Homily for Vigil of Saint Benedict
I have a story to tell. It has five chapters, but they are short.
Chapter One
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost... I am helpless. It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.
Chapter Two
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in the same place.
But it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
Chapter Three
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I fall in... It's a habit...But my eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.
Chapter Four
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
Chapter Five
I walk down a different street.
This story, as barebones as it is,
contains in sum the difficulty of change,
of being a learner,
of taking a different path.
It has emerged from the 12-step movement
but it has far greater generality than dealing with addiction.
When we listen to the words of Sirach,
to his confidence in our ability to learn, to listen,
to pay attention, to understand how to change,
we may hear him with a bit of cynicism.
As the story above suggests,
we have to deal with the larger patterns,
the habits that are the bigger picture.
Saint Benedict, even though he stands in the wisdom tradition,
knows that our taking a different street
will always be a matter grace,
initiated and assisted throughout by the Holy Spirit
and our love for Christ in and through the Spirit.
But Benedict is also convinced of the reliability,
the durability, of the monastic path;
that our ability to learn will be nourished by lectio divina,
punctuated and guided by community prayer,
stimulated by showing hospitality to guests and pilgrims.
We will not be converted only once, but many times.
As Thomas Merton noted,
this endless series of large and small conversions,
inner revolutions, lead to our transformation in Christ.
And in the Spirit, through Christ,
we are long last able to take a different street.
Abbot John Klassen, OSB
July 10, 2008
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