Preparing to enter the Triduum

As we stand at the threshold of the Triduum, the Great Paschal Days of our Salvation: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday (the Great Vigil of Easter) there are somethings to hold in mind:

Many people alienated from the Church are unable to bare their souls before they experience acceptance, welcome, and love.

Sins are Christians' failure to respond to Christ's call to holiness, their infidelity to their baptismal pledge as members of the covenant community, and obstacles to the Church's mission of signing salvation to all the world. It can no longer be enough for the sinner to feel forgiveness by God; penitents must experience and strive for reconciliation with their brothers and sisters as sign of reconciliation with God.

The need for reconciliation is for the believer, Christ's challenge to his Church to be converted, and the support that is needed to meet that challenge is present in his Spirit. In every case, the power of that Spirit, reconciling us to God in Christ, offers both challenge and support. The future of a reconciling community is ours to shape.

The Church ... must work for global peace and justice as well as respond to individual's needs for healing. It must struggle to eradicate all forms of division and discrimination and transform sinful social structures - within itself first - as well as strengthen individuals to bear up under oppression and resist sinful influences. Community rituals must be a prophetic protest against social evils and a means of sensitizing participants to the part they play in causing, perpetuating, or tolerating such evils.

Sacramental revitalization requires a sense of the Church as a reconciled and reconciling community, a community in which all members are coresponsible for mission and worship.

from James Dallen's The Reconciling Community

The Gospel for Holy Wednesday

Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, "Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me," The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking. John 13:21-32

who is betraying our Lord;
is it one of them,
those who sit close,
who enjoy his friendship,
who dips his morsal
into the wine?

who is betraying our Lord;
is it one of those,
who is so very faithful,
who say their prayers,
who eats the Bread
and drinks the Wine?

who is betraying our Lord;
is it truly me;
how does he know,
who told him?

failing to follow,
I succeed in denial.

you are unworthy to come
under my roof.

Wednesday in Holy Week

Lord God, whose blessed Son our Savior gave his body to be whipped and his face to be spit upon: Give us grace to accept joyfully the sufferings of the present time, confident of the glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Collect of the Day
BCP, page 220

The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 53

On the Reception of Guests

Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ,
for He is going to say,
"I came as a guest, and you received Me" (Matt. 25:35).
And to all let due honor be shown,
especially to the domestics of the faith and to pilgrims.

As soon as a guest is announced, therefore,
let the Superior or the brethren meet him
with all charitable service.
And first of all let them pray together,
and then exchange the kiss of peace.
For the kiss of peace should not be offered
until after the prayers have been said,
on account of the devil's deceptions.

In the salutation of all guests, whether arriving
or departing, let all humility be shown.
Let the head be bowed
or the whole body prostrated on the ground
in adoration of Christ, who indeed is received
in their persons.

After the guests have been received
and taken to prayer, let the Superior or someone
appointed by him sit with them.
Let the divine law be read before the guest
for his edification, and then let all
kindness be shown him.
The Superior shall break his fast for the sake of a guest,
unless it happens to be a principal fast day
which may not be violated.
The brethren, however, shall observe the customary fasts.
Let the Abbot give the guests water for their hands;
and let both Abbot and community
wash the feet of all guests.
After the washing of the feet let them say this verse:
"We have received Your mercy, O God,
in the midst of Your temple" (Ps.47:10).

In the reception of the poor and of pilgrims
the greatest care and solicitude should be shown,
because it is especially in them that Christ is received;
for as far as the rich are concerned,
the very fear which they inspire
wins respect for them.

The Gospel for Holy Tuesday

Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. John 12:20-36

Poem 1:

E-go
echo-ing
through the caverns
of self only
re-sona (ting)
an emptiness
dis-stressed by
the inability to see
the ground
where one
must die
in order to stop
the vibrating
that prevents one
from receiving the
other.

Poem 2:

attraction
gives birth to desire
drawing one
to the other;
isolation dies.

Tuesday in Holy Week

O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life: Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with yo and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 52

On the Oratory of the Monastery

Let the oratory be what it is called, a place of prayer;
and let nothing else be done there or kept there.
When the Work of God is ended,
let all go out in perfect silence,
and let reverence for God be observed,
so that any brother who may wish to pray privately
will not be hindered by another's misconduct.
And at other times also,
if anyone should want to pray by herself,
let him go in simply and pray,
not in a loud voice but with tears and fervor of heart.
He who does not say his prayers in this way, therefore,
shall not be permitted to remain in the oratory
when the Work of God is ended,
lest another be hindered, as we have said.

The Gospel for Holy Monday

Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. John 12:1-11

Jesus had arrived in Bethany as a guest of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. It would be his final visit with them and the meal was somewhat of a celebration as the disciples had also been invited, and Lazarus who had been raised was with them. You can imagine the conversation: sharing experiences of the past and talking about things to come. It was a night filled with joy and melancholy. In the midst of the meal, overflowing with gratitude Mary removed from her trunk the ointment that she had been saving for this occasion. It was expensive perfume, costing almost an annual wage. She knelt before Jesus and began pouring the fragrant oil over the feet of Jesus. Judas, the keeper of the purse, was enraged, how could one be so wasteful. It should have been sold and given to the poor.

Who do we identify with in the story: Mary or Judas: one filled with faith and gratitude, one careful and prudent; one acting spontanieously, the other with calculation; one unaware of those about her; the other noticing and objecting; one acting out of love; one simply reacting.

Let us use this day to reflect about our own relationship with Jesus. How do we respond to his unconditional love?

Monday in Holy Week

Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified. Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Collect of the Day
BCP, page 220

The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 51

On Brethren Who Go Not Very Far Away

A Brother who is sent out on some business
and is expected to return to the monastery that same day
shall not presume to eat while he is out,
even if he is urgently requested to do so
by any person whomsoever,
unless he has permission from his Abbot.
And if he acts otherwise, let him be excommunicated.

By God, Don't Linger

By God, don't linger
in any spiritual benefit you have gained,
but yearn for more - like one suffering from illness
whose thirst for water is never quenched.
This Divine Court is the Plane of the Infinite.
Leave the seat of honor behind;
let the Way be your seat of honor.

Rumi
Mathnawi III, 1960-1961

The Sunday of the Passion

Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us an example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Collect of the Day
BCP, Page 272

The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 50

On Brothers Who are Working Far From the Oratory or Are on a Journey

Those brothers who are working at a great distance
and cannot get to the oratory at the proper time --
the Abbot judging that such is the case --
shall perform the Work of God
in the place where they are working,
bending their knees in reverence before God.

Likewise those who have been sent on a journey
shall not let the appointed Hours pass by,
but shall say the Office by themselves as well as they can
and not neglect to render the task of their service.

Prayer for Holy Week

Assist us mercifully, with your help, O Lord God of our salvation, that we may enter with joy upon the contemplation of those mighty acts, whereby you have given us life and immortality; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
At the Liturgy of the Palms (Sunday of the Passion)

The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 49

On the Observance of Lent

Although the life of a monk
ought to have about it at all times
the character of a Lenten observance,
yet since few have the virtue for that,
we therefore urge that during the actual days of Lent
the brethren keep their lives most pure
and at the same time wash away during these holy days
all the negligences of other times.
And this will be worthily done
if we restrain ourselves from all vices
and give ourselves up to prayer with tears,
to reading, to compunction of heart and to abstinence.

During these days, therefore,
let us increase somewhat the usual burden of our service,
as by private prayers and by abstinence in food and drink.
Thus everyone of his own will may offer God
"with joy of the Holy Spirit" (1 Thess. 1:6)
something above the measure required of him.
From his body, that is he may withhold some food, drink, sleep, talking and jesting;
and with the joy of spiritual desire he may look forward to holy Easter.

Let each one, however, suggest to his Abbot
what it is that he wants to offer,
and let it be done with his blessing and approval.
For anything done without the permission of the spiritual father will be imputed to presumption and vainglory and will merit no reward.
Therefore let everything be done with the Abbot's approval.

The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 48

On the Daily Manual Labor

On Sundays, let all occupy themselves in reading,
except those who have been appointed to various duties.
But if anyone should be so negligent and shiftless
that he will not or cannot study or read,
let him be given some work to do
so that he will not be idle.

Weak or sickly brothers should be assigned a task or craft
of such a nature as to keep them from idleness
and at the same time not to overburden them or drive them away with excessive toil.

Their weakness must be taken into consideration by the Abbott.

If only ....

From time to time, parishioners raise the question about how are we, a little parish, going to be able to finance building the church and a new parish life center. For some reason the question of money always rises to the top, like oil on water, when decisions are made to strengthen our life together by making necessary changes to our facilities thus allowing more people to enjoy fellowship, creating space for more outreach opportunities, providing sacred space for our children's experience of christian formation, etc.

Yet, it seems to me that the financial issue is minor and one that will take care of itself, if we would only commit ourselves to do the following:

1) Affirming the parish as a place of hospitality for all people;
2) Inviting newcomers into the very heart of our life together;
3) Participating frequently in the eucharistic meal;
4) Refusing to allow conflict to move underground;
5) Learning to speak the truth in love;
6) Being prayerful;
7) Learning to follow, and not to lead, becoming a disciple;
8) Celebrating the children of our parish;
9) Living a life of gratitude;
10) Serving others;
11) Becoming involved in a servant ministry; focusing one's energies
on only one ministry;
12) Engaging in adult education, bible study, small groups.

As we embrace these principle in our lives as a faith community, our financial worries will go away; for Christ will be leading us into the future.

The Sacrament of Salvation

The Church is not only a sign of conversion but also the universal sacrament of salvation. Sins are Christian's failure to respond to Christ's call to holiness, their infidelity to their baptismal pledge as members of the covenant community, and obstacles to the Church's mission of signing salvation to all the world. Sin and penance are first seen in relation to God: sin offends God by breaking asunder the love relationship that commits us to God. The purpose of penance, then, is a deeper love and a total commitment on our part. While the trinitarian nature of the return is noted, the social and ecclesial character of sin and reconciliation is more absorbing. The Christian's sin and holiness affects other Christians and the Church as a whole. Penance consequently always involves reconciliation with those who have been harmed by our sins. Sin is social (e.g. people cooperate in committing injustice) and so people should also help one another do penance. Liberated from sin by Christ's grace, they can then work together with all people of goodwill for justice and peace in the world.

James Dallen, The Reconciling Community

The Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 48

On the Daily Manual Labor

From the Calends of October until the beginning of Lent,
let them apply themselves to reading
up to the end of the second hour.

At the second hour let Terce be said,
and then let all labor at the work assigned them until None.
At the first signal for the Hour of None
let everyone break off from his work,
and hold himself ready for the sounding of the second signal.
After the meal
let them apply themselves to their reading or to the Psalms.

On the days of Lent,
from morning until the end of the third hour
let them apply themselves to their reading,
and from then until the end of the tenth hour
let them do the work assigned them.
And in these days of Lent
they shall each receive a book from the library,
which they shall read straight through from the beginning.
These books are to be given out at the beginning of Lent.

But certainly one or two of the seniors should be deputed
to go about the monastery
at the hours when the brothers are occupied in reading
and see that there be no lazy brother
who spends her time in idleness or gossip
and does not apply herself to the reading,
so that he is not only unprofitable to himself
but also distracts others.
If such a one be found (which God forbid),
let him be corrected once and a second time;
if he does not amend,
let him undergo the punishment of the Rule
in such a way that the rest may take warning.

Moreover, one brother shall not associate with another
at inappropriate times.

Wondering

I spent the morning in the Juvenile Court serving on the citizens review panel. The panel, composed of citizens from the community, has the responsibility for reviewing cases regarding abused or neglected children to determine the best course of action for them: whether to recommend to the court the removal of parental rights and adoption, or to return the child to their parents.

Following these hearings, I am never fully myself, for I always feel that no matter what we decide that we have let someone down, that we have not truly "heard" the pain of the parents or the child. And I wonder how much my own middle class values get in the way of being able to purely look at particular situations preventing me from seeing (perhaps) the love the parents actually have for their child. And then, of course, there is always the question of defining "abuse" and neglect." Sometimes a definition comes easily when there is a clear legal matter; but sometimes it is rather subjective, and I feel as though I sit in judgment of those less fortunate who are struggling with what they have, or don't have, to make things all right.