The monk's day contains time for meditative holy reading, lectio divina. Through this means, the message of God as conveyed in Scripture and interpreted by the Church Fathers and saints of every era is heard and appropriated by the monk for his own spiritual growth. Before we can listen, before we can truly hear the Word of God addressed to our hearts, the spirit and practice of silence is essential. Silence for the monk is not a rejection of the neighbor but rather a recollected attentiveness to what lies at the heart of reality once all the ephemeral clutter of daily life is cleared away. Only one who has learned how to be silent, who has learned how to go beyond the noise from inside and outside himself, will be able to hear the cry of others, as well as the call of God.
Benedictines pursue personal holiness as members of a community committed to the monasti c life.
The support of a group of like-minded individuals assists the monk as he makes his way to God. Within the community he finds guidance, advice, correction, fraternal love, and frequent opportunities for the exercise of charity. In the midst of his brethren, the monk seeks to make the Kingdom of God a reality already now, in a community where nothing is preferred to the love of God. The monk receives all that is necessary for material and spiritual sustenance from God through the community. He can therefore avoid the temptation of making the accumulation of possessions the center of existence.