St. Benedict’s monastery was built next to a large forest. Every day at mealtime, a raven living in the forest flew into the dining room and alighted next to the saintly abbot. Benedict would feed the raven, and the raven would return to the forest.
No one knows what Benedict’s monks thought of this daily performance, but one day an event occurred which forever made the raven welcome to the Order.
A neighboring priest who had fallen away from his faith was consumed with jealousy of Benedict’s reputation. He did all he could to slander Benedict and keep people from visiting the saint. His efforts only served to increase Benedict’s fame.
San Benedetto, Trittico di Benedetto Portinari
Finally, the jealous man baked a loaf, poisoned it, and sent it to Benedict as a gift.
Mealtime came. The raven flew in through the window. One account says that Benedict took up the poisoned loaf and threw it to the raven, saying, “In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, take up that loaf, and leave it in some such place where no man may find it.”
The raven protested—it hopped about the loaf, cawing loudly, but would not touch the bread until Benedict promised no harm would come to the raven. Then the bird seized the loaf and flew away, and did not return for three hours.
Another account relates that just as Benedict was about to bless and eat the bread, the raven—looking on with its eyes bright and its head cocked—flew at the loaf, plucked it from the saint’s hands, and fled with it.
Since then, Benedictines have viewed the raven as a reminder of God’s protection over them.
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