What the Rule of St. Benedict Has to Offer Us Today

Pope Leo XIV addressed the risks of prioritizing efficiency over human connection in his first encyclical, Magnifica humanitas. The Pope stated that when efficiency is treated as the primary measure of value, people may view themselves as projects to be optimized instead of persons called to relationship and communion.

The document suggests that the Rule of St. Benedict offers ways to find meaningful relationships and communion through practices such as listening intently, practicing the liturgy of work, and sharing silence. St. Benedict of Nursia developed this Rule after retreating from the social and economic collapse of the Roman Empire to find God. The Rule begins with the instruction to listen with the ears of the heart.