Saint Benedict of Nursia, Nursia also

spelled Norcia(born c. 480, Nursia [Italy]

died c. 547, Monte Cassino; feast day July 11,
formerly March 21) founder of
theBenedictine monastery at Monte Cassino and
father of Western monasticism; the rule that he
established became the norm for monastic living
throughoutEurope. In 1964, in view of the work
of monks following the Benedictine Rule in the
evangelization and civilization of so many
European countries in the Middle Ages,
Pope Paul VI proclaimed him the patron saint of
all Europe.

Life
The only recognized authority for the facts of Benedicts life is book 2 of
the Dialogues of St. Gregory I, who said that he had obtained his information from
four of Benedicts disciples. Though Gregorys work includes many signs and
wonders, his outline of Benedicts life may be accepted as historical. He gives no
dates, however. Benedict was born of good family and was sent by his parents
to Romanschools. His life spanned the decades in which the decayed imperial city
became theRome of the medieval papacy. In Benedicts youth, Rome under Theodoric
still retained vestiges of the old administrative and governmental system, with a
Senate and consuls. In 546 Rome was sacked and emptied of inhabitants by the
Gothic king Totila, and when the attempt of Emperor Justinian I to reconquer and
hold Italy failed, the papacy filled the administrative vacuum and shortly thereafter
became the sovereign power of a small Italian dominion virtually independent of the
Eastern Empire.
Benedict thus served as a link between the monasticism of the East and the new age
that was dawning. Shocked by the licentiousness of Rome, he retired as a young man
to Enfide (modern Affile) in the Simbruinian hills and later to a cave in the rocks
beside the lake then existing near the ruins of Neros palace above Subiaco, 40 miles
(64 km) east of Rome in the foothills of the Abruzzi. There he lived alone for three
years, furnished with food and monastic garb by Romanus, a monk of one of the
numerous monasteries nearby.
When the fame of his sanctity spread, Benedict was persuaded to become abbot of one
of these monasteries. His reforming zeal was resisted, however, and an attempt was
made to poison him. He returned to his cave; but again disciples flocked to him, and
he founded 12 monasteries, each with 12 monks, with himself in general control of
all. Patricians and senators of Rome offered their sons to become monks under his
care, and from these novices came two of his best-known disciples, Maurus and

Placid. Later, disturbed by the intrigues of a neighbouring priest, he left the area,
while the 12 monasteries continued in existence.
A few disciples followed Benedict south, where he settled on the summit of a hill
rising steeply above Cassino, halfway between Rome and Naples. The district was
still largely pagan, but the people were converted by his preaching. His
sister Scholastica, who came to live nearby as the head of a nunnery, died shortly
before her brother. The only certain date in Benedicts life is given by a visit from the
Gothic king Totila about 542. Benedicts feast day is kept by monks on March 21, the
traditional day of his death, and by the Roman Catholic church in Europe on July 11.
Benedicts character, as Gregory points out, must be discovered from his Rule, and the
impression given there is of a wise and mature sanctity, authoritative but fatherly, and
firm but loving. It is that of a spiritual master, fitted and accustomed to rule and guide
others, having himself found his peace in the acceptance of Christ.

Rule of St. Benedict

Gregory, in his only reference to the Rule, described it as clear in language and
outstanding in its discretion. Benedict had begun his monastic life as a hermit, but he
had come to see the difficulties and spiritual dangers of a solitary life, even though he
continued to regard it as the crown of the monastic life for a mature and experienced
spirit. His Rule is concerned with a life spent wholly in community, and among his
contributions to the practices of the monastic life none is more important than his
establishment of a full years probation, followed by a solemn vow of obedience to the
Rule as mediated by the abbot of the monastery to which the monk vowed a lifelong
residence.
On the constitutional level, Benedicts supreme achievement was to provide a succinct
and complete directory for the government and the spiritual and material well-being of
a monastery. The abbot, elected for life by his monks, maintains supreme power and
in all normal circumstances is accountable to no one. He should seek counsel of the
seniors or of the whole body but is not bound by their advice. He is bound only by the
law of God and the Rule, but he is continually advised that he must answer for his
monks, as well as for himself, at the judgment seat of God. He appoints his own
officialsprior, cellarer (steward), novice master, guest master, and the restand
controls all the activities of individuals and the organizations of the common life.
Ownership, even of the smallest thing, is forbidden. The ordering of the offices for the
canonical hours (daily services) is laid down with precision. Novices, guests, the sick,
readers, cooks, servers, and porters all receive attention, and punishments for faults
are set out in detail.
Remarkable as is this careful and comprehensive arrangement, the spiritual and
human counsel given generously throughout the Rule is uniquely noteworthy among
all the monastic and religious rules of the Middle Ages. Benedicts advice to the abbot
and to the cellarer, and his instructions on humility, silence, and obedience have

become part of the spiritual treasury of the church, from which not only monastic
bodies but also legislators of various institutions have drawn inspiration.
St. Benedict also displayed a spirit of moderation. His monks are allowed clothes
suited to the climate, sufficient food (with no specified fasting apart from the times
observed by the Roman church), and sufficient sleep (7 / 8 hours). The working day
is divided into three roughly equal portions: five to six hours of liturgical and other
prayer; five hours of manual work, whether domestic work, craft work, garden work,
or field work; and four hours reading of the Scriptures and spiritual writings. This
balance of prayer, work, and study is another of Benedicts legacies.
All work was directed to making the monastery self-sufficient and self-contained;
intellectual, literary, and artistic pursuits were not envisaged, but the presence of boys
to be educated and the current needs of the monastery for service books, Bibles, and
the writings of the Church Fathers implied much time spent in teaching and in
copying manuscripts.
1

Benedicts discretion is manifested in his repeated allowances for differences of

treatment according to age, capabilities, dispositions, needs, and spiritual stature;
beyond this is the striking humanity of his frank allowance for weaknesses and failure,
of his compassion for the physically weak, and of his mingling of spiritual with purely
practical counsel. In the course of time this discretion has occasionally been abused in
the defense of comfort and self-indulgence, but readers of the Rule can hardly fail to
note the call to a full and exact observance of the counsels of poverty, chastity, and
obedience.
Until 1938 the Rule had been considered as a personal achievement of St. Benedict,
though it had always been recognized that he freely used the writings of the Desert
Fathers, of St. Augustine of Hippo, and above all of John Cassian. In that year,
however, an opinion suggesting that an anonymous document, the Rule of the
Master (Regula magistri)previously assumed to have plagiarized part of the Rule
was in fact one of the sources used by St. Benedict, provoked a lively debate.
Though absolute certainty has not yet been reached, a majority of competent scholars
favour the earlier composition of the Rule of the Master. If this is accepted, about
one-third of Benedicts Rule (if the formal liturgical chapters are excluded) is derived
from the Master. This portion contains the prologue and the chapters on humility,
obedience, and the abbot, which are among the most familiar and admired sections of
the Rule.
Yet, even if this be so, the Rule that imposed itself all over Europe by virtue of its
excellence alone was not the long, rambling, and often idiosyncratic Rule of the
Master. It was the Rule of St. Benedict, derived from various and disparate sources,
that provided for the monastic way of life a directory, at once practical and spiritual,
that continued in force after 1,500 years.

Bul-ol

The Bul-ol or commonly known as the "Igorot Rice God" is the traditional and the most common
sculpture in the northern part of Luzon. It is usually made in pairs, a male and a female, though there
is no particular rule regarding the gender and posture. This is used in different rituals of thanksgiving,
revenge or healing.

Structure and Symbols

Choosing the right wood is important in making the Bul-ol. The makers usually use the wood of narra
tree because it symbolizes wealth, happiness, and well being. The people believe that the Bul-ol
assumes new powers to grant the owner with wealth and prosperity during the ritual when it is
bathed in pig's blood. The Bul-ols are made in pairs, though it is believed that the two have different
genders in its form. The breasts are rarely indicated although nipples are seen in both genders. The
figure of the Bul-ol is often caricature of the actual people of the village.

Purpose
The Igorots mark life crises with different rituals and ceremonies dealing with their gods and the
deities. One important icon in their rituals is the Bul-ol which serves different purposes. The most
commonly known purpose of the Bul-ol is as a provider of a bountiful harvest. But aside from that,
the Igorots have different other uses with Bul-ol. IT serves as the guardian spirit that protects the

stored grains in the isolated rice granaries in the fields. Aside from that, there is also a ritual
performed that uses Bul-ol to heal those who are sick or to take revenge on the perceived enemy.

Rituals
The making of the Bul-ol takes rituals to gain blessings from their deities. Every procedure requires a
ceremony, from the selection of the wood until it has been delivered to the house of the owner. The
finished bul-ol sculpture is bathed with pig's blood in order to gain power. This ritual is followed an
oral incantation of myths and offerings of wine, ritual boxes, and rice cakes. Then the carvings,
together with the offerings of wine and ritual boxes, are placed near the priests. The Bul-ol is bathed
again with the sacrificial pig's blood. Later, after the ritual, the carving is placed next to the ritual
bundles of the rice harvest.
During the period July to September, a thanksgiving ritual called bakle is held for the bountiful
harvest. This ritual is done after all the rice has been harvested. This is the time to feed the "rice
god" or Bul-ol. Amidst the festivities, the villagers pound the glutinuos rice, or diket, to make the rice
cake called binakle.

Types
There are various types of Bul-ols. The most common is the one in a seated position with arms
folded in front. There are also some types that are a standing figure with hands out-stretched loosely
hanging or at the sides slightly resting on with the palms of the knees. In some areas, the figures of
pigs are also used.
The figure differs depending on the location of where it has been carved. There are six major
regional styles from different areas such asBanaue, Mayoyao, Hengyon, Lagawe, HapaoHungduan, Kiangan, and Tinoc. Among the Bontocs, there is a similar figure which they
calledtinagtago which is used with the same purpose as the Bul-ol.