O b s c u lta On the inside: Thoughts on Silence L e s s o n s f r o m S t. B e n e d i c t
Fitting The
monastic mold a word from the
VOCATIONSDIRECTOR
I
f you are like me, you have carried the impression that religious life stifles personality and forces individuals into cookie-cutter molds. We may even suspect that all Christians are, in some way, constricted by their faith practices, made to look alike. We take on the Gospel image of becoming like sheep in a degrading manner, conforming our unique self to the uniformity of the flock. But if the origin and center of our faith is the privilege of prayer—and I think it is—then Christians and consecrated persons should be the most authentic people of all! The Catechism says as much: “[in prayer] God gradually reveals himself and reveals man to himself,” (CC 2567). The acquisition of an identity, becoming a person, this is a work that occurs in prayer! Perseverance in prayer should give “us” to ourselves, should reveal our true person underneath our shallow coverings and impersonations. The Christian, the religious, should have an unmistakable authenticity, one that can only be acquired in the encounter with the person of Christ. And I know that is certainly the case for me. Not only has my vocation given me a deep friendship and union with my Lord, but that very friendship has also led me to a real identity. Of course I am not a finished product, but my faith and my vocation have offered me an integrity I did not know was possible! I am becoming a more full person, a more real person, one who (God-willing) will someday be substantial enough to look upon the unmitigated glory of my Heavenly Father! Far from stifling my personality, my vocation offers me this real identity. b y B r. L e v e n H a r t o n - D i r e c t o r o f Vo c at i o n s v o c at i o n s @ k a n s a s m o n k s . o rg • 9 1 3 . 3 6 0 . 7 8 4 8 2 • Ob s c u lta
IN PRAYER ...GOD GRADUALLY REVEALS HIMSELF AND REVEALS MAN TO HIMSELF - CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
SILENCE b y F r. J a y Ky t h e
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Cultivate silence at all times...
- rul e o f st. be n e d i c t
Silence prepares the heart to listen to God in the midst of a noisy world. Silence also prepares us to enter into His heart, for He loves in silence.
Silence can be loud, magnif ying the activity of t h e L o r d ’s p r e s e n c e w i t h i n u s a n d m a g n i f y i n g everything in our hearts, helping us to sift the wheat and the weeds.
Silence is not quietism; it is rather resting in Him. For what ef fe ct could the stor m around us have, if we rest beside Him asleep in the boat?
There is a mortal silence, the silence of the tomb, in which the earth quakes and Christ descends to the dark depths of the human heart, to love us and to raise us up with Him. Love always resurrects.
St. Joseph gives us the example of heroic silence, bowing before the Majesty and doing His will without complaint.
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The
the
Mercy of God
Fellowship of Community St. Benedict says that the novice should be one who truly seeks God and who is eager for the Work of God, for obedience and for trials (RB 58:7). When a man enters our community as a novice, the abbot asks him one simple question: “What do you seek?” to which he responds, “The mercy of God and the fellowship of your community.” It is this experience of God’s mercy within the context of a community of brothers which constitutes the essence of Benedictine monastic life and is the sole criterion by which that life is judged. We find mercy in the Work of God, the shared prayer of our community in the Liturgy of the Hours and the Holy Mass, because it is there that our brothers, singing the Psalms and offering the Eucharistic sacrifice, pray for us with the prayer of Christ Himself. In the celebration of the liturgy, we receive the Good News of salvation from the lips of our brothers, and we urge one another on in our common search for God. We find the mercy of God in obedience to our abbot, whom we believe to hold the place of Christ in the monastery, and in obedience to the whole community. Through obedience, we are freed from the insecurities of our own limitations. Our horizons are broadened through the demands made of us by others, our limits are stretched beyond what we ever thought possible, and we discover the pettiness, 4 • Ob s c u lta
by Br. Karel Soukup
the smallness of so many of our desires. Obedience teaches us to listen, to heed the reality outside ourselves and to respond to that reality with generosity and gratitude. We find mercy even amongst the trials of life, in our failures, embarrassments and disappointments. We learn through the support and acceptance of our brothers that our personal worth comes not from worldly success, talent or ambition, but from our adoption as sons of God. Our brothers comfort us in our tragedies and challenge us in our selfishness. To the newcomer, the never-ending routine of prayers, the demands of obedience and the impositions of fraternal life may feel like burdens. But St. Benedict reassures him, “Do not at once fly in dismay from the way of salvation, the beginning of which cannot but be narrow. But as we advance in the religious life and faith, we shall run the way of God’s commandments, our hearts overflowing with the unspeakable sweetness of love” (RB Prologue:49). We hope that through God’s grace of perseverance, our lives will be transformed in His mercy and that, as we progress through the years of our lives together, we will become for others an instrument of that mercy. Br. Karel offers himself to God at his first vows by signing his profession document on the Altar in front of the community. 5
Listen, my son
A Lesson from St. Benedict
In his Rule, St. Benedict says something that is curiously off-putting at the very beginning, as he is “making his pitch” to the newcomer: “Do not be daunted immediately by fear and run away from the road that leads to salvation. It is bound to be narrow at the outset” (Pr. 48). These words, which are part of a larger summary of the monastic charism, are meant to help a new monk understand what he is getting into by joining Benedict’s monastery. And while they sound somewhat intimidating, they point to one of the central goods of the Benedictine life: the vow of stability.
6 • Ob s c u lta
Do not be daunted immediately by fear and run away from the road that leads to salvation. It is bound to be narrow at the outset - Rule of St. Benedict, Prologue 48
This quote must be considered only in conjunction with St. Benedict’s more approachable description of the monastery as a “school for the Lord’s service” (Pr. 46). He also calls the monastery a workshop (chapter 4). So the monastery is a school or a workshop, a place in which one remains and applies oneself to the task of growing as a Christian. But in order to succeed, one must persevere. And the act of persevering, St. Benedict would have us acknowledge, almost always entails feeling squeezed by challenges. To remain in the monastery, to stay in that one workshop—to live the vow of stability—is a demanding task. The road can feel quite narrow at the start! This narrowness is actually the harshness of running up against our own weaknesses. When we decide to live closely with other people, day-in and day-out, over the course of our lives, we will find it impossible to hide our own weaknesses from them (and, thus, from ourselves). Everyone has a bad day. And most of us have many bad days! To face our confreres after acting so silly and self-involved is humbling. And to choose to live our whole life having to face ourselves in this manner, at the start, can be very intimidating. But, if we persevere from the beginning, a little bit of experience reveals to us the sweetness that comes with growing in knowledge of our self. Knowing who we are can lead to greater self-possession, which opens up the possibility of self-gift. And that only leads to “our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love” (Pr. 49). Who doesn’t want that? The “narrow” road that St. Benedict envisions at the outset of monastic life is the experience of looking at oneself in earnest. It can be intimidating to choose that kind of life. But that fear is only temporary, and the reward that is promised is vast: a life of holy authenticity. The vow of stability keeps the monk on the road, busy at school, toiling in the workshop. This work leads to the freedom of Christ, and to a love that is expansive, overflowing.
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called by the
FAT H E R
We fi n d i n th e Bi ble
many men and women who were called by God for a specific mission, for example, Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Samuel, Mary, the Apostles. With the answer they gave they received a confirmation of help from God for their mission. This is a reality we can never forget: God never leaves us alone. He is the strength, the presence, the direction, the company, the comfort, the encouragement, of the one being called. He is the subject of the mission. One of the conditions for an adequate response to God´s call to mission is to be truly free. Indeed, one of the great difficulties of human life is to be truly free, or to really understand what freedom is. Addictions, attachments - in their manifold expressions - constantly provide reasons for sadness. How good it would be if we would trust in the loving kindness of our Lord! How good it would be if we were truly available for His plans. How good it would be if only we loved what Jesus of Nazareth loves. How good if we would desire nothing more than what Jesus, the Lord, desires. How good it would be! And our attachments? What are they doing to us? How deeply do they influence us? Another question that perhaps can disrupt or shake us: who is the principal agent of our mission? Is it oneself or Jesus of Nazareth? If the answer is oneself, we can be sure that we are mistaken. If we know that it is Jesus of Nazareth, why are we so afraid to follow Him? May Mary, the eternal Chosen One of the Father, help us through the Holy Spirit to say “yes” to His son Jesus. Amen! b y Fr. J o s i a s d a C o s t a monk of St. Joseph Prior y - Mineiros , Goiás , Brazil
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LET’S ASK BROTHER PLACIDUS Born: 26 November 1986 Hometown: Mobile, Alabama Professed: 8 December 2014 WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP? I originally wanted to be a park ranger. When I was a kid we went hiking and c amping a lot and I’ve always enjoyed the outdoors. DID YOU EVER SK ATEBOARD? I used to sk ateboard a lot at the star t of high school. Add a friend with a video c amera to the mix and things get dangerous. Now I have a metal plate in my wrist! WHAT AT TRACTED YOU TO ST. BENEDICT’S ABBEY? I knew I was attrac ted to the idea of communit y life, but in par tic ular the communit y I found at St. B enedic t ’s I had go tten to know over the years as a student and as a guest. WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE ASSIGNMENT? My c urrent assignment is my favorite! I get to bring Jesus Christ to the students of Maur Hill-Mount Ac ademy, one of our apostolates, through religion class and through c ampus ministr y.
WHAT DID YOUR PARENTS DO WHEN YOU MOVED OUT? They ac tually replaced me with an Angel... ac tually a miniature dachshund whose name happens to be Angel. She replaced m e years ago when I first went off to college. She’s a bit spoiled. Much to my embarrassment...but much to the enjoyment of my brother monks, they regularly tr y to put her on the phone. WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR MEN DISCERNING THEIR VOCATIONS? Find someone you c an talk to about it. A spiritual direc tor is a great help and will help you to see the whole pic ture, especially the par ts you c an’t see! WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PSALM? WHY? Psalm 84. I really like how it enc apsulates our longing for G od and reflec ts the spiritual journey as the pilgrim travels to Jerusalem. We are all on a pilgrimage toward the Heavenly Jerusalem.
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Hearing the call... I hail from Tempe, Arizona, where I grew up as the oldest of four siblings. For the majority of my life, my family attended a non-denominational evangelical church. During my sophomore year of high school (2008), my entire immediate family was received into the Catholic Church on the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord. I was not anxious or worried about this transition, but trusted that my parents were doing the best thing for our family. I loved the beauty of the Mass and the mercy I experienced through confession. In college, I lived in a Catholic men’s household where I experienced the richness of community life. My first hands-on exposure to the monastic life came during my junior year of college, when I visited a Benedictine abbey in California. I didn’t like waking up early for prayers (at the time), but I liked the rhythm of life and the peace that permeated the grounds. Fast forward to my senior year of college, as I was considering what to do after graduation. I didn’t have the desire to start a corporate career, so after I graduated I went to Detroit for a two-month mission. While I was there, I had the prompting to discern a celibate vocation, and along with it, the monastic vocation. My two sisters were going to Benedictine College in the fall, so I decided to tag along with them. At the end of my first visit, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to join, but within the next few days I decided to come back. God was asking me to take a leap, and I knew that, no matter how much I thought and prayed about a monastic vocation, I needed to live the monastic life in order to genuinely discern it. 10 • O b s c u l t a
O God make haste to my rescue
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Obsculta is a tool for discernment & introduction to monastic life Provided by the Monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey. St. Benedict begins his Rule with a simple directive: Obsculta, the Latin for listen.
Pope Francis has asked all religious to “wake up the world.” I invite you to consider a vocation to St. Benedict’s Abbey, and join us in serving the Church as witnesses to a sleeping world. For more information or an Obsculta subscription contact the Vocations Director
Brother Leven Harton, OSB 913.360.7848 • vocations@kansasmonks.org