When we think of Lent, we often imagine forty days of sacrifice, discipline, and perhaps a touch of spiritual drudgery. But St. Benedict of Nursia, the father of Western monasticism, offers us a radically different vision: Lent as a season of joyful anticipation, strategic spiritual combat, and transformative grace. His Rule, written in the 6th century for monks but remarkably applicable to laypeople today, provides a roadmap for making this Lent not just endurable, but genuinely life-changing.
The Benedictine Vision: Lent with Longing
In Chapter 49 of his Rule, St. Benedict writes that “the life of a monk ought to be a continuous Lent.” Before you despair, hear what he means: the Christian life should always be oriented toward growth, conversion, and deeper union with God. But since most of us don’t live this way consistently, Benedict says, we should “at least during these days of Lent wash away the negligences of other times.”
This is crucial. Benedict doesn’t view Lent as arbitrary punishment or legalistic rule-following. Rather, it’s an opportunity to correct our course, to intensify what should already characterize our lives, and to “look forward to holy Easter with joy and spiritual longing.”
Notice that phrase: “joy and spiritual longing.” Benedict’s Lent isn’t grim-faced endurance. It’s eager preparation for the greatest feast of the Christian year, undertaken with the anticipation of someone preparing to meet their beloved.
The Benedictine Method: Purity of Heart and the Joy of the Holy Spirit
St. Benedict instructs his monks to “deny themselves some food, drink, sleep, needless talking and idle jesting, and look forward to holy Easter with joy and spiritual longing.” He then adds something critical: each monk should “offer God something above the usual measure of his service” with “the joy of the Holy Spirit.”
But here’s what sets Benedict apart from mere asceticism: he immediately warns that whatever we offer to God during Lent should be done with “spiritual longing.” It’s not about impressing others or even impressing ourselves with our willpower. It’s about removing obstacles between ourselves and God.
Benedict understood something profound: external practices matter only insofar as they transform the heart. This is why he emphasizes that whatever we undertake during Lent should be submitted to the abbot for approval. Humility and obedience trump impressive feats of self-denial. For us today, this means consulting a spiritual director or confessor about our Lenten commitments.
What St. Benedict Actually Says to Do
Let’s look carefully at what Benedict prescribes in Chapter 49 of the Rule:
1. Deny Yourself Certain Things
Benedict specifically lists what his monks should reduce or eliminate:
Food and drink. Benedict calls for moderation beyond the normal monastic discipline. This isn’t about extreme fasting, but about practicing greater self-control with eating and drinking. For us, this might mean stricter fasting on Fridays, eating simpler meals, or abstaining from particular foods or beverages we enjoy.
Sleep. Benedict’s monks were to sleep less during Lent, rising earlier for prayer. For laypeople, this doesn’t mean exhausting yourself, but it might mean setting your alarm 15-30 minutes earlier to pray, or resisting the snooze button as an act of discipline.
Needless talking and idle jesting. This is remarkably relevant today. Benedict recognized that verbal clutter crowds out the voice of God. In our age of constant communication, consider limiting social media, reducing texting to necessities, or observing deliberate periods of silence.
Notice that Benedict doesn’t give a detailed list of rules. He provides principles and trusts his monks (and us) to apply them wisely to our circumstances.
2. Add Something Above Your Usual Measure
Benedict says each person should “offer God something above the usual measure of his service.” He’s not talking about replacing your normal spiritual practices, but adding to them. This might include:
Additional prayer. If you normally pray morning and evening, add midday prayer or a decade of the Rosary. If you already pray the Rosary, add the Divine Mercy Chaplet. The key is “above the usual measure”—something beyond your baseline.
More Scripture reading. Benedict’s Rule is saturated with Scripture. During Lent, commit to reading more than you normally would. Work through a Gospel, read the daily Mass readings with reflection, or spend extra time with the Psalms.
Extended vigils. In Chapter 49, Benedict mentions that during Lent, his monks should “add to the usual measure of their service some private prayer and abstinence from food and drink.” Consider adding a weekly holy hour, attending an extra weekday Mass, or keeping vigil in prayer on Friday evenings.
The crucial point: whatever you add must be sustainable and genuine, not for show.
3. Submit Everything to Authority
Here’s a detail many people miss. Benedict says that whatever each monk decides to offer during Lent “should be done with the prayer and desire of his abbot, because what is done without the permission of the spiritual father will be reckoned as presumption and vainglory, not deserving a reward.”
This is humbling and important. Benedict doesn’t want freelance spirituality. He wants our Lenten practices rooted in obedience and humility, not pride.
For us today, this means:
- Discuss your Lenten plan with your confessor or spiritual director
- Ask if it’s appropriate for your state in life
- Be willing to adjust based on their guidance
- Avoid the pride that comes from self-designed impressive penances
This safeguard keeps us from both excess (doing too much out of pride) and deficiency (doing too little out of laziness).
4. Do Everything with Joy
Benedict repeats this theme: we should look forward to Easter “with joy and spiritual longing” and offer our Lenten practices “with the joy of the Holy Spirit.”
This isn’t about feeling happy all the time. It’s about a deep gladness rooted in purpose. We’re not suffering meaninglessly; we’re preparing to celebrate the Resurrection. We’re not being deprived; we’re making room for God.
If your Lenten practices make you constantly irritable, resentful, or self-righteous, something’s wrong. Benedict wants us stretched, not broken. The “joy of the Holy Spirit” should permeate our sacrifices.
The Benedictine Practice: Living Chapter 49
Drawing directly from Benedict’s Rule, here’s how to structure a truly Benedictine Lent:
Week One: Establish Your Pattern
Identify your denials. Choose specific areas from Benedict’s list: food/drink, sleep, needless talking, idle jesting. Be concrete. Don’t just say “I’ll talk less”—define what that means (no social media, limited texting, times of deliberate silence).
Determine your additions. What will you add “above the usual measure”? Choose one or two things you can sustain for forty days. Quality matters more than quantity.
Submit to authority. Share your plan with your confessor or spiritual director. Get their blessing. Be willing to adjust based on their counsel.
Start with joy. Begin Ash Wednesday with genuine spiritual longing for Easter, not dread of the weeks ahead.
Weeks Two Through Five: Stability and Perseverance
Practice stability. Benedict’s monks took a vow of stability—staying in one monastery rather than wandering. Apply this to your Lenten commitments. Don’t change your practices mid-stream because they’re difficult or boring. Faithfulness matters more than feelings.
Return quickly when you fail. Benedict’s Rule assumes we’ll fall. Chapter 4 includes “not to despair of God’s mercy” among the tools of good works. When you break your Lenten commitment, return immediately without wallowing in guilt.
Keep it between you and God. Don’t advertise your practices. Benedict warns against doing things for “vainglory.” Let your sacrifices be known only to those who need to know (your confessor, your spouse if it affects family life).
Maintain the joy. Regularly remind yourself why you’re doing this: to prepare for Easter with spiritual longing, to wash away negligences, to grow closer to Christ.
Holy Week: Intensify Everything
Benedict gives special attention to Holy Week. In Chapter 49, he writes that monks should practice “prayer with tears, reading, compunction of heart and abstinence” with particular attention during these days.
Tears and compunction. This doesn’t mean forcing yourself to cry. It means allowing your heart to be genuinely moved by Christ’s passion. Read the Passion narratives slowly. Meditate on what Christ suffered for you. Let it pierce your heart.
Reading. Spend extended time with Scripture during Holy Week. Read all four Passion accounts. Sit with the texts. Let them sink deep.
Intensified abstinence. If you’ve been fasting moderately, fast more strictly during Holy Week. Make Good Friday especially austere.
Attend the liturgies. The Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil) is the heart of the Christian year. Plan now to attend these liturgies. Clear your schedule. Make them the priority.
Easter: Joyful Arrival
If you’ve followed Benedict’s way—denying yourself certain things, adding to your usual service, doing everything with the joy of the Holy Spirit and spiritual longing—you’ll arrive at Easter transformed.
You won’t be exhausted from unsustainable extremes. You won’t be proud of your accomplishments. You will have acquired deeper self-knowledge, grown in prayer, and prepared your heart to receive the Risen Christ with greater love.
The Three Benedictine Principles for Lent
Everything in Benedict’s approach can be summarized in three principles:
Moderation. Benedict doesn’t demand extremes. He asks for reasonable additions and denials that we can sustain with joy. The monastic life is meant to be livable for ordinary people, not just spiritual athletes.
Interiority. Everything must come from and lead to the heart. External practices without interior conversion are worthless. This is why Benedict emphasizes “spiritual longing” and “purity of heart.”
Obedience. We submit our plans to spiritual authority, avoiding both pride in excessive practices and laziness in minimal ones. Humility keeps us balanced.
These three principles protect us from the common Lenten mistakes: doing too much and burning out, doing things for show, or treating Lent as a purely external exercise.
A Simple Benedictine Lenten Plan
Based strictly on Chapter 49 of the Rule, here’s a practical approach:
Deny yourself:
- One specific food or drink you enjoy (not for health, but for discipline)
- 30 minutes of sleep (rise earlier for prayer)
- One form of “needless talking” (social media, unnecessary texting, gossip)
Add to your usual service:
- 15 minutes of additional prayer daily (Scripture reading, Rosary, meditation)
- One extra act of service weekly (visiting the sick, helping a neighbor, serving at church)
- Friday abstinence beyond meat (perhaps a full fast on bread and water)
Do with joy:
- Begin each day thanking God for the opportunity to prepare for Easter
- When sacrifices are difficult, offer them with love rather than resentment
- Keep your eyes fixed on Easter Sunday, looking forward with spiritual longing
Submit to authority:
- Share this plan with your confessor and ask for their blessing
- Adjust based on their guidance
- Report back at mid-Lent on how it’s going
The Benedictine Promise
St. Benedict doesn’t promise that Lent will be easy. He promises something better: that if we observe it according to his principles, we will “look forward to holy Easter with joy and spiritual longing.”
This is transformation. Not the grim satisfaction of surviving an ordeal, but genuine joy. Not pride in our accomplishments, but longing for Christ. Not exhaustion, but renewal.
Benedict’s way is balanced, sustainable, and deeply rooted in humility. It’s a Lent that ordinary people—not just monks—can actually live. And it’s a Lent that will genuinely change you.
As you begin this season, take Benedict’s words to heart: wash away the negligences of other times. Add something above your usual measure. Do it all with the joy of the Holy Spirit. And look forward to holy Easter with spiritual longing.
That’s the Benedictine way. That’s how to have a truly good Lent.