ST JOSEPH'S ABBEY, SPENCER MA

Joe had applied for a new job in a large corporation in GB. He had gone through various stages of the application process and now was standing before the committee who had the final word. The first words out of his mouth after he heard the chairman’s decision were: “I couldn’t possibly do that! Who do you think I am?” The chairman had just offered him, not the job he had applied for but a job two paygrades above it with tremendous responsibilities - the senior position in the whole division. He would be running an entire dept with a huge budget. Joe didn’t feel he was up to it and that it was beyond his capabilities. The chairman thought otherwise and assured Joe of all the help and support he would need. “I couldn’t possibly do that!” Now let’s turn to today’s gospel. These words of Joe stuck in my mind as I read it. You could say from the corporate conference room to the upper room. Jesus says to the disciples: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them…” Now for a little ...

The Holy Spirit brings the living, transfigured Christ into humanity.  Thus does Christian interiority arise.  This does not mean that one becomes profound in a mental sense:  it means the opposite of squandering oneself in what is exterior.  It implies that there is a depth in man in which Christ lives.  It is possible to live with this Christ.  He can become the very content of life.  Then the New Man comes into being.  The old man is the one he was before, but now the New Man is sown in him.  How this happens cannot be described.  It can be that certain persons experience this reality so powerfully that they can no longer feel at home in the world.  This is how monasticism arose. Photograph by Brother Brian. Lines from  a Sermon by Romano  Guardini.

As we continue our novena to the Holy Spirit, we share the following poem by Edith Stein: Who are you, sweet light, that fills me And illumines the darkness of my heart? You lead me like a mother’s hand, And should you let go of me, I would not know how to take another step. You are the space That embraces my being and buries it in yourself. Away from you it sinks into the abyss Of nothingness, from which you raised it to the light. You, nearer to me than I to myself And more interior than my most interior And still impalpable and intangible And beyond any name: Holy Spirit eternal love! Are you not the sweet manna That from the Son’s heart Overflows into my heart, The food of angels and the blessed? He who raised himself from death to life, He has also awakened me to new life From the sleep of death. And he gives me new life from day to day, And at some time his fullness is to stream through me, Life of your life indeed, you yourself: Holy Spirit eter...

We continue to hold fast to the Lord's promise, for only love and surrender to him can quiet our questioning. Jesus is taking us to himself. And as we hold fast to him in faith, all is still deep, dark mystery. As monks this where we live - in this land of desire, somehow suspended between heaven and earth, getting glimpses of heavenly communion, noticing his kind and loving presence but more often left hanging, because our desire often outstrips our understanding. We are left suspended, longing for more, but often losing our way. So we live, in this in-between place, poised in faith between a promised heavenly homeland and our present earthly existence; puzzled and sometimes impatient because earthly existence even for all its ambiguities is at least tangible and real. And here we wait in joyful hope, doing what is ordinary, for this is exactly where Jesus promises to find us. Photograph by Father Emmanuel.

Like the apostles Thomas and Philip, we often don't understand. That’s why Thomas’ question is always such a relief. He puts it right out there, “Master, we don’t know where you going. How can we know the way?” The other disciples were all probably thinking the same thing, but did not dare to ask. Said another way: “Why does following you have to be so puzzling?” Or “Why can’t things be clearer?” “I don’t understand the way you do things.” “Why can’t things simply remain the same?”  And further removed as we are, having never encountered Jesus in the flesh, perhaps our faith needs to be even deeper than theirs. That’s why Thomas’ candor is so refreshing. And when we hear the Lord say: “It is better for you that I go.” If only Thomas were there that day too to say, “Please remind why this is better, because I’m just not getting it. I don’t understand. I just want you to stay.” That’s what Jesus wants too, simply to have those he loves remain with him, abide in him. And so he ...

   Many people, when they are at their last moments of life, leave some message. Everyone remembers the words of a father and mother, or sibling, or spouse. Keeping these words are like keeping the person. It is a form of respect and affection.    The words of many famous people have been recorded and have been handed down to us. They range from serious to humorous, here are a few. Leonardo da Vinci, “I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.” I guess the Mona Lisa was not good enough.    Walter Mizner, a playwright, on his deathbed said this to a priest who was standing nearby, “I’m sure you want to talk to me.” Mizner said, “Why should I talk to you? I’ve just been talking to your boss.”    Alfred Hitchcock said as he was dying, “One never knows the ending. One has to die to know exactly what happens after death, although Catholics have their hopes.”    Jesus’ last recorded wo...

Come, Creator Spirit, visit the minds of your children, and fill the hearts you have made, with heavenly grace. You are called the Comforter,  the gift of God most high, living spring, and fire, love, and spiritual anointing. You are sevenfold in your gifts, the finger of God’s right hand; you are the Father’s  true promise, endowing our tongues with speech. Enkindle your light in our senses, infuse your life in our hearts; strengthen our bodies’ weakness by your never failing might.  Drive far away our foe, and grant peace without end, that with you to lead us on, we may escape all harm. Grant us, through you, to know the Father, also the Son; may we ever believe in you, the Spirit of them both. Amen. In preparation for the great Solemnity of Pentecost, this evening we begin our novena to the Holy Spirit. And each evening at Vespers, we chant this ancient Latin hymn. We share above a translation completed by one of our monks. Come Holy Spirit, ...

How to explain the experience of Jesus’ after his resurrection? There is the drastic reality of his physical presence, wounds and all; he is disarmingly familiar, but there is also, mysteriously, something much more, what we might call a transformed physicality. He walks through a door, eats a piece of fish with his disciples then disappears; he suddenly shows up again wishes peace, then opens the wound in his side for Thomas to touch, andvanishes again. This coming and going happens over and over again and then   after forty days, these appearances no longer occur. At this juncture the Ascension describes the event of his exaltation and enthronement as Israel’s Messiah, seated at God’s right hand; he is at last victorious Lord of the world; and he commissions his followers to act on his behalf and inaugurate this new epoch of his reign.1 It seems a bit incongruous, but I keep thinking of a scene from a Neil Simon comedy. The actress Anne Bancroft...

Humiliation is the only way to humility, just as patience is the only way to peace, and reading to knowledge. If you want the virtue of humility you must not shun humiliations... We were struck again by these words of Saint Bernard. The word "humility" is derived from the Latin  humilis  meaning lowly, literally "on the ground," from the word  humus  meaning earth.  Here we learn that becoming humble is not some personal project of self-mastery; it is rather owning my own weakness, sinfulness and my lowliness; and learning to look up at Jesus from down there in that low place and ask him for his mercy. In the monastery we often refer to this as bitter self-knowledge.  We realize that the monastic life is not about our achievement but about our readiness to make our weakness available to the mercy of God. Perhaps this is our most important work - to realize that we are always in desperate need of this mercy.  It’s never b...

When the Abbey was constructed  in the early 1950's numerous reasonably priced antique pieces were acquired to furnish the main rooms, other pieces were donated by generous patrons. Among the latter acquisitions were fragments of stained glass, some rare and important. In the Abbey library, shown above, an oculus window high above the mantle was filled with a fragment of stained glass depicting Saint Dunstan.  This glass fragment is probably of the fourteenth century, English and quite rare since much pre-Reformation glass was destroyed during the Dissolution.  A very popular early medieval saint, Dunstan  (909 –988) was an Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey , later appointed Bishop of Manchester and London  and subsequently named Archbishop of Canterbury. He is  credited with the restoration of monastic life in England and the reformation of the English Church. Dunstan was a highly skilled artist and scribe and served...

In this morning's Gospel, Jesus tells his apostles that he will be gone and then he will be with them again in a little while. This little while is our time as well. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you. John 14 So while the world - those who have no faith nor understanding of who Jesus is - may dismiss him as only a historical character who lived over 2,000 years ago, we have Jesus' presence with us and in a little while we will be with him again. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you. In the meantime what shall we do? We must show our love by doing our best to follow his guidance and direction. Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I wil...

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,  that never was it known in any age that anyone who fled to your protection,  implored your help, or sought your powerful intercession,  was ever left unaided.  Inspired with this same childlike confidence,  I fly to you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother.  To you I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful.  O Mother of the Word made flesh,  despise not my petitions,  but in your mercy, hear and answer me.  Amen. This ancient prayer to Mary called the  Memorare  is a great consolation. Mary is our protector and a model for all our efforts at prayer and faithfulness. Our  Constitutions  remind us, " By fidelity to their monastic way of life, which has its own hidden mode of apostolic fruitfulness, monks perform a service for God's people and the whole human race. Each community of the Order and all the monks are dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother and Symbol o...

Again  and again our Lord said, I am he. I am he. I am he who is highest. I am he whom you love.  I am he in whom you delight. I am  he whom you serve. I am he for whom you long.  I am he whom you desire. I am he whom you intend. I am he who is all. Even as we are well aware of our sins and inconsistencies and resistances, we know that deep down in our heart Jesus is our only true desire. We are consoled, we beg his mercy. Safet Zec,  Deposition,  detail, 2014.   Lines by Julian of Norwich.

Solitude is a deepening of the present,  and unless you look for it in the present  you will never find it.   Thomas Merton Now in the midst of the pandemic, in these days of a new solitude, we can plumb the hidden beauty of the present, the present moments wherein the beauty of God in Christ is revealed. Come, let us notice and adore Him!

We remember today the apparition of Our Lady at Fatima. At the conclusion of his homily at the canonization of  Francisco Marto and his sister Jacinta, two of the visionaries of Fatima,  the Pope Francis said: “With Mary's protection, may we be for our world sentinels of the dawn, contemplating the true face of Jesus the Savior, resplendent at Easter. Thus may we rediscover the young and beautiful face of the Church, which shines forth when she is missionary, welcoming, free, faithful, poor in means and rich in love.” Gazing upon the resplendent face of Jesus given to us by Mary, may we be "sentinels of the dawn" who help the world to rediscover the beauty of His Church.

During Eastertide our recitation of the Angelus at dawn, noon and before retiring is replaced by the recitation of the  Regina  Cœli: Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia. For He whom you did merit to bear, alleluia. Has risen, as He said, alleluia. Pray for us to God, alleluia. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia. For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia. O God, who gave joy to the world through the resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen . And now violets are blooming in profusion on the edges of sidewalks, under hedges and all through the lawns around the Abbey. The low-growing violet is a symbol of humility. And  we are told that our Father, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, described the Virgin Mary as the "violet of humility." In paintings the violet was also used to symbolize t...

Precisely as was the case with the Lord at the Burning Bush in Exodus, Jesus’ I Am! to his apostles at the end of Matthew has nothing abstract or other-worldly about it. In both instances the context and the language make it clear that the divine I Am!, far from being a philosophical revelation of essence, is inseparable from the prepositions with or for, indicating a necessary relationship of intense care and interest between God and his creatures. Jesus never merely “is”, in a standoffish and static mode of existence. Rather Jesus always is-with and is-for. We could in fact paraphrase the declaration I am with you!, both by the Lord of Israel in Exodus and here by Jesus in Matthew as, ‘Everything that I am is for you’ or ‘My place is always at your side’. What could be a more irresistible declaration of unconditional love? All the reciprocal intimacy and boundless, heart-ravishing trust that this confidence— I EXIST FOR YOU!— established between God and Moses, Jesus now bestows o...

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.” These words from today’s Gospel point to one of the most difficult things in monastic life: keeping a calm heart in all circumstances. Thankfully in his dialogue with his disciples, Jesus gives us a way to keep our hearts calm: it is to abide in his the truth, or perhaps better, in his word of truth. We must allow his word to lay bare our thoughts; to cleanse us continually; and to shine on us its mystical light. Of Jesus’ three self-designations today – I am the way, the truth, and the life – the middle one, the truth, is perhaps the most important one for dealing with a troubled heart. Our hearts can become troubled for many reasons, but sometimes our imaginations just get away from us, or we are trying to protect ourselves, or we can’t face the truth. Our thoughts can become like an expanding balloon, and the only way to calm them is to puncture the balloon. That is what Jesus does with his word of truth. He lays bare the untruths and dis...

The monk is a man of sorrow, a man discontented with every illusion, aware of his own poverty, impatient of evasion, who seeks the naked realities that only the desert can reveal. But the monk is also a man of joy, a man at peace with the emptiness of the wilderness, glad of its limitations, loving reality as he finds it, and therefore secure in his humility.  He is a man of joy and a man of sorrow both together because he lives by pure hope, he has entered into the secret Christ has taught his chosen ones:that hope gives us, even on earth, the secure possession of our inestimable heritage as sons of God. We just discovered these words of Thomas Merton. How to fully grasp the inestimable privilege of our belovedness in Christ?

In May of 1996 seven of our Cistercian brothers of Tibhirine in Algeria were found dead. These monks were kidnapped from their monastery and beheaded by a group of Islamic terrorists trained by the al-Qaida network. Caught in the conflict between the Algerian government and the extremist Armed Islamic Group, these monks chose to remain at their monastery amid threats from extremist elements and face death in solidarity with the Muslim neighbors whom they loved.  Pregnant Muslim women from the village adjacent to the monastery would often come to pray before the statue of Our Lady in the garden for safe deliveries. Muslims honor Mary as mother of Jesus the Prophet. We pray to her for an end to all terrorism, for peace, understanding and mutual respect between all Christians and Muslims. May these martyrs teach us to be models of Christian friendship, encounter and dialogue, and may their example help us build a world of peace. The monks' story was treated in the film ...

Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me. I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness.   John 12 Through his risen, wounded body Jesus draws us into the Trinity with God with one another.  And for days to come we have Mass readings from John's Gospel like the one above. And Jesus goes on to say,  “That the love with which you loved me   may be in them and I in them.”  We hear these words, and it seems we lose our bearings.  The language is exquisite but dizzyingly poetic, there is a kind of circularity. And that's the point, we are meant to lose our bearings. Still I want to say to Jesus, “Wait. Could you repeat that? What do you mean?” But it’s just the wrong question. Asking what it means would be beside the point - like standing at the Grand Canyon and saying, “Wait, I don’t get i...

May is Mary's month, and I Muse at that and wonder why: Her feasts follow reason, Dated due to season— Candlemas, Lady Day; But the Lady Month, May, Why fasten that upon her, With a feasting in her honour? Is it only its being brighter Than the most are must delight her? Is it opportunest And flowers finds soonest? Ask of her, the mighty mother: Her reply puts this other Question: What is Spring?— Growth in every thing— Flesh and fleece, fur and feather, Grass and greenworld all together; Star-eyed strawberry-breasted Throstle above her nested Cluster of bugle blue eggs thin Forms and warms the life within; And bird and blossom swell In sod or sheath or shell. All things rising, all things sizing Mary sees, sympathising With that world of good, Nature's motherhood. Their magnifying of each its kind With delight calls to mind How she did in her stored Magnify the Lord. Well but there was more than this: Spring's universal bliss Much, had much to say To offeri...