ABBEY NEWS
November 15, 2015
Harvest Festivals
During this time of year it is not uncommon to celebrate harvest festivals especially in rural farming areas like ours. This past week we celebrated a harvest festival of a different sort, that of Saints. Beginning with the Church’s celebration of All Saints Day last Sunday, continuing with All Souls day on Monday and concluding with the Benedictine Festival of All Benedictine Saints on Friday which includes all religious orders following the Rule of St. Benedict. A joyous occasion for each of us and, hopefully, a preview of coming attractions.
Our homilist for the day, Fr. Stephen, provided us with several interesting and challenging thoughts in his homily for All Benedictine Saints. Also, a recent blog sums things up nicely:
Regarding holiness as something ‘other’, attainable only by a special few, is, of course, a snare and delusion. It is also completely unBenedictine. The Rule of St Benedict isn’t meant for supermen or superwomen. It doesn’t prescribe any esoteric practices or extr
eme ascetical feats. Instead, it asks the monk or nun to live a life of daily fidelity to small things which are actually great things: to living in community under rule and abbot; to prayer, work, service, hospitality; absolute renunciation of personal ownership; an obedience as entire as it is intelligent. In doing so, the Rule shows us a way of living the Gospel that will lead to holiness. The tragedy is that many of us stumble along the way, don’t quite make it, grow weary or give up. That is why Benedictines pray for perseverance; for the grace of daily fidelity. Please pray with and for us.
Web Site Update
A new link has been added to our web site giving all sorts of helpful and interesting facts about Monks’ Bread including recipes, nutritional value of each variety and much more. You’ll find it at MONKS BREAD HOME PAGE.
Lectio Notebook
We read in the Book of Psalms “Blessed is the one who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor follows in the way of sinners” (Ps 1:1). Life has been called a ‘way’ because everything that has been created is on the way to its end.
When people are on a sea voyage, they can sleep while they are being transported without any effort of their own to their port of call. The ship brings them closer to their goal without their even knowing it.
So we can be transported nearer to the end of our life without our noticing it, as time flows by unceasingly. Time passes while you are asleep. While you are awake time passes although you may not notice. All of us have a race to run towards our appointed end. So we are all ‘on the way’.
Basil the Great
Commentary on Psalm 1
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