Tag Archives: Benedictine

Reflection

Perseverance and Stability by Br. Daniel Sokol, OSB

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The Lord Jesus Christ is the ultimate source of our stability and the foundation of our faith.  He it is who provides the courage, the stamina, the example, the guidance, the witness and the perseverance to follow Him safely along the path of life to His everlasting kingdom and to join Him in heaven for all eternity.

Since Jesus is our rock of safety and our heavenly goal, we call upon Him daily for His divine guidance and protection. “Be my rock of refuge, a stronghold to give me safety.  You are my rock and my fortress; for your namesake you will lead me and guide me” (Ps 30:3-5; c.f. Psalm 70:3).

A lifetime of perseverance in the way of the Lord brings us an abundance of graces. Every time we receive an answer to a prayer, a link of understanding for some small trial, a signpost of peace and approval or any favor for that matter, we magnify it still more by giving thanks to God our Savior.

Every time we offer thanks even for a small or a large and difficult task, we multiply the graces significantly.  God will never be outdone in generosity!  Our life can be filled with trials and difficulties, and these if done with a willing spirit, we advance in the spiritual life. God always gives what is good for our eternal salvation provided we follow His promptings.

The gift of perseverance is a necessary virtue. For Scripture has it: “Anyone who perseveres to the end will be saved (Matt 10:22), and again, Be brave of heart and rely on the Lord (Ps 26[27]:14).”

We will find a multitude of examples and grace-filled sources of encouragement if we prayerfully read the Scriptures, the Apostles, the Fathers of the Church (early or modern), and the Lives of the Saints, especially if we follow their example and earnestly ask for their peace, protection and encouragement.

Stability has as much as to do with the mind, the heart and the soul as it does to being stable in one place, organized, and clear of all clutter.  Our quiet time spent in prayer on a regular basis brings peace, quiet and a more willing receptiveness to the will of the Lord.

Following a regular schedule brings clarity of thought and closeness to God.  We do well to daily practice discipline and pay attention to the necessary spiritual priorities in our life.  These are just a few of the secular and spiritual “virtues” mentioned in this article.  They are, “the tools of the spiritual craft” which our holy Father St. Benedict advises (C.f. RB 4:75). There is a connection between patience, stability and perseverance.  I stand firm in doing God’s will.

Perseverance helps us keep our eyes on the ultimate reward of joining Our Lord and Savior, Mary, Joseph and all the angels and saints in everlasting glory in heaven.  We pray, “Thy Kingdom come…”, that is, in our hearts, our minds, our soul and our bodies, indeed in all of our actions.

Let us all join in with each other as we pray for perseverance in stability and safety along with the psalmist as he places his hope and trust in God and writes: “In You O Lord I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your justice rescue me, and deliver me; incline your ear to me and save me.  Be my rock of refuge, a stronghold to give me safety, for you are my rock, my fortress. O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the criminal and the violent.  For you are my hope, O Lord; my trust, O God from my youth.  On you I depend from birth; from my mother’s womb you are my strength; constant has been my hope in you.  A portent am I to many, but you are my strong refuge!  My mouth shall be filled with your praise, with your glory day by day”.

Amen! (Ps. 70:1-8 C.f. Ps. 30:1-6)

Br. Daniel is a Benedictine monk at Prince of Peace Abbey in Oceanside, California.

General interest, Liturgical Year

The Divine Liturgy by Brother Daniel Sokol, 0SB

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We may be surprised to learn that our earthly worship is an anticipation of, and a participation in, the heavenly worship. In heaven, the angels and saints perpetually proclaim the glory of God. They proclaim His glory, His honor, His beneficence, His virtues, His mercy, His Justice, etc., etc.

The “Opus Dei” (Divine Liturgy) refers to “the work of and for God” because He is working within us in order to make us more worthy of being in His presence. “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.  Heaven and earth are full of Your glory.”

Christ serves forever as the Mediator, the Great High Priest in the heavenly tabernacle of God.  The more worthy we participate in the divine liturgy, the closer we become to Christ.  We are blessed to have a beautiful Church which helps us to have a more worthy focus as we sing and pray the Divine Liturgy.

Even the liturgical furnishings of the Church provide their own significance for the overall worthiness of a proper liturgy.  The ambo is the place where the scriptures and their commentaries are pronounced with great reverence.  The candles are a reflection of Christ who is “the light of the world.”  The silver and gold chalice(s) are made of the finest materials. The presider’s chair is a carryover from the Jewish people as the rabbi usually sat while giving instructions.  Holy water and incense have particular rites for blessings and reverencing persons, altars, houses vessels, medals, bibles, cars, etc.

In order to proclaim a worthy liturgy, it is necessary that a lot of preparation goes on beforehand.  The main celebrant, the readers, acolytes, musicians and singers, etc. all have their sacred part in the most sacred of sacrifices.  Even the congregation, according to Vatican Council II, are urged to take an active part in the divine worship, singing and praying their parts.  St. Augustine writes, “Whoever sings, prays twice.”  The priest needs to deliver a well-prepared homily that edifies and helps to explain the readings and often can be applied to the current state of world and Church affairs.

Even processions are important.  The entrance procession with incense (which represents the prayers of the faithful) is reminiscent of Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. The altar of sacrifice is reverenced and incensed because it refers to Christ and His sacrifice. The procession of bringing gifts represents ourselves, our gifts, our family, our offerings, our life, etc.  At the end of Mass, the recession out of Church challenges us with great conviction to “Go out to all the world and share the good news!”

We are not to sit by and merely watch the whole ceremony of any given liturgy; we need to participate with enthusiasm for our salvation through the God-given gift of faith.

 (CNS photo/Paul Haring) (Jan. 6, 2014)

Gestures are to be done with great respect.  Entering into the Lord’s Earthly Temple, we sign ourselves with the sign of the cross using holy water, then bow to the altar and genuflect to the tabernacle.  When the gospel is announced we mark our forehead, lips and heart saying “May the Lord be in our mind, on our lips and in our heart.”  We make a profound bow of the head on the feasts of Our Lord and the Blessed Virgin at the mention of their names, which represent their persons.  There is a myriad of preparations, carefully learned and practiced that go into the overall presentation of a very fine liturgy, especially in a church that radiates dignity and holiness.

Let us revise some of these faith enhancing practices so that our whole life can become a worthy gift to God for all that He has done for us.  Let us listen attentively to the prayers we pray and foster an awareness of God’s manifold gifts given in our lives through the sacraments, through each other.

Let us remember to be thankful to God for every grace or favor we receive, even the unfavorable ones.  That way we can be sure we are still advancing on the road to holiness!

Br. Daniel Sokol is a Benedictine monk at Prince of Peace Abbey in Oceanside, California.

www.princeofpeaceabbey.org

Reflection

Five Ways to a Closer Relationship with Christ by Br. Daniel Sokol, OSB

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Five Ways to a Closer Relationship with Christ  &
Five Steps to Living Our Faith in Christ
  1. Social

Exemplary, Holy People:  We want to imitate the behavior of people who are doing or have done well, e.g., Apostles, Saints, Good Parents, Mystics, recent Popes, Spiritual Writers, Good Relatives that made a positive impression on us, etc.  We want to imitate them so we can become good like them!  Note that we are not highlighting self-help programs or gurus that do not include God, but real, known, certified and proven life-long Holy People who have earned their measure of Goodness and Respect.  They have earned their status as Noteworthy Persons to imitate, each with his or her own unique set of Virtues.

Ourselves:  We must recognize and acknowledge our God-given Goodness and Dignity, our call to Holiness.  By “owning” the Positive Aspects and Truths of our Faith and the Rewards that follow, we Cooperate towards building up the Kingdom of Heaven, the Mystical Body of Christ.

  1. Rewards

Benefits of Following Christ.  Authentic following of the self-emptying Example of Christ and known Saints makes us feel better about being a Good Citizen, a Good Catholic, a good all-around, Well Adjusted, Highly Motivated, Positive Human Being.  Worthy People are the ones we like to associate with and imitate, thus we know that we are doing right for God. They truly Live the calling to Imitate Christ; they Affirm and Inspire us by their Holy Example.  Living the Christian Virtues brings about its own rewards, such as Freedom, Peace, Harmony and Happiness.

Rewards of Heaven.  The knowledge of Being Happy in Heaven forever and ever and ever makes us want to go there—more and more and more!  Eternal Happiness in God is well worth any price you can name, especially in light of its permanent, eternal nature.  As we become more Christ-Like, we enjoy a Greater Share in His Divinity; We become more “Divinized”.

  1. Marks of Progress

We can log our daily Progress in Honest Journaling, marking of Calendars, charting our Progress.  Remember the Good we have Accomplished by Participation in the Graces that Christ earned for us, and still offers twenty-four hours each and every day and night.   Journals or notes help review the trials we encountered and Progress Achieved.  They recognize and Appreciate the many graces God has Gratuitously Bestowed upon us for our good and our work to Share these gifts with others.  It is good to Savor these Precious Moments and to Offer Thanks.  This is expressing pure Honesty, not false pride.  And remember that Heaven will be filled with Grateful People.

  1. Keep Good, Healthy Control of our Own Environment(s)

We want to maintain Healthy Control of our own environment for the Good of our souls.  Think about how we Want to Change for the better, and devise a Plan.  We can Simplify our home, our heart and our environment.  We work to Maintain clean, Healthy Living conditions both physically, mentally and especially spiritually.  We put good, Achievable Limits on the use of the TV, Internet and cell phones.  Turn them off and Enjoy the Silence.  Bring in Prayer, Contemplation, Reading of Sacred Scripture and Spiritual Writings such as the Fathers of the Church, Lives of the Saints, Documents of the Church, Catechism of the Catholic Church, etc.  Abbot Claude used to say, “Don’t read good books, read only the best.”  We can Capitalize on how to Improve our internal and external environment without becoming a fussy perfectionist.  Enjoy your own yard, take a walk around the block, visit a park for a time of Rest and Refreshment.  Bring your lunch and Enjoy the day as yet Another Gift God has given to us.

  1. Spiritual, Physical, and Healthy Asceticism
    (Self-denial for the sake of the Kingdom)

We can focus on how to make Holy Progress in the proven, ancient and Holy Art of Asceticism.  How?  First of all, we must recognize that no true Spiritual Progress can be made without our own Cooperation, our own Sacrifices, and our own authentic Participation in the life and example of our Savior.  Being of Service to our neighbor is one of the marks of Healthy Asceticism.  Being Fair and Civil to people we don’t like generates Peace and Trustworthiness.

True Sacrifice will often cost us some time, some inconvenience, some effort.  Jesus Christ was constantly dying to Himself in order to Accommodate the teeming masses of people ranging from the merely curiosity seekers, those outraged at His behaviors, the hungry, the weak, the envious, the rule-bound religious authorities, the faint-hearted, those who had nothing else to lose, and the Holy Remnant who had enough faith to follow and Believe in Him who is and was.  Christ endured with Holy Love for our Eternal Salvation inconvenience, suffering, being degraded and death.

So, how are we to map out ways to more Fervently Accomplish the will of Christ in our own daily lives?  What are some Positive Steps we can make to Improve the lot of all mankind?

Five Steps to Living Our Faith in Christ

 Step #1: Ask God to Enhance our own Faith, regardless of how little or how much we already have.

Step #2: Learn how to die to ourselves often, so that we can Accommodate the manifold Graces Offered, and become more Available to our neighbors.  Thank Him for any Progress made.

Step #3: Seek out our own Peace in God by fostering this Peace and Harmony among all people we meet or associate with, often at the cost of our own inconvenience.

Step #4: Be more eager to practice Sufficiency and not excess, to Fast, to Prayerfully Read Scripture, to Contemplate God’s Love for us and His Love for our neighbors.

Step #5: Become more Approachable by being Patient, Kind and Accommodating.  Learn how to give Support and Encouragement to one another.  Always be Grateful for what you receive.

Perseverance in these proven methods will reap multiple Rewards, the most important of which is following after the will and Example of our Lord and Redeemer, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, while working towards Achieving the Kingdom of Heaven, both here and hereafter.  Christian Discipline brings on great and Lasting Benefits for ourselves and for the entire Body of Christ.  For some who are well-versed in the practice of all of the Virtues, their Hope is a Positive, ever-present reality and source of Divine Energy throughout their entire lives.

Brother Daniel Sokol, OSB, is a Benedictine monk at Prince of Peace Abbey in Oceanside, California.

Men's communities, News

St. Procopius Abbey Welcomed as New Affiliate

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We welcome St. Procopius Abbey as a new IRL affiliate!
st-proc-commSt. Procopius Abbey is a Benedictine monastery of monks comprised of priests and brothers who live in community, seeking God by a life of prayer, obedience, and conversatio morum (conversion of life), according to the Rule of St. Benedict. Prayer and conversion are at the heart of their life. At the same time, they serve in outside apostolates, especially in the schools that they founded and continue to sponsor—Benet Academy and Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois, where they serve on the faculty and staff. They also assist nearby parishes, especially with Sunday Masses.

St. Procopius Abbey was founded by monks from St. Vincent Archabbey (Latrobe, PA) in 1885 in order to pray and work among the Czech and Slovak immigrants. Benedictine Monks from St. Michael’s Archabbey in Bavaria, who arrived in America in 1846, were the founders of St. Vincent’s.

Over the next decades, the monks founded a high school, college, and seminary, and operated a press. They were also engaged in parish work. After 1901, the schools began operating in Lisle. In 1914, the Abbey too was transferred to Lisle.

Blessed by many vocations in the past, St. Procopius Abbey was able to found two new monastic communities: St. Andrew’s Abbey in Cleveland, OH, and Holy Trinity Priory in Butler, PA. The growth of the schools eventually led the monks to decide to build a new
monastic complex, that would give them a stronger Benedictine identity, enhance the contemplative character of their lives, and help
abbot-austinthem better serve the students and public. Planning began in 1959 and they moved into their new home in 1970.

Abbot Austin G. Murphy, O.S.B., was elected in 2010 as the 10th abbot. The motto on his coat of arms is beautiful: pariter ad vitam eternam (“all together to eternal life”).

 

Men's communities, News

Conception Abbey Abbot Elected Abbot Primate

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abbot-gregpryOn September 10, 2016, Abbot Gregory Polan, O.S.B., of Conception Abbey, Conception, MO, was elected 10th Abbot Primate of Benedictine Confederation.  The election took place in Rome, Italy, at the Congress of Abbots, held every four years. He is the fourth American and the second abbot from Conception Abbey to be elected to the Office of Abbot Primate.

Abbot Gregory Polan was born on January 2, 1950 in Berwyn, IL, to Martha and Edward Polan. During his high school years, he was deeply involved in studies, sports, and extracurricular activities—all dedicated toward building a community. Attending college seminary is where he was drawn to the common life, where his love for the liturgy and music would be central. He visited Conception Seminary College and said it was “love at first sight.” He knew he would spend the rest of his life there. Abbot Gregory was professed in 1971 and ordained in 1977. While at Conception Abbey for some time, his faith and commitment to the Benedictine community grew and the monks of Conception elected him as their 9th abbot in November of 1996.

Abbot Gregory has led Conception Abbey for the past 20 years as its abbot, and as president-rector of Conception Seminary College for ten years. He is a scholar in Scripture and Theology and has contributed to the translations for the New American Bible and a complete translation of the Psalms which will be used in the liturgy. He will resign as abbot of Conception Abbey and accept this new position with great solicitude and honor from the Conception community.

The ministry of the Primas, according to the Proper Law which governs the Confederation of Congregations of Monasteries of the Order of Saint Benedict, is defined as “the office of the Abbot Primate whose function it is to represent the Confederation and to do all he can to foster co-operation between the confederated monasteries.”  As the head of the world’s 7,000 Benedictine monks, he will become the abbot of the monastery Sant’ Anselmo in Rome, where he will reside and serve as abbot primate of the Benedictine community as its liaison to the Vatican and civil authorities. He will also become head of Benedictine University in Rome.

“Abbot Gregory brings many years of leadership experience and spiritual wisdom to the role of Abbot Primate. We are happy that his gifts, which he has given so freely at Conception Abbey for many years, will now be shared with the entire order and Church,” Fr. Daniel Petsche, O.S.B., Prior of Conception Abbey said on Abbot Gregory’s election. “I believe his gifts will reach fulfillment in this new role.”

News, Women's Communities

Benedictine Nuns and Ranchers?

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walburga 2Featured in NBCNEWS.com is a short featurette on the Benedictine nuns of the Abbey of St. Walburga in Colorado. Between praying the full Divine Office every day, they also find time to raise highly sought-after cattle. The story behind these cattle ranching nuns is told in this short video.

Their pioneering Sisters started the cattle farm, which supplies the sisters with sustenance and also is sold locally. Llamas are used as watch”dogs” because apparently they really intimidate mountain lions! Their menagerie also includes chickens, pigs, dogs, and numerous barn cats. The nuns do most of the farm work, with occasional help from neighbors and friends.

walburgaIn 1986, the abbey was granted its independence from the motherhouse in Eichstätt, Bavaria, Germany. As an autonomous house, they are a member community of the Federation of Bavarian Monasteries of Nuns. They profess three vows: obedience, stability, and fidelity to the monastic way of life.

Guests are welcome to stay and make a retreat. They also have a gift shop and a popular Way of the Cross.

Visit their website for more information!

 

 

Men's communities

Conception Abbey Welcomed!

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osbConception Benedictine Abbey is welcomed as a new IRL Affiliate. They are perhaps one of the best-known abbeys in the US for a variety of reasons. First, they have a printing house that supplies beautiful Christmas cards, icons, note cards and other Christian gifts. Secondly, they have a thriving seminary college, one of the largest of the 40 college seminaries in the US. Thirdly, they have a bustling retreat house. And finally, they are a large community of monks – almost 60 in number!

The abbey was founded in 1873 when Abbot Frowin Conrad and seven novices arrived from Engelberg, Switzerland, to establish a monastic community in Missouri. I like what the abbot wrote in his diary after the founding, in 1883, of a fledgling high school at the monastery: “Omme initium durum,” – All beginnings are hard!! The seminary college was founded in 1887. Currently, 25 dioceses in the U.S. send students to Conception, and student enrollment has increased nearly 75 percent since the mid-’90s to over 100 students.

03_Presentation_of_MaryThe magnificent basilica houses the famous Beuronese murals that were painted by the monks between 1893 and 1897. They depict scenes from the life of Mary, Jesus and Sts. Benedict and Scholastica (See Presentation of Mary at right). Some of the murals are replicas of ones done in Europe that were destroyed during World War II and as such are precious mementos of lost treasures. Many of these images are reproduced on the note cards.

St. Benedict said that “All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for He himself will say: I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” The retreat house welcomes guests for private and group retreats. You can also become a Benedictine oblate, that is, a Christian who shapes his or her life in the wisdom of Christ as interpreted by the great St. Benedict.

Young men between the ages of 18-35 who are discerning their vocation may be interested in their Monastic Experience weekend retreat. The next one scheduled is October 31-November 2, 2014.

 

Men's communities

Benedictine Brother Bede

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Abbot Charles
Abbot Charles

Abbot Charles of Oceanside Abbey in California, recently celebrated 50 years of his Profession of Vows. That is, the vows of Stability, Fidelity to the Monastic way of life (Conversatio Morum), and Obedience.

He also gave a beautiful homily on the occasion of the final profession of Br. Bede, who at age 39, begins a new chapter in his Benedictine of life. The homily was a fresh look at the vows, which he described as Stability of Feet, Stability under Obedience, Stability under the Rule and Stability in and to the Community. As the Abbot reminds us, the vow of stability is unique to monastic orders. It can all be summarized as stability of heart in which the monk binds himself to God. “The more one remains rooted in God, the more he progresses in virtue.”

Stability of Feet: “As the tree which is often transplanted brings no fruit, so the monk who wanders can bring no fruit.” This also means perseverance in ones’ obligations, as a contrast to acedia (listlessness, torpor, diversion from the task at hand).

Stability under Obedience: When obedience is seen as a negative, one will always hold something back. When you do someone else’s will (as long as it is not sinful), you are free of your own self-will. “That is following Christ who came to do not His own will but the Will of Him who sent Him.”

br bede
Brother Bede, OSB

Stability under the Rule: “From this day, he is no longer free to leave the monastery, nor shake from his neck the yoke of the Rule” which after a long “period of reflection, he was free to reject or accept.”

Stability in and to the Community: The bond is not so much to a place as to a community. “The one who is to be received comes before the whole community” (RB 58.17). Like the apostles and first disciples, Br. Bede has given up body, soul, will and possessions to follow Jesus.

Said Abbot Charles: Brother Bede, you have given up all and die symbolically today by having the pall placed over you. This powerful and poignant symbol indicates that you are giving up your old life of individuality and are donating the new man, as it were, to the Lord and to the community.

Men's communities

Joy is the Fruit of Not Having

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osb norcia

“A life spent seeking God is to many the most useless of occupations. But that, of course, is the great reason for the monk’s joy. The more he seeks God, the less he needs to know why he does so. The answer takes away the question. Joy is the fruit not of having, but of no longer needing to have.

 —Fr. Benedict, O.S.B., Monastero di San Benedetto, Norcia, Italy

Cloistered life, Men's communities, Women's Communities

Two Communities, One Act of Praise

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Something you don’t find everyday in the modern world, much less in the U.S., is a twin community of nuns and monks. Such a community of Benedictines exists in Petersham, MA. The St. Scholastica Priory houses a group of nine nuns and the Monastery of St. Mary, a group of seven monks.  Both live a contemplative life of prayer in service to God, the Church and world.

St. Scholastica Priory is an independent priory of Pontifical Right. St. Mary’s is a dependent house of the Abbey of Pluscarden in Scotland. When there are enough members in the men’s community, they will become an autonomous community as is typical for Benedictines.

The nuns and monks live a monastic life according to the Rule of Saint Benedict and pray the office in Latin using Gregorian Chant , except for Matins and Vespers. Monks from St Mary’s serve as the sisters’ chaplains. The monks’ Novus Ordo Mass is in English with sung parts in Latin and Greek.

As it says on the St. Scholastica website: The Benedictine life is both ordinary and human, extraordinary and divine. It is ordinary and human because St. Benedict in his Rule encourages us to get on with the business of monastic life; it is extraordinary and divine because it is a response to a call from God and it is a life lived for others.

The sisters will hold a Monastic Experience weekend for young women who may be called to this life from February 15-17, 2013.  Please email smangkloss333@aol.com or call 978-724-3213 for more information.

To thee, therefore, my speech is now directed, who, giving up thine own will, takest up the strong and most excellent arms of obedience, to do battle for Christ the Lord, the true King. Rule of St. Benedict