They Waited

she was gone
transfixed they stood
unable to move
unable to take
it all in;

as though they
hadn't expected it
even though they
knew she was ill;

into empty space
they stared, unable
to release her form
still in the bed
they spoke to her
as if she were
still there;

the grief was palpable
not knowing what
to do now they
waited for her
to tell them
that all will be well
and that they
could go on living.

The Sixth Day of Easter

Almighty Father, who gave your only Son to die for our sins and to rise for our justification: Give us grace so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may always serve you in pureness of living and truth; through Jesus Christ your Son 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 59

On the Sons of Nobles and of the Poor Who Are Offered

If anyone of the nobility
offers his son to God in the monastery
and the boy is very young,
let his parents draw up the document which we mentioned above;
and at the oblation
let them wrap the document itself and the boy's hand in the altar cloth.
That is how they offer him.

As regards their property,
they shall promise in the same petition under oath
that they will never of themselves, or through an intermediary,
or in any way whatever,
give him anything
or provide him with the opportunity of owning anything.
Or else,
if they are unwilling to do this,
and if they want to offer something as an alms to the monastery
for their advantage,
let them make a donation
of the property they wish to give to the monastery,
reserving the income to themselves if they wish.
And in this way let everything be barred,
so that the boy may have no expectations
whereby (which God forbid) he might be deceived and ruined,
as we have learned by experience.

Let those who are less well-to-do make a similar offering.
But those who have nothing at all
shall simply draw up the document
and offer their son before witnesses at the oblation.

Divine Silence

between the dying
and the helplessness
of the one who keeps vigil:
in the silence is God.

between the brokenness
of a relationship; the
pain of rejection;
the hopelessness
of closure:
in the silence is God.

between the human madness
of war, the dying of young men
and women on the battle field
and the prayers for peace:
in the silence is God.

between all human indifference
to poverty and the cry of
those who suffering:
in the silence is God.

between the tears of the repentant
and the joy of the forgiven:
in the silence is God.

death shows no partiality

he laid
in the hospital bed
that had been
brought to the house.

the sheet and blanket
draped his naked body,
hairless due to
the chemo.

some time he
was found sleeping,
and other times
entertaining:
wearing wigs,
trying on umiaks,
clutching rosaries;
loving his friends,
longing
not to loose them
in death;
frustrated that
he was still
here.

rest in peace,
new friend.

transformation of an illness

she is quiet now
resting in her hospital bed
breathing gently
the oxygen
that she needs;

she is weak,
but eager to be removed
from the ICU
to a room below.
She hopes it will
be tomorrow.

her spirit awakens
when one comes into
the room,
she asks about others
and for a moment
forgets herself
and her illness.

to be with her for
a moment is to be
ministered to;
to sit with her for
awhile is to
know the presence
of Christ in the room;
to rest with her
is to know that you
both are in the
hands of a loving Father.

Clouds On The Horizon

It really goes without saying that the Anglican Communion is quaking all over the world. You would have thought that after Adam and Eve were driven from the garden of Eden that the issues regarding sexuality would have been settled and the faithful would be able to respond to God's call to mission; but the evil one has other plans for us and we will simply have to live through the turbulence that we are presently facing. What has set the Episcopal Church apart from the rest of the Anglican Communion was the ordination of women to the priesthood in 1974; the ordination of an openly gay man as the Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003; and the enthronement of the first female Presiding Bishop within the Communion in 2006. Because of the actions of the Episcopal Church we find ourselves being punished by many within the Communion, even within our own country with several parishes withdrawing from their diocese in order to place themselves under the pastoral care of an African Bishop. Even within our own parish, several who are unhappy about the church's direction have decided that they need to leave and to find a spiritual home in "less" troubling waters.

Is is very sad when the Body of Christ becomes broken by forces that are dark and divisive. When people can no longer talk or listen to one another, and draw lines in the sand, as if they can live without one another. I have always believed that "truth" is to be found "between" and not in any one (supposed) authority; and that it is only through dialogue that people begin to see things differently.

In this Easter Season it is important for people of faith to reflect together on what they truly believe. Christianity is about grace and not simply about morality. It is about Christ on the Cross forgiving us before we knew what we were doing. It is about a love that will not let us go, but claims us for all eternity. If we are truly God's people we will do all we can to invite those who have left home. Yet we must remember that such an invitation is the message of the Good News itself, proclaiming hope to a darkening world.

The Fifth Day of Easter

Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their 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, Chapter 58

On the Manner of Receiving Brothers

When he is to be received
he promises before all in the oratory
stability,
fidelity to monastic life
and obedience.
This promise he shall make before God and His Saints,
so that if he should ever act otherwise,
he may know that he will be condemned by Him whom he mocks.
Of this promise of his let him draw up a document
in the name of the Saints whose relics are there
and of the Abbot who is present.
Let him write this document with his own hand;
or if he is illiterate, let another write it at his request,
and let the novice put his mark to it.
Then let him place it with his own hand upon the altar;
and when he has placed it there,
let the novice at once intone this verse:
"Receive me, O Lord, according to Your word, and I shall live:
and let me not be confounded in my hope" (Ps. 118[119]:116).
Let the whole community answer this verse three times
and add the "Glory be to the Father."
Then let the novice prostrate himself at each one's feet,
that they may pray for him.
And from that day forward
let him be counted as one of the community.

If he has any property,
let him either give it beforehand to the poor
or by solemn donation bestow it on the monastery,
reserving nothing at all for himself,
as indeed he knows that from that day forward
he will no longer have power even over his own body.
At once, therefore, in the oratory,
let him be divested of his own clothes which he is wearing
and dressed in the clothes of the monastery.
But let the clothes of which he was divested
be put aside in the wardrobe and kept there.
Then if he should ever listen to the persuasions of the devil
and decide to leave the monastery (which God forbid),
he may be divested of the monastic clothes and cast out.
His document, however,
which the Abbot has taken from the altar,
shall not be returned to him, but shall be kept in the monastery.

A Silent Alleluia

alone
underneath or behind
where the tendrils lift
and give shape
the young pillow
attached itself
and weaved from
its own body,
as if to give its
very best,
a tomb
made of silk,
where it
laid ever so still
until the chrysalis
hardened and where
the metamorphosis began
to unveil
the beauty of
a butterfly.

The Fourth Day 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 that 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.

The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 58

On the Manner of Receiving Brothers

When anyone is newly come for the reformation of his life,
let him not be granted an easy entrance;
but, as the Apostle says,
"Test the spirits to see whether they are from God."
If the newcomer, therefore, perseveres in his knocking,
and if it is seen after four or five days
that he bears patiently the harsh treatment offered him
and the difficulty of admission,
and that he persists in his petition,
then let entrance be granted him,
and let him stay in the guest house for a few days.

After that let him live in the novitiate,
where the novices study, eat and sleep.
A senior shall be assigned to them who is skilled in winning souls,
to watch over them with the utmost care.
Let him examine whether the novice is truly seeking God,
and whether he is zealous
for the Work of God, for obedience and for trials.
Let the novice be told all the hard and rugged ways
by which the journey to God is made.

If he promises stability and perseverance,
then at the end of two months
let this rule be read through to him,
and let him be addressed thus:
"Here is the law under which you wish to fight.
If you can observe it, enter;
if you cannot, you are free to depart."
If he still stands firm,
let him be taken to the above-mentioned novitiate
and again tested in all patience.
And after the lapse of six months let the Rule be read to him,
that he may know on what he is entering.
And if he still remains firm,
after four months let the same Rule be read to him again.

Then, having deliberated with himself,
if ahe promises to keep it in its entirety
and to observe everything that is commanded,
let him be received into the community.
But let him understand that,
according to the law of the Rule,
from that day forward he may not leave the monastery
nor withdraw his neck from under the yoke of the Rule
which he was free to refuse or to accept
during that prolonged deliberation.

Mystagogia: The Great Sabbath

The Great Sabbath stretches from Easter Day until the Day of Pentecost. These Great Fifty Days signify (in the words of Thomas Merton) the eternal day of heaven. As we await the coming gift of the Holy Spirit on Whitsunday, the church spends its time reflecting on the events of the Triduum, the Great Paschal Days of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday (the first announcement of the Resurrection after dark). This Great Octave of the Christian Year provides the faithful time to assimilate the mystery of their redemption and to take into themselves the risen Lord. As the Jews were brought forth out of their bondage in Egypt, across the Red Sea, into the wilderness and into the Promised Land; so we are brought forth from our bondage to sin and death and drawn into the very life of Christ through faith.

The Third Day of Easter

O God, who by the glorious resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ, destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light: Grant that we, who have been raised with him, may abide in his presence, and rejoice in the hope of eternal glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be dominion and praise for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 57

On the Artisans of the Monastery

If there are artisans in the monastery,
let them practice their crafts with all humility,
provided the Abbot has given permission.
But if any one of them becomes conceited
over his skill in his craft,
because he seems to be conferring a benefit on the monastery,
let him be taken from his craft
and no longer exercise it unless,
after he has humbled himself,
the Abbot again gives him permission.

If any of the work of the craftsmen is to be sold,
those responsible for the sale
must not dare to practice any fraud.
Let them always remember Ananias and Saphira,
who incurred bodily death (Acts 5:1-11),
lest they and all who perpetrate fraud
in monastery affairs
suffer spiritual death.
And in the prices let not the sin of avarice creep in,
but let the goods always be sold a little cheaper
than they can be sold by people in the world,
"that in all things God may be glorified" (1 Peter 4:11).

The Second Day of Easter

Grant, we pray, Almighty God, that we who celebrate with awe the Paschal feast may be found worthy to attain to everlasting joys; 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 56

On the Abbot's Table

Let the Abbot's table always be with the guests
and the pilgrims. But when there are no guests,
let it be in his power to invite whom he will of the brothers.
Yet one or two seniors must always be left with the others
for the sake of discipline.

Early Dawn

It was still dark as I arrived at the parish this morning. There is a wonderful stillness when you enter the church in the early morning, a gentle sense of hospitality surrounds you as you move from the outer door toward the chancel. You can feel almost a mysterious invitation to come, pray, sit awhile. The altar guild, who had feverishly worked so hard yesterday making sure that everything was just so for the Easter liturgies were now gone, everything is readied. I don't think I ever remember the church looking so beautiful and so inviting to guest and parishioner. The bird's song is beginning to break the stillness, announcing the first Allelulia of the new day. Soon people will begin to gather, most likely it will be a larger congregation than most Sundays: visitors from out of town, grandparents or children visiting, occasional worshipers will make their way in through the narthex as they did at the time of the celebration of our Lord's birth. Many will have come, expecting to hear some good news, and yet they were not present on Good Friday, they don't really know the story of their own rebirth into God that took place on a Cross near the city. It is only when they understand the profound terror and grief that took place on that day that they will begin to understand the fresh newness and power of the resurrection to transform mortal lives. I can only pray that they will leave with just a glimpse of renewed hope, faith, and love; that they will awaken to the beauty around them, that they will begin to know a God who without partiality embraces even the most unloved. May this Easter fill us with eternal joy!

Easter Day

Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord's resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

BCP, page 222

The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 55

On the Clothes and Shoes of the Brethren

For bedding let this suffice:
a mattress, a blanket, a coverlet and a pillow.

The beds, moreover, are to be examined frequently by the Abbot,
to see if any private property be found in them.
If anyone should be found to have something
that he did not receive from the Abbot,
let him undergo the most severe discipline.

And in order that this vice of private ownership
may be cut out by the roots,
the Abbot should provide all the necessary articles:
cowl, tunic, stockings, shoes, belt,
knife, stylus, needle, handkerchief, writing tablets;
that all pretext of need may be taken away.
Yet the Abbot should always keep in mind
the sentence from the Acts of the Apostles
that "distribution was made to each according as anyone had need" (Acts 4:35).
In this manner, therefore,
let the Abbot consider weaknesses of the needy
and not the ill-will of the envious.
But in all his decisions
let him think about the retribution of God.