Kansas Monks Newsletter January 2024

k ansas Dear Friends, The month of January begins solemnly, dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God. The gospel appointed for the solemnity is taken from the second chapter of St. Luke. In what is almost a passing comment, overshadowed by the mystery of Christmas, St. Luke tells us, “As for Mary, she treasured all these things in her heart.”

Here St. Luke tells us about the heart of Mary. Our Mother’s heart – the center of her love and understanding by which she experienced herself and the events of her life – is one that treasures or relishes the work of God. She stands before God’s gift and delights in all of its details.

She reflects and prays. She has said “Yes!” to God’s will, but here we see that she also enjoys it and seeks to understand its depth.

When I read these words, I think of the opening line of the Rule of St. Benedict, where he exhorts: “Listen carefully, my son, to the master’s instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart…” Benedictine monks are called to a Marian life of contemplating and pondering the mystery of God made flesh. In the liturgy we attend to the mysteries of salvation and allow them to penetrate our hearts and minds.

monks January 2024 As we begin a new year, thinking about personal goals and resolutions, let us first contemplate the mystery of salvation like Mary. Let us ask ourselves: Does the Gospel still excite our hearts? Do we see the way in which God’s will fulfills our own?

Out of the joy and assurance we receive, then we can go on to consider the work God has for us in 2024.

May Christ bring you joy,

Abbot James R. Albers, O.S.B.

IN THIS ISSUE Shakespeare pt. 1

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Abbot Welcomes Three Wise Men

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Living the Liturgy 8-11

St Benedict’s Abbey, Atchison, KS

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SHAKESPEARE PT. 1 Walter Howell Deverell, 1850,Twelfth Night Act II, Scene IV, oil on canvas

Shakespeare Pt. 1 Twelfth Night

By Br. Jean-Marie Hogan, O.S.B. This article initiates a mini-series of theological reflections on Shakespeare. The concept was prompted by a recent production of Twelfth Night at Maur Hill - Mount Academy. While intended primarily as an exposition of the text, it also reflects the author’s experience of life in the monastery.

“Excellently done, if God did all.”

(Viola, Twelfth Night I.5)

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ddressing Olivia in their first meeting, Viola responds to the question she had just asked. After removing the veil from her face, Olivia asks, “Is it not well done?” Olivia’s basic problem is that she is proud of her own physical beauty. Her question aims to garner praise from an admiring audience. Essentially, what she is saying is: “Look at me. What do you think?”

In his treatise On the Degrees of Humility, St. Bernard (following St. Augustine) defines pride as amor propriae excellentiae: the love of one’s own excellence. St. Bernard lays out twelve (mis)steps into pride which

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parallel St. Benedict’s twelve steps of humility (Rule of St. Benedict, 7). At every misstep, what we see is an improperly ordered self-love. This attitude seeks praise for one’s own excellence, taking credit for whatever good is perceived in oneself.

St. Bernard’s depiction of the proud monk sheds light on the heart of Olivia in this scene. Her inventory of her own appearance seeks attention and honor and sets her in competition with God. Viola’s response, however, is not to deny the goodness of what she sees.

In fact, she affirms that Olivia’s unveiled face is “excellently done.” Yet she goes on to remind her of the source of that goodness: “if God did all.” This line is perhaps not meant as a condition tinged by doubt (“maybe God did all, but maybe not”), but rather as a gentle reminder: “Yes, you are beautiful, but that beauty is not from you.”

The remedy for pride, then - and the thing Olivia needs to hear at this moment – is gratitude. The virtue of gratitude acknowledges the goodness of God’s gifts to us, and it recognizes from whom those gifts come.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy endures for ever” (Ps 136).

By Dr. James R. A. Merrick

D

ecember is proving to be a decisive month for the monastic community at St. Benedict’s Abbey.

Last year, during Vespers for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the Abbey welcomed their postulant Mr. Reid Bissen as a novice. At that ceremony, he received the scapular and the name, Julian. Over the course of his novitiate, however, he deepened his love for the Psalms and so asked to be known as Br. David.

Days after Br. David became a novice, on the memorial of Our Lady of Loreto, Brs. Angelus Atkinson and Maximilian Anderson made their solemn profession, making them lifelong members of the community.

Brother Angelus serves in the Abbey schola and assists Fr. Jay with retreats while Brother Maximilian is the assistant vocations director.

This December, the community enjoyed what they called a “trifecta” – a man entering each stage of

formation. Like last year, they welcomed a postulant into the Novitiate. Mr. Jack Dugan took the name Br. Gregory Marie. At Mass the next day, Br. David took the next step in his discernment, professing simple vows and receiving the capuche (a hood symbolizing reverence for God) to enter the Juniorate. This culminated in Brother Jean-Marie Hogan making his solemn profession on St. Juan Diego’s day. Br. Jean-Marie currently teaches at Maur Hill - Mount Academy.

Over coffee at Atchison’s new Catholic café and bookstore, Pace et Bene, I caught up with Fr. Jay Kythe, who oversees formation for the community. I wanted to know a bit more about the formation process and how each step of the journey to monkhood is made.

Beginning with the postulancy, Fr. Jay says that after a man has made inquiries and at least visited the community, he can apply to become a postulant.

St Benedict’s Abbey, Atchison, KS

DR. JAMES R. A. MERRICK

Abbot Welcomes Three Wise Men in Advent

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ABBOT WELCOMES THREE WISE MEN IN ADVENT Brs. Gregory Marie Dugan, David Bissen, and Jean-Marie Hogan O.S.B. (top to bottom)

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If he’s accepted, he enters the postulancy for a period of about four months. He receives the tunic and cincture, which are symbols of mortification. “This is still an inquiry phase,” says Fr. Jay, “it’s a time of growth and discernment.”

Living apart from the community in the “cottage,” the postulant is focused on growth in prayer and discernment. While the postulant may read or listen to various monastic conferences, Fr. Jay mentioned that learning how to better examine his conscience, how to discern the spirits as taught by St. Ignatius of Loyola, and growth in lectio divina – the monastic practice of meditating on Scripture – are key areas.

I wondered how Fr. Jay sifts out those who entertain monastic life because they are trying to escape responsibility or difficulty or who don’t know what else to do in life or those who have a romantic view of monasticism as being a perpetual bachelorhood. “As a formator,” he answered, “I’m supposed to identify areas for growth, and if they don’t improve in those areas, then that’s a sign that they aren’t ready for monastic life.” He admitted that often the biggest challenge is for the postulant to “grow up.” So he looks for “affective maturity,” the ability to resolve conflict in a healthy, productive way, and being able to handle life on life’s terms.

This is where the Benedictine hallmarks of obedience and conversion of life become important. The postulant must above all be receptive to correction and ready to fight for growth. “They have to be willing to fight for their own health in mind, body, and spirit,” he tells me, “I’m pretty serious about that.” A good monk must be willing to fast, to pray, to make sacrifices, and to study. Those who just want to escape or postpone life or who think of the cloister as a frat house for thirty-year-olds generally don’t want to go deeper in prayer, conversion, and humility.

If a postulant successfully petitions the Abbot, he can enter the Novitiate for one year. At the ceremony, he receives the scapular, which symbolizes being yoked to Christ. The novice moves out of the cottage and into the monastery proper. The human formation program continues, which includes regular counselling with a psychologist.

DR. JAMES R. A. MERRICK Br. David and Br. Timothy McMillan, O.S.B.

But it is during the Novitiate that specifically monastic formation comes to the fore. The main focus is studying the Rule of St. Benedict over the year. Other courses include a course on acedia (sloth), a course on the Psalms, and a course on the liturgy. “The course on the Psalms is very unique and a great treasure,” he boasts. Taught by Prior Leven, the class helps the novice understand the Psalms as liturgical prayer and how the Psalms fit with liturgical life.

While the novice may take up different activities in the life of the monastery and is encouraged to undertake some sort of hobby, he doesn’t have any official assignments. Fr. Jay looks to see how the novice can sit in the presence of God and go deeper in prayer. “It’s a very quiet life, and it can be very difficult.” This is why the novice learns about the sin of sloth and how it corrodes monastic life.

It is always challenging, especially in these early phases of formation, to make sure a candidate has the

appropriate distance from the community while not feeling alienated. They need to discern God’s will and whether they belong at St. Benedict’s but they also have to demonstrate a willingness to be a part of this community and way of life. It can be a delicate things for the monks to be hospitable while also not giving a false impression.

If the novice wishes to continue, he must again petition the Abbot. If approved, he takes simple vows to the three aspects of Benedictine life – stability, conversion of life, and obedience – and enters the Juniorate for a period of at least three years. At the ceremony, he receives the capuche or hood, a symbol of reverence to God and having the mind of Christ. Here the candidate becomes a monk. Fr. Jay explained: “Currently, Brother David is not a monk. Brother Gregory is not a monk. They kind of look like monks. But they are not monks. They are still testing the vocation.”

A junior receives an official assignment and usually

St Benedict’s Abbey, Atchison, KS

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ABBOT WELCOMES THREE WISE MEN IN ADVENT Br. Gregory Marie receiving the Rule of St. Benedict

takes classes at Benedictine College that will help them in their role in the community. Those discerning the priesthood will get their philosophy courses done. “Br. David has a great love for our elderly and for working in our infirmary, so he is taking a class on the Catholic theology of healthcare.”

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I asked Fr. Jay what he looks for to know whether a junior monk is ready to take solemn vows. He explained that at some point a brother stops asking the question of whether God wants him to be a monk and focuses on the question of what he needs to be a good monk. This change of heart reveals that the vocation has settled in the heart of the person and it has been embraced in freedom.

Having a good idea about what it means for each brother to be in the different stages of formation, I asked Fr. Jay what it meant for the community to have these men among them. How does the community’s relationship to them change during these different phases? One of the first things Fr. Jay remarked about is how solicitous the new members have been toward the elderly and infirm members of the community. He said it has been a great blessing for the community to have the younger members take such an active role in caring for the elderly.

What this often means is that the younger members get to hear stories about what the Abbey used to be like and learn about some of its deceased members. But it is also nice to have the newer members ask questions about why things are done the way they are. New additions give the community an opportunity to see itself afresh and opens up some critical distance on its life. Here Fr. Jay brings up St. Benedict’s comment that the community should listen to the younger members because God could be speaking through them.

There is a delicate balance of expanding the community to incorporate the gifts of its new members while also ensuring that the men learn how to express their gifts in the context of this community and the Rule of St. Benedict. But it is clear that Fr. Jay rejoices over the way in which God renews and blesses the community through new vocations and how the community is given new possibilities even as it perpetuates its way of life to the next generation. We all should pray for these men, for the community, and that God would continue to bless St. Benedict’s Abbey with vocations.

DR. JAMES R. A. MERRICK Br. Jean-Marie Hogan, O.S.B.

St Benedict’s Abbey, Atchison, KS

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LIVING THE LITURGY TODAY

Living the Liturgy Commentary on the Liturgical Year

By Dr. James R. A. Merrick

THE MONTH OF THE HOLY NAME

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anuary is dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus.

Names were very significant in the ancient world.

They were thought to reveal something about a person’s character, status in society, power and destiny. Uttering someone’s name could also be a way of making a plea for them to enact their character or display their power.

The idea of living up to one’s name was very important.

Much of this has been lost with the rise of modern individualism. Still, names are often important. Many of us wish to make a name for ourselves, or at the very least display our identity by associating ourselves with various “brand names” that we think exhibit ideals or characteristics for which we wish to be known.

In the biblical narrative, God often acts to reveal or defend His Name. His Name is regarded as holy, the Name above all names. Consequently, the second commandment is: “Thou shalt not take the Lord’s Name in vain.” On the one hand, to treat the Name of the Lord carelessly is to diminish the highest good in society,

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to trivialize that which is sacred. On the other hand, to invoke the supreme power and Lord of the universe carries with it certain consequences. One ought to be careful just what one brings God into, as it were.

In the Scriptures, we beautifully see the transformation of God’s Name with the Name of Jesus. Once reserved for only the solemnest of circumstances, now the name of God is daily used by His Blessed Mother, His foster father, His friends, and His Church. The Name of the Lord is now the Name of our friend, although we still must be mindful not to use it in vain.

Still, this shows the universality of divine salvation.

“Jesus” literally means “Yahweh saves.” In all our circumstances, we can call upon the Name of Jesus for grace and comfort.

The month of January provides a great opportunity to cherish the Name of Jesus. We ought first be careful with how we use the Name of Christ. Certainly it should not be used flippantly or profanely. We might embark on the habit of making simple reparation whenever we hear our Lord’s Name used vainly, saying “Kyrie Eleison” perhaps or “The Name of Jesus be praised forever.”

But we also should be more attentive when we use it, arousing love in our hearts toward the Lord. Perhaps this month is a good opportunity to take on the “Jesus prayer” which focuses on the Name of Christ.

7 JANUARY – THE EPIPHANY I once heard a disaster of a homily on Epiphany.

Parce Domine! It was about the fictional “fourth wise man.” Of course, preaching on a fictional story rather than the biblical text is problematic in itself. But the story of the “fourth wise man” is, in my view, an attempt, albeit rather shallow and trite, to subvert the very meaning of Epiphany itself.

The story of the fourth wise man goes like this: Originally there were four wise men who went to pay homage to the Christ child in Bethlehem. But the

of the Word to preach on something other than the Scriptural readings. But to tell this corny story is particularly egregious because the message is contrary to the meaning of the Epiphany. It suggests that alms giving is greater than worship, or at least a suitable substitute for it, which finds no support in Scripture or Tradition.

Consider the structure of the Ten Commandments, which tell us our primary duties are to worship God and only then proceed to enunciate our duties toward our neighbors. Or consider Jesus telling the Pharisees that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord God above all while the second commandment – to love one’s neighbor as oneself – follows from the first.

LIVING THE LITURGY TODAY

fourth one was left behind by the other three because he kept stopping to help the poor he met along the way.

So generous was he that he ended up giving away the very gifts he was taking to the Lord.

He then meets Christ on His way to Calvary. The fourth wise man apologizes to the Lord, explaining that he never completed the journey to Bethlehem because he was embarrassed that he had no gifts to give the Lord. Christ then turns to the wise man and says his service to the poor was an even greater honor than the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Again, this story is entirely fictional, and just as it would be sacrilegious to offer people McDonald’s as the Eucharist so it is a bastardization of the Liturgy

Giotto di Bondone, 1320, The Epiphany, tempera on panel

St Benedict’s Abbey, Atchison, KS

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LIVING THE LITURGY TODAY

we especially need to learn today: that worshipis our noblest and greatest activity.

14 JANUARY – 2ND SUNDAY IN ORD. TIME The themes of this Mass are vocation and obedience.

The first reading is taken from the moment when Samuel hears the calling of the Lord. This is taken up in the responsorial Psalm, the response for which is

“Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.”

El Greco, 1587, Saint Peter in Tears, oil on canvas

Yet modernity has brought with it the prejudice that if religion is valuable at all for society, it is valuable because it motivates morality and social justice.

Religion is thus reduced to a way of indicating that kindness and generosity are of cosmic importance.

Lost is the classical notion that religion is a matter of giving justice to God. The Feast of the Epiphany needs to remain before us as a reminder that our very first and foundational duty is to worship the Lord. In telling the story of the foreign kings paying homage to the Christ, Epiphany tells us that Christ is the king of all nations and peoples. It tells us that the Lord is beautiful and worthy of adoration. It holds out these kings as exemplars of our calling to pay homage to Christ and offer Him gifts and sacrifices. Epiphany reminds us of a message that

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In the Gospel we have the calling of Andrew and his brother Peter.

The first thing we see is that those whom the Lord calls express a willingness to follow Him, to hear His teachings, and to put them into practice. We ought to keep in mind that this Sunday follows upon the Epiphany. We are to heed the Lord’s words not merely as we do the words of a great teacher or scholar or genius. We heed His words because He is the Lord.

While the Scriptures this Sunday describe dramatic moments of personal calling, sometimes the Lord calls us through our circumstances. If we find a recurring theme in our lives, if our heart is continually troubled about something, it might be that the Lord is calling us to obey Him in some way.

21 JANUARY – 3RD SUNDAY IN ORD. TIME In his 2019 Apostolic Letter Aperuit Illis, Pope Francis made the third Sunday of Ordinary Time the “Sunday of the Word of God.” We continue with the themes of calling and obedience. In the first reading, we have the calling of Jonah. The response of the Psalm is “Teach me your ways, Lord.” The Gospel retells the calling of Peter and Andrew but includes the sons of Zebedee, James and John.

The story of Jonah is worth spending some time with this Sunday, especially as we consider the theme of the Word of God. Many today have the expectation that preaching should be positive and welcoming. Focus on judgment and doom is a supposedly medieval concern.

But in our modern world of personal freedom and

28 JANUARY – 4TH SUNDAY IN ORD. TIME Once more the theme in the wake of Epiphany is obeying the Lord. The response of the Psalm puts on our hearts,

Today’s gospel brings to our attention Jesus’ authority. This is a theme the first three gospels bring out as a noticeable feature of Jesus’ early ministry. Mark says that after Jesus taught, “the people were astonished at His teaching, for he taught them as one having authority not as the scribes.” The very next scene is an exorcism. Here we see the scope of the authority of Jesus’ word. Even evil spirits must obey Him. When we look at this theme in light of the responsorial Psalm, we reflect on the fact that so often Jesus’ word doesn’t have authority over us because we harden our hearts. How many times do we feel a prompting to do something for someone else, to pray, to visit the Lord in the tabernacle, or to go to Confession? But then we reason that we will listen another time or do it later.

In these moments, we risk hardening our hearts.

Let us be like the early disciples of the Lord who heard His teaching and obeyed right away.

“If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts.”

Br. Angelus Atkinson, O.S.B.

St Benedict’s Abbey, Atchison, KS

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LIVING THE LITURGY TODAY

globalization, we need not be so preoccupied with fear of the future.

But the story of Jonah reminds us that often enough, God sent prophets to proclaim a coming judgment.

“Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed.”

This is far from a cheery message, and Jonah had no expectation it would be well received. The amazing thing is that it was. We learn that “all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth.”

We do have to examine why we might be tempted to neglect the themes of judgment and the calls to repentance. Is it always because we don’t want to offend others? Or is it perhaps because we don’t want to be disliked and desire to be respected?

upcoming events Abbot’s Table XI April, 6 Atchison and Overland Park Satellite Events: Denver, St. Louis, and Dallas

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