First Homily on the Ascension of our Lord

From a Homily of Hans Urs von Balthasar on the Ascension of the Lord:

The Lord says to us, mysteriously, that his going away and disappearing will also be a coming and an appearing: "I am going away, and I will come to you" (Jn 14:18). And to help us understand that his going away and coming are one and the same, he puts it even more clearly: "I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more, but you will see me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in the Father, and you in me, and I in you" (Jn 14:18-20).

His disappearance from the world begins with his Passion and ends with his Ascension. For since he was laid in the tomb, no worldly person, no one who lacks the Spirit of Christ, has seen him anymore. His coming to us, however, starts on Easter morning, where he meets one disciple after another; it continues throughout the Forty Days and is brought to its fulfillment at Pentecost, when he pours out his Spirit over the Church and thus fills her with his own innermost being.

It is not that his presence changes into his absence; what changes is the mode of his presence.

(You Crown the Year with Your Goodness [Ignatius Press])

The Feast of the Ascension

Grant, we pray, Almighty God, that as we believe your only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ to have ascended into heaven, so we may also in heart and mind there ascend, and with him continually dwell; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

On Calling the Brethren for Counsel

Whenever any important business has to be done
in the monastery,
let the Abbot call together the whole community
and state the matter to be acted upon.
Then, having heard the brethren's advice,
let him turn the matter over in his own mind
and do what he shall judge to be most expedient.
The reason we have said that all should be called for counsel
is that the Lord often reveals to the younger what is best.

Let the brethren give their advice
with all the deference required by humility,
and not presume stubbornly to defend their opinions;
but let the decision rather depend on the Abbot's judgment,
and all submit to whatever he shall decide for their welfare.

However, just as it is proper
for the disciples to obey their master,
so also it is his function
to dispose all things with prudence and justice.

Rogation Wednesday / Thirty-Nineth Day of Easter

O merciful Creator, your hand is open wide to satisfy the needs of every living creature: Make us always thankful for your loving providence; and grant that we, remembering the account we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of your good gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

What Kind of Person the Abbot Ought to Be

Above all let him not neglect or undervalue
the welfare of the souls committed to hia,
in a greater concern for fleeting, earthly, perishable things;
but let him always bear in mind
that he has undertaken the government of souls
and that he will have to give an account of them.

And if he be tempted to allege a lack of earthly means,
let him remember what is written:
"First seek the kingdom of God and His justice,
and all these things shall be given you besides" (Ps. 33:10).
And again: "Nothing is wanting to those who fear Him."

Let him know, then,
that he who has undertaken the government of souls
must prepare himself to render an account of them.
Whatever number of brothers he knows he has under his care,
he may be sure beyond doubt that on Judgment Day
he will have to give the Lord an account of all these souls,
as well as of his own soul.

Thus the constant apprehension
about his coming examination as shepherd (Ezech. 34)
concerning the sheep entrusted to him,
and his anxiety over the account that must be given for others,
make him careful of his own record.
And while by his admonitions he is helping others to amend,
he himself is cleansed of her faults.

Rest in Peace: J.F.

My first reaction to Mr. Falwell's death was a quiet alleluia; but the more I reflect on his voice within our culture the more I realize that he, like many of us, was caught in the net of chronic anxiety and fear. He was terrified of change and he wanted others to share his fear. He looked the future in the face and saw nothing but his own nihilistic reflection. He was against so many things that it almost was comic, if it wasn't for the many people he hurt in his quake. I wish him peace and joy and now that he has "full vision" in the life to come, may he able to see those things that he dared not to see while he was among us.

Rogation Tuesday / Thirty-Eighth Day of Easter

Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ in his earthly life shared our toil and hallowed our labor: Be present with your people where they work; make those who carry on the industries and commerce of this land responsive to your will; and give us all a pride in what we do, and a just return for our labor; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

What Kind of Person the Abbot Ought to Be

The Abbot should always remember what he is
and what he is called,
and should know that to whom more is committed,
from him more is required (Luke 12:48).
Let him understand also
what a difficult and arduous task he has undertaken:
ruling souls and adapting himself to a variety of characters.
One he must coax, another scold, another persuade,
according to each one's character and understanding.
Thus he must adjust and adapt himself to all
in such a way that he may not only suffer no loss
in the flock committed to his care,
but may even rejoice in the increase of a good flock.

Rogation Monday / Thirty-Seventh Day of Easter

Almighty God, Lord of heaven and earth: We humbly pray that your gracious providence may give and preserve to our use the harvests of the land and of the seas, and may prosper all who labor to gather them, that we, who are constantly receiving good things from your hand, may always give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

What Kind of Person the Abbot Ought to Be

In his teaching
the Abbot should always follow the Apostle's formula:
"Reprove, entreat, rebuke" (2 Tim. 4:2);
threatening at one time and coaxing at another
as the occasion may require,
showing now the stern countenance of a master,
now the loving affection of a father.
That is to say,
it is the undisciplined and restless
whom he must reprove rather sharply;
it is the obedient, meek and patient
whom he must entreat to advance in virtue;
while as for the negligent and disdainful,
these we charge him to rebuke and correct.

And let him not shut his eyes to the faults of offenders;
but, since he has the authority,
let her cut out those faults by the roots
as soon as they begin to appear,
remembering the fate of Heli, the priest of Silo (1 Kings 2-4).
The well-disposed and those of good understanding
let him correct with verbal admonition the first and second time.
But bold, hard, proud and disobedient characters
he should curb at the very beginning of their ill-doing
by stripes and other bodily punishments,
knowing that it is written,
"the fool is not corrected with words" (Prov. 18:2; 29:19),
and again, "Beat your son with the rod,
and you will deliver his soul from death"(Prov. 23:13-14).

The Sixth Sunday of Easter

O God you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all thing, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

The Rule of Saint Benedict

What Kind of Person the Abbot Ought to Be

Let him make no distinction of persons in the monastery.
Let him not love one more than another,
unless it be one whom he finds better
in good works or in obedience.
Let him not advance one of noble birth
ahead of one who was formerly a slave,
unless there be some other reasonable ground for it.
But if the Abbot for just reason think fit to do so,
let him advance one of any rank whatever.
Otherwise let them keep their due places;
because, whether slaves or free, we are all one in Christ (Gal. 3:28)
and bear in equal burden of service
in the army of the same Lord.
For with God there is no respect of persons (Rom. 2:11).
Only for one reason are we preferred in His sight:
if we be found better than others in good works and humility.
Therefore let the Abbot show equal love to all
and impose the same discipline on all

A Place for Healing

If the church has any meaning at all in this new millennium it is because she remains a source of hope and healing in a world filled with chronic anxiety, fear and death. Here the people of God gather to renew their relationship with the Ground of their being, to seek the grace to rise above the greed and envy that are daily impediments to a holy life, to embrace a life of gratitude for all God has given us. I was so taken by this vision, over a decade ago, that I wanted the vestry to consider purchasing the old hospital so that we might use the brick when it came time for us to renovate the church and parish center, because it would symbolize the healing mission of our parish-church.

Today, I no longer think so much about the symbolism that those bricks would have stood for, but I think more about how we as a community might become a home for all those searching for a place of welcome in the midst of the storms of this life, and what we, as rector and people, must do to prepare ourselves spiritually and emotionally to be healers among the people with whom we live.

It seems to me that this healing vision was very much a part of the parish's self understanding years ago when it opened itself to the needs of the homeless, the poor, and the hungry and when, as a congregation, she embraced those living with AIDS/HIV. There was an awareness then, that somehow we have lost, of our need to be involved in the suffering of those around us. It is true that several members of the parish, on their own, outside the faith community, continue to be very involved in some of these ministries, but the conversation among the faithful has ceased.

How important is it for us to reawaken to the true needs of the world around us?

Mystagogia #5

May we appropriate the mystery of the Paschal Feast of our Lord's dying and rising that we may with resolve follow in the way that leads to eternal life; strengthen our faith, confirm our hope, quicken our hearts to see you in all things and above all things, guide us to salvation, to behold the glory of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Thirty-Fifth Day of Easter

Loving Father, through our rebirth in baptism you give us your life and promise immortality. By your unceasing care, guide our steps toward the life of glory through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

What Kind of Person the Abbot Ought to Be

Therefore, when anyone receives the name of Abbot,
he ought to govern his disciples with a twofold teaching.
That is to say,
he should show them all that is good and holy
by his deeds even more than by his words,
expounding the Lord's commandments in words
to the intelligent among his disciples,
but demonstrating the divine precepts by his actions
for those of harder hearts and ruder minds.
And whatever he has taught his disciples
to be contrary to God's law,
let him indicate by his example that it is not to be done,
lest, while preaching to others, he himself be found reprobate (1 Cor. 9:27),
and lest God one day say to him in his sin,
"Why do you declare My statutes
and profess My covenant with your lips,
whereas you hate discipline
and have cast My words behind you" (Ps. 49:16-17)?
And again,
"You were looking at the speck in your brother's eye,
and did not see the beam in your own" (Matt. 7:3).

Laughing with God

Sometimes I think that it is only laughter which saves us. George MacDonald says, "It is the Heart that is not yet sure of its God that is afraid to laugh in His presence." If we are sure of our God we are free to laugh at ourselves. It's all part of what keeps us in proportion; we can best take ourselves seriously if we are free to laugh at ourselves, and to enjoy the laughter of God and his angels. As William Temple remarked, "It is a great mistake to think that God is chiefly interested in religion."

Madeline L' engle

The Thirty-Fourth Day of Easter

Lord, by this Easter Mystery prepare us for eternal life. May our celebration of Christ’s death and resurrection guide us to salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

What Kind of Person the Abbot Ought to Be

Let the Abbot always bear in mind
that at the dread Judgment of God
there will be an examination of these two matters:
his teaching and the obedience of his disciples.
And let the Abbot be sure
that any lack of profit
the master of the house may find in the sheep
will be laid to the blame of the shepherd.
On the other hand,
if the shepherd has bestowed all his pastoral diligence
on a restless, unruly flock
and tried every remedy for their unhealthy behavior,
then he will be acquitted at the Lord's Judgment
and may say to the Lord with the Prophet:
"I have not concealed Your justice within my heart;
Your truth and Your salvation I have declared" (Ps. 39:11).
"But they have despised and rejected me" (Is. 1:2; Ezech. 20:27).
And then finally let death itself, irresistible,
punish those disobedient sheep under his charge.

The Thirty-Third Day of Easter

Father, in your love you have brought us from evil to good and misery to happiness. Through your blessings give the courage of perseverance to those you have called and justified by faith through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

What Kind of Person the Abbot Ought to Be

An Abbot who is worthy to be over a monastery
should always remember what he is called,
and live up to the name of Superior.
For he is believed to hold the place of Christ in the monastery,
being called by a name of His,
which is taken from the words of the Apostle:
"You have received a Spirit of adoption ...,
by virtue of which we cry, 'Abba -- Father'" (Rom. 8:15)!

Therefore the Abbot ought not to teach or ordain or command
anything which is against the Lord's precepts;
on the contrary,
his commands and his teaching
should be a leaven of divine justice
kneaded into the minds of his disciples.

The Cross

As one enters the nave of the church the cross above the altar is visible with it horizontal beam extended in welcome to all who gather for worship. Throughout the days, weeks, and months the cross continues to invite all those within its view to experience the life-transforming gift of new life that has been offered to us through Jesus Christ.

The Feast of Gregory of Nazianzus

Almighty God, you have revealed to your Church your eternal Being of glorious majesty and perfect love as one God in Trinity of Persons: Give us grace that, like your bishop Gregory of Nanzianzus, we may continue steadfast in the confession of this faith, and constant in our worship of you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for you live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

Chapter 1: On the Kinds of Monks

It is well known that there are four kinds of monks.
The first kind are the Cenobites:
those who live in monasteries
and serve under a rule and an Abbot.

The second kind are the Anchorites or Hermits:
those who,
no longer in the first fervor of their reformation,
but after long probation in a monastery,
having learned by the help of many brethren
how to fight against the devil,
go out well armed from the ranks of the community
to the solitary combat of the desert.
They are able now,
with no help save from God,
to fight single-handed against the vices of the flesh
and their own evil thoughts.

The third kind of monks, a detestable kind, are the Sarabaites.
These, not having been tested,
as gold in the furnace (Wis. 3:6),
by any rule or by the lessons of experience,
are as soft as lead.
In their works they still keep faith with the world,
so that their tonsure marks them as liars before God.
They live in twos or threes, or even singly,
without a shepherd,
in their own sheepfolds and not in the Lord's.
Their law is the desire for self-gratification:
whatever enters their mind or appeals to them,
that they call holy;
what they dislike, they regard as unlawful.

The fourth kind of monks are those called Gyrovagues.
These spend their whole lives tramping from province to province,
staying as guests in different monasteries
for three or four days at a time.
Always on the move, with no stability,
they indulge their own wills
and succumb to the allurements of gluttony,
and are in every way worse than the Sarabaites.
Of the miserable conduct of all such
it is better to be silent than to speak.

Passing these over, therefore,
let us proceed, with God's help,
to lay down a rule for the strongest kind of monks, the Cenobites.

What is Liberation Theology?

This week, Pope Benedict XVI, will be making his first pastoral visit to Latin America. He may be surprised to discover that Liberation Theology, a movement that he once called "a fundamental threat to the faith of the church," remains very much a live and a defiant force within the country. According to the New York Times (May 7, 2007) there are 80,000 "base communities and nearly one million "Bible circles" that discuss current eco-socio-political issues in the light of Holy Scripture. These gatherings conclude with the Lord's Prayer and a hymn:

In the land of mankind, conceived as a pyramid,
there are few at the top, and many at the bottom.
In the land of mankind, those at the top crush
those at the bottom.
Oh, people of the poor, people subject to domination,
what are you doing just standing there?
The world of mankind has to be changed,
so arise people, don't stand still.

Jon Sobrino, S.J. in Christology at the Crossroads (1978) states that "we live in the presence of so much death. there is the reality of definitive, physical death and of the death that people experience in the toils of oppression, injustice, and sinfulness. Any consideration of God that ignores such a basic datum of life is idealistic, if not downright alienating. .... Liberation theology must ... ask itself in what sense suffering and death can be a mode of being for God. People in Latin America, however, seem to feel almost automatically what Dietrick Bonhoeffer expressed in intuitive, poetic terms: 'Only a God who suffers can save us.' ... If God really is present in the cross of Jesus, then he is there first and foremost as someone contradicting the world and all that we consider to be true and good."

At the heart of Liberation theology is the pastoral care of the poor - helping to empower them in the midst of wealthy land owners. It supports pensions and worker's rights under the Brazilian labor code; it fights against other social problems, like the lack of sanitation.

The Roman hierarchy has never endorsed this movement. It has sought to dismantle it. And yet it remains very much alive. Martyrs mark the land including Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador and Sister Dorothy Mae Stang, an American, shot to death in February 2005 in the Brazilian Amazon.

Though this this theological movement has gone underground in recent years it remains a strong force of change in a world of degradation and oppression of the poor.

What do you think is the link, if any, between politics and faith?

Practicing Wisdom

+ Erik H. Erikson committed his life to understanding the various stages within the life cycle. In the eighth and final stage of human life, Dr. Erikson, understood the importance of ego-integrity overcoming despair. If a person achieves 'enough' ego integrity throughout his lifetime, then one's approaching illness and death will be accompanied by the virtue of wisdom. Yet, as the recent article in the New York Times (May 6, 2007), researchers in the field of psychology have yet to fully define "wisdom."

Gerhard von Rad, a biblical scholar, writing in Wisdom in Israel, states "No one would be able to live even for a single day without incurring appreciable harm if he could not be guided by wide practical experience. .... By and large man creates the experiences which expects and for which, on the basis of the idea which he has formed of the world, he is ready. Experience presupposes a prior knowledge of myself; indeed it can become experience only if I can fit it into the existing context of my understanding of myself and of the world. Thus it can even be that man misses possible experiences offered to him, that he lacks the capacity to register them, because he is incapable of fitting them into the limits of his understanding."

The New York Times article concludes that Wisdom remains elusive and thus may only be understood through a variety of concepts. Here is a summary of those characteristics that are found in the wise: The uncanny ability to remain calm in the midst of crises, ability to cope with adversity and regulate emotion; being content with one's own life; being humble; to examine an event from multiple perspectives; to step outside oneself and understand another point of view; having compassion toward others; ability to remain positive in the face of adversity; appreciating the fragility of life.

William James in The Principles of Psychology (1890) observes that "the art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook." Such maturity takes a lifetime, and needs to be practiced now. In the Hebrew Scriptures, wisdom, chochmah, is the interweaving of the heart and mind in judging, reflecting, and deciding.

I remember times when I visited with two widows in a nursing home in the early 1990s. They both faced the same physical infirmities: confined to a wheelchair, needing assistance with the smallest things, etc. When I would visit one of them she would spent her time complaining about her life and situation. I would try to make her feel better, but she continued to point to all that was gone in her life. When I visited the other widow, she was filled with joy and thanksgiving, she was grateful for the life she had lived, for her children and grandchildren who she was so proud of, and all her friends who were still living. I usually had very little to say, for in her I saw the light that shines in the midst of darkness. It is this widow who had practiced wisdom her whole life, and in her presence I became her disciple.

The Feast of Dame Julian of Norwich

Lord God, in your compassion you granted to the Lady Julian many revelations of your nurturing and sustaining love: Move our hearts, like hers, to see you above all things, for in giving us yourself you give us all; throiugh Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

Prologue

And so we are going to establish
a school for the service of the Lord.
In founding it we hope to introduce nothing harsh or burdensome.
But if a certain strictness results from the dictates of equity
for the amendment of vices or the preservation of charity,
do not be at once dismayed and fly from the way of salvation,
whose entrance cannot but be narrow (Matt. 7:14).
For as we advance in the religious life and in faith,
our hearts expand
and we run the way of God's commandments
with unspeakable sweetness of love (Ps. 118:32).
Thus, never departing from His school,
but persevering in the monastery according to His teaching
until death,
we may by patience share in the sufferings of Christ (1 Peter 4:13)
and deserve to have a share also in His kingdom.

Thirtieth Day of Easter

Father your restored your people to eternal life by raising Christ your Son from death. Make our faith strong and our hope sure. May we never doubt that you will fulfill the promises you have made, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

Prologue

So we have asked the Lord
who is to dwell in His tent,
and we have heard His commands
to anyone who would dwell there;
it remains for us to fulfill those duties.

Therefore we must prepare our hearts and our bodies
to do battle under the holy obedience of His commands;
and let us ask God
that He be pleased to give us the help of His grace
for anything which our nature finds hardly possible.
And if we want to escape the pains of hell
and attain life everlasting,
then, while there is still time,
while we are still in the body
and are able to fulfill all these things
by the light of this life,
we must hasten to do now
what will profit us for eternity.

The Fifth Sunday of Easter

Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

Prologue

Hence the Lord says in the Gospel,
"Whoever listens to these words of Mine and acts upon them,
I will liken to a wise person
who built a house on rock.
The floods came,
the winds blew and beat against that house,
and it did not fall,
because it had been founded on rock" (Matt. 7:24-25).

Having given us these assurances,
the Lord is waiting every day
for us to respond by our deeds to His holy admonitions.
And the days of this life are lengthened
and a truce granted us for this very reason,
that we may amend our evil ways.
As the Apostle says,
"Do you not know that God's patience is inviting you to repent" (Rom. 2:4)?
For the merciful Lord tells us,
"I desire not the death of the sinner,
but that the sinner should be converted and live" (Ezech. 33:11).

What Is Bible Study?

Bringing people together around the written Word invites a deeper response to the intentions of God for human life. Bible study is not like any other study one would engage in, for it invites personal response in the midst of community, a sharing of meaning and personal experience, and the movement of the Holy Spirit that enlivens every page of Holy Scripture.

You don't have to be a biblical scholar to engage the bible, simply to have an inquiring mind and an open heart. As you participate with others you build community around the heart of your life's response to our Lord in faith. As people discuss various verses of Scripture they soon realize that it is only in community that truth is discovered. One does not circle the bible intending to listen to the priest unfold the divine mysteries, but to open the self, being vulnerable to others and the Holy Spirit, and through that vulnerability to discover fresh nurture for your souls.

What a wonderful thing it would be if everyone engaged the Scriptures to discover the truth about God and themselves.

Mystagogia #4

Through the meditation of God's holy Word, we hear the voice of the One who knows us each by name and in faith follow where he leads; in fidelity we seek to avoid those things that may cause us to wander; boldly proclaiming the catholic faith against all opposition; by persevering in faith, our Lord's marvelous acts will be fulfilled within us; deepening our devotion we may glorify our Lord's holy Name in life and in death.

Twenty-Eight Day of Easter

God of infinite mercy, you renew the faith of your people by the yearly celebration of these fifty days: Stir up in us the gifts of your grace, that we may know more deeply that Baptism has cleansed us, the Spirit has quickened us, and the Blood of Christ has redeemed us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

Prologue

Having our loins girded, therefore,
with faith and the performance of good works (Eph. 6:14),
let us walk in His paths
by the guidance of the Gospel,
that we may deserve to see Him
who has called us to His kingdom (1 Thess. 2:12).

For if we wish to dwell in the tent of that kingdom,
we must run to it by good deeds
or we shall never reach it.

But let us ask the Lord, with the Prophet,
"Lord, who shall dwell in Your tent,
or who shall rest upon Your holy mountain" (Ps. 14:1)?

After this question,
let us listen to the Lord
as He answers and shows us the way to that tent, saying,
"The one Who walks without stain and practices justice;
who speaks truth from his heart;
who has not used his tongue for deceit;
who has done no evil to his neighbor;
who has given no place to slander against his neighbor."

This is the one who,
under any temptation from the malicious devil,
has brought him to naught (Ps. 14:4)
by casting him and his temptation from the sight of his heart;
and who has laid hold of his thoughts
while they were still young
and dashed them against Christ (Ps. 136:9).

It is they who,
fearing the Lord (Ps. 14:4),
do not pride themselves on their good observance;
but,
convinced that the good which is in them
cannot come from themselves and must be from the Lord,
glorify the Lord's work in them (Ps. 14:4),
using the words of the Prophet,
"Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
but to Your name give the glory" (Ps. 113, 2nd part:1).
Thus also the Apostle Paul
attributed nothing of the success of his preaching to himself,
but said,
"By the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10).
And again he says,
"He who glories, let him glory in the Lord" (2 Cor. 10:17).

What Are You Hearing?

The Word of God expressed is meant to be a dialogue between the one who proclaims and the hearer, and for the health of the Body it is always important to know if what is spoken is being properly heard.

The questions before any worshiping assembly are the following: Am I hearing what the preacher is intending to say? Did he mean to stir up the feelings that I experienced during the sermon? Did the personality of the preacher get expressed in the sermon? Where and how could the sermon be improved?

Such honest assessment between priest and people enables the preacher to strengthen his or her preaching skills; and provides an opportunity for the congregation to listen more deeply.

The Dignity of Every Human Being

When do social issues transcend party differences?

With the recent vote by the House of Representatives to extend "hate crime" protection to those who are victimized because of their sexual orientation, the ethical issues have become central even though congress has placed this issue on the table. The willingness to protect homosexuals must be embraced by all those who are followers of Christ. The issue is beyond debate and it would be a terrible thing for our country if such a new law would be vetoed along party lines!

Dr. James C. Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, was quoted in the New York Times, stating that such a law would "muzzle people of faith who dare to express their moral and biblical concerns about homosexuality." Such a comment from this radical Christian conservative raises questions about what constitutes the freedom of expression. All of us have a right to express our personal faith regarding what 'ought to be' within our culture and society; but none of us have the right to express ourselves in degrading, hostile, and violent acts. If we are truly people of faith, we will find a way to make sure that all the citizens of our country, and members of our churches, share in the same rights that all of us are entitled.

Let us pray that we will uphold the dignity of every human being.

An Anniversary of Infamy

Only days before my graduation from seminary the Ohio National Guard was ordered to disperse an anti-war demonstration on the campus of Kent State University. The soldiers suddenly open fire killing four students and wounding nine. To this day, the reason for the shooting is unknown.

The mid-sixties bore the pain of the assassination of the president and civil rights leader. The country was ablaze with racial bitterness and discord, and the Vietnam War was dividing the nation. The church found herself torn by the hostile response of her people as they turned against one another over the political and social issues of the time.

In what ways did these events change your life? What memories of this era remain with you? How did you experience God during these turbulent days in our history?

The Feast of Monnica, Mother of Augustine of Hippo

O Lord, through spiritual discipline you strengthened your servant Monnica to perservere in offering her love and prayers and tears for the conversion of her husband and of Augustine their son: Deepen our devotion, we pray, and use us in accordance with your will to bring others, even our own kindred, to acknowledge Jesus Christ, as Savior and Lord, who will you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

Prologue

And the Lord, seeking his laborer
in the multitude to whom He thus cries out,
says again,
"Who is the one who will have life,
and desires to see good days" (Ps. 33:13)?
And if, hearing Him, you answer,
"I am the one,"
God says to you,
"If you will have true and everlasting life,
keep your tongue from evil
and your lips that they speak no guile.
Turn away from evil and do good;
seek after peace and pursue it" (Ps. 33:14-15).
And when you have done these things,
My eyes shall be upon you
and My ears open to your prayers;
and before you call upon Me,
I will say to you,
'Behold, here I am'" (Ps. 33:16; Is. 65:24; 58:9).

Some Perplexity Remains!

The Gifts of God for the People of God:
Be what you see; Receive who you are!

Rumor confirms that there remains some perplexity over these words of Invitation to Holy Communion among several communicants of the parish. Saint Augustine of Hippo, writing in the fifth century, a wonderful treatise on the meaning of the Holy Eucharist, calling on all the baptized to recognize themselves in the sacred gift of our Lord's Body and Blood by saying "Receive what you are! Become what you receive." These words are now echoed as we prepare to come forward to receive our divine nurture every week.

The Two Wolves

My hope today is to equip you with a warning and commission that might be helpful as you set out on this journey, as you begin the next chapter of your lives. So I want to tell you a story. One evening, an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, fear, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other one is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.”

The grandson thought about this for few minutes and then he looked up at his grandfather and asked: “Which wolf wins?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed. The one you feed.”

Taddled from God's Politics

A Simple Heart

Living God, you want us to have hearts that are completely simple, to the point that the complicated things in life do not bring us to a halt. Through the Holy Spirit, the spirit of the Risen Christ, you come to open a way for us, a way that is possible; on it we understand that you love us first, before we loved you.

Brother Roger of Taize

Practicing Resurrection

Wendell Berry's Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front

Love the quick profit, the annual raise,

vacation with pay. Want more

Of everything ready made. Be afraid

to know your neighbors and to die.

And you will have a window in your head.

Not even your future will be a mystery

any more. Your mind will be punched in a card

and shut away in a little drawer.

When they want you to buy something

they will call you. When they want you

to die for profit they will let you know.

So, friends, every day do something

that won’t compute. Love the Lord.

Love the world. Work for nothing.

Take all that you have and be poor.

Love someone who does not deserve it.

Denounce the government and embrace

the flag. Hope to live in that free

republic for which it stands.

Give your approval to all you cannot

understand. Praise ignorance, for what man

has not encountered he has not destroyed.

Ask the questions that have no answers.

Invest in the millennium. Plant sequoias.

Say that your main crop is the forest

that you did not plant,

that you will not live to harvest.

Say that leaves are harvested

when they have rotted into the mold.

Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.

Put your faith in the two inches of humus

that will build under the trees

every thousand years.

Listen to carrion—put your ear

close, and hear the faint chattering

of the songs that are to come.

Expect the end of the world. Laugh.

Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful

though you have considered all the facts.

So long as women do not go cheap

for power, please women more than men.

Ask yourself: Will this satisfy

a woman satisfied to bear a child?

Will this disturb the sleep

of a woman near to giving birth?

Go with your love to the fields.

Lie easy in the shade. Rest your head

in her lap. Swear allegiance

to what is nighest your thoughts.

As soon as the generals and the politicos

can predict the motions of your mind,

lose it. Leave it as a sign

to mark the false trail, the way

you didn’t go. Be like the fox

who makes more tracks than necessary,

some in the wrong direction.

Practice resurrection.

The Twenty-Sixth Day of Easter

Lord God Almighty, for no merit on our part you have brought us out of death into life, out of sorrow into joy: Put no end to your gifts, fulfill your marvelous acts in us, and grant to us who have been justified by faith the strength to preserver in faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

Prologue

Let us arise, then, at last,
for the Scripture stirs us up, saying,
"Now is the hour for us to rise from sleep" (Rom. 13:11).
Let us open our eyes to the deifying light,
let us hear with attentive ears
the warning which the divine voice cries daily to us,
"Today if you hear His voice,
harden not your hearts" (Ps. 94:8).
And again,
"Whoever has ears to hear,
hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Matt. 11-15; Apoc. 2:7).
And what does He say?
"Come, My children, listen to Me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord" (Ps. 33:12).
"Run while you have the light of life,
lest the darkness of death overtake you" (John 12:35).

Called, Formed, Involved?

Go forth into the world .....

As disciples of Christ, participants in the paschal mystery of our Lord's dying and rising through faith; as hearers and doers of the word of God; as bearers of grace, as partakers of our Lord's body and blood; having received the forgiveness of sins, formed in the Body of Christ, the Church, made inheritors of the kingdom of heaven; and empowered by the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Baptism, we are called to live no longer for ourselves alone but for and on behalf of the world.

How do we live out our identity as Christians? What are the ways in which we are living a life of service and gratitude for all we have been given? Do we understand ourself as individuals, or as belonging to a living organism, larger than ourself, that involves us in works of mercy and grace?

The greatest gift you can receive is giving to others.

The Feast of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria

Uphold your Church, O God of truth, as you upheld your servant Athanasius, to maintain and proclaim boldly the catholic faith against all opposition, trusting solely in the grace of your eternal Word, who took upon himself our humanity that we might share his divinity; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict (Beginning)

Prologue

I S T E N carefully, my child,
to your master's precepts,
and incline the ear of your heart (Prov. 4:20).
Receive willingly and carry out effectively
your loving father's advice,
that by the labor of obedience
you may return to Him
from whom you had departed by the sloth of disobedience.

To you, therefore, my words are now addressed,
whoever you may be,
who are renouncing your own will
to do battle under the Lord Christ, the true King,
and are taking up the strong, bright weapons of obedience.

And first of all,
whatever good work you begin to do,
beg of Him with most earnest prayer to perfect it,
that He who has now deigned to count us among His children
may not at any time be grieved by our evil deeds.
For we must always so serve Him
with the good things He has given us,
that He will never as an angry Father disinherit His children,
nor ever as a dread Lord, provoked by our evil actions,
deliver us to everlasting punishment
as wicked servants who would not follow Him to glory.

A Poem: lifted into light

the sun shone
through the window
whitening the sheets
as she laid
in her bed
having now been
moved out
of ICU;

her mother was
with her
she said she
was looking forward
to going home this
weekend;

eagerly she anticipates
her wellness,
grateful to be live
she asked for
a prayer.

The Lost Vision

I had no religion. I was taken to church weekly as a child, and at school attended chapel daily, but, as though in compensation, form the time I went to my public school I was excused church in the holidays. The view implicit in my education was that the basic narrative of Christianity had long been exposed as a myth, and that opinion was now divided as to whether its ethical teaching was of present value, a division in which the main weight went against it; religion was a hobby which some people professed and others did not; at the best it was slightly ornamental, at the worst it was the province of "complexes" and "inhibitions" -- catchwords of the decade - and of the intolerance, hypocrisy, and sheer stupidity attributed to it for centuries. No one has ever suggested to me that these quaint observances expressed a coherent, philosophic system and intransigeant historical claims; nor, had they done so, would I have been much interested.

Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead Revisited

Rarely Heard! (Revised)

At one time, we engaged in great conversations around the issues of poverty. At the heart of those discussions were our concerns for the homeless and those who lived in substandard housing; those who suffered from HIV/AIDS; and the hungry. These conversations involved us in Habitat for Humanity, the AIDS Ministry, a weekly communal meal at the parish, and a food pantry. Those conversations have now moved outside this faith community.

Why now are we silent? Why have we forgotten the poor? Why now aren't we filling every moment with conversation about what needs to be done in our day and time? Why have we allowed apathy and the status quo sneak into our faith vision?

How do we awaken from our indifference? How do we reclaim our discipleship? What are the ways in which we may support one another in our ministries? What is the true focus of our lives?

The Feast of Saint Philip and Saint James, Apostles

Almighty God, who gave to your apostles Philip and James grace and strength to bear witness to the truth: Grant that we, being mindful of their victory of faith, may glorify in life and death the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns and with you and the Holy Spirit, one god, now and for ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 73

On the Fact That the Full Observance of Justice Is Not Established in This Rule

Now we have written this Rule
in order that by its observance in monasteries
we may show that we have attained some degree of virtue
and the rudiments of the religious life.

But for those who would hasten to the perfection of that life
there are the teaching of the holy Fathers,
the observance of which leads to the height of perfection.
For what page or what utterance
of the divinely inspired books of the Old and New Testaments
is not a most unerring rule for human life?
Or what book of the holy Catholic Fathers
does not loudly proclaim
how we may come by a straight course to our Creator?
Then the Conferences and the Institutes
and the Lives of the Fathers,
as also the Rule of our holy Father Basil --
what else are they but tools of virtue
for right-living and obedient monks?
But for us who are lazy and ill-living and negligent
they are a source of shame and confusion.

Whoever you are, therefore,
who are hastening to the heavenly homeland,
fulfill with the help of Christ
this minimum Rule which we have written for beginners;
and then at length under God's protection
you will attain to the loftier heights of doctrine and virtue
which we have mentioned above.

Twenty-Third Day of Easter

Almighty God, you show the light of your truth to those who are in error, to the intent that they may return to the way of righteousness: Grant to those who are admitted into the fellowship of Christ’s religion that they may avoid those things that are contrary to their profession, and follow all such things as are agreeable to it; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 72

On the Good Zeal Which They Ought to Have

Just as there is an evil zeal of bitterness
which separates from God and leads to hell,
so there is a good zeal
which separates from vices and leads to God
and to life everlasting.
This zeal, therefore, the brothers should practice
with the most fervent love.
Thus they should anticipate one another in honor (Rom. 12:10);
most patiently endure one another's infirmities,
whether of body or of character;
vie in paying obedience one to another --
no one following what he considers useful for himself,
but rather what benefits another;
tender the charity of brethern chastely;
fear God in love;
love their Abbot with a sincere and humble charity;
prefer nothing whatever to Christ.
And may He bring us all together to life everlasting!

The Fourth Sunday of Easter

O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with the you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 71

That the Brethren Be Obedient to One Another

Not only is the boon of obedience
to be shown by all to the Abbot,
but the brethren are also to obey one another,
knowing that by this road of obedience they are going to God.
Giving priority, therefore, to the commands of the Abbot
and of the Superior appointed by him
(to which we allow no private orders to be preferred),
for the rest
let all the juniors obey their seniors
with all charity and solicitude.
But if anyone is found contentious,
let him be corrected.

And if any brother,
for however small a cause,
is corrected in any way by the Abbot or by any of his Superiors,
or if he faintly perceives
that the mind of any Superior is angered or moved against him,
however little,
let him at once, without delay,
prostrate himself on the ground at his feet
and lie there making satisfaction
until that emotion is quieted with a blessing.
But if anyone should disdain to do this,
let him undergo corporal punishment
or, if he is stubborn, let him be expelled from the monastery.

A Fable: Sodomanians *

The Almighty spoke to Rabbi Ismus, Go now to the land of Sodomania and proclaim to the people of the south that I the Almighty love them.

Rabbi Ismus was deeply troubled. O Holy One Beyond All Knowing, you have no idea what you are asking. Do you not know who they are and what they do?

The Almighty spoke again to Rabbi Ismus, For too long these people have been denied their rights, they have been abused, persecuted, and some have been killed by the people of the north.

Rabbi Ismus was deeply perplexed for he was unable to fathom the words of the Holy One. Great and Holy One, he said, these people are sinners, they are vile in their relationships with one another, they commit obscene acts that you yourself denounced in your written word, they deserve to be separated, punished and shunned by the northern people.

The Almighty became perplexed and he responded to his prophet, you misread my word, you interpret the teaching with deaf ears and blind eyes. You hear harshness and judgment when I speak of love and community. You trouble yourself with divine things, when I created and redeemed human life. Stop wasting my time and pronounce the good news to the people of the south.

So Rabbi Ismus departed from the holy place and made his way by an abandoned road across the land of hypocrisy to the Sodomanians and there he lifted his voice: These are the very words of the Holy One: You are loved by God.

Immediately, the Sodomanians rejoiced and were exceedingly glad. They killed the fatted calf, prepared fresh vegetables, and gathered the wine stewards. They gave thanks to the Great One who they now knew as the Blessed One, the Father of All.

Rabbi Ismus, folded his arms and sat under a banana tree and cried: The world is not the same, even God is a revisionist. How will I ever believe again. I will remain here, I will not move, here I will die!

And so it was: The Anglophiles who had been debating whether or not the Sodomanians were a worthy people went their separate ways, there were those who defended God and there were those who had compassion for the outcasts; and so the fig tree withered ....

* apologies to the Prophet Jonah

Mystagogia #3

As Easter people we are to behold the new creation in the world and in ourselves; strengthened in the hope of the resurrection; living joyfully as children of our loving Father; renewed by the gracious gifts of life we have received; being grounded in the truth of the gospel with fidelity.

The Twenty-First Day of Easter

God our Father, by the waters of Baptism you give new life to the faithful. May we not succumb to the influence of evil but remain true to your gift of life through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 70

That No One Venture to Punish at Random

Every occasion of presumption
shall be avoided in the monastery,
and we decree that no one be allowed
to excommunicate or to strike any of his brothers
unless the Abbot has given him the authority.
Those who offend in this matter
shall be rebuked in the presence of all,
that the rest may have fear.

But children up to 15 years of age
shall be carefully controlled and watched by all,
yet this too with all moderation and discretion.
All, therefore, who presume
without the Abbot's instructions
to punish those above that age
or who lose their temper with them,
shall undergo the discipline of the Rule;
for it is written,
"Do not to another what you would not want done to yourself" (Tobias 4:16).

self-imposed excommunication

A great sadness of the church in this new century is the number of people within her Body who decide for whatever reason to no longer eat at the Table. Years ago, before the Reformation, it was a practice of the church to excommunicate those who were grave sinners in order to encourage them to repent. In this day, as the church seeks to embrace everyone, some of her members find openness so intolerable that they depart and move away from the Table.

Usually, the unhappy, angry, or disappointed depart without a word fading into society and the faith community is left to mourn their departure. It is as though they never were connected to the Life within the Body and unlike those that left they have no remorse. All of this goes on without a word, without dialogue, without a desire to interact with others in order to listen and to share one's pain in order that the Body may be enriched and strengthened.

I pray that these who 'wander the earth' in search for refreshing Bread and gladdening Wine will discover a new homeland, a faith community that is open wide to welcome them home.

The Twentieth Day of Easter

Father, by the love of your Spirit, may we who have experienced the grace of the Lord’s resurrection rise to the newness of life in joy through Jesus Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 69

That the Monks Presume Not to Defend One Another

Care must be taken that no monk presume on any ground
to defend another monk in the monastery,
or as it were to take him under his protection,
even though they be united by some tie of blood-relationship.
Let not the monks dare to do this in any way whatsoever,
because it may give rise to most serious scandals.
But if anyone breaks this rule,
let him be severely punished.

The Nineteenth Day of Easter

Father, in this holy season we come to know the full depth of your love. You have freed us from the darkness of error and sin. Help us to cling to your truths with fidelity through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 68

If a Brother Is Commanded to Do Impossible Things

If it happens
that difficult or impossible tasks are laid on a brother,
let him nevertheless receive the order of the one in authority
with all meekness and obedience.
But if he sees that the weight of the burden
altogether exceeds the limit of his strength,
let him submit the reasons for his inability
to the one who is over him
in a quiet way and at an opportune time,
without pride, resistance, or contradiction.
And if after these representations
the Superior still persists in his decision and command,
let the subject know that this is for his good,
and let him obey out of love,
trusting in the help of God.

Sinfully Wrong

There is something gravely and sinfully wrong with a world where the division between the rich and the poor continues to expand, where some still live in palaces and recline on ivory couches while others starve outside their gates. In our day, the prophets still speak for a world where the hungry are fed, the ill are healed, where all children are educated and no one is denied the basic necessities of life.

+Katharine,
Presiding Bishop and Primate
of The Episcopal Church

A Secret Life

this town likes its secrets, so many masks worn to hid the pain, doors slammed shut to prevent the eye from seeing the truth, people separated, walled off from one another, unwilling to acknowledge the abyss within and around them, they push others away with a smile or a frown, shunning god, they hold to their fragile self respect in order not to become undone by their unveiled selves.

what is a little weird is that their masks are cracked, you can see their faces in their absence, in their silence, in their fear, and yet they will not come too close, hold back, desiring to remain under the fig leaf, waiting ....

A Poem: ICU

motionless
she laid
in her bed
staring into
the emptiness
of the room

hopeful and scared
following triple bypass
surgery and beginning
dialysis

pictures of family
on table
to her right

she smiled when
i acknowledged her
teddy bear

together we prayed.

Let us remember

The conscious of the world was destroyed by those who were wont to blame others rather than themselves. Let us remember. We revered the instincts but distrusted the prophets. We labored to perfect engines and let our inner life go to wreck. We ridiculed superstition until we lost the ability to believe. We have helped to extinguish the light our fathers had kindled. We have bartered holiness for convenience, loyalty for success, love for power, wisdom for information, tradition for fashion.

Abraham J. Heschel
Man's Quest for God

The Feast of Saint Mark the Apostle

Almighty God, by the hand of Mark the evangelist you have given to your Church the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God: We thank you for this witness, and pray that we may be firmly grounded in its truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 67

On Brethren Who Are Sent on a Journey

Let the brethren who are sent on a journey
commend themselves
to the prayers of all the brethren and of the Abbot;
and always at the last prayer of the Work of God
let a commemoration be made of all absent brethren.

When brethren return from a journey,
at the end of each canonical Hour of the Work of God
on the day they return,
let them lie prostrate on the floor of the oratory
and beg the prayers of all
on account of any faults
that may have surprised them on the road,
through the seeing or hearing of something evil,
or through idle talk.
And let no one presume to tell another
whatever he may have seen or heard outside of the monastery,
because this causes very great harm.
But if anyone presumes to do so,
let him undergo the punishment of the Rule.
And let him be punished likewise who would presume
to leave the enclosure of the monastery
and go anywhere or do anything, however small,
without an order from the Abbot.

The Seventeenth Day of Easter

Father, you opened the kingdom of heaven to those born again by water and the Spirit. Increase your gift of love in us. May all who have been freed from sin in baptism receive all that you have promised through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 66

On the Porters of the Monastery

At the gate of the monastery
let there be placed a wise old man,
who knows how to receive and to give a message,
and whose maturity will prevent him from straying about.
This porter should have a room near the gate,
so that those who come may always find someone at hand
to attend to their business.
And as soon as anyone knocks or a poor person hails him,
let him answer "Thanks be to God" or "A blessing!"
Then let him attend to them promptly,
with all the meekness inspired by the fear of God
and with the warmth of charity.

Should the porter need help,
let him have one of the younger brothers.

If it can be done,
the monastery should be so established
that all the necessary things,
such as water, mill, garden and various workshops,
may be within the enclosure,
so that there is no necessity
for the brothers to go about outside of it,
since that is not at all profitable for their souls.

We desire that this Rule be read often in the community,
so that none of the brothers may excuse himself
on the ground of ignorance.

Is This The Church For You?

"They have too much fun. They don't dress like church people. There are too many children. Even teenagers like going to church now. They make the Bible interesting. The pastor tells jokes. Their music doesn't sound like church music. You might actually understand what's going on. They aren't after your money. And who ever heard of going to church in a movie theater?"

For once, I have absolutely no comment!!!

Is There An Answer?

We will never know the hidden suffering of the murderer who massacred twenty-seven students and five teachers on Monday, April 16th. We know already of his insanity and his suicidal tendencies, but within the quiet, sullen Mr. Cho, lived a terrible fear unexpressed and repressed. I can't begin to imagine the psychic pressure that he used to hold within himself the turbulent emotions that would not be contained for ever. Such suffering continued to isolate him more and more from human community, he was indifferent to those about him, he was impossible to reach.

If only he could have found a language that would have led him out of his incomprehensible suffering that made him mute - a language of lament, a cry - a language which at last would define his situation. Indeed, being speechless, walled off from others, is death. A dreadful hell lived within him.

His crude writings in English Class expressed only the outer boundaries of a life so hidden that the day would come that he would explode.

The Sixteenth Day of Easter

Let your people, O Lord, rejoice for ever that they have been renewed in spirit, and let the joy of our adoption as your sons and daughters strengthen the hope of our glorious resurrection in Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 65

On the Prior of the Monastery

To us, therefore, it seems expedient
for the preservation of peace and charity
that the Abbot have in his hands
the full administration of his monastery.
And if possible let all the affairs of the monastery,
as we have already arranged,
be administered by deans according to the Abbot's directions.
Thus, with the duties being shared by several,
no one person will become proud.

But if the circumstances of the place require it,
or if the community asks for it with reason and with humility,
and the Abbot judges it to be expedient,
let the Abbot himself constitute as his Prior
whomsoever he shall choose
with the counsel of God-fearing brethren.

That Prior, however, shall perform respectfully
the duties enjoined on him by his Abbot
and do nothing against the Abbot's will or direction;
for the more he is raised above the rest,
the more carefully should he observe the precepts of the Rule.

If it should be found that the Prior has serious faults,
or that he is deceived by his exaltation and yields to pride,
or if he should be proved to be a despiser of the Holy Rule,
let him be admonished verbally up to four times.
If he fails to amend,
let the correction of regular discipline be applied to him.
But if even then he does not reform,
let him be deposed from the office of Prior
and another be appointed in his place who is worthy of it.
And if afterwards he is not quiet and obedient in the community,
let him even be expelled from the monastery.
But the Abbot, for his part, should bear in mind
that he will have to render an account to God
for all his judgments,
lest the flame of envy or jealousy be kindled in his soul.

The Third Sunday of Easter

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of the bread: Open the eyes of our faith, taht we may behold him in all his redeeming work: who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one god, now and for ever. Amen.

A Prayer for the Presence of Christ:

Lord Jesus, stay with us, for evening is at hand and the day is past; be our companion in the way, kindle our hearts, and awaken hope, that we may know you as you are revealed in Scripture and the breaking of the bread. Grant this for the sake of your love. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 65

On the Prior of the Monastery

It happens all too often that the constituting of a Prior
gives rise to grave scandals in monasteries.
For there are some who become inflated with the evil spirit of pride
and consider themselves second Abbots.
By usurping power
they foster scandals and cause dissensions in the community.
Especially does this happen
in those places where the Prior is constituted
by the same Bishop or the same Abbots
who constitute the Abbot himself.
What an absurd procedure this is
can easily be seen;
for it gives the Prior an occasion for becoming proud
from the very time of his constitution,
by putting the thought into his mind
that he is freed from the authority of his Abbot:
"For," he will say to himself, "you were constituted
by the same persons who constitute the Abbot."
From this source are stirred up envy, quarrels, detraction,
rivalry, dissensions and disorders.
For while the Abbot and the Prior are at variance,
their souls cannot but be endangered by this dissension;
and those who are under them,
currying favor with one side or the other,
go to ruin.
The guilt for this dangerous state of affairs
rests on the heads of those
whose action brought about such disorder.

To "Anonymous"

"Anonymous" comments will no longer be posted on this blog in order to aid in open and free dialogue and the free exchange of ideas. Thank you for your understanding.

In the Breaking of the Bread

Every Eucharist is introduced with the reminder that the sacrament of Jesus' self-gift originates "in the same night he was betrayed." Those who eat at Jesus' table are his betrayers, then as now, yet from the death and hell to which our betrayal condemns him, he returns to break bread with us as before. It is no simple fellowship meal.

All meals with Jesus after Calvary speak of the restoration of a fellowship broken by human infidelity: the wounded body and shed blood are inescapably present. We do not eucharistically remember a distant meal in Jerusalem, nor even a distant death, we are made 'present to ourselves' as people complicit in the betrayal and death of Jesus and yet still called and accepted, still companions of Christ - those who break bread with him. When the Church performs the eucharistic action it is what it is called to be: The Easter Community, guilty and restored, the gathering of those whose identity is defined by their new relation to Jesus crucified and risen, who identify themselves as forgiven. What happens in the eucharist is that the Church assembles simply to make this identification in praise and gratitude, and to show in concrete form its dependence on Christ. It is an action which announces what the community's life means, where the activity radically opens to the creative activity of God in Jesus. Every sacrament is a sharing in Easter, in the paschal mystery. All their betrayals are to be understood as betrayals of him, and through that understanding comes forgiveness and hope.

Philippe Rouillard, From Human Meal to Christian Eucharist

Can Doctrine Develop?

When Saint Augustine of Hippo developed the doctrine of original sin in the fifth century, he said that due to the iniquity of our first parents all children who died before they were baptized were destined to hell. In the Middle Ages, this doctrine was soften suggesting that the unbaptized would dwell in a suspended state, neither in hell nor heaven. Their eternal address would be "limbo" coming from the Latin "limbus" meaning 'hem' or 'edge' suggesting that the child would share in a state of natural happiness outside heaven.

For several years the Roman Church has been studying this teaching and fifteen years ago removed it from their catechism. However, this restrictive view of salvation has finally been put to rest under the authority of Benedict VI of Rome. The new study states that there are "serious theological and liturgical grounds for hope that unbaptized infants who die will be saved and brought into eternal happiness."

As a more open and broad understanding of salvation takes hold within the church the critics are complaining that removing the teaching of limbo will discourage the christening of infants, making baptism a formality and not a necessity, and no longer will there be an argument to present to parents who make the agonizing decision to abort the fetus, because without limbo those fetuses will no longer be denied communion with God.

What do we make of this development of doctrine? Do you think it is possible for other doctrine to be developed that would present a more open, inclusive, invitation to salvation and human wholeness?

Mystagogia #2

United in faith and love, through the Paschal Mystery, of our Lord's dying and rising, we may overcome the demonic forces within the world, remain faithful to the gift of grace that we have received being assured of our salvation. May our lives reveal true liberty and enjoy the happiness of heaven that we have already begun to taste and experience on earth, being able to express with our lives the reason for the hope that is within us.

Feast of Saint Anselm of Canterbury

Almighty God, you raised up your servant Anselm to teach the Church of his day to understand its faith in your eternal Being, perfect justice, and saving mercy. Provide your Church in every age with devout and learned scholars and teachers, that we may be able to give a reason for the hope that is in us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 64

On Constituting an Abbot

Once he has been constituted,
let the Abbot always bear in mind
what a burden he has undertaken
and to whom he will have to give an account of his stewardship,
and let him know that his duty is rather to profit his brothers
than to preside over them.
Hhe must therefore be learned in the divine law,
that he may have a treasure of knowledge
from which to bring forth new things and old.
Hhe must be chaste, sober and merciful.
Let him exalt mercy above judgment,
that he himself may obtain mercy.
He should hate vices;
He should love the brethern.

In administering correction
He should act prudently and not go to excess,
lest in seeking too eagerly to scrape off the rust
He break the vessel.
Let him keep his own frailty ever before his eyes
and remember that the bruised reed must not be broken.
By this we do not mean that he should allow vices to grow;
on the contrary, as we have already said,
he should eradicate them prudently and with charity,
in the way which may seem best in each case.
Let him study rather to be loved than to be feared.

Let him not be excitable and worried,
nor exacting and headstrong,
nor jealous and over-suspicious;
for then he is never at rest.

In his commands let him be prudent and considerate;
and whether the work which he enjoins
concerns God or the world,
let him be discreet and moderate,
bearing in mind the discretion of holy Jacob, who said,
"If I cause my flocks to be overdriven,
they will all die in one day."
Taking this, then, and other examples of discretion,
the mother of virtues,
let him so temper all things
that the strong may have something to strive after,
and the weak may not fall back in dismay.

And especially let him keep this Rule in all its details,
so that after a good ministry
he may hear from the Lord what the good servant heard
who gave the fellow-servants wheat in due season:
"Indeed, I tell you, he will set that one over all his goods" (Matt. 24:27).

Liviu

In the midst of the darkness shined a life-giving light, as Liviu Librescu, 76, a Holocaust survivor, stood at the door of room 204 in order to free his students from pending death by the insane Cho who massacred students and faculty at Virginia Tech. Allowing his students to escape through the classroom window, Liviu was fatally wounded.

Hero is too shallow of a word to describe the final acts of this wonderful man, whom many called "father". There is no doubt that the final act of his life reflects that way he lived every moment. The shema was carved into his heart. In him the Torah is made flesh and dwells among us.

This Romanian was killed on Yom Hashoah, the international day that commemorates Holocaust victims. May we give thanks to God for revealing the inner heart of what it means to be human.

The Thirteenth Day of Easter

O Lord, you have saved us through the Paschal mystery of Christ: Continue to support your people with heavenly gifts, that we may attain true liberty, and enjoy the happiness of heaven which we have begun to taste on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 64

On Constituting an Abbot

In the constituting of an Abbot
let this plan always be followed,
that the office be conferred on the one who is chosen
either by the whole community unanimously in the fear of God
or else by a part of the community, however small,
if its counsel is more wholesome.

Merit of life and wisdom of doctrine
should determine the choice of the one to be constituted,
even if he be the last of the order of the community.

But if (which God forbid)
the whole community should agree to choose a person
who will acquiesce in their vices,
and if those vices somehow become known to the Bishop
to whose diocese the place belongs,
or to the Abbots, Abbesses or the faithful of the vicinity,
let them prevent the success of this conspiracy of the wicked,
and set a worthy steward over the house of God.
They may be sure
that they will receive a good reward for this action
if they do it with a pure intention and out of zeal for God;
as, on the contrary, they will sin if they fail to do it.

Finding Strength

Last night several of us gathered to remember those who had died or were wounded at Virginia Tech on Monday, to lift them up in prayer, to pray for their families and loved ones, and to offer the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving in the eucharistic meal. The liturgy with its timeless quality drew us close to the suffering and gave us an opportunity to grieve the great loss of life at the university. We rejoiced that among us was a student from Virginia Tech, one of our own, and her parents. Her presence with us gave us an opportunity to live more deeply into the realities of this past week. May we continue to hold in our prayers and hearts those whose lives have been altered for ever by this tragedy.

Feast of Saint Alphege of Canterbury

O loving God, your martyr bishop Alphege of Canterbury suffered violent death when he refused to permit a ransom to be extorted from his people: Grant that all pastors of your flock may pattern themselves on the Good Shepherd, who laid down his life for the sheep; and who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

On the Order of the Community

The juniors, therefore, should honor their seniors,
and the seniors love their juniors.

In the very manner of address,
let no one call another by the mere name;
but let the seniors call their juniors Brothers,
and the juniors call their seniors Fathers,
by which is conveyed the reverence due to a father.
But the Abbot,
since he is believed to represent Christ,
shall be called Lord and Abbot,
not for any pretensions of his own
but out of honor and love for Christ.
Let the Abbot himself reflect on this,
and show himself worthy of such an honor.

And wherever the brethren meet one another
the junior shall ask the senior for his blessing.
When a senior passes by,
a junior shall rise and give him a place to sit,
nor shall the junior presume to sit with him
unless his senior bid him,
that it may be as was written,
"In honor anticipating one another."

Boys, both small and adolescent,
shall keep strictly to their rank in oratory and at table.
But outside of that, wherever they may be,
let them be under supervision and discipline,
until they come to the age of discretion.

The Eleventh Day of Easter

Grant, O Lord, that we may so live in the Paschal mystery that the joy of these fifty days may continually strengthen us, and assure us of our salvation; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 63

On the Order of the Community

Let all keep their places in the monastery
established by the time of their entrance,
the merit of their lives and the decision of the Abbot.
Yet the Abbot must not disturb the flock committed to him,
nor by an arbitrary use of his power ordain anything unjustly;
but let him always think
of the account he will have to render to God
for all his decisions and his deeds.

Therefore in that order which he has established
or which they already had,
let the brethren approach to receive the kiss of peace and Communion,
intone the Psalms and stand in choir.
And in no place whatever should age decide the order
or be prejudicial to it;
for Samuel and Daniel as mere boys judged priests.

Except for those already mentioned, therefore,
whom the Abbot has promoted by a special decision
or demoted for definite reasons,
all the rest shall take their order
according to the time of their entrance.
Thus, for example,
he who came to the monastery at the second hour of the day,
whatever be his age or his dignity,
must know that he is junior
to one who came at the first hour of the day.
Boys, however, are to be kept under discipline
in all matters and by everyone.

Receiving Holy Communion

Several Sundays ago, a parishioner asked about the correct way to receive the eucharistic bread and wine. Tradition informs us that we are to receive "into our hands" the Sacrament of the Lord's Body; we should not receive it with our fingers, nor with one hand only. Our practice comes from the teaching of Cyril of Jerusalem, 382 AD, "by making the left hand a throne for the right, and hollowing the palm of the right to receive the Body of Christ, " by placing the left hand under the right, both hands being held open and lifting them together to be received by the mouth. Also, it is proper to use the hands, guiding the chalice, in the reception of the Blood of Christ.

Though one may receive only the consecrated Bread (since the Real Presence of Christ is manifested in both the Bread and the Wine), the Chalice has its own special grace - "the grace of gladdening." As a physical banquet is incomplete without drink, so Christ's Spiritual Banquet can only be completely enjoyed, with entire satisfaction for the soul, if to spiritual eating is added spiritual drinking. Indeed the common cup powerfully suggests human fellowship of an intimate, unselfish, generous, and uplifting nature.

(Some notes drawn from Liturgy and Worship: A Companion to the Prayer Books of the Anglican Communion, 1964>

A Poem: death came ....

death came
to blacksburg
yesterday
in a cloud of
murderous rage
as children
were slaughtered
in the academic halls
of a university.

death came
to blacksburg
yesterday
as Seung-Hui Cho
"a normal looking kid"
they say fired rounds
of ammunition in
dorm and classroom
brutalizing, terrorizing,
destroying human life.

death came
to blacksburg
yesterday
and we yearn
to know why;
our grief is unrelenting
our sorrow weighty
with tormenting emptiness.

death came
to our children
yesterday
in the blackness
of gun powder
and the horror
of madness.

death came,
death came,
my God, my God why ....?

The Tenth Day of Easter

O God, by the waters of Baptism you have renewed those who believe in you: Come to the help of those who have been reborn in Christ, that they may overcome the wiles of the devil, and continue faithful to the gifts of grace they have received from you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, wo lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 62

On the Priests of the Monastery

If an Abbot desire
to have a priest or a deacon ordained for his monastery,
let him choose one
who is worthy to exercise the priestly office.

But let the one who is ordained
beware of self-exaltation or pride;
and let him not presume to do anything
except what is commanded him by the Abbot,
knowing that he is so much the more subject
to the discipline of the Rule.
Nor should he by reason of his priesthood forget
the obedience and the discipline required by the Rule,
but make ever more and more progress towards God.

Let him always keep the place which he received
on entering the monastery,
except in his duties at the altar
or in case the choice of the community and the will of the Abbess
should promote him for the worthiness of his life.
Yet he must understand
that he is to observe the rules laid down by deans and Priors.

Should he presume to act otherwise,
let him be judged not as a priest but as a rebel.
And if he does not reform after repeated admonitions,
let even the Bishop be brought in as a witness.
If then he still fails to amend,
and his offenses are notorious,
let him be put out of the monastery,
but only if his contumacy is such
that he refuses to submit or to obey the Rule.