Abbey News

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Easter Week
This year we were blessed with unseasonably warm weather during much of Easter Week which, by the way, is referred to as Easter Day liturgically and celebrated as such. So here we have Easter Sunday celebrated for a full week, preceded by 40 days of Lent and followed by 50 days of Easter Season in preparation for Pentecost. Not a bad arrangement.

A number of the brethren took full advantage of the Easter Sunday weather to make for the peace and quiet of our extensive forest to enjoy a bit of contemplative solitude. That's one of the advantages Benedictine monastic life offers - a harmonious balance between community and solitude, meaningful communication and fruitful silence.

By week's end the weather turned more seasonably cold complete with a sprinkling of snow in the wee hours of Easter Saturday sending the brethren to their cells instead of the woods for their daily ration of solitude.

We will bring our Easter Week to a close with our biannual gaudeamus supper tonight. That is, of all things, a talking supper. Surprising how much silent monks have to talk about once they get going. Next gaudeamus will be at Christmas time.

St. Rafael's Cross
Subscribers to the Jesuit weekly, America, were treated to a fine article about the spiritual journey of our most recently canonized saint, Rafael Arnaiz Baron published in the March 29th issue. Apropos to the last week of Lent the author, Ann Prendergast, a member of our Lay Contemplatives, points out the effectiveness of suffering for achieving sanctity. A timely lesson for any time of the year. The article can be found at St. Rafael's Cross, available only to subscribers at this time. Eventually, with the editor's permission, we hope to be able to publish the article on our web site.

Accounted For
In chapter this morning we dutifully filled out the forms for the national census currently underway. So much for the hidden life!

After chapter Fr. John will drive to Toronto, Canada for a meeting of bishops and major superiors sponsored by the St. Luke Institute entitled: Critical Personnel Issues. He is due to return Wednesday the 14th.

This is the day which the Lord has made, let us exult and rejoice in it. Let us exult in the hope it brings, that we may see and rejoice in its light. Abraham exults that he might see the day of Christ and by this token he saw and rejoiced.

You too, if you keep watch daily at the doors of wisdom, steadfast at its threshold, if you stay awake through the night with Magdalen at the entrance of his tomb, if I am not mistaken you will experience with Mary how true are the words we read of the Wisdom which is Christ:

She is easily seen by those who love her and she is found by those who seek her. She anticipates those who desire her and shows herself to them first. He who, as soon as it is light keeps watch for her will not have to toil, for he will find her seated at his doors. (Wis. 6:13ff)

So did Christ, Wisdom himself, promise in the words: I love those who love me, and they who from early morning keep watch for me will find me. (Prov. 8:17) Mary found Jesus in the flesh. For this she was keeping watch. Over his tomb she had come to mount guard while it was still dark.

You, who no longer ought to know Jesus according to the flesh but according to the spirit, will be able to find him spiritually if you seek him with a like desire, if he finds you likewise vigilant in prayer.

Liturgical Sermons, Third sermon for Easter
Guerric of Igny, 12th century Cistercian Abbot