The Blessed Man: Psalm 1
PATRONAL FEAST OF ST. BENEDICT
THE SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
Today we are celebrating our patronal feast, our patron saint, who of course, is St. Benedict of Nursia, abbot and confessor. Earlier this year, I was asked to contribute a chapter on Benedictine spirituality and its influence on Anglicanism for an upcoming book to be published later this year by the Reformed Episcopal Church. Which I did and presented at this past Anglican Way Institute. One of the misconceptions about being the vicar of St. Benedict's Anglican Church (and there are many!) is that I am an expert on St. Benedict and all things Benedictine; well, I'm not.
I don't profess to be a Benedictine scholar, an expert on the man, his Rule, or anything else. But I consider him a friend I have gotten to know, a trustworthy guide, a father in the faith, shaping my religious life and priesthood. Of course, this parish bears his name, and his way of pursuing Christ intentionally bears itself upon the life and ministry we share. And I hope this morning to demonstrate how this 5th-century saint has much to say to us 21st-century saints.
Let's first look at the idea of patron saints and their feasts. St. Paul begins the concluding chapter of his letter to the Romans, writing, "I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well" (16:1-2). Phoebe, like Lydia, and other people of considerable wealth and position, was called προστάτης, or patrons, who provided their clients (the apostles and nascent parishes) with financial, political, social, and all kinds of support.
This Patron / Client system was a well-established practice within Greco-Roman society and naturally left its mark on the early church. No one in Roman society would have been surprised by Lydia's actions, as recorded in Acts chapter 16, "A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay." And she prevailed upon us."
As a seller of purple, Lydia had the wealth needed to be a patron, and the reference to her household suggests that she already had her circle of clients. Patrons like Lydia furnished places for the church to meet. In fact, for the first 200 years, believers met almost exclusively in "house churches," probably most of which were the homes of Christian patrons. Jason, who posted the bond that secured St. Paul’s release in Acts 17:9, was another patron, as were Artistobulus and Narcissus, Stephanas, Onesiphorus, Philemon, and Gaius, all called προστάτης, or patrons to the churches.
In time, congregations outgrew private residences, and churches began to be built upon the sites of martyrs. For instance, St. Peter's Basilica is constructed over Peter's tomb. And this cult of martyrs attracted many Christians who desired to imitate their fidelity to Christ and holy lives. Naturally, the martyr became the patron of the church, basilica, or cathedral bearing his name. Christians looked into that great cloud of witnesses, appealing to their patron saint for a godly example worthy of imitation and seeking heavenly support through prayer and intercession. Over time, churches looked beyond the cult of martyrs to saints such as Patrick, as we have done with St. Benedict, our heavenly προστάτης.
Now, most of what is known about St. Benedict is contained in a biography composed by St. Gregory the Great in 593 AD. Benedict was born around 480 in a town in central Italy called Nursia. It's important to note that he was born into a Roman Empire in free fall, into a world of political, social, and moral upheaval: the cultural backdrop that ultimately led him from the world and into the monastery. He is known as the Father of Western Monasticism and for his monastic Rule: The Rule of St. Benedict, composed in 540 to order the monastic communities he founded at Subiaco.
St. Gregory's account is filled with all kinds of miracle stories. One day, a young monk was crushed by a wall the brothers were building at the monastery. Having heard of the tragedy, Benedict told the monks to bring the boy to him, "who (writes St. Gregory) could not be carried but in a sheet because his body was bruised, and his bones crushed with the fall. Then the man of God willed them to lay him in his cell upon his mat where he used to pray; so, causing the Brethren to go out, he shut the door and fell to his prayers with more than ordinary devotion. A wonder to hear, the very same hour he sent [the young monk] to his work again, whole and sound as ever he was before, to help his Brethren in making up the wall" (Gregory, Ch 11).
St. Benedict, the man of God, faced many trials and dangers. Gregory tells of the monks who asked Benedict to be their Abbott. However, they weren't prepared to amend their unlawful ways and reorder their lives according to the example and Rule of this Holy Saint. In time, their frustration turned into anger. They began plotting his death, and after consultation together, they poisoned his wine. Having set the deadly cup before the Abbott, he blessed it and, while making the sign of the cross, shattered it into pieces, thus saving the man from death. Gregory's biography tells how Benedict battled against men combating Satan and his devils. How he smashed pagan altars and erected holy monasteries over them, tales of miraculously healing the sick and, like the good Shepherd, recovering the lax and the lost. The list goes on and on. But if I were pressed to summarize Benedict's life with just two words, I would choose 'flee' and 'pursue.' Flee, because he fled from temptation, wickedness, and all unrighteousness. And pursue because he ran after virtue, righteousness, and holiness. You see, he fled from sin and pursued the Lord Jesus Christ. St. Gregory begins his biography of Benedict by writing,
There was a man of venerable life, Benedict by name and grace, who from his childhood carried the heart of an old man. His demeanor indeed surpassing his age, he gave himself no disport or pleasure, but living here upon earth, he despised the world with all its glory at such time as he might have most freely enjoyed it. As a young boy, he was sent to Rome to study the liberal sciences. But when he saw there many through the uneven paths of vice run headlong to their own ruin, he drew back his foot, but new-set in the world, lest, in search of human knowledge, he might also fall into the same dangerous precipice. Despising therefore learning and studies and abandoning his father's house and goods, he desired only to please God in a virtuous life (Gregory, Introduction).
Benedict, whose name means "blessed," encountered a fork in the road; one path led to life, the other to death. Would he dwell amongst the ungodly or flee Rome in pursuit of Christ, to seek his face and to walk in his ways? Would Benedict be the "blessed man" found in today's Psalm, or would he comport with the wicked whose end is Judgment and death? This very same choice is put to all people, for there are only two ways set before us: the way of life and the way of death.
The Psalter opens with these words from Psalm 1, "Blessed is the man that hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, and hath not sat in the seat of the scornful." Here we see the godly conduct of the blessed one, illustrated by the psalmist in three negative commands: not walking in the counsel of the ungodly, not standing in the way of sinners, and not sitting in the seat of the scornful.
My friends, sin is a downward regression that goes from low to high, from walking upright to sitting, a downward spiral that, if not repented of, will take you down into the dirt. In using the sequential imagery of walking, standing, and sitting, the psalmist masterfully portrays the deadly progression from relatively casual association with the wicked to complete identification with them. Notice the gradual way in which a person grows hardened in sin.
First, she walks in the counsel of the ungodly, allowing their evil advice to impact and determine her behavior. She walks, or rather departs from the counsel of the godly; departs from God and goes to herself; leaves the Fountain of all wisdom for the advice of him that is the source of all iniquity. Trinity Tide, emphasizing spiritual maturation and health, is a good time to reflect upon our counselors. Whose voice is in our head? What authorities are we being influenced or led by? Is Christ the primary word in your heart, or has it been displaced by the wisdom of friends or the ramblings of fools?
Secondly, the man heading toward destruction stands in the way of sinners as opposed to the Way of Life, which is Christ. "The way" here refers to the lifestyle of sinners. To "stand in the pathway of/with sinners" means to closely associate with them in their sinful behavior, to take their ungodly counsel and put into action through foolish and sinful behavior. Still, it's more than just momentary slip-ups, but those regenerated unto life in Holy Baptism who willfully imitate the lifestyle of the ungodly.
Lastly, which is more than walking or standing, there is sitting in the seat of the scornful. This is when we throw in our lot and portion with the arrogant and the prideful. These are the scorners of whom proverbs say reject wisdom and abhor godly correction; they know everything, and no one can tell them what to do! They simply will not listen to the godly advice of parents, spouses, or those who love them, and of course, they refuse the wisdom of Christ, who loved them to the point of death.
Once again, we would do well to search our hearts this morning, asking the Spirit to reveal areas of pride and self-rule. For us sons and daughters to heed the wisdom of the proverbs and "receive God's words and hide his commandments within us; to incline our ear unto wisdom and apply understanding to our hearts" (2:1-2). For if we are unwilling to flee wickedness and hear the word, humble ourselves, and pursue Christ, then we will be as the ungodly, which are those who forget God; we will be as sinners: those who commit open and grievous sins; and live as foolishly as the scornful, those who boast themselves in their wickedness and ridicule that which is good.
St. Benedict fled from sin and found blessing because his pursuit of holiness led him to the "blessed man," who is none other than our Lord Jesus Christ, who was frequently offered the counsel of the ungodly. Satan said, "Command that these stones be made bread." His friend said, "If Thou do these things, show Thyself to the world:" the Chief Priests said, "Let Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the Cross, that we may see and believe."
The way of sinners was open before Him, but He warned against it when He said, "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter by it." Before the scornful’s seat, He stood against the lies of the Devil when He testified of Himself that for this end, He came into the world: to bear witness to the truth. He stood in love when he arose and cried, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink” (Jn 7:37).
And when He did sit, he sat in the seat of teaching, as when instructing the multitude in the Sermon on the Mount; or in the seat of love, as when He was made known to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus in breaking of bread; and finally, He shall sit in the seat of Judgment, when He shall come in the glory of the father and of the holy Angels. Then, the wicked will not stand among the congregation of the righteous but shall be scattered from the face of the earth like chaff on the wind (Ps 1:6-7).
Beloved, I tell you, if you desire to be named among the blessed, stand firm on Christ and withstand these temptations as your Master did; for it is written, "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation." And, friends, when you have withstood them, remember to return the blessing to Him from Whom it came, according to that saying, "Blessed be the Name of His Majesty forever. For he keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of the saints" (Prov 2:8).
Not every Christian is called to the monastic life, some are, but most are not. And yet, each of us is exhorted by our Lord and his apostles to flee... to flee from sexual immorality (1 Cor 6:18), flee from idolatry (1 Cor 10:14), flee from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart (2 Tim 2:22). Take to heart the exhortation of St. James, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you" (Js 4:7). There it is: flee from sin and pursue God. This is the way of St. Benedict and the way of blessing because it is the way of that blessed man, Jesus Christ. Amen+
