Here is a wonderful reflection on The Our Father by Dom Bernardo Olivera, OCSO, Abbot General of the Cistercians of the Strict Observance. Dom Bernardo is recovering from a cerebral hemmorage he suffered on August 22, 2006.
Here is a reflection titled, Discernment in the Blogdom of God on the use of blogs in one’s faith life. Very interesting and worth a look, from Deacon’s Blog, by Rev. Mr. Jim Konicki, of The Polish National Catholic Church.
Christian monastic life has been in existence for over a millennium and a half, which, as an organized expression of human cooperation, is notable. And yet, longevity is not, in itself, a badge of honor, or a sign of blessing. Marriage, of course, is the longest sustained human organization of all, monasticism a mere baby by comparison. Still, Christian monasticism is impressive in its duration.
When one considers the volatility of human society throughout history, and the vicissitudes of Church history in particular, Christian monastic life stands out as a singular human achievement worthy of admiration and respect. Nevertheless, monks and monasteries have engendered mixed and often passionate opinions regarding their value. The great Lutheran martyr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, wrote critically that monasticism:
(The Cost of Discipleship, Macmillan, 1963, p.50)
Bonhoeffer had much of value to say here, for the greatest temptation of the “religious” is the constant pull of pride, the not subtle suggestion, however small the interior voice, that I have been chosen. Indeed, who doesn’t want to be chosen ?! It’s part of the fabric of the human personality to want to be special, to be noticed, to stand above, even, with tragic irony and effects, for one’s “humility”. Bonhoeffer was right when he observed that the world had invaded the cloister in the ideology of perfection which had infected its spirit. There have always, in every era, been examples enough of such monks.
And yet, monastic life endured the havoc of Luther’s revolution, and endures into our own day. Pride is a fact, a part of the very fabric of our broken spirit. The monk, as I have frequently pointed out, is no different, and, just as the rest of us sometime succumb to the lure of believing in our unique blessedness, so can he. That is an honor that only Christ can claim, and a burden only He can carry. The great gift of the monastic way is that it provides few places to hide from one’s inner truth, a picture often difficult to bear looking at in honesty. With few places to avoid the truth, the truth has a chance to do its work, a form of interior cultivation, where first the fields of weeds are painfully plowed under, only to grow again, as weeds will do, to be plowed under anew. Its an ongoing process, year in, year out, with humility the season’s harvest.
This is the great hope monastic life offers the one who senses he is called. Perhaps his efforts, though never bringing the perfection temptation offers the unwary, will at least produce enough sweat that he can moisten a cloth and cool his Lord Jesus’ face. We can all do that at least, even the monk.
A few days ago my wife and I hosted an old friend of mine from the Abbey of the Genesee. My friend has been employed at the abbey since the 1970s; “steady as she goes” would be the operative phrase to describe him. And he brought with him his 20 year old son, a cause for real joy in his life, because he had not had contact with his son for over nine years. One late afternoon about a month ago my friend heard a knock on his door, and there, when he opened the door, was his son: “Hi dad, it’s me. Can I come in?”
Still, it hasn’t been an entirely smooth ride, and some of the residual emotions surfaced during their visit with us. We had many discussions, which it was an honor to be involved in. I guess that’s what friendship is about, the ability to share the most important things in life when they are happening, assured you will be listened to and taken seriously. Our talks seemed to have a positive effect, as the two of them left our home for their camping trip to Maine very happy to be together.
A monks family is his community, and the greatest challenges he will face in his life usually surface there, with his brothers. Conflict is a given in life in or out of a monastery. Those that enter a monastery thinking that they have arrived will very soon find out otherwise. As Thomas Merton once perceptively observed:
Perfection is not something you can acquire like a hat – by walking into a place and trying on several and walking out ten minutes later with one on your head that fits. Yet people sometimes enter monasteries with that idea. New Seeds of Contemplation. New Directions, 1961. p. 101
Things take time, the spiritual life (which Merton often reminds us is simply real life) being no exception. And, as in family life, it is the community the monk lives with that most truly (and effectively!) provides the soil from which the monk’s spiritual growth will flourish. If he knows nothing of humility when he enters the monastery he will be an expert when, one day in the future, he is carried out to rest with his departed brothers. We learn to love with and through others, and the monk is no different.
I’ve been tinkering with the design of the blog and wonder what folks think. If you’ve got a moment leave a comment and let me know if you like this theme or the previous theme. This one is the WP-Andreas01 1.3 by Andreas Viklund. I’ve changed the header image, applying a tweaked image from the Abbey of the Genesee web site, which depicts the monks in procession during their yearly blessing of the fields. I used Photoshop for the edit.
Since we recently celebrated St. Bernard of Clairvaux’s feast day, here is a thought from the great Cisterciain abbot for your meditation:
Gladness and Thanksgiving
My advise to you my friends, is to turn aside occasionally from troubled and anxious pondering on the paths you may be treading, and to travel on smoother ways where the gifts of God are quietly savored. So that the thoughts of Him may give breathing space to you whose consciences are worried. I should like you to experience for yourselves the truth of the words: Make the Lord your joy and He will give you what your heart desires. Sorrow for sin is necessary, but it should not be endless in preoccupation. You must dwell also on the glad remembrance of God’s loving kindness, otherwise sadness will harden the heart and lead it more deeply into despair.
You must fix your attention on the ways of “God, see how He mitigates the bitterness of the heart that is crushed, how He wins back the timid soul from the abyss of despair, how He consoles the grief-stricken and strengthens the wavering with the sweet caress of His faithful love.
His loving mercy is greater than all iniquity. Think of the Lord with goodness, seek Him in simplicity of heart. You will all the more easily achieve this if you let your minds dwell frequently on the memory of God’s bountifulness.
Love without measure: extracts from the writings of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Introduced and arranged by Paul Diemer. Cistercian Publications, 1990.
If our post-modern minds can account for the flowery 12 Century language, what we read here is a beautiful meditation on the love and generosity of God for His creation, humanity. There is nothing here of that sometimes excessive Christian tendency to a sense of guilt that not surprisingly repels the non-Christian. God is greater than our sad and tragic self-hatefulness, which, often, even the greatest Christian saints suffered from.
Bernard’s monastic life allowed him to dwell frequently on the memory of God’s bountifulness thus simplifying his vision of life, allowing him to be forgiven time and time again by his Lord. He suggests that we all take time to turn aside occasionally from troubled and anxious pondering on the paths you may be treading, and to travel on smoother ways where the gifts of God are quietly savored.
One of the great monastic gifts to the world is the practice of hospitality, which takes the form of offering retreat houses for those who want to get away and reassess life, a place to listen to the still small voice within. The Abbey of the Genesee and other Cistercian monasteries throughout the world can be contacted to make a reservation for such a retreat. Give it a chance, you may be surprised at the results. God bless.
A number of folks have asked me why I, a layman, would devote time to a project on monasticism. It’s a fair enough question and one that deserves an honest answer. Actually, there are, as there are in most things, a number of reasons, existing on a number of levels. I’ll try and explain.
Firstly, I spent time at the Abbey of the Genesee as a postulant and then novice. I came to know the life, for a brief time at least, from the inside. Relatively few people have had such an experience, which ipso facto makes it of value. I can only hope that the insights I express here, gained in large part from this experience, prove helpful to those who care to read them.
Secondly, it’s my belief, certainly not a novel one, that the world is in a defining period of upheaval. There is the cultural and political eruption of Islam and its confrontation with the West, which means, because this is very much a religious phenomenon, a confrontation between religious world views. Also, further complicating our situation, is the West’s widespread disillusionment with its own religious heritage, namely Christianity. There seems to me, to simplify the matter for brevity’s sake, a twofold movement in the Western Christian collapse: one internal and one external.
Internally, the Christian world is suffering in large part as a result of the cumulative effects of the Protestant revolution of the 16th century. The inability of Rome to respond to the crisis of Luther and his followers is in the final stages of playing itself out. There is less and less of a consensus answer to the question: “What is a Christian?” We are a splintered faith tradition and its effects are today fully evident in the indifference throughout Europe and large parts of the United States to Christianity as an institution. Each branch of Christianity is also undergoing internal disintegration. For Catholics in the United States, the clerical sex abuse crisis has been devastating. A veil has been pulled back and what is revealed has turned many away.
Finally, the external pressures of cultural relativism and technological revolution have become so complete that many no longer have the capacity or the will to examine their presuppositions. A cultural amnesia seems to have descended on us and we no longer remember another way. Without the ability to think clearly about the world, about truth itself, things can slip quietly away. Like a critical patient under the effect of a potent narcotic, one ceases to feel the pain, a sign one is critical indeed.
My point simply is to give some context that led me to begin”Monk?” blog. I think its a critical time and those who have something to say now have means never before available to express it.But what has a blog about monasticism got to do with the state of the world? Quite simply, I hold the belief that monasteries are one critical link on the chain of Christian health. As Christians, we have known of cloistered monks and nuns from earliest days. They have been beacons of spiritual and religious striving, proving to the world the power of the Christian message to transform lives. Christianity without men and women willing to respond to the powerful pull to abandon all and seek God alone would mean a Christianity no loner with the power to inspire and motivate people to acts of religious heroism. It would mean a faith without a message.
The Church’s message has been one word, a name, Christ. And yes, he does still call and he does still move some to pursue the invitation to take the narrow road to the monastery where he or she will be challenged to transformation in His name. My intention is simply to get the word out to some people who might be sleepwalking and need someone to open up the question hidden under all the noise of today’s world: “Is there a God? Should I care? Do I want to know? Who are those people chanting in the middle of the night? Do they know something I don’t? Should I take a look?”
I hope “Monk?” blog helps open up these questions for those who stop by. Peace!
Tim
Well, a few bits of information on my present ups and downs are in order. I’m still out of work, and devoting all my energies to looking for a decent position. I’m not a kid, so it makes it a bit more difficult. Sure, there’s no such thing as age discrimination, right? 
Our sweet dog, Juni, has passed on. She was a rescued greyhound, and suffered as a result as the treatment these beautiful creatures receive at the race track. She was only seven years old. We held her in our arms as the vet administered the drug to put her under. We will never forget this gentle animal.
North Carolina is on the back burner for now. Carol’s uncle is sick with cancer and we need to be here for him. Also, the housing market here in Boston has softened so much nothing much is selling, and so we’ve decided to take it off for now.
We’re counting our blessings. There are always blessings.
Congratulations are in order for all the brothers at The Abbey of the Genesee in New York. They have just ordained two of their own, Br. Eugene and Br. Stephen, to the priesthood. A cause for joy in the community. Also, they have a new member in postulancy, and the grapevine tells me there is the possibility of more young men joining. A very great cause for joy!
Finally, our prayers go out to the community for the loss of their brother, Father Thomas. Thomas was one month shy of 100 years on this earth. His life as a monk lives on in the inspiration it gives all his Genesee brothers. Thomas pray for us.
Too many things have been happening, some good, some not, which has kept me from Monk? Blog. I’m afraid it’s going to be that way for awhile. I’ve been informed that, due to budget shortfalls, I’ll no longer have a job; my independent project and finals for two other courses I’m taking are due within a few weeks, and my wife and I are putting our house on the market and getting ready to move to North Carolina! If that isn’t enough our greyhound is very sick and we’ve spent hours shuttling her back and forth from the animal hospital. 
Yep, it’s kind of a busy time.
So, no posts until things are settled a bit. I recommend visiting Br. Mark Worsham’s vocation blog at VocationsConnect Newsletter, something very similar to what I’m doing. Until then, say a prayer my wife and I land on our feet after all this – God willing. Peace!
Tim
Ginny at frontiernet sent the following update on the movie of the Carthusians made at the Grand Chartreuse. Thanks, Ginny.
The US premiere of the film will take place in NY at the New Directors New Films Festival at the Museum of Modern Art. “A U.S. distribution is not closed yet” says Thorsten Schaumann, Head of Bavaria Film International, “but we are in intense talks with various companies. This is not a normal film like a lot of other movies: Being presented, quickly sold, released and quickly forgotten again. It took 20 years to create the film and it needs to be treated with a lot of care. This is why we are taking our time to find the right partner.”
It is good that I have been out to the common work more often, even though I nearly set the whole forest on fire yesterday burning brush out by Saint Gertrude’s field on the slope nearest the lake.
Wind … flames springing up in the leaves across the creek like the spread of attachments in an unmortified soul!
So, confortetur cor tuum et viriliter age!* Here are the things to be done:
Many lights burning ought to be put out.
Kindle no new fires. Live in the warmth of the sun.*(do manfully, and let your heart take courage. Ps 26:14)
Thomas Merton, The Sign of Jonas, March 10, 1951, The Saturday before Passion Sunday
