How to Renew the World with St. Benedict

How do you change the world around you? How are we supposed to influence the people in our lives so that they can know Christ? Dr. Sri shares the story of St. Benedict and encourages us to follow his example of seeking interior renewal so that we can renew the world for Christ.

Snippet from the Show
If you want to be someone who influences the world, someone who makes a difference for Jesus Christ, you have to be willing to pull back from the world.

Story of Benedict

St. Benedict was born in Italy and eventually went to Rome for his studies. However, in Rome, he was exposed to the debauchery and immorality that existed in the city. He desired to be faithful to God but felt the difficulty to be holy amidst all of the evil. So, Benedict ran away from Rome and fled to Subiacho. He sought out interior renewal so that he could cause a renewal in the world.

Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI chose the name “Benedict” because he saw us living in a similar world to the one that St. Benedict experienced. Pope Benedict XVI saw that we were no longer living in a Christian culture. It had been dismantled. Christian values had been diminished throughout much of the world. It was his desire to take the name “Benedict” so as to follow the lead of St. Benedict.

Quote from Alasdair MacIntyre

And if the tradition of the virtues was able to survive the horrors of the last dark ages, we are not entirely without grounds for hope. This time however the barbarians are not waiting beyond the frontiers; they have already been governing us for quite some time. And it is our lack of consciousness of this that constitutes part of our predicament. We are waiting not for a Godot, but for another—doubtless very different—St. Benedict.”

We Need St. Benedict’s Humility

The culture around him affected him and he admitted it. He did not underestimate the lures of the world. We too need to acknowledge the temptations that surround us. How much does the world have a hold on us? How tempted are we by wealth, notoriety, comfort? We must resist the temptations of the world and that starts with being humble and admitting that we are tempted.