Contents

Musings by the Abbot Page1

What are we up to? Page 2

Sr Julian n/OSB

Credendo Vides Page 3

Br Steven Joseph OSB

Space for Grace Page 4 The Rt Rev William Franklin

My Path to Vowed Life Page 5 Sr Toni n/OSB

A Thought for Lent Page 6

Br David OSB

Advent 2016

Lent 2017

Musings

by

the Abbot

I am writing this on, Saturday 4 Febru-

ary, and I have been puzzling all week

about what uplifting words I might

have to offer as we move into the peni-

tential season of Lent.

At first I thought about an amusing

sign I saw several years ago on a visit to

the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in

New York. It was lent and the church

was undergoing some work. The sign

said “Sinners! Repaint!”. It was sup-

posed to encourage contributions to

finance the work in progress. That

thought led me to speculate on the

meaning of repentance, since that’s

what I learned many years ago is what

Lent is supposed to be all about.

I immersed myself for half a day in the

etymology of the words “repentance”

and “penance”. Suffice it to say that

they both have a lot to do with payback

for sin or some other kind of grievance

done to God or to another. I felt like I

was spinning my wheels in yet another

kind of academic exercise that wasn’t

particularly helpful, and that wasn’t

going to enrich my Lenten missive to

the Community.

Then, this morning the lectionary for

Mass on the lesser feast of St. Cornelius

the Centurion, led my friend, Fr. Jay

Rozendaal, to preach a very timely

homily on who and what are “the

other” and are thus “unclean.”

We learn in Acts 10 that Cornelius sent

men to Joppa to find Peter and bring

him back to Cornelius and his family. In

the meantime, Peter has had a vision in

which God tells him that nothing that

God has made is “unclean” as taught in

Mosaic law. Peter then goes with the

men to Cornelius’ home where the

entire family is baptized. We know this

story is important because we hear it

again when it is told in the story of the

Council of Jerusalem, where the argu-

ment is about the requirements for the

gentiles to become Christian (Acts 15).

The theme actually picks up on Jesus’

teaching that it isn’t what goes into

people that renders them “unclean,”

but what comes out (from the heart).

Mount of Olives

from Ein Kerem the birthplace of John the Baptist

2

Considering again what I said in my Michaelmas message

about humility and regarding our fellow humans as “the

other,” I have to offer that it is quite possibly the giving up of

disdain for “the other” that “repenting” means in this upcom-

ing season of Lent 2017.

We are living in a sea of vitriol in which accusations about the

worthiness of “the other” are flung about. We are still pointing

to those who are different from us as somehow “unclean” and

with whom we can have no agreement and certainly no civi-

lized dialogue. God created all – conservatives and liberals,

Brexit supporters and Brexit opponents, nationalists and glob-

alists, Jews, Muslims, all manner of Christians including

Anglicans, Buddhists, Sikhs, and yes, Democrats and Republi-

cans along with all of those who differ from “me” socially,

politically, and racially. If I say I have nothing in common with

“the other” I deny the goodness of God’s creation.

Repenting of what I might call “Otherism” means not only that

I turn away from hate and hateful speech. I repent of consid-

ering that I have all the truth and that the “other” has none. I

repent of self-righteousness and believing that I am somehow

“better” or more “valuable” in God’s eye than a person who is

in any way different from me. Repentance is entirely MY re-

sponsibility.

So, rather than thinking of “penance” during Lent as giving up

cocktails at 5:00 or refraining from smoking cigars or even as

fasting, why not look inward at the ways that I am guilty of

“otherism.” Each of us will find our own way out of the grasp

of rejecting “the other” out of hand. The hardest part of this

penance is recognizing the sin. It does not mean that I must

agree intellectually or philosophically with those different from

me. It does mean that while we are different, both I and “the

other” are God’s creations, and I affirm that NOTHING that

God has created is intrinsically “unclean.

Enjoy repenting. It will make for a truly holy Lent and to utter

joy at the coming of Easter.

Abbot Basil

Cornelius the Centurion

What are we up to?

Sr Julian n/OSB

During Lent and Eastertide, the

parishioners of my church have

been invited to participate in follow-

ing the Stations of the Cross, contin-

uing our focus on collective and

individual spiritual journeys through the church year. We pray to

be guided towards the challenging perspective on relationships and

love manifested by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

As a member of our Liturgy Committee, I was asked last May to

develop some art work to accompany the Forward Movement

Stations of the Cross. This was exciting as this is the first year our

church will be having this service. It was also very humbling as I

was never exposed to the Stations of the Cross and was acutely

aware of the limited time to come up with a concept and produce

the art, a booklet, and related materials—as well as helping to co-

ordinate the Good Friday “pilgrimage” service.

I began by first praying and then reflected on the three times I had

experienced the Stations of the Cross until then-- the Stations in

the oratory at Conception Abbey; in our local cathedral; and in a

cathedral near Buenos Aires. I began by considering both contem-

porary and traditional images as well as the medium that would

suit the architecture and demographics of our church and my

ability to complete fourteen images in less than a year.

The traditional-style, brush and ink drawings were not completed

in order. I became immersed in the text and imagined experiences

of the people along Jesus’ path. Images related to each Station and

associated keywords emerged.

I was surprised by my reaction since I never felt connected to the

Passion story in such a personal way or its relevance in contempo-

rary terms. The process was transformative as I began connecting

Station 4 - Comfort Station 11 - Forgive Station 12 - Redeem

Pax,

3

to judges, witnesses, mourners, soldiers, and, most importantly,

Mother Mary and Jesus in a new way.

One of our parishioners described his experience of the Stations

this way: “When we expose our spirits to mixed-media art

forms, we open our spirits, our whole bodies, to the passion of

the Passion of our Lord in new ways and give the Holy Spirit an

opportunity to bring new understanding and conversion of soul.”

He shared this web site with me; and, I offer it to those of you

who want to extend the meaning of the Stations through the

meditative music and poetry of Marcel Dupre and Paul Claudel.

[See hhtp://tinyurl.com/jq9cg8d]

Work with the Stations has strengthened my sense of community

between St. John’s and the CSL—and heightened my awareness

of much more. I have noted, for example, that the CSL formation

process seems to have impacted me by helping me, among other

things, to see “with the eyes of my heart” and be more aware of

the interconnections among Scripture, the Divine Office, Lectio,

and daily life. Part of my daily life, in this case, included the

Stations art work.

I look forward to continuing my journey with the Companions of

St. Luke as I discover new ways of being part of the Body of

Christ. St. Luke captures well the call from Jesus and my closing

thought about this season of Lent: “If any want to become my

followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily

and follow me [see Luke 9:23].”

Pax

n/Sr Julian OSB

“The Way of the Cross can become a pattern for our own journey

of faith – a way to be in solidarity with all of human suffering and

struggle.”

Henri Nouwen

Credendo Vides Jesus said to [Thomas], “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” ~ John 20:28-29 Being blessed with a little granddaughter, I’m back into reading

what we librarians call “kiddie lit.” I recently found a copy of the

Voyage of the Basset by James C. Christensen. It is about a 19th

century professor of mythology at an English university who is

being challenged by the rising tide of science promulgated by his

colleagues. He is at a loss to defend the value of the imagination

until on a walk along the Thames with his two daughters he

comes upon a magical ship that takes them away on a voyage

where they have adventures with all sorts of mythological charac-

ters. The ship has a banner with its motto Credendo Vides, here

translated as “By believing, one sees.”

Now the serendipitous thing is, I’ve been thinking lately about how

it was that an agnostic young man like my former self was drawn,

seemingly out of nowhere, to God and the Episcopal Church. After

the better part of four decades, I recently came to the conclusion

that it was the Holy Spirit. (I’m a master at missing the obvious.)

That, however, only identified the agent, not the process. When-

ever I thought about it in my younger years, I just didn’t get Christi-

anity. Where was the proof? The logic?

Then the phrase credendo vides explained it all. I couldn’t see God

because I didn’t believe in God. The unfortunate thing about this

Latin phrase is that it could also be translated as “seeing is believ-

ing,” which not only lacks poetry, but that misses the point of faith

entirely. First believe, then you will understand, then you will see,

face-to-face, and not as a stranger.

Br Steven Joseph OSB

4

My dear friends,

I don’t know about you, but I am so

ready for Lent this year. I welcome it. I

yearn for it. This year my soul needs

Lent.

The cacophony in our political world is overwhelming — too

much heat but no light, too much shouting and not enough

sense, fear that threatens to overpower faith.

In the wake of the presidential election, many of us have been

traumatized to discover that our most deeply held beliefs about

what America stands for have been rejected and our voices have

been silenced. Millions around the world took to the streets the

day after the inauguration to insist that their voices and concerns

would not go away.

Others are delighted with the results of the election. They have

long felt that their values and beliefs were under siege. No one

paid attention to them when the recession of the last decade

took away their jobs, their security, their future and their dignity.

When they voted on Election Day, they cast a vote for change,

for relief, for the restoration of a world they had lost.

We are a nation divided, angry, frightened.

The social scientists and psychiatrists and therapists caution us

about the price we pay for too much change, too fast. When

we’re moving at a fever pitch all the time ... when there’s great

uncertainty ... when emotions are constantly raw … we are ex-

hausted.

That’s why I’m so in need of Lent this year. I need a time of si-

lence, a time to sit with the traumas and shocks of recent

months and hope that God will help me make sense of it. I need

some wilderness time.

I need a space for grace.

In my diocese, our Lenten program is called “A Space for Grace.”

We will use contemporary literature and poetry as our texts. We

are consciously creating a safe and stable place for listening, for

expressing our fears, for talking about the challenges that face

our community and what we, as people of faith, can do to help.

It will be a time to tell stories about when we’ve felt hopeful or

hopeless ... when we’ve felt ready to step out in public and when

we’ve wanted to hide in the shadows ... when we have treated

others like outsiders and when we have been outsiders our-

selves.

I know I am in need of a big dose of grace this year, that divine

embrace, the knowledge that I am loved and forgiven despite my

flaws and failures. I need to rest in the Lord and be healed and

comforted, then empowered and challenged to go back out into

the world and make it look more like the dream of God rather

than the nightmare that we create.

My prayer for you this Lent is that you may find that space for

grace, a time to let God dwell with you and help you sort through

the confusions of the world in which we find ourselves. You may

find it helpful to pray the Prayers for National Life, #18 and #19

on Page 820 of the Book of Common Prayer.

Regardless of who is in the White House, we are committed as

Christians to welcome the stranger — for we ourselves were once

strangers — and to care for the vulnerable and the needy. Our

Baptismal vows commit us to seek and serve Christ in all persons,

to respect the dignity of every human being and to strive for jus-

tice and peace.

This Lent I plan to focus less on giving up something I enjoy, and

more on giving back, in time and prayer and money, to the minis-

tries and causes that uphold our Gospel values in the world. I

invite you to join me.

May you keep a faithful Lent.

Bishop Bill

5

My Path to Vowed Life

Sr Toni n/OSB

I have been drawn to monasticism since I was young, I did not

come from a church tradition that included monastics, so I didn’t

trust that call. It wasn’t until middle-age that, through reminisc-

ing with my sister, I remembered I started grade school at a small

parochial school where the teachers were Catholic Sisters, and

the only medical care we had at the time was also administered

by Catholic sisters. For two years, my teachers and nurses were

nuns.

Now understanding where my interest came from, I accepted the

call to monasticism but it still wasn’t the right time or place to

pursue it. It was the right time for God to start planting seeds in

me that would one day lead to vows.

The first seed came when I accidentally discovered the Rule of St

Benedict and recognized which stream of monasticism I wanted

to follow. The Rule made much sense to me and helped me begin

to find the balance and structure I badly needed in my life.

I started studying the Rule and reading commentaries. I also

took advantage of some Benedictine retreats where I learned

about the Daily Offices.

Having set me before the way he would have me go, God next

introduced me to a woman who was a Sister in the Companions

of St. Luke. She was a speaker at a Diocesan workshop, talking

about the Rule of St. Benedict. When I learned about the Com-

panions, I finally saw a possible way to become a monastic.

I would characterize my path to solemn vows as slow and

cautious. The first part was God bringing me along and feeding

me knowledge and contacts. The second part of the journey as a

member of the Companions was up to me and each step that I

took came after much doubt, some fear and a lot of prayer.

The woman who introduced me to the Companions invited me to

attend one of the community’s Convocations as an observer.

Attending that first Convocation was a big step for me – would I fit

in? Would I be disillusioned? Would I be accepted as member?

I had been to several Benedictine retreats and attended Convoca-

tion with no other plans but to observe and participate in the be-

loved Benedictine Daily Office. I came away with the intention to

become an Oblate in the community but I didn’t make that

known. I wanted to try following the discipline required of a Nov-

ice Oblate first to make sure I had the time and attention to be

faithful. At the end of the year, I became a Novice Oblate and

began the official formation process in the Companions.

This model of practicing the discipline required for the next step

before I officially took that step has guided me all along. But even

after proving to myself that I could carry out the required disci-

pline, the next step was never easy. I continued to question, doubt

and pray but every time I asked myself “What is the alternative?”

and there never was an answer.

For a few years, I was content to remain an Oblate in the commu-

nity until one of the brothers asked me why I wasn’t planning to

take solemn vows. I think I just stared at him because I didn’t

have an answer. Why wasn’t I preparing for solemn vows? Was I

too comfortable as an Oblate and didn’t want a stricter discipline

to follow? I couldn’t live with that realization so I committed to

the vowed life.

Each step now is still very scary – before becoming a Postulant or

Novice, I had many doubts but I always came back to the honest

answer that, for me, there isn’t another way. I’m glad I have been

slow and cautious. Each step in formation seemed right and I con-

tinued on, sure of God’s guidance.

Thankful that he sent someone to tell me about the Companions

and thankful for the wise brother who snapped me out of

complacency and into the formation for vowed life.

n Sr Toni OSB

Editors’ note: It seems I can’t find an individual photo of Sr Toni hence the

group photo. The only one I saw was at the closing party hiding behind the wings

of the Sacred Butterfly!

Sr Toni

6

A Thought for Lent by Br. David Gerns, OSB

We are now in the season of Lent, which is a period of prayer and

preparation for Easter. In many of our societies this is also a time

of extreme division, anger, and even fear not just in our country

but in many places throughout the world.

Bishop Robert Hirschfeld of New Hampshire sent a message to all

parishioners earlier this month. This is an important message for

all of us. Here is a portion to consider:

“Several clergy have shared with me a mod-

est but noticeable increase in attendance at

our churches since last November’s election.

If social commentators are correct, it may

be that the painful and stark divisions with-

in our culture are invitations for souls to

seek community, connection, mutual sup-

port and healing in our parish churches. As

it happens, I am writing this in a monastery

where the guesthouse is full to capacity and

includes persons of different generations

(including young adults!), races, and gen-

ders. Some of the monks have wondered if

places like this will become more and more

a refuge from a society pulling apart at the

seams. If so, monastic life will be brought

to its original function in society, as we

remember that the Saints Benedict and

Scholastica founded their orders partly in

response to the chaos that ensued during

the fall of the Roman Empire.

Here at the monastery, the sermons are not

very explicit about the President or the lat-

est Executive Order or tweet. They focus on

the Lord Jesus and the beautiful realm that

he points us to, the realm we refer to as the

Kingdom of God. How Jesus treated people-

-sinners, seekers, the ill, the powerless--

these are the topics for reflection, homilies,

prayer, discussion, and contemplation

around the Altar of communion. To gather

in a community of prayer, kindness, mutual

respect, humility, and hospitality towards

the stranger is itself an act of political re-

sistance to a culture that is increasingly

coarse, hateful, racist, and intolerant of

differing political views.” (Emphasis is

mine).”

Here is what I’d like everyone to think about. How do we as a

dispersed Benedictine community rise to the challenge presented

by Bp. Hirschfeld?

As Christians, we are called by our Baptism to seek and serve

Christ in all persons and to strive for justice and peace for all

people.

As Benedictines we are called by the Rule to practice radical hospi-

tality. We are to love the Lord God with our whole heart, our

whole soul, and with all our strength and to love our neighbor as

ourselves, and to help the troubled and console the sorrowing.

(RB chapter 4).

Since we don’t have a house that could offer a sanctuary for fellow

Christians, how do we fulfil these vows and the call of the Rule?

Certainly, prayer is the first step and the foundation for any other

action or activity.

But what else can be done? Maybe assisting our own church com-

munities to become local sanctuaries (safe places), where people

can visit, pray, sit quietly to try and hear God’s small voice, and to

have non-judgmental conversations. Just a thought, I’m sure

there may be other approaches.

I write this article with the hope of starting a conversation within

our community. I’m hoping to have time allocated at our

convocations this year to begin discussions.

Bp. Hirschfeld’s complete letter can be read at https://

www.nhepiscopal.org/s/Message-from-Rob-Feb-2-2017.pdf ,

Br David OSB

Prior

7

The Sea of Galilee from modern day Tiberius