From the time it was first written in the sixth century, the Rule of St. Benedict has been one of the most influential, enduring documents of Western civilization.  Composed for the guidance of his own monks at Monte Cassino, St. Benedict’s Rule has become the basis for the rules of practically every Christian monastic community in the West.  It is an excellent guide for living the spiritual life – through work, prayer, study, obedience, community life, and moderate asceticism.  The spirit of the Rule is summed up in the motto of the Benedictine Confederation: pax (peace) and the traditional ora et labora (pray and work).  It provides a moderate path between individual zeal and formulaic institutionalism; because of this middle ground, it has been very popular.