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...human kind is sustained neither by its
richness, nor by its wisdom and strength.. What
does sustain it? Its prayer!
(Midrash Tehillim 142,1)
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Since its foundation, Praglia
has been home to a community of monks who follow
Jesus Christ under the guidance of the Gospel,
according to the Rule of St. Benedict of Norcia (6th
century).
Every day, with the help of
God, the monks dedicate themselves to the
Opus Dei, the
Lectio Divina
and to
Work.
With the Opus Dei – the communal celebration of the
Liturgy of the Hours
and the
Eucharist
– the monks recognize the supremacy of God and the
everlasting reality of the work of salvation.
In the Lectio Divina they enter into a rich and
personal relationship with God’s Word, through
listening, meditation, and prayer.
All of this fulfils the monk’s promise of lifelong
stability in fraternal community, mutual assistance,
and obedience to the Rule of St. Benedict and the
abbot, who is the Vicar of Christ in the monastery.
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Listening to Jesus
Christ is the root and condition of the
Christian life. Living by his Word, we walk the
Path that leads to the Father, we discover the
Truth that sets us free, and we receive the Life
that fills us joy.
Listening to the Word of
Christ means living and following the paschal
journey of the crucified Lord, where obedience
to the Gospel increasingly becomes the sole
measure of our thoughts and actions.
This life under the
guidance of the Gospel is the essence
of the personal experience of St. Benedict
(Norcia 490 ca. - Montecassino 560 ca.) and his
rich spiritual heritage.
His Rule offers a practical
model of Christian faith, in which the life of
filial obedience is wisely divided into
meditation on the Word (Lectio Divina)
celebration of the Liturgy (Opus Dei),
daily work (Opus Manuum), and mutual
service: a path of brotherly communion whose
source and fulfilment are the charity of God.
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Lord, to whom shall we go? You
have the words of eternal life. (Jn 6: 68)
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