Community Talk on monastic life , Thurday 4th 2014. Fr. Hugh

COMMENT:

Fr. Hugh recalls of the Nigeria Foundation, talking to Br. Benedict and Br. Anthony to make Solemn Profession, some years ago. In his community TALK, he quoted from the Notes below.

TheJesse Tree ISAAC 

day_6 Isaac was the only son of Abraham.
Christ was the only begotten son of God

December 5

Symbols: Bundle of Wood, Ram

And Isaac was a great type, or symbol of Christ. Both carried up a mount the wood on which they were to be sacrificed. Isaac was the only son of Abraham, Christ was the only begotten son of God.

The altar with the slain lamb is a prefigurement of the Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Recommended Readings: Genesis 22:1-2, 6-13, 15-19

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/seasons/advent/jesse_tree_day6.cfm

Community Talk, Thurday 4^th 2014.

Fr. Hugh

Obedience is not a very popular word with young people today distasteful.

Novicemaster replies: ‘Would you prefer anarchy?

Answer: ‘0h no but what we cannot stand is a totalitarian use of authority’.

Authority in the Church is not like that. All have to obey.

The vow of obedience is part of a much bigger spectrum and first to consider obedience in its full scope.

‘Obedience as described by St. Benedict goes a long way beyond the narrow framework of an order given by the Superior. It implies all the effort which a monk makes to put his intimate feelings in harmony with God.

(‘The Rule of St. Benedict and the Ascetic Traditions from Asia to the West^’ by Mayeul de Dreulle O.S.B. Page 9)

The way to perfection for St. Benedict is to harmonise the human heart with God. St. Benedict calls it obedience but he gives a very rich meaning to that word and wants it to mean,above all, obedience to God.^’ (Page 12 as above)

"In the first place obedience presupposes listening.

In the Prologue we are told to listen first and then we are told to do something Listening is mentioned seven times in the Prologue

God speaks to us and shows us his will in different ways. Through the words of Holy Scripture, through the orders of Superiors, through the legitimate needs of others, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

Through the words of Holy Scripture.

This is very much a characteristic of the Prologue. St. Antony of Egypt recognised the voice of God when he heard the Gospel message: ‘Sell all you have and give to the poor.’ ‘A quiet, slow reading of the Bible will develop a facility for recognising the message. It is good to assimilate something of

the mentality of those who were very close to God.

Seeing the will of God in the legitimate needs of others.

Obedience to each other. This takes the form of personal service. Someone asks you for something at tne wrong time when you are wanting to have a bit of peace. You are asked to give pastoral service in the Guest House or in the confessional.

It is Christ you are meeting in your brother or sister. 'In as much as you did it to the least of these my brethren you did it to me.'

WaIter Hilton, an English Spiritual writer belonging to the Middle Ages wrote a book for hermitesses. In it he says:

'If you are at prayer and someone knocks at your door do not hesitate to go and see what they want. You will not leave the presence of God but find him in another way.

The service of others brings happiness.

President Kennedy said: "Do not ask what America can do for you but what you can do for America.” The person who puts most into community life will get most out of it. The joy of living is the joy of giving. If we try to find happiness for ourselves we shall never find it but if we try to make someone else happy we will find a happiness of which we have never dreamt.

Obedience to the Holy Spirit.

Obedience at the end of Chapter 7 speaks of the good habit and delight in virtue which God will produce in his workman William of St. Thierry in his Golden Epistle writes beautifully of the Holy Spirit: 'He forms the affection, gives virtue, helps the implementation,

doing all things mightily and disposing all things sweetly. And though men may teach how to seek God and angels how to adore, it is He alone who teaches us to find, to possess, to enjoy. '(Ch.16. para 15)

(Obedience to Superiors next time)

EVANGELII GAUDIUM

Gospel Joy

    . . .

41. At the same time, today's vast and rapid cultural changes demand that we constantly seek ways of expressing unchanging truths in a language which brings out their abiding newness.

"The deposit of the faith is one thing ... the way it is expressed is another"." There are times when the faithful, in listening to completely orthodox language, take away something alien to the authentic Gospel of Jesus Christ, because that language is alien to their own way of speaking to and understanding one another. With the holy intent of communicating the truth about God and humanity, we sometimes give them a false god or a human ideal which is not really Christian. In this way, we hold fast to a formulation while failing to convey its substance. This is the greatest danger. Let us never forget that "the expression of truth can take different forms. The renewal of the e forms of expression becomes necessary for the sake of transmitting to the people of today the Gospel message in its unchanging meaning"."

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