Homily for the Passing of St. Benedict, 2007
A story is told in the "Life and Miracles of Saint Benedict,"
from Book II of the Dialogues.
Saint Benedict, close to the time of his death,
went to the tower cell late at night to pray.
As he gazed out into the darkness,
he saw an amazing light
break through the black of night.
"It was as if the whole world,
contracted as if it were together,
was represented by a single ray of light."
Benedict's own experience of listening
and his own living of the monastic life
had given him a contemplative heart.
When the gift of this vision was given,
he was ready for it --
he could see the world as if with the eyes of God.
For me this vision also speaks of the wonderful synthesis
that the Rule is for us
and has been through the centuries.
After centuries of work,
from the vision of the Acts of the Apostles,
Benedict has made his way back to community life
as a fundamental sacrament of transformation.
For Benedict community life is not a preparation for something else,
it is not a means to another end, such as becoming a hermit.
It is the dough, the enriched broth
where the yeast of the Holy Spirit and the Gospel
make us into something new.
It is in community life where we learn
how to love each other into a new life,
where we come to a more true and accurate self-understanding,
knowing ourselves as flawed sinners,
and yet sons and daughters of God.
It is in community
where the gifts of the Spirit given to us are nurtured and developed.
It is in community where we learn to receive and give back,
where we learn to trust in the durability of relationships,
that misunderstandings and harm to each other
do not have to be the last word.
Ultimately, we live the life together
because we want to go somewhere together, to heaven,
to be with Christ who has been with us for the whole journey.
We do it together because we like and love each other,
as we grow in our love for Christ.
We know that the transformation in this doughy ferment
will not be complete in this life,
that Christ, with the Holy Spirit, will bring it to completion.
It is in community that we are most deeply challenged
to let go, to let go of things,
to let go of false understandings of ourselves,
to let go of all the ways that we want to define ourselves
in terms of work, projects completed, sexuality,
or other attributes, all the ways that we will resist transformation,
that we will resist the path of Jesus through the cross.
It is wonderful to think about Saint Benedict
entering into glory, isn't it?
I imagine that Scholastica was there to welcome him,
among others.
Think how many Benedictines across the centuries
and in our own time, have made their way to God.
It is good to think about!
At Monte Montecassino
where Benedict and Scholastica are buried together,
there is a Latin inscription
by the Abbot A. Della Noce (1691) on a black marble scroll,
"St. Benedict and St. Scholastica were never separated in the spirit during their life nor are their bodies separated in their death."
The bronze urn containing their earthly remains
is located at the left of the marble stele.
In spite of the long centuries and many destructions,
this venerable site is still the same chosen
by Saint Benedict for his sister Scholastica and for himself.
Even during World War II it remained undamaged
as an aircraft artillery shell got stuck
between the two steps in front of the altar without exploding.
Today we celebrate with our confreres who made first profession on this day:
Francis Peters, Raphael Olson, Martin Rath,
Nicholas Thelen, Luke Dowal, David Manahan,
Julius Beckermann, Jerome Tupa, Makoto Tada.
We give thanks for the grace and life that is given to us
through our monastic vocation,
for the wisdom, learning, patience, resilience, and hope
that is present in the Rule of Saint Benedict
and especially in the lives of those who have lived
and are living this "little Rule."
May the Eucharist we receive draw us toward Christ and each other.
May Christ bring us all together to everlasting life.
Abbot John Klassen, OSB
March 21, 2007
|
 |
Contact the Abbot
|
