Hymn to St. Benedict at vespers
1.
Precious gem of the heavenly king,
Standard of the just people, right path of the monks,
Withdraw us, Benedict, from the filth
Of the unclean world.
2.
Spurning the sun, fixing your heart in the stars (heavens),
You force heirs to become parents.
Filled by God you had the merit to repair
The broken vessel.
3.
You, the great hermit, (in your great) age outdo
The smaller members (younger monks),
you conquer great age, you overcome toil,
you fervently make full the constricted attempts of daily life.
4.
Having been buried under a heap of rocks,
As soon as you prayed you awakened the boy with prayer,
Sense is returned to flesh and flesh is
Returned to health.
5.
Rightly beneath the flattering appearance of a dove
You perceive the unknowing soul of the bitter sister
To penetrate the highest peaks
Of starry heaven.
6.
You yourself bringing back an illustrious triumph
With the world having been conquered you seek the high stars.
They spread out a path like cloaks flamming
With radiant light.
7.
Praise (and) honor to the father and to the equal son,
One majesty, the same power,
With whom at the same time the holy spirit fills
The whole world.
Amen
Hymnus Sancti Benedicti ad Nocturnum (19)
Hymn to St. Benedict at Nocturns
1.
Most invincible standard bearer
And leader of the holy army,
Defend us, Benedict, with
Your strong arm of prayers.
2.
Conquer the detestable madness of the lion
With these weapons with which you
At one time drove the extremely nasty
Black bird from your presence.
3.
Nettles having joined with vipers
Cure the wound with wounds;
The divine mind having been set on fire
fire extinguishes with fires.
4.
Throwing the cross as a stone
You break the chalice of poison;
The vessel of death cannot
Tolerate the symbol of life (Christ).
5.
A wandering brother whom then a most wicked
Spirit was trying to seize,
While he is cut down by your cane,
He is returned to steadiness.
6.
Let there be praise to the unborn father…
Hymnus Sancti Benedicti in laudibus (20)
Hymn to St. Benedict at lauds
1.
Golden dawn arises
Restoring the yearly festival,
While Benedict climbs
To the high palace of heaven.
2.
How much he receives on high,
Who shone thus in the deepest (darkest places/here on earth),
His wonders glitter
Through the broad climes of the world!
3.
The earth vomits up
The corpses of the people lacking his grace;
The wet wave laps the
dry traces for the devoted ones.
4.
He sees the circuit of the whole world
Through a ray of the sun
His mind having been placed on the creator
Is looking down on everything (created).7
5.
We beseech you, nurturing father,
With the guts (innermost recesses) of our prostrated minds,
To allow us to ascend to heaven,
Whom you teach to despise the earth.
6.
May there be praise to the unborn father…
Benedict gave specific advice to fathers to prioritize spiritual needs of children over material needs. He also taught that the Lord often reveals what is best to the younger, so parents should children a voice in family discussions. https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=st.+benedict+parents+and+children&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
Benedict first gained attention by repairing a broken vessel of his nurse.
https://orthodoxwiki.org/Benedict_of_Nursia
This may refer to B’s first stage of fleeing the gay life in Nursia and meeting a monk.
Here he met a monk, by name Romanus. To him the lad poured out his heart. The monk spoke kind words of counsel, gave him a hair-shirt and a goat-skin cloak, and advised him to remain for a time among the hills away from men. So Benedict buried himself in a deep hollow between high rocks, from whence he could see nothing but the blue sky above. His food was a small portion from Romanus' own fare, thrown down to him at the end of a rope with a bell tied to it, which Benedict rang each time he wanted the rope pulled up. In this strange way the young man passed three years.
https://www.heritage-history.com/index.php?c=read&author=wolff&book=martyrs&story=benedict
St. Benedict’s twin sister was St. Scholastica with whom he had a close relationship. They feared this relationship and met only once a year. One time he came when Scholastica was dying. She begged him to stay, but he said he must not spend a night outside the monastery. She prayed to God and a storm kept him with her.
Further on a ‘bitter sister’
Moses' sister, Miriam, accompanied her younger brother when he led the Hebrew people in their escape from slavery in Egypt. Her name in Hebrew means "bitterness." Miriam was the first woman in the Bible to be given the title prophetess.
Also the adultery of two sisters in ezekiel 23
This may relate in some way to the following tradition:
Yet perhaps less well known is the significance of two images frequently used in depictions of St. Benedict. Benedictine images and symbols often include a raven holding a loaf of bread between its beak. St. Gregory the Great is known to have elaborated on the origin and story surrounding the raven in his Dialogues. He claims that St. Benedict regularly fed a raven from his own portion of bread at mealtime. On one occasion, a malicious priest poisoned the bread he was to consume. Knowing that the bread was tainted, St. Benedict called upon the raven to dispose of it and to ensure that no other being would be harmed. According to the story, the raven obeyed St. Benedict’s command and flew off with the poisoned bread.
Recall that PD was an advocate of flagellation
Perhaps he has prayed all night. Dawn finds him praying.
The climbing is his praying.