What do you think?
Rate this book
St. Benedict Collection
The Rule of St. Benedict by Benedict of Nursia, translated by Timothy Fry, O.S.B.
and The Life of St. Benedict by Pope Gregory the Great, translated by Terrence G. Kardong, O.S.B
and The Life of St. Benedict by Pope Gregory the Great, translated by Terrence G. Kardong, O.S.B
164 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2018
About the author
Robert Barron
220 books893 followersBishop Robert Emmet Barron is an acclaimed author, speaker, and theologian. He is the former Francis Cardinal George Professor of Faith and Culture at Mundelein Seminary near Chicago and also is the founder of Word On Fire (www.WordOnFire.org).
Bishop Barron is the creator and host of CATHOLICISM, a groundbreaking ten-part documentary series and study program about the Catholic faith. He is a passionate student of art, architecture, music and history, which he calls upon throughout his global travels in the making of the documentary.
Word On Fire programs are broadcast regularly on WGN America, Relevant Radio, CatholicTV, EWTN, the popular Word on Fire YouTube Channel, and the Word on Fire website, which offers daily blogs, articles, commentaries, and over ten years of weekly sermon podcasts. In 2010, Father Barron was the first priest to have a national show on a secular television network since the 1950s.
Fr. Barron received his Masters Degree in Philosophy from the Catholic University of America in Washington DC in 1982 and his doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Institut Catholique in 1992. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1986 and has been a professor of systematic theology at the nation's largest Catholic seminary, the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary since 1992. He was visiting professor at the University of Notre Dame in 2002 and at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in 2007. He was also twice scholar in residence at the Pontifical North American College at the Vatican.
In addition, Fr. Barron lectures extensively in the United States and abroad. Cardinal Francis George calls Fr. Barron “one of the Church’s best messengers.
Fr. Barron was baptized at Queen of All Saints Basilica in Chicago and grew up at St. John of the Cross parish in Western Springs, Illinois.
WordOnFire.org - Fr. Barron's website launched in 1999 and currently draws over 1 million visitors a year from every continent. Fr. Barron posts weekly video clips, commentaries and radio sermons and offers an audio archive of over 500 homilies. Podcasts of his sermons are widely used by tens of thousands of visitors each month.
TV - EWTN (The Eternal Word Television Network) and CatholicTV broadcasts Fr. Barron's DVDs to a worldwide audience of over 150 million people.
Radio - Since 1999, Fr. Barron's weekly Word on Fire program has been broadcast in Chicago (WGN) and throughout the country (Relevant Radio - 950 AM Chicago) to 28 million listeners in 17 states. Fr. Barron also is a regular commentator on the "Busted Halo Show" on the Sirius satellite radio network based in New York.
DVDs - Fr. Barron's DVDs are used as powerful faith formation tools in universities, schools, churches and homes around the country. The series includes Seven Deadly Sins, Seven Lively Virtues; Faith Clips; Conversion: Following the Call of Christ; and Untold Blessing: Three Paths to Holiness.
YouTube - With over 180 online video commentaries by Fr. Barron, over 1 million viewers worldwide have made him the most popular of any evangelist on YouTube. These frequent, high-quality productions include brief and lively theological reviews of contemporary culture, including movies such as No Country for Old Men, Apocalypto, and The Departed, a three-part critical review of Christopher Hitchen's book God is Not Great, The Discovery Channel's The Jesus Tomb, the HBO series "The Sopranos", "Rome" and more.
Missions - MISSION CHICAGO features evangelization lectures by Fr. Barron at the behest of Cardinal George. These special missions and presentations throughout the Archdiocese are centered in downtown Chicago and attract business, civic, and cultural leaders.
Books - His numerous books and essays serve as critical educational and inspirational tools for seminarians, priests, parishioners and young people worldwide. His published works are also central to the numerous retreats, workshop and talks that h
Bishop Barron is the creator and host of CATHOLICISM, a groundbreaking ten-part documentary series and study program about the Catholic faith. He is a passionate student of art, architecture, music and history, which he calls upon throughout his global travels in the making of the documentary.
Word On Fire programs are broadcast regularly on WGN America, Relevant Radio, CatholicTV, EWTN, the popular Word on Fire YouTube Channel, and the Word on Fire website, which offers daily blogs, articles, commentaries, and over ten years of weekly sermon podcasts. In 2010, Father Barron was the first priest to have a national show on a secular television network since the 1950s.
Fr. Barron received his Masters Degree in Philosophy from the Catholic University of America in Washington DC in 1982 and his doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Institut Catholique in 1992. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1986 and has been a professor of systematic theology at the nation's largest Catholic seminary, the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary since 1992. He was visiting professor at the University of Notre Dame in 2002 and at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in 2007. He was also twice scholar in residence at the Pontifical North American College at the Vatican.
In addition, Fr. Barron lectures extensively in the United States and abroad. Cardinal Francis George calls Fr. Barron “one of the Church’s best messengers.
Fr. Barron was baptized at Queen of All Saints Basilica in Chicago and grew up at St. John of the Cross parish in Western Springs, Illinois.
WordOnFire.org - Fr. Barron's website launched in 1999 and currently draws over 1 million visitors a year from every continent. Fr. Barron posts weekly video clips, commentaries and radio sermons and offers an audio archive of over 500 homilies. Podcasts of his sermons are widely used by tens of thousands of visitors each month.
TV - EWTN (The Eternal Word Television Network) and CatholicTV broadcasts Fr. Barron's DVDs to a worldwide audience of over 150 million people.
Radio - Since 1999, Fr. Barron's weekly Word on Fire program has been broadcast in Chicago (WGN) and throughout the country (Relevant Radio - 950 AM Chicago) to 28 million listeners in 17 states. Fr. Barron also is a regular commentator on the "Busted Halo Show" on the Sirius satellite radio network based in New York.
DVDs - Fr. Barron's DVDs are used as powerful faith formation tools in universities, schools, churches and homes around the country. The series includes Seven Deadly Sins, Seven Lively Virtues; Faith Clips; Conversion: Following the Call of Christ; and Untold Blessing: Three Paths to Holiness.
YouTube - With over 180 online video commentaries by Fr. Barron, over 1 million viewers worldwide have made him the most popular of any evangelist on YouTube. These frequent, high-quality productions include brief and lively theological reviews of contemporary culture, including movies such as No Country for Old Men, Apocalypto, and The Departed, a three-part critical review of Christopher Hitchen's book God is Not Great, The Discovery Channel's The Jesus Tomb, the HBO series "The Sopranos", "Rome" and more.
Missions - MISSION CHICAGO features evangelization lectures by Fr. Barron at the behest of Cardinal George. These special missions and presentations throughout the Archdiocese are centered in downtown Chicago and attract business, civic, and cultural leaders.
Books - His numerous books and essays serve as critical educational and inspirational tools for seminarians, priests, parishioners and young people worldwide. His published works are also central to the numerous retreats, workshop and talks that h
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 24, 2021
I read this as an important historic document, and that’s great. However, as a spiritual book to try and get any energy from, the Rule didn’t do much for me, aside from the great pages about humility. It is a dry list of behaviors to keep, and it feels like reading the regulations of a Navy Seals training campus.
The second part of the book is a biography of St. Benedict by St. Gregory - it’s more a “hagiography” since it is full of miracles that he did and not a lot of historic / realistic facts. Highlight: as a young man, during a period of self-imposed isolation, he was struggling with Lust. To fight it off, he threw himself into a bush full of thorns (cause that’s what you should do). After screaming in pain and bleeding everywhere, he finally managed to conquer Lust. I don’t remember Jesus requesting from himself or others extreme self-harming behaviors as this.
The second part of the book is a biography of St. Benedict by St. Gregory - it’s more a “hagiography” since it is full of miracles that he did and not a lot of historic / realistic facts. Highlight: as a young man, during a period of self-imposed isolation, he was struggling with Lust. To fight it off, he threw himself into a bush full of thorns (cause that’s what you should do). After screaming in pain and bleeding everywhere, he finally managed to conquer Lust. I don’t remember Jesus requesting from himself or others extreme self-harming behaviors as this.
July 11, 2021
“Benedict wished to suffer the world’s wrongs rather than it’s praises, and to be worn out by labors for God rather than flattered by worldly praise.”
St. Benedict is a man who has greatly influenced civilization by his little book the Rule. The St. Benedict Collectionproduced by Word on Fire is a collection of two books: the Rule and the Life of St. Benedict. This little volume is a nice collection to have for anyone who is interested in St. Benedict.
St. Benedict’s Rule is simply that. It is teaching on how a monastery should be organized. This may sound boring, but there are many lessons that can be learned from reading this little book. His chapter on humility alone is well worth the read. But he covers just about every aspect of life in the monastery.
The Life of St. Benedict is actually book 2 of Pope Gregory I’s Dialogues. Although this book is primarily hagiography and very little is historical, it is interesting to read to see how St. Benedict’s life and influence grew even very soon after his death. Gregory was very interested in Italian saints and spends a great deal of time look at St. Benedict.
Benedict is a man who continues to influence the world even to today. A few years ago, the Benedict Option showed how St. Benedict continues to influence the social conversation today. He seat the example for monasteries that many still strive to attain.
I highly recommend this book, although I would say taht a supplemental book like Joan Chistler’s Wisdom Distilled from the Daily would be a helpful secondary book to read along with this. Obviously by reading this, you are reading classics of western spirituality.
Grade: A
St. Benedict is a man who has greatly influenced civilization by his little book the Rule. The St. Benedict Collectionproduced by Word on Fire is a collection of two books: the Rule and the Life of St. Benedict. This little volume is a nice collection to have for anyone who is interested in St. Benedict.
St. Benedict’s Rule is simply that. It is teaching on how a monastery should be organized. This may sound boring, but there are many lessons that can be learned from reading this little book. His chapter on humility alone is well worth the read. But he covers just about every aspect of life in the monastery.
The Life of St. Benedict is actually book 2 of Pope Gregory I’s Dialogues. Although this book is primarily hagiography and very little is historical, it is interesting to read to see how St. Benedict’s life and influence grew even very soon after his death. Gregory was very interested in Italian saints and spends a great deal of time look at St. Benedict.
Benedict is a man who continues to influence the world even to today. A few years ago, the Benedict Option showed how St. Benedict continues to influence the social conversation today. He seat the example for monasteries that many still strive to attain.
I highly recommend this book, although I would say taht a supplemental book like Joan Chistler’s Wisdom Distilled from the Daily would be a helpful secondary book to read along with this. Obviously by reading this, you are reading classics of western spirituality.
Grade: A
June 28, 2021
This is really 2 short classics paired into one tome. The first is the 1980 translation of the Rule of St. Benedict, the monastic rule of monastic rules that doubles as a reflection on life in community. I had previously been required to read large sections of this in high school, which is to be expected when your high school is run by Benedictine monks. This time I read through it one rule a day, taking a meditative stroll over the course of 73 days.
Paired with the Rule in this Word on Fire Classic is the Biography of St. Benedict written by St. Gregory the Great. It will probably read to some as hagiographic because of how much it talks of miracles manifested through St. Benedict. And yet, there's something in these tales that make completely believable to a reader of Gospels and a person attuned to workings of God. Similar to the Rule, I read a chapter a day.
There's an odd quirk of the Roman Calendar that lead me to this approach. The Order of St. Benedict recognizes St. Benedict's feast day on the acknowledged anniversary of his death, March 21. But, St. Benedict's feast on the general Roman Calendar falls of July 11. It was a few more days than I needed, but that's OK.
Paired with the Rule in this Word on Fire Classic is the Biography of St. Benedict written by St. Gregory the Great. It will probably read to some as hagiographic because of how much it talks of miracles manifested through St. Benedict. And yet, there's something in these tales that make completely believable to a reader of Gospels and a person attuned to workings of God. Similar to the Rule, I read a chapter a day.
There's an odd quirk of the Roman Calendar that lead me to this approach. The Order of St. Benedict recognizes St. Benedict's feast day on the acknowledged anniversary of his death, March 21. But, St. Benedict's feast on the general Roman Calendar falls of July 11. It was a few more days than I needed, but that's OK.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews