to work, heartsto God credit the "Shaker" community? I believe that's one of their lines. I mean, it's not like the pro Ben folks don't have enough going in their favor. Although, I'm not sure being fed by ravens is any less credible than Nana Anna's stories. Actually being fed by the ravens sounds like a favorite Nana story to me.
Love the story of the Lord's granny and once again thanks for being educational as well as fun but having experienced the wonderful serenity and hospitality of a Benedictine monastery I've gotta go with Benedict.
How can you not vote for a Jewish grandmother? And it's Jesus' grandmother! Shame on you, shame on you! (Jewish guilt.)
I was introduced to Benedict's Rule at a time when I was very ill. It made all the difference and has changed my life. Have to go with Benedict today.
My vote is Saint Anne, the Grandmother of Jesus Christ. Hello?? There's no contest! Plus, her name is spelled the "right" way. Gotta love that e! I'm having a blast with Lent Madness. This is my first year, and I am hooked!
Myth vs. monasticism. This is hard. For today I'll favor the Forbear of God. Tomorrow it's back to offering hospitality, praying, working, and receiving all as Christ.
Here's another grandmother vote. When I was in Spain a few years ago, walking the Camino, I saw a statue of St. Anne holding a small Mary on her lap, and Mary was holding the baby Jesus. (I wish I had a photo to share--the icon reminded me of it). Yes, I'll happily vote for Benedict in the Saintly 16 (unless he's up against Dorothy Day), but right now this grandmother votes for Anne.
It's got to be Anne. I love that she was visited by an angel in response to earnest prayer. I love that she and her husband kept their end of the bargain. It's an element of the nativity that is so often overlooked.
As a member of The New Benedictine Community, there is only one choice for me, our dear St. Benedict.
One showed us a way, the other is. Another difficult choice. To Grandmothers, Marys & Ann(e)s....... glorious names....
Deborah Ann
Well, I certainly have to vote for Benedict. We're going to his hometown in May --- Norcia (formerly Nursia) in Umbria. But I have to say that Anne has a place in my heart. She was the patron of an Italian-American society in my neighborhood, and there was a big celebration on her feast day every year. I can still smell the pizza fritta covered with tomato sauce and grated cheese.
I really don't care that some of our saints are figures of legend. They mean something whether they really existed, or whether their lives were really like the legend tells, or whether we've passed down the name accurately... Mary had a mother. And Rilke's poems about Mary's birth and presentation in the temple may have as much historical merit as the Protoevangelium of James. For the better part of two millenia we have considered Anne (whatever her real name may have been) worth some show of honor for her place in the human story of Jesus. I'll willing vote for a "legend" if the match-up leads me in that direction.
But in this case - I can't resist the power of Benedict's vast influence on the prayer and spiritual life of the Church. I have been deeply informed and shaped by the Rule and have a great sense of gratitude for St. Benedict. There goes my vote...
While Benedict's work continues to live on and shape the church in monumental ways, I have to vote for the one whose "substance" sustains me in my journey, in many ways that I only learned today. I was baptised "Elizabeth Anne" at St. Anne's Roman Catholic Church in Salem, MA. My mother and her siblings were raised in a house across the street and next door to the associated convent. My parents were married there, and as both of the later became later became isolated from the church (my mother to return later), it was the church my brother and I worshipped at most often in our childhood. I had my only child at 38, after a very difficult pregnancy (diagnosis, "pregnancy at advanced age,
Imagine the conversation: "Mom I am pregnant, but I didn't have sex, really I didn't." And this from a child dedicated to God. St Anne got my vote.
Good point!
Ann is legend while the real Benedict still reaches out and touches me every time I hit a "thin place" in my life.
'--thanks patriarchal Western medicine community), a beautiful, talented child who will do great things! but who has had some significant challenges thus far. It is not difficult to love her wholeheartedly, but when I am not sure that my husband and I are up to the challenge of raising such an extraordinary person, I try to remember that she is a gift from God, and that our job is to be worthy of the blessing, not to question how or when the blessing came—in other words, to keep our end of the deal with god. Isn't that what living a good life is all about, keeping our end of the bargain in all our relationships?
Thank you Anne for following and perpetuating the example.
As tired as I get of the overemphasis on Benedictine spirituality (let's not forget Franciscan spirituality!), I have a deep love and respect for the actual Benedict himself. Also, the Benedictine brothers at Holy Cross Monastery in New York are the epitome of hospitality (and so is their wonderful chef). Not that a Franciscan cares about good food. Not much, anyway. His rule is beautiful in that balanced Benedictine way. And really, what can we say that Anne did? I'm voting for Benedict--and hoping some Franciscans make the bracket next year!
What did Anne do? Well, maybe not on a scale with male accomplishments of the day, but "peaceful and quiet life of a monk vs the multitasking life and responsibilities of a mother and grandmother?" as Deb said above.
...and thanks to you, so will I! (Grateful it's a good tune, and not the theme song from the Flintstones.)
I voted earlier from an unfamiliar computer and not even through my email, so my vote will register anonymously. Nevertheless, I have no desire to do as Anne Lamott describes in her immortal words, "make Jesus want to drink gin straight out of the cat's dish," so I'm not voting twice. I'm thankful that my saint du jour appears to be a shoo-in.