ST JOSEPH'S ABBEY, SPENCER MA

Leisure is one of the foundations of Western culture. Josef Pieper, who wrote a wonderful little book entitled Leisure, the Basis of Culture , sums up his basic point in one sentence: “Culture depends for its very existence on leisure, and leisure, in turn, is not possible unless it has a durable and consequently living link with the cultus , with divine worship.” But what, we might ask, is the specific link between divine worship and leisure? Pieper points out that worship entails festivals, celebrations, and that the festival is actually the origin of leisure and remains the inward and ever-present meaning of leisure. There is hardly a more basic example of this in our Judeo-Christian tradition than the celebration of the Sabbath, keeping holy the Lord’s Day. There we have divine worship, celebration, leisure and culture all intimately interrelated. Leisure that doesn’t celebrate and enjoy something that touches the core of who we are probably tends “to fritter our time away....

Besides this obligation to responsible stewardship, the other characteristic that defines a good servant is the ability to wait with heightened vigilance for the Master’s return. Love knows how to wait because, when the object of his love appears to be absent, the true lover will refuse to put another in its place.  The apparent absence of God, or if you wish God’s invisibility, challenges our love and fidelity to live continually by faith. As we heard, “faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen”. Our whole Christian existence should be shaped by absolute trust in Jesus’ promise to return to us as King of Glory. Our expectancy of Jesus, no matter how protracted, is not a mere upward gazing at an empty sky with open mouth. No:  Awaiting Jesus to show himself ought to motivate us to the most concrete attitudes and actions that will show that we, the little flock, the sons and daughters, the servants, are here and now the Body of Jesus fi...

Now cool early autumn mornings,  and yesterday the Memorial of Saint Pio.  One of the brothers showed us this old photograph of the saint. Usually  the wounds of his stigmata  were kept bandaged  and hidden from sight. But  here as a young friar with his arms folded gently, the round wounds on his hands a re exposed to view.  We too usually hide our wounds if we can, I suppose we think it appropriate, after all we do not want to attract attention or look for sympathy, or appear like martyrs. But after his resurrection readily Jesus shows his wounds, his open heart. Jesus will always be wounded, full of holes. His body, the body that we are, is always like that.

A fairly large group of freshmen from a local college visited the monastery yesterday. They were respectful and attentive, as they attended None from the back of the Abbey church. Before they departed one of them, a non-Catholic young man, asked gently, "Why do you all keep bowing all the time?" We told him about reverencing the altar and the reserved Blessed Sacrament (as it is Cistercian protocol that we genuflect only when just in front of the tabernacle.) And of course we bow at the end of each psalm for the doxology, the Gloria Patri... It is a wonderful question though. Why bow? It is because in fact our life is meant to be entirely one of reverence, incessant reverence. We bow because of our awareness of our need and desire to honor God even with bodies as well as with our prayers; we bow to remember that His presence is here with us and that His Name is holy.  Why not bow? We must bow!   Two Monks Bowing , Stanley Roseman, 1979, chalk on paper,  35 x 5...

Today we celebrated our monthly Mass for vocations. As Father Dominic reminded us at the beginning of this morning's Eucharist, all is mercy, Christ's mercy. All our work is response to the One who invites and draws us into His friendship and service.  We pray for our current candidates and new aspirants who may  join us here in this School of the Lord's Service.

When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.   Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.  Mt. 5 Father Francis entered the Cistercian Order in 1973 at our monastery in Azul, Argentina, a daughterhouse of Spencer. He later transferred to our monastery in 1980. Father Francis has a great love for the Liturgy, and the beauty of our celebrations drew him to our house. He has served the community in numerous ways in the past thirty-three years. Francis was guesthouse cook and assistant guestmaster. A gifted tailor, Father worked for many years in the Abbey wardrobe mending clothes and making monastic habits. Presently Father Francis is spiritual adviser for the Abbey's Cistercian Lay Contemplative group, for men and women who feel called to share in our vocation while still living and working in the world.  Father tells us...

Hail precious cross that received honor and beauty from the limbs of the Lord! Hail cross that was hallowed by the body of Christ and by his limbs was enriched as with pearls. We exalt in the Cross of Christ because this Cross is a throne upon which Love has triumphed and transformed our pain, misery, human fragility and foolishness into a royal gateway to life and hope and immortality. Death no longer has the last word in our lives, the Love of the wounded and risen Lord Jesus does.      The Crucifixion,   ca. 1315–20. A ttributed to Ugolino da Siena  (Italian, Siena, active by 1317–died ?1339/49).   Tempera on wood, gold ground.   Overall with engaged frame, 25 1/4 x 18 5/8 ". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Used with permission.