Editing Rule of Saint Benedict (section)

==Outline of the Benedictine life==
[[Image:JR Herbert Laborare.jpg|thumb|''[[Ora et Labora]]'' (Pray and Work). This 1862 painting by [[John Rogers Herbert]] depicts monks at work in the fields.]]
Saint Benedict's model for the monastic life was the [[family]], with the [[abbot]] as father and all the monks as brothers. Priesthood was not initially an important part of Benedictine monasticism &ndash; monks used the services of their local priest. Because of this, almost all the Rule is applicable to communities of women under the authority of an [[abbess]]. This appeal to multiple groups would later make the Rule of Saint Benedict an integral set of guidelines for the development of the Christian faith.

Saint Benedict's Rule organises the monastic day into regular periods of communal and private [[prayer]], sleep, spiritual reading, and manual labour &ndash; ''ut in omnibus glorificetur Deus'', "that in all [things] God may be glorified" (''cf.'' Rule ch. 57.9). In later centuries, intellectual work and teaching took the place of farming, crafts, or other forms of manual labour for many &ndash; if not most &ndash; [[Benedictines]].

Traditionally, the daily life of the Benedictine revolved around the eight canonical hours. The monastic timetable, or [[Horarium]], would begin at midnight with the service, or "office", of ''Matins'' (today also called the Office of Readings), followed by the morning office of ''Lauds'' at 3&nbsp;am. Before the advent of wax candles in the 14th century, this office was said in the dark or with minimal lighting; and monks were expected to memorise everything. These services could be very long, sometimes lasting till dawn, but usually consisted of a chant, three antiphons, three psalms, and three lessons, along with celebrations of any local saints' days. Afterwards the monks would retire for a few hours of sleep and then rise at 6am to wash and attend the office of ''Prime''. They then gathered in ''Chapter'' to receive instructions for the day and to attend to any judicial business. Then came private Mass or spiritual reading or work until 9am when the office of ''Terce'' was said, and then High Mass. At noon came the office of ''Sext'' and the midday meal. After a brief period of communal recreation, the monk could retire to rest until the office of ''None'' at 3pm. This was followed by farming and housekeeping work until after twilight, the evening prayer of ''Vespers'' at 6pm, then the night prayer of ''Compline'' at 9pm, and retiring to bed, before beginning the cycle again. In modern times, this timetable is often changed to accommodate any [[apostolate]] outside the monastic enclosure (e.g. the running of a school<ref>Alcuin Deutsch, ''Educational principles in the Rule of St. Benedict''. Collegeville, Minn., St. John's Abbey [1912]. </ref> or parish).

Many Benedictine Houses have a number of ''[[Oblate (religion)|Oblates]] (secular)'' who are affiliated with them in prayer, having made a formal private promise (usually renewed annually) to follow the Rule of St Benedict in their private life as closely as their individual circumstances and prior commitments permit.

In recent years discussions have occasionally been held{{By whom|date=December 2017}} concerning the applicability of the principles and spirit of the Rule of Saint Benedict to the secular working environment.<ref>{{Cite journal |doi = 10.1108/20412561011079362|title = The rule of Saint Benedict and corporate management: Employing the whole person|journal = Journal of Global Responsibility|volume = 1|issue = 2|pages = 207–224|year = 2010|last1 = Kleymann|first1 = Birgit|last2 = Malloch|first2 = Hedley}}</ref>