+PAX

Please say a prayer for Ann Chatlos. It's her birthday today. NRN.
Thanks! JL

March 13, July 13, November 12
Chapter 35: On the Weekly Servers in the Kitchen
Let the brethren serve one another,
and let no one be excused from the kitchen service
except by reason of sickness
or occupation in some important work.
For this service brings increase of reward and of charity.
But let helpers be provided for the weak ones,
that they may not be distressed by this work;
and indeed let everyone have help,
as required by the size of the community
or the circumstances of the locality.
If the community is a large one,
the cellarer shall be excused from the kitchen service;
and so also those whose occupations are of greater utility,
as we said above.
Let the rest serve one another in charity.


The one who is ending his week of service
shall do the cleaning on Saturday.
He shall wash the towels
with which the brethren wipe their hands and feet;
and this server who is ending his week,
aided by the one who is about to begin,
shall wash the feet of all the brethren.
He shall return the utensils of his office to the cellarer
clean and in good condition,
and the cellarer in turn shall consign them to the incoming server,
in order that he may know
what he gives out and what he receives back.

REFLECTION

I know some houses have moved away from having table waiters, but
something is lost in that. We have cafeteria style first portions
here, than the waiter goes around to offer seconds and clears the
dishes. It isn't a really big deal, but it does have a great reward,
as the Holy Rule points out. Because we are a small community, only
7, everyone, even the Superior takes a turn at waiting.

Formerly, in some houses (maybe in all, but I am not sure,) the Abbot
would wait tables on Holy Thursday. There was a nice connection
there: he who held the place of Christ waited on all on the feast of
the Last Supper, and washed the feet of twelve in Church that day.

The connection here is personalist. Waiting on people connects you
very much to them, as any waiter could tell you. Restaurants may not
pursue that connection to any depth, but a home situation, like a
monastery, surely does. There's a great notion here for Oblates who
do not live alone: take turns waiting. We can get slumped into Dad or
Mom or husband or wife always being waiter or waited upon. Switch
off, care for each other, in this and many, many other ways!



Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB    jeromeleo@...    St. Mary's    Petersham

March 14, July 14, November 13Chapter 35: On the Weekly Servers in
the Kitchen
An hour before the meal
let the weekly servers each receive a drink and some bread
over and above the appointed allowance,
in order that at the meal time they may serve their brethren
without murmuring and without excessive fatigue.
On solemn days, however, let them wait until after Mass.


Immediately after the Morning Office on Sunday,
the incoming and outgoing servers
shall prostrate themselves before all the brethren in the oratory
and ask their prayers.
Let the server who is ending his week say this verse:
"Blessed are You, O Lord God,
who have helped me and consoled me."
When this has been said three times
and the outgoing server has received his blessing,
then let the incoming server follow and say,
"Incline unto my aid, O God;
O Lord, make haste to help me."
Let this also be repeated three times by all,
and having received his blessing
let him enter his service.

OK, I forgot to copy the completed reflection, so only sent out the
Holy Rule quote. Thanks to Mary Hazllett for tipping me off! Here's
the whole thing. JL


+PAX

A most blessed feast of All Benedictine Saints to all!

Please support a good friend and brother, D., with your prayers. He
is suffering from a bad bout of depression, something I am sure many
of us can understand all too well. NRN.   -JL

March 14, July 14, November 13
Chapter 35: On the Weekly Servers in the Kitchen
An hour before the meal
let the weekly servers each receive a drink and some bread
over and above the appointed allowance,
in order that at the meal time they may serve their brethren
without murmuring and without excessive fatigue.
On solemn days, however, let them wait until after Mass.


Immediately after the Morning Office on Sunday,
the incoming and outgoing servers
shall prostrate themselves before all the brethren in the oratory
and ask their prayers.
Let the server who is ending his week say this verse:
"Blessed are You, O Lord God,
who have helped me and consoled me."
When this has been said three times
and the outgoing server has received his blessing,
then let the incoming server follow and say,
"Incline unto my aid, O God;
O Lord, make haste to help me."
Let this also be repeated three times by all,
and having received his blessing
let him enter his service.

REFLECTION

An ancient monastic practice, still practiced in the Eastern Churches
to a much greater extent than in the Western one, was to do nothing
without a blessing from one's elder. Nothing. One can easily imagine
that the practice may have worn some abbas and ammas out at times,
but it did more or less perdure.

In the West, the practice evolved more into getting permission than
getting a blessing. Vestigial traces of the blessing roots can be
found in these blessings of servers and readers each week and also in
the custom, abandoned now in many places, but lasting until the later
20th century, of getting a blessing from one's superior before
leaving the monastic grounds and upon returning.

I can't help but point out that the Western evolution was altogether
unpredictable. Isn't it sad that, of the two Sisters, the West, which
has always been more into law than her sibling, should move away from
blessing to a more legalist approach. Sigh... It really would be nice
to see the day when the Church really DOES breathe, fully breathe
with both lungs, with each truly informing (and FORMING!) the other.
BOTH East and West have much to learn from each other and the sad
truth is that in the rank and file of both Churches, considerable
ignorance about their sister obtains.

There's an important message in this idea of blessings, one which
goes beyond monastery walls and embraces us all. Stop and think, if
it is a good idea to get blessed for a no-brainer like waiting table,
why should any of us risk making the great decisions of our spiritual
lives alone, unaided? Not every tradition has Confession, but some
sort of resource or direction is necessary to us all. A good
director, even a solid friend who shares one's spiritual search can
often be a reality check that saves us from a lot of self-harm.



Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB    jeromeleo@...       St. Mary's    Petersham,

PAX

A blessed feast of All Souls OSB to all! Whatever your Church's
feelings about prayers for the dead, this is the day when we remember
all the courageous monastics in history who have gone before us. What
a family of richness and tradition and HUMANITY we truly have!!
Granted, for those who do believe in prayer for the departed, a lot
of that should be going on, but for those who do not, well, think of
it as a kind of supernatural Veterans' Day! We owe deep thanks to all
who kept the Order alive and thriving through 15 centuries or so.
Without them, it would never have been here for us to join. We owe
our deepest thanks of all to God, Who strengthened them with His
infinite Love and Mercy!

And please say a little prayer for Dr. Jean Ronan, whose teaching
helped me write today's reflection.

JL

March 15, July 15, November 14
Chapter 36: On the Sick
Before all things and above all things,
care must be taken of the sick,
so that they will be served as if they were Christ in person;
for He Himself said, "I was sick, and you visited Me" (Matt 25:36),
and, "What you did for one of these least ones, you did for Me"
(Matt.25:40).
But let the sick on their part consider
that they are being served for the honor of God,
and let them not annoy their sisters who are serving them
by their unnecessary demands.
Yet they should be patiently borne with,
because from such as these is gained a more abundant reward.
Therefore the Abbess shall take the greatest care
that they suffer no neglect.


For these sick let there be assigned a special room
and an attendant who is God-fearing, diligent and solicitous.
Let the use of baths be afforded the sick
as often as may be expedient;
but to the healthy, and especially to the young,
let them be granted more rarely.
Moreover,
let the use of meat be granted to the sick who are very weak,
for the restoration of their strength;
but when they are convalescent,
let all abstain from meat as usual.


The Abbess shall take the greatest care
that the sick be not neglected by the cellarers or the attendants;
for she also is responsible for what is done wrongly by her disciples.

REFLECTION

Visitors quite characteristically remark on the peace of Benedictine
monasteries. They surely ought to be able to notice something very
different from the world at large, something would probably be very
wrong with the house if none could. On the other hand, no matter how
politely we may respond to those who exclaim how peaceful things are,
I'll bet that most monastic hearts- and maybe all- sinkingly
say: "Yeah, but you don't LIVE here..."

My dear theology professor, Dr. Jean Ronan, used to always say: "The
mills of God grind slowly, yet exceeding fine...." She meant that in
a karma sort of way, what goes around comes around sooner or later.
However, today's reading and life in community have taught me to see
an additional meaning. The mills of God truly DO turn very slowly.
Sometimes their windmill blades are barely stirred by a hesitant
breeze. No wonder that outsiders and first-time visitors cannot
notice them grinding the wheat!

Ah, denied the fall-into-the-ground-and-die brand of outright
martyrdom, our grains of wheat must be ground into flour, a process
of immolation no less complete, but most uncomfortably slower! (St.
Teresa of Avila said that the martyrs "bought Heaven cheaply" winning
with one swing of the axe what we must struggle on many years to
acquire.) Don't make the mistake of looking only at the beauty of the
ripe wheat swaying gently in the breeze and sunlight and the
smoothness of a sack of pre-sifted flour. Between those two comes a
LOT of the grindstone! To say nothing of the sickle at first...oh,
yeah, and that winnowing part- I almost forgot.

What on earth does all this have to do with care of the sick? Ah, you
have been patient and that is commendable. Take heart, the point of
all this is at hand.

The borders between sickness and meanness and evil are often blurred
to indistinguishable levels. One age posited demons for epilepsy, our
own sees exculpating psychological illness or impairment behind all
manner of skullduggery. We have too little time, in many cases, to
waste a lot of time with thorny and perhaps impossible diagnoses. In
charity, we are usually obliged to assume that the meanest of people
are simply not well. We do, after all, have to think the best of
people.

That can be damnably maddening. We WANT to ascribe blame when hurt or
wronged. Every flawed human nerve in our body can begin to cry: "No
quarter, no mercy!" Gee, in a flawed human way of speaking, wouldn't
it be nice if we could! But we can't, we simply cannot. If we do, we
become so unlike the mercy of Christ, the love of God, that our souls
are in very great peril. This can sabotage our spiritual struggles in
nothing flat.

Hence, the care of the sick comes very much into play with the way we
deal with those who hurt or harm us. This is a far different affair
from doormat policy. Any who have ever worked in health care could
readily attest that the sick must often be treated with a lot of less
than lovely stuff: cautery, surgery, pumps and tubes and even, yes,
at times, amputation. (I had catheterized probably hundreds of people
before I was ever catheterized myself. It was most informative. How I
wish my training had started with that procedure being done to me. I
never did it to a patient the same way again.)

Hey, all of us are nice, good people in our own eyes much of the
time. Our biggest gaffs are usually those to which we are all but
completely blind. We must realize that this is not just true of
ourselves, but of others as well. And, perhaps most difficult of all,
we must see that sometimes WE are the ones who really need to be in
the waiting room for cautery or amputation... Sigh... Ain't life and
humility grand?

Hence, whenever a relationship or person truly does require
remediation, we must behave as we would like to be treated in the
same circumstance. Compassion, love and gentle kindness, not
patronization or scorn or abrupt roughness must rule the day. Many of
us have experienced both the kind of nurse one loved and the kind
that one would gladly forget if one could! Which sort of treatment do
you wish to give?

Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB    jeromeleo@...    St. Mary's    Petersham

+PAX

Sorry this is so late today! The awful thing is that 53 really *IS*
middle-aged: too old to beg the special kindness towards children and
too young to beg the weakness of the old! Sigh... -JL

March 16, July 16, November 15
Chapter 37: On the Old and Children
Although human nature itself is drawn to special kindness
towards these times of life,
that is towards the old and children,
still the authority of the Rule should also provide for them.


Let their weakness be always taken into account,
and let them by no means be held to the rigor of the Rule
with regard to food.
On the contrary,
let a kind consideration be shown to them,
and let them eat before the regular hours.

REFLECTION

Many modern minds would find monasticism itself, including our Holy
Rule to be a harsh and inflexible thing. Sadly, many cranky,
curmudgeonly monastics who have missed the mark make those same
assumptions at times! We are not at all the heartless discipline of a
sort imagined by many.

This chapter, on the old and children, as well as in many other
places, such as the references to those who require more material
things and the care of the sick are highlights of Benedictinism's
faceted gem: personalism. St. Benedict sees persons as they are,
where they are. He meets them at many different points on the road to
monastic life, even within the monastery itself. He urges us to do
the same. He also calls all whom he meets at all of those
points "beginners", lest any of us become proud or think ourselves
better than the weak lamb he goes after.

The Holy Rule bends and twists and stoops to make many allowances for
many different sorts of weakness. In doing so, it clearly shows the
loving father's heart of the man who wrote its Prologue in such
tender terms.



Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB    jeromeleo@...    St. Mary's    Petersham, MA

+PAX

March 18, July 18, November 17
Chapter 39: On the Measure of Food
We think it sufficient for the daily dinner,
whether at the sixth or the ninth hour,
that every table have two cooked dishes
on account of individual infirmities,
so that he who for some reason cannot eat of the one
may make his meal of the other
Therefore let two cooked dishes suffice for all the brethren;
and if any fruit or fresh vegetables are available,
let a third dish be added.


Let a good pound weight of bread suffice for the day,
whether there be only one meal or both dinner and supper.
If they are to have supper,
the cellarer shall reserve a third of that pound,
to be given them at supper.


But if it happens that the work was heavier,
it shall lie within the Abbot's discretion and power,
should it be expedient,
to add something to the fare.
Above all things, however,
over-indulgence must be avoided
and a monk must never be overtaken by indigestion;
for there is nothing so opposed to the Christian character
as over-indulgence
according to Our Lord's words,
"See to it that your hearts be not burdened
with over-indulgence" (Luke 21:34).


Young boys
shall not receive the same amount of food as their elders,
but less;
and frugality shall be observed in all circumstances.


Except the sick who are very weak,
let all abstain entirely
from eating the flesh of four-footed animals.

REFLECTION

I beg the forgiveness of those living outside those U.S. who receive
this for dwelling on the dietary habits of my own country, but I
think there is a message for all of us, to one degree or another
therein. If nothing else, Americans can often serve as a very good
negative example to those of other lands and cultures, sadly, in more
than just food!

Obesity and consumerism can go hand in hand, because they are
different expressions of the same lie: you CAN get enough and it WILL
make you happy. Things will fulfill you. Food is a thing. Whoops!
Small wonder than a nation like my own that tops the charts in
consumption is also right up there in terms of a populace being
overweight.

In the U.S. our attitudes to food are so badly skewed by consumerist
culture that we are truly very spoiled. What most people would see as
the simple addition of moderation to the menu we might view as a
terrible fast of deprivation. We are the people who chant that "Too
much is plenty." Well, it isn't. Too much of anything, food, or stuff
or sex or free will is bad for one: that is the Benedictine message
of moderation.

Let me give my American comrades one or two simple suggestions. If
you live in another land and have already been doing these things,
indulge me. The bulk of the 800 or so people receiving this live in
the States. For starters, try only water with meals. What?!?
Unthinkable! I need a Coke! Hey, water hydrates you (hence the term!)
better than anything else and it certainly cuts your caloric intake.
Most of us do NOT drink enough water. Start trying.

What about fat and cholesterol and fiber? I know, I know... Hey, look
at how we can be all over the place to recycle and save the planet
while cavalierly damaging our bodies, the ecosystems which are, after
all, closest to us! Try, really try to do more of what is better for
you. Face it, no matter what else is important, your care of yourself
is likely to be more closely monitored by God than your concern over
wetlands or whales... I often think that so much of the noble efforts
in the direction of non-human, even non-animal life are displacement
activities, at least partially in compensation for the dreadful job
we do with our own bodies.

Look, change is hard. Why do you think so many people find the Holy
Rule harsh or mean? It is not; it is moderate and gentle and
considerate of individual needs, even in this chapter. People find it
mean because change is hard, and the Rule DOES insist on change. It
does so because St. Benedict knew it was necessary to travel on the
road to God we have chosen. However, please remember that even change
must be moderate and gradual. Try to start eating fat-free sawdust
and nothing but tomorrow and you are quite likely to be discouraged,
overwhelmed and fall out of the fight. That, alas, is just what Satan
wants. Discouragement is usually her strongest weapon!

Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB    jeromeleo@...    St. Mary's    Petersham, MA

+PAX

March 17, July 17, November 16
Chapter 38: On the Weekly Reader
The meals of the sisters should not be without reading.
Nor should the reader be
anyone who happens to take up the book;
but there should be a reader for the whole week,
entering that office on Sunday.
Let this incoming reader,
after Mass and Communion,
ask all to pray for her
that God may keep her from the spirit of pride
And let her intone the following verse,
which shall be said three times by all in the oratory:
"O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall declare Your praise."
Then, having received a blessing,
let her enter on the reading.


And let absolute silence be kept at table,
so that no whispering may be heard
nor any voice except the reader's.
As to the things they need while they eat and drink,
let the sisters pass them to one another
so that no one need ask for anything.
If anything is needed, however,
let it be asked for by means of some audible sign
rather than by speech.
Nor shall anyone at table presume to ask questions
about the reading or anything else,
lest that give occasion for talking;
except that the Superior may perhaps wish
to say something briefly for the purpose of edification.


The sister who is reader for the week
shall take a little ablution before she begins to read,
on account of the Holy Communion
and lest perhaps the fast be hard for her to bear.
She shall take her meal afterwards
with the kitchen and table servers of the week.


The sisters are not to read or chant in order,
but only those who edify their hearers.

REFLECTION

Father Bede and I are rather closely tied for the title of Bad Boy of
the Refectory. Between us, we account for most of the knowing looks,
jests and non-verbal signals during silent meals. If they don't break
silence, they at least stretch it at times. I imagine there are some
who wish we'd stop at times, but I think I know the reason Father
Anselm, our superior, lets our antics continue. There is a lot of
healthy love in playfulness.

Some people, and I think especially some men, express affection by
jest, by teasing. In fact, for some, that is the only way around
their discomfort at expressing affectionate feelings! I personally
love to be teased. It is a sign that I am loved, that I matter. Since
it means so much to me, I often tease others, a projection of my own
esteem for the activity that, alas, is not always shared!

Silence in the refectory began with a rather close comparison to
silence in Church: one fed the body, the other the soul. In some
Athonite and Russian monasteries today there is still the tradition
of a "trapeza" (Greek for "table",) Church, that is, one room serves
both purposes. Of course, in the West, we moved completely away from
that architectural tradition, so silence in the ref, though
important, is not as sacrosanct as that of the choir!

This isn't working out to be much of a reflection per se, but just a
glimpse into the humanness of monastic life. Sometimes the matter
being read is sufficiently boring to make one chew with incredible
speed. (This is as Catch 22, however. The faster one eats, the more
days it will take to finish the gem at hand....) When we were
recently reading a document on consecrated life rich with Vaticanese,
a bureaucratic jargon that could induce sleep faster than any
narcotic known to science, there were ample opportunities for Fr.
Bede and I to enjoy a bit of comic relief.

At one pithy phrase about the crosses and burdens of life religious
must be bear, I made a stage glance of sympathetic patronization to
Br. Bernard on my left and knowingly patted his arm.... There are
moments of  love and laughter, even in silence! You may be certain
that Father Bede, who heard the line as well as I did but wasn't
sitting close enough to make use of it, was watching and cracked up.

Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB    jeromeleo@...    St. Mary's    Petersham, MA

+PAX

March 19, July 19, November 18
Chapter 40: On the Measure of Drink
"Everyone has her own gift from God,
one in this way and another in that" (1 Cor. 7:7).
It is therefore with some misgiving
that we regulate the measure of others' sustenance.
Nevertheless, keeping in view the needs of the weak,
we believe that a hemina of wine a day is sufficient for each.
But those to whom God gives the strength to abstain
should know that they will receive a special reward.


If the circumstances of the place,
or the work
or the heat of summer
require a greater measure,
the superior shall use her judgment in the matter,
taking care always
that there be no occasion for surfeit or drunkenness.
We read
it is true,
that wine is by no means a drink for monastics;
but since the monastics of our day cannot be persuaded of this
let us at least agree to drink sparingly and not to satiety,
because "wine makes even the wise fall away" (Eccles. 19:2).


But where the circumstances of the place are such
that not even the measure prescribed above can be supplied,
but much less or none at all,
let those who live there bless God and not murmur.
Above all things do we give this admonition,
that they abstain from murmuring.

REFLECTION

"Above all...abstain from murmuring." The murmuring here (and
everywhere it is mentioned in the Holy Rule,) is mean-spirited
griping about people or conditions. Never for an instant think that
Benedictine standards require one to be blind to real problems.
Abbots can be removed and have been. The process is neither simple
nor a great deal of fun, but it has been done. Real evils ought to be
addressed and usually are.

It's hard to write about this, because a certain unwritten law (well,
written in the hearts of monastics!) governs what is and isn't
murmuring. It's an intuitive sort of principle that one learns by
living among and observing other monastics. All I can say is that the
Benedictines I have known and know today do NOT blindly accept BS at
any price. There are healthy levels of opposition and resistance in a
healthy community, but their boundaries most not be violated. In
fact, any superior or community which mercilessly destroys ALL
disagreement or opposition is in serious danger. Part of community's
efficacy is that vastly different people live together in peace.

Maybe peace is the key to assessing a lot of murmuring. The meanest,
most hateful monk I ever knew- now dead and buried some years in the
Florida hills- had a life of nearly non-stop murmuring. Everything
was wrong, everyone was wrong and he reported such things with an eye
to harm. I heard another monk refer to this guy as "diabolical" and
that was not an adjective he used lightly.

Virtually nothing and no one at all measured up to Br. X's standards.
He was hell to live with and I feared him when I was a novice. But
there is the catch: he was hell to live with, even for himself. His
self-hatred was masked by murmuring, by putting forth to the world
high standards which he himself could in no way match and frankly,
didn't. He was filled with anger and pain and sought to make the
world around him match. What a convoluted mess!

Listen up, m'dears, I cannot know what another's pain is or how they
should seek help for it, but I do know that the Benedictine way is
NOT to pass that on and not to stand idly by and watch another do so.
Horrible to say, it took me years to get over Br. X's meanness. When
I came here it  took me years to learn that I no longer had to cover
my flanks or look over my shoulder: no one here is mean, nor would we
accept someone who was.

Poor Br. X, I often pray for his tortured soul. However, it was not
his fault alone. There was an Abbot who listened, there were monks
who did, too. A united refusal to listen to such crap might have
helped him, or it might have actually driven him out, but in fact
that didn't happen until far, far too late. We all bear a two-sided
obligation to mean murmuring: don't start it, and don't listen to it.
Venom doesn't have any effect if it doesn't get in the bloodstream.
See to it that you never help it on it's way.



Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB    jeromeleo@...    St. Mary's    Petersham, MA

+PAX

March 20, July 20, November 19
Chapter 41: At What Hours the Meals Should Be Taken
From holy Easter until Pentecost
let the brothers take dinner at the sixth hour
and supper in the evening.


From Pentecost throughout the summer,
unless the monks have work in the fields
let them fast on Wednesdays and Fridays until the ninth hour;
on the other days let them dine at the sixth hour.
This dinner at the sixth hour shall be the daily schedule
if they have work in the fields
or the heat of summer is extreme;
the Abbot's foresight shall decide on this.


Thus it is that he should adapt and arrange everything
in such a way that souls may be saved
and that the brethren may do their work
without just cause for murmuring.


From the Ides of September until the beginning of Lent
let them always take their dinner at the ninth hour.


In Lent until Easter let them dine in the evening.
But this evening hour shall be so determined
that they will not need the light of a lamp while eating,
Indeed at all seasons
let the hour, whether for supper or for dinner, be so arranged
that everything will be done by daylight.

REFLECTION

Don't get caught up on times here. That's not the hook and it's not
the point. It can also lead you down a primrose path to
ineffectiveness and that's what (forgive me my recurrent inclusion!)
the Mother of Lies wants to happen. Just yesterday I read on
Oblateforum a story of a woman's very successful Lenten fast leading
to a 28 pound weight loss and a desire she felt was out of line for
new clothes and hairstyle! Just about anything can be turned around
to evil by the Evil One, but EVERYTHING can be turned to good by God.
Be sure to choose the right One in that equation!

Here's the central point of this chapter: "...[the Abbot] should
adapt and arrange everything in such a way that souls may be saved."
That is a tremendous responsibility and it is also tremendously
subjective. Each Abbot, each parent, each boss and teacher, any
Benedictine in charge or anything must order things so "that souls
may be saved."

That means all things (well, after all, the Holy Rule DOES
say "everything",) in our control must be ordered towards the end
that Peter Maurin, co-founder of Catholic Worker, ascribed to society
itself, the task of "making it easier for people to be good." That
means no chop-busting for the sake of chop-busting, no power trips or
ego trips or control issues that have nothing to do with helping
people become holy. Not only must we remove obstacles to holiness for
those around us and in our care, we must actually provide aids to
sanctity in their environment. Now that is a very tall order!

Within that tall order, however, lies one more secret and key to
Benedictine peace. Peace is no accident, nor is it a void or vacuum
from which conflict is merely absent. Peace is the active presence of
justice and holiness and truth and love  to an unusual degree.
Promote those values and peace is the unavoidable result.

Like so much in our Rule, peace is a lot of hard work and a very
delicate balance. Ah, but is it ever worth the effort! Our work must
be to let heaven begin at least partially in THIS life for all.



Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB

jeromeleo@...    St. Mary's Monastery    Petersham, MA

+PAX

March 21, July 21, November 20
Chapter 42: That No One Speak After Compline

Monastics ought to be zealous for silence at all times,
but especially during the hours of the night.
For every season, therefore,
whether there be fasting or two meals,
let the program be as follows:


If it be a season when there are two meals,
then as soon as they have risen from supper
they shall all sit together,
and one of them shall read the Conferences
or the Lives of the Fathers
or something else that may edify the hearers;
not the Heptateuch or the Books of Kings, however,
because it will not be expedient for weak minds
to hear those parts of Scripture at that hour;
but they shall be read at other times.


If it be a day of fast,
then having allowed a short interval after Vespers
they shall proceed at once to the reading of the Conferences,
as prescribed above;
four or five pages being read, or as much as time permits,
so that during the delay provided by this reading
all may come together,
including those who may have been occupied
in some work assigned them.


When all, therefore, are gathered together,
let them say Compline;
and when they come out from Compline,
no one shall be allowed to say anything from that time on.
And if anyone should be found evading this rule of silence,
let her undergo severe punishment.
An exception shall be made
if the need of speaking to guests should arise
or if the Abbess should give someone an order.
But even this should be done with the utmost gravity
and the most becoming restraint.

REFLECTION

Silence is sometimes viewed as a penance or deprivation by those new
to monastic life. Worse still, it can even seem depressed or
introverted, because silence, in our chatty culture, is often equated
with unhealthy withdrawal or even with contempt.

Monastic silence is nothing negative and, actually, not very passive,
either. It is an active opening of the ears and of the heart, a
listening for things which the drone of modern life and the noise of
our own mouths can readily obscure. Monastic silence is the hushed
and breathless quiet of the Lover, not the lonely isolation of the
curmudgeon!

As monastic life blossoms- and this is a subjective process that
happens at different speeds for different people- one finds more and
more that silence is at the heart of the tightly wrapped bud. A word
of caution here for impatient types like me: one cannot PRY the bud
open. Those delicate petals are prone to easy tearing! (Ah, an
English pun of spelling here and it applies all too well! Yes, those
petals are prone to BOTH "teering" of weeping   and "taring" of
rips!) It opens gradually. You can thwart that chain of events by non-
cooperation, but there is little you can do to safely speed it up.

Put another way, the monastic heart grows more and more to love
silence, to love solitude for the best reasons. Oblates here must be
very careful. One's first vocation is one's spouse and children. The
demands of everyday life must be respected as one's primary vocation
and that can make chiseling out a niche of silent time or solitude
well-nigh impossible. That is a cross we are asked to bear. God knew
from all eternity where He would place our monastic hearts, in what
environment they would grow. We must assume quite safely that god
does, after all, know what He is doing!

Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB    jeromeleo@...

St. Mary's Monastery    Petersham, MA

+PAX

A blessed feast of the Presentation of Mary in the Temple to all!
Traditionally, this feast is very dear to Oblates, so lets us all
pray today for each other, regardless of whether or not we agree on
the Marian details. The central concept is Mary's being offered to
God, just as we were at our Oblation. Hence, the favor this feast
enjoys in some Churches, because it is looked upon as the time when
Mary "made her Oblation", so to speak. Bless us all!

Please pray for C., terminal with cancer and most of his family does
not know yet. Also for Mark, a young husband and father who died
unexpectedly after a simple surgery, and for his family. Please also
pray for the eternal rest of Pedro. Thanks so much!  JL

March 22, July 22, November 21
Chapter 43: On Those Who Come Late to the Work of God or to Table

At the hour for the Divine Office,
as soon as the signal is heard,
let them abandon whatever they may have in hand
and hasten with the greatest speed,
yet with seriousness, so that there is no excuse for levity.
Let nothing, therefore, be put before the Work of God.


If at the Night Office
anyone arrives after the "Glory be to the Father" of Psalm 94 --
which Psalm for this reason we wish to be said
very slowly and protractedly --
let him not stand in his usual place in the choir;
but let him stand last of all,
or in a place set aside by the Abbot for such negligent ones
in order that they may be seen by him and by all.
He shall remain there until the Work of God has been completed,
and then do penance by a public satisfaction.
the reason why we have judged it fitting
for them so stand in the last place or in a place apart
is that,
being seen by all,
they may amend for very shame.
For if they remain outside of the oratory,
there will perhaps be someone who will go back to bed and sleep
or at least seat himself outside and indulge in idle talk,
and thus an occasion will be provided for the evil one.
But let them go inside,
that they many not lose the whole Office,
and may amend for the future.


At the day Hours
anyone who does not arrive at the Work of God
until after the verse
and the "Glory be to the Father" for the first Psalm following it
shall stand in the last place,
according to our ruling above.
Nor shall he presume to join the choir in their chanting
until he has made satisfaction,
unless the Abbot should pardon him and give him permission;
but even then the offender must make satisfaction for his fault.

REFLECTION

Interestingly, a dear friend who is a principal of a grade school has
been writing me about the pros and cons of punishing lateness. It has
been a sincere exchange, and now St. Benedict weighs in with a
chapter on that very matter.

First, an aside. The signal to get moving, whatever it may be, is
usually a bell or something like it. Our modern age looks at any
request or command we don't like as a time to start negotiations, not
to obey. We may euphemize this with terms like "dialogue" but the
bottom line is finding a graceful way to say either "Hell, NO!" or
considerably less than "Yes!" or "OK, fine!" Bells, however, are
inexorable and there is no point in arguing with them. Their stoic
silence will win every time! It is worth remembering that, in the old
days, the bell was known as the "vox Dei," the voice of God.

As usual, there is a gem buried here that gets lost in the wash of
being late or being on time or kneeling out or not. That treasure
is: "Let nothing, therefore,  be put before the Work of God." (Older
translations had: "let nothing be preferred to the Work of God." This
has usually been cited, quite rightly, a a basis for the centrality
of liturgy in Benedictine life, but that is an incomplete view, one
which leaves riches beyond telling unmined.The full sense of this
goes well beyond liturgy.

For the monastic, EVERYTHING is in some way the work of God. ALL of
God's will for us becomes a priority. That's what our commitment
means. Monastic struggle sacralizes every jot and tittle. In one
sense, there is no small stuff anymore. (That can be a trap for the
scrupulous if over-applied, so watch out, folks!) The distinction
between sacred and profane is all but obliterated. Our life is of a
whole, and that holistic life is most often informed of God's wishes
for us by obedience.

That can require tremendous faith and trust in God, but God does
reward such trust richly beyond our dreams. It is often best if one
starts out as a novice with a real goofus for a novicemaster. This is
helpful in several ways. For one thing, if you start out with a great
novicemaster and encounter your first loser in mid-life, it can be a
terrible crisis. For another, when one looks back, one can see
clearly (as hindsight so often does!) that ALL our treasure comes in
earthen vessels, that even a less than optimal individual can often
be a pipeline through which God's will flows unimpeded.

Contemporary attempts by some to reduce all Benedictine obedience to
a process of  dialogue or negotiation, or to make it a communal
affair or a consensual one are terribly far off the mark. The textual
evidence of the Holy Rule, as well as historical and traditional
evidence simply do not support such claims. The Rule speaks of
dialogue only when one is commanded to do the impossible, and even
then, if the superior insists, one must trust and obey. Tough saying,
but obedience works best when it isn't a lot of fun... Consider
the "merit" gained when I smile over an open carton of ice cream,
heaping it into a bowl and say: "My doctor absolutely INSISTS that
these meds be taken with food!"

But back to priorities. Surely the Office comes first before lesser
obediences. Being late because one finished something that could wait
is a poor excuse, because it shows what is valued most- one's own
will. On the other hand, when I was a teenager, my life was hell. I
LOVED the Catholic high school I went to with deep gratitude, but
there were many, many days when my emotional energy was so completely
expended on just hanging on that there was nothing else I COULD put
first. Showing up at all took all my energy, never mind early or
late. It surely wasn't that I DIDN'T care, it was that I couldn't, I
honestly had nothing left to care with. At times like this, it takes
a careful and loving eye to perceptively see what's really going on
before dumping punishment on one.

Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB

jeromele@...    St. Mary's Monastery    Petersham, MA

+PAX

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Gerald Schneck, uncle of
our Father Gregory, who died Nov. 20. Thanks so much!
JL

March 23, July 23, November 22
Chapter 43: On Those Who Come Late to the Work of God or to Table
Anyone who does not come to table before the verse,
so that all together may say the verse and the oration
and all sit down to table at the same time --
anyone who
through his own carelessness or bad habit
does not come on time
shall be corrected for this up to the second time.
If then he does not amend,
he shall not be allowed to share in the common table,
but shall be separated from the company of all
and made to eat alone,
and his portion of wine shall be taken away from him,
until he has made satisfaction and has amended.
And let him suffer a like penalty who is not present
at the verse said after the meal.

REFLECTION

OK, before we all get hopelessly mired in the belief that St.
Benedict is REALLY mired in punctuality issues, let's try a parable
reality check. What if every bus (or train or plane or subway,)
waited for the latecomer to arrive? For starters, the schedule of
everyone sitting helpless on that mode of transported would be
disrupted. Everyone would be late, every single one. Some would miss
work, others a wedding, others still a connection with friends to
leave on vacation. If all public transport followed such a program,
our whole world would be a chaotic mess of very unhappy campers in
nothing flat.

Benedictine communities do things together. Usually, that means that
a late arrival at a meal keeps everyone sitting there when already
finished, waiting for the tardy one to eat. (Occasionally a superior
will intervene and end the meal more or less on time, but often that
is not the case. Everybody waits.) This lengthening of the meal then
throws the whole schedule off. The Office cannot suffer, it's times
are inexorable, so what usually gets clipped is free time, recreation
or work. Rob people of these on a regular basis and they can get very
annoyed!

Lateness which is unavoidable is just that, unavoidable. That's a
time when the meal ought to be prolonged, when the others ought to
witness that we "bear one another's burdens" and so fulfill the law
of Christ. However, chronic unnecessary lateness is often a sign of
lack of consideration, lack of care for others, maybe even of lack of
respect. Brother X is my brother. I am responsible for a large chunk
of his communal life. If I say that doesn't matter and stroll into
dinner whenever I feel like it, something is terribly wrong with me.
I need to have my skewed vision and values corrected. That's what
this is all about: loving one another rightly.

Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB

jeromeleo@...    St. Mary's    Petersham, MA

+PAX

Prayers, please, for Maura and a friend of hers. The man's son killed
himself a few months ago, now his wife has killed herself. What a
load of sorrow! Also for infant Luke, failing to thrive and for the
repose of the soul of Doc Harris. Thanks so much!   JL

March 24, July 24, November 23
Chapter 44: How the Excommunicated Are to Make Satisfaction

One who for serious faults is excommunicated
from oratory and table
shall make satisfaction as follows.
At the hour when the celebration of the Work of God is concluded
in the oratory,
let her lie prostrate before the door of the oratory,
saying nothing, but only lying prone with her face to the ground
at the feet of all as they come out of the oratory.
And let her continue to do this
until the Abbess judges that satisfaction has been made.
Then, when she has come at the Abbess's bidding,
let her cast herself first at the Abbess's feet
and then at the feet of all,
that they may pray for her.

And next, if the Abbess so orders,
let her be received into the choir,
to the place which the Abbess appoints,
but with the provision that she shall not presume
to intone Psalm or lesson or anything else in the oratory
without a further order from the Abbess.

Moreover, at every Hour,
when the Work of God is ended,
let her cast herself on the ground in the place where she stands.
And let her continue to satisfy in this way
until the Abbess again orders her finally to cease
from this satisfaction.

But those who for slight faults are excommunicated
only from table
shall make satisfaction in the oratory,
and continue in it till an order from the Abbess,
until she blesses them and says, "It is enough."

REFLECTION

No matter how we came by it, one nasty little of baggage that a lot
of us carry is the inability to say: "It is enough." For some of us,
forgiving ourselves or believing we have been forgiven or even
sensing that we have made all the reparation possible or necessary is
completely impossible.

There is great blessing for such people to have an Abbot. Even there,
tremendous trust and obedience are required, because the Evil One
would very much prefer that our upset and lack of faith continue! An
Abbot can put and end to many matters, if only we allow that to
happen. Abbots can offer resolution to many situations and the Holy
Rule confirms them in this power again and again. The buck really
stops there!

If we let it stop there.... That can be so hard. However, even though
most of us reading this do NOT live with Abbots, we all live with
God, with Christ. He and He alone is in charge of our forgiveness, of
the extent of our reparation or penance. He knows all too well the
extremes of self-damage we can go to without His intervention and He
does intervene, if only we have the faith to allow Him, to listen and
believe.

I am finding lately, much to the relief of my obsessive/compulsive
heart and soul, that I really can achieve vastly greater amounts of
inner serenity and peace by putting an affair in my superior's hands
and accepting his judgement. There is they key to the value of this:
inner peace and serenity. We can get nowhere without those passports.
Anything which increases their strength is a chance we ought never to
miss!

The divine mercy of God is His greatest attribute, linked inseparably
to His love. We could never for an instant imagine the full extent of
that mercy's grandeur. We do Christ a terrible disservice and
discourtesy when we refuse to believe that His riches are for us,
that only others can be forgiven, but we must struggle on and "save
ourselves" with Pelagian bootstraps firmly in hand! What a sneaky
inverse pride there is in such feelings: I am so special (even
specially wicked!) that I cannot be like the rest of them!

Mercy, mercy and always mercy! If you do not have a superior to live
with, please learn to accept that mercy from God. If you do have a
superior, learn to accept God's mercy through that channel. If you
*ARE* a superior or parent or teacher, strive to be that channel.
Mercy, mercy, always mercy!

Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB

jeromeleo@...    St. Mary's Monastery    Petersham, MA

+PAX

Please pray for Drew and his Mom. It is his birthday and Drew is in
prison, struggling hard to turn his life around. Thanks so much! -JL

March 25, July 25, November 24
Chapter 45: On Those Who Make Mistakes in the Oratory

When anyone has made a mistake
while reciting a Psalm, a responsory,
an antiphon or a lesson,
if he does not humble himself there before all
by making a satisfaction,
let him undergo a greater punishment
because he would not correct by humility
what he did wrong through carelessness.

But boys for such faults shall be whipped.

REFLECTION

OK, another little slice of monastery life here! Brother Isidore is
Canadian, and runs very true to the stereotypical Canadian politeness
and reticence we Statesiders often tease him about. Brother joins in
this fun with a lot of good humour. (Please not Canadian spelling
preference there, a token offering!) One of his favorite lines of
jest is: "I'm sorry, it was my fault." This is best repeated while
striking his breast, after a glaringly obvious gaff by the OTHER
party, and all enjoy a laugh.

We follow the custom of kneeling in choir when one makes an audible
mistake here. Brother Isidore sits in my row. On more than one
waggish occasion, I have been known to comment that, if one wants to
have a little fun in choir, all one needs to do is make a mistake,
act like nothing happened, and wait for the Canadian to kneel. Oh,
well, it's a joke we all like- even Brother Isidore!

In winter time, when cough drops appear in choir stalls like a
seasonal rubric, I have also been known to place several crumpled
wrappers in Brother Isidore's choir stall while he was up singing in
the schola. For those who don't know, littering is *THE* original sin
in Canada. Ever hear people comment how much cleaner the Canadian
side of Niagara is? It's no joke. Brother always rewards me by
recoiling with suitable horror when he returns to his place and find
the offensive American litter!

The kneeling is just a way to say "I'm sorry" to the group. It also
has some (though by no means a total,) deterrent effect. Many are the
days when I kneel for the third time in one Office hour and just
think: "Why don't I just STAY on my knees for the duration?" It can
be funny, too. Hear a big gaff and watch 2/3 of a row kneel after the
verse is finished. On the other hand, I often- though not always,
alas- try not to look at who kneels. I can assure you, from the many
times I kneel myself, I find merit in the practice every time.
Honestly and truthfully admitting gaffs can be a source of great
growth.

And there's the key for all of us who are NOT in choir. Admit your
mistakes, own up, apologize. These common courtesies are very Christ-
like and are very, very rare in our world today. Modern people can
have such a distorted view of their own impeccability. When we admit
ours, we throw a compelling image of Christ into that secular morass.
It may be just throwing bread on the waters, but we never know whom
our truthful admissions may touch and lead to God.



Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB

jeromeleo@...    St. Mary's Monastery     Petersham, MA

+PAX

Prayers, please, for Elizabeth Bell, our newest Oblate novice at
Petersham. Thanks so much! JL

March 26, July 26, November 25

Chapter 46: On Those Who Fail in Any Other Matters

When anyone is engaged in any sort of work,
whether in the kitchen, in the cellar, in a shop,
in the bakery, in the garden, while working at some craft,
or in any other place,
and she commits some fault,
or breaks something, or loses something,
or transgresses in any other way whatsoever,
if she does not come immediately
before the Abbess and the community
of her own accord
to make satisfaction and confess her fault,
then when it becomes known through another,
let her be subjected to a more severe correction.

But if the sin-sickness of the soul is a hidden one,
let her reveal it only to the Abbess or to a spiritual mother,
who knows how to cure her own and others' wounds
without exposing them and making them public.

REFLECTION

Even though the Holy Rule reminds us elsewhere that God and His
angels "see us in every place," that can be easy to forget. One of
the dumbest human fallacies is to think one acts in private, unseen.
We never do, but thinking that we do can lead to an even greater
fallacy of thinking "I got away with it!"

Sorry, folks, we don't. We get away with nothing. God always sees and
this chapter invites us to behave as if we really believed that, it
shakes us to awareness that we OUGHT to believe that and act
accordingly. AA's maxim, "You are not alone," holds even more true
for us: we are NEVER alone. Never. It's just that we forget He's
around most of the time. Hence, some of this chapter's focus is to
help us remind ourselves He's around at least more than we ordinarily
are aware of that.

Being absolutely always and everywhere conscious of the presence of
God is not possible to human efforts alone. It is a special grace
which God gives, formerly known as "infused contemplation." So don't
get compulsive or obsessive and decide you're going to be perpetually
aware of His presence by your own hard work. You aren't. None of us
are. But you CAN get a lot better at it, and He will help any soul
that seeks Him.

As an aside, I have been privileged to know an individual who does
enjoy that infused grace of always being conscious of God's presence.
I think it is a fetching humility that this person assumed EVERYONE
had that, that it was nothing special. It continued for a long time
before a savvy confessor realized what was going on and pointed out
that the rest of us were not so blessed. Fortunately, this deepened
the humility of the soul in question, and does to this day.

OK, so we have to stop thinking we get away with stuff, but we also
have to be aware that often we ARE completely unobserved by any human
agents. There are things we do that remain utterly secret and hidden
in the human sense of the word. Exposing these wounds for treatment
is both very important and something which must be done with
discretion. Wisely, St. Benedict says you ought not to spill your
beans to just anyone. Even more wisely, he realizes that sometimes
the Abbess will not be the best candidate for such disclosure and
leaves the road open to other spiritual companions or directors.

Some one HAS to know. Otherwise your hidden guilt will eat you alive
like a cancer. On the other hand, be very careful WHO knows. That can
make all the difference in the world!

Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB

jeromeleo@...    St. Mary's Monastery    Petersham, MA

+PAX

Prayers, please for several premature babies and their parents.
Andrew and Madelein were born prematurely, both baptized. Andrew has
died and Madeleine struggles under two pounds in NICU. Also, for
Ethan, premature and diagnosed legally blind and for Kelly and James,
twins born premature. Thanks so much!  JL

March 27, July 27, November 26
Chapter 47: On Giving the Signal for the Time of the Work of God

The indicating of the hour for the Work of God
by day and by night
shall devolve upon the Abbot
either to give the signal himself
or to assign this duty to such a careful brother
that everything will take place at the proper hours.

Let the Psalms and the antiphons be intoned
by those who are appointed for it,
in their order after the Abbot.
And no one shall presume to sing or read
unless he can fulfill that office
in such a way as to edify the hearers.
Let this function be performed
with humility, gravity and reverence,
and by him whom the Abbot has appointed.

REFLECTION

Like it or not, for good or ill, the buck stops with the Abbot. This
is true of many, if not all authority figures, so if you fall into
such a group, know that when the Holy Rule speaks of the Abbot, it
speaks of any Benedictine in authority, with a charge or
responsibility, whether in the monastery or in the world.

There is a down side to the authority given here. Abbots are human.
They can make bad choices, they can listen to bad advice, they can
empower the wrong people. None of these things will, in and of
itself, absolve us from obedience, but they often have some pragmatic
use in realizing with whom (and what!) we are dealing.

I have known at least two abbots who were blind to the faults of
people they empowered to dangerous lengths. Virtually everybody else
in community knew, and, though risky, I would say that's a fairly
safe rule of thumb: all of the monks are rarely wrong about someone.
Oh, there may be the terribly occasional genuine saint who is
misunderstood, but I haven't seen one yet. Basically, when the common
opinion was that bad, there was a reason for all that smoke somewhere!

Which reminds those of us who do have authority to listen to those
who disagree. Sometimes they are very, very right and we are wrong.
Sometimes the person we think is so wonderful is not so hot to
others, has a dark side that we never see, because the individual
wishes to impress the source of empowerment. Sigh... Except for the
rare above-mentioned saint, it is uncommon for someone in a monastery
to be that disliked because they are doing wonderfully well. I'm not
saying that NEVER happens, but at least in my monastic experience,
doing a job terribly well is not usually what earns disfavor. Being a
terror, on the other hand, readily does.

If the Abbot misses the fact and enables one who IS a terror, his
flock will be overdriven in nothing flat. As Scripture suggests, they
may all die in one day and rest assured, those of them who don't will
wish they'd been able to! Monastics can endure a lot patiently, but I
have never seen such a megalomaniac's power survive into a
successor's abbacy. Interesting to note, but when the power is
removed, the vocation often vaporizes, too. Many a heavyweight honcho
has departed soon after the Abbot that enabled him has left office.
Few, if any of them, were mourned.

Which brings us to another glitch. Your charge in the monastery
cannot be your vocation. If you make it so, you will quite likely
lose when asked to choose between the two. I LIKE being guestmaster,
but I don't need to be guestmaster. Something else would be fine.
What I NEED to be is a monk. For some, sadly, the need-to-be thing is
to be in power. Tragic and very, very sad... I have never known such
an individual in monastic life of whom I was the least bit envious.
They are pathetically sad creatures.



Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB

jeromeleo@...    St. Mary's Monastery    Petersham, MA

+PAX

Prayers, please for Betty Coors on her 87th birthday and for her
husband, Bill, who has Alzheimers, for a 1 year old girl with lead
poisoning, and for Peter, Joe and Jenny, fallen away from the Church.
Thanks so much!  JL

March 28, July 28, November 27
Chapter 48: On the Daily Manual Labor

Idleness is the enemy of the soul.
Therefore the sisters should be occupied
at certain times in manual labor,
and again at fixed hours in sacred reading.
To that end
we think that the times for each may be prescribed as follows.

From Easter until the Calends of October,
when they come out from Prime in the morning
let them labor at whatever is necessary
until about the fourth hour,
and from the fourth hour until about the sixth
let them apply themselves to reading.
After the sixth hour,
having left the table,
let them rest on their beds in perfect silence;
or if anyone may perhaps want to read,
let her read to herself
in such a way as not to disturb anyone else.
Let None be said rather early,
at the middle of the eighth hour,
and let them again do what work has to be done until Vespers.

And if the circumstances of the place or their poverty
should require that they themselves
do the work of gathering the harvest,
let them not be discontented;
for then are they truly monastics
when they live by the labor of their hands,
as did our Fathers and the Apostles.
Let all things be done with moderation, however,
for the sake of the faint-hearted.

REFLECTION

Sr. Lany Jo, my dear friend in an active congregation (who is a lot
more prayerful me, the stray and loser in a contemplative one,) was
honestly shocked to learn that the Holy Rule made provision for a
daily nap or siesta. In her novitiate, also in an Italian
congregation, the name of the game was you didn't go near that bed in
the daytime unless really sick. Funny, but I was so used to the
Benedictine way that it hadn't occurred to me that it should be
otherwise elsewhere.

I offer this as further proof of St. Benedict's tenderness and
gentleness. OK, say the siesta is Italian and cultural. Fine, but
there were plenty of cultural elements he didn't let through the
monastery gate. It was a LOT hotter in Egypt and one doesn't hear the
Fathers telling people to lie down and rest, much less saying that
those who cannot sleep dare not wake those who can with their
noisiness! This is a gentle Father we have!

Surely moderation is one of the key elements woven throughout the
Holy Rule, but isn't it at least worthy of note that it is stressed
here, in the chapter on work? St. Benedict may not have had all the
handy psychobabble terms that we use today to name things, but he had
a piercingly clear perception of human nature. He knew that some
people were workaholics and that their contemplative focus would be
shattered by that. He knew some people were obsessive about trivia
that didn't matter. He knew that some people were very loving
caregivers who would turn into flaming doormats, abused by their own
kindness and inability to say "No," politely, by their doubt that
anything is ever enough.

So, he counters all that by saying: "Take a nap!" Hey, what a great
reality check! Wake up, y'all, the world has an axis already and
there is no need for you to duplicate services! St. Benedict
certainly knows that many things are important, even essential and he
is not at all shy about pointing them out. In the midst of all that,
he says: "Take a nap!" If you can't nap, he doesn't even say "pray,"
he tells the insomniac to read quietly!!

Look, we are known for our motto of work and pray, ora et labora. One
might well assume that if you couldn't be working, you ought to at
least be praying. Not so. Take a nap. Balance it out. Try pulling
your arm out of a bucket of water and see what happens. Water closes
right in, no problem. Much depends on us, but usually much less than
we are prone to pridefully think! Take a nap!

Our world around us will gladly and readily tell us that we are worth
nothing other than our productivity, our work, our profitability. St.
Benedict wants to be sure that when we come to his monastery, we see
those distorted values of human dignity for the load of crap they
really are. He wants us to work, yes, but to see work in the deep
humility of truth. A consumerist society has taught us the exact
opposite of that and we all need to patiently spend lots of time
peeling those scales from our eyes with the help of God and St.
Benedict.

Take a nap!



Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB

jeromeleo@...    St. Mary's Monastery    Petersham, MA

+PAX

Happy Thanksgiving to all. I am very grateful for all of you! JL

March 29, July 29, November 28

Chapter 48: On the Daily Manual Labor

From the Calends of October until the beginning of Lent,
let them apply themselves to reading
up to the end of the second hour.

At the second hour let Terce be said,
and then let all labor at the work assigned them until None.
At the first signal for the Hour of None
let everyone break off from her work,
and hold herself ready for the sounding of the second signal.
After the meal
let them apply themselves to their reading or to the Psalms.

On the days of Lent,
from morning until the end of the third hour
let them apply themselves to their reading,
and from then until the end of the tenth hour
let them do the work assigned them.
And in these days of Lent
they shall each receive a book from the library,
which they shall read straight through from the beginning.
These books are to be given out at the beginning of Lent.

But certainly one or two of the seniors should be deputed
to go about the monastery
at the hours when the sisters are occupied in reading
and see that there be no lazy sister
who spends her time in idleness or gossip
and does not apply herself to the reading,
so that she is not only unprofitable to herself
but also distracts others.
If such a one be found (which God forbid),
let her be corrected once and a second time;
if she does not amend,
let her undergo the punishment of the Rule
in such a way that the rest may take warning.

Moreover, one sister shall not associate with another
at inappropriate times.

REFLECTION

The Holy Rule quite rightly forbids us to associate with others at
inappropriate times. What we need to realize is that inappropriate
times can be determined by people and situations, as well as
schedules. Sometimes some things or some people make interaction on
certain levels not only inappropriate, but downright morally wrong.

When another person is insistent on pursuing exchanges that are good
for neither you nor them, it is wrong to associate with that person
until the climate significantly changes. It is disruptive of peace:
theirs, yours and those around both of you. Don't be surprised if you
have difficulty convincing the other party of this state of affairs.
People often forge full steam ahead because they are, for one reason
or another, totally blind to the mistakes and damage of doing so.
People who lack peace themselves are often relentless in their
attempts to destroy it in others. Don't let them. You need your peace
for your search for God. Pray for them and calm down.

Always remember that people in a lot of pain or hurt or anger can
espouse terribly false and dysfunctional rules of engagement (the war-
like terminology was not carelessly chosen here,) which probably seem
entirely healthy, moral and just to them. That is an illusion and
your obligation of charity in such an instance is not to feed the
illusion further. At some tragic point, the only help for one who
persistently plays unhealthy games is to refuse to play at all and
pray for them. We are morally responsible for our complicity in
further enabling such dysfunction.

For Christians and especially for monastics, relationships may never
be totally sundered. There must always be prayer, always concern,
even if it is perforce indirect, unknown and unseen by any but God.
One must always pray for the salvation of all. On the other hand,
even for us, relationships can become so terribly toxic that more
direct contact is not only unwise, but sometimes even immoral, too.
If that happens, cling to prayer. It's really all you have in such a
morass.

When a relationship is stalled in toxic stalemate, it is wrong to
continue pounding one's head against the same stone wall interminably
because of some mistaken notion by either party that charity demands
it. Charity does no such thing, neither does justice. Charity demands
the best for all and sometimes that can mean a lot of distance
bolstered by prayer. Sometimes one has to say "Enough!" Failing to do
so could be very unjust and a serious disservice to both parties.

If someone needs help that you cannot, truly cannot provide, for
heaven's sake urge them to get it, but don't go on delaying the
process by helping them expend energy on useless wheel-spinning. Pray
for them and move away. Offer to come back when you CAN be of  help,
if such a time ever arrives, but get out of the way of the paramedics
if you can't give the help necessary. You run the risk of doing much
more harm than good.

Always forgive, always pray. But sometimes one can and even must do
both without returning to business as usual. That is terribly hard
and, since people in pain can be terribly manipulative, not likely to
be made any easier for you. Tough it out, though. It is important.
Neither charity nor justice nor the Gospel nor God Himself require us
to continue to pummel a thoroughly beaten dead horse into an
unpalatable slimy, bones, teeth, hooves and all. Don't be deluded
into thinking that ever. When you have done what you could and
failed, move away, give someone else a chance, and pray with all your
heart.

Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB

jeromeleo@...    St. Mary's Monastery    Petersham, MA

+PAX

Please pray for Guy Colm, father of our Bro. Isidore, who has been
hospitalized for tests. Also, say a prayer for (or to!!) Abbot
Francis Sadlier, St. Leo's saintliest Abbot, who died on this day 40
years ago. Thanks so much! JL

March 30, July 30, November 29

Chapter 48: On the Daily Manual Labor

On Sundays, let all occupy themselves in reading,
except those who have been appointed to various duties.
But if anyone should be so negligent and shiftless
that she will not or cannot study or read,
let her be given some work to do
so that she will not be idle.

Weak or sickly sisters should be assigned a task or craft
of such a nature as to keep them from idleness
and at the same time not to overburden them or drive them away
with excessive toil.
Their weakness must be taken into consideration by the Abbess.

REFLECTION

The greatest mentor in my monastic life is Brother Patrick Creamer,
OSB, of St. Leo Abbey in Florida. I have learned more from Patrick
than I have from any other monk. He has had more influence on my life
than any man other than my father. He is still going strong at 88
years young. Say a prayer for him. My debt to him is great and much
of what I pass on to you I received from Patrick first. I have long
hoped that even in the slightest and most occasional of ways, I could
be a Patrick now and then to someone else.

Years ago, Brother Patrick told me: "Never judge yourself by others-
there will always be people who will do more than you and people who
do less." There's a very obvious corollary to that maxim: never judge
others by yourself, either! I have struggled for years to learn both.
I still have not succeeded, but I keep trying. Every time I remember
those words I am shamed at how many more times I forget them. I hope
and pray all of you are much better students of life than I am!

The Abbot is not the only one who has to see, really see weakness and
allow for it. All of us do. That's what it means to bear one
another's burdens as well as we can. If and when so-and-so finally
gets their act together, it is highly unlikely that they will be an
exact clone of someone so utterly perfect as ourselves! We can be so
self-centered that we unwittingly actually expect that to happen. If
we stop to look at how ludicrous such a thing is, we'll have to
laugh, because if we didn't, we'd cry.

God made individuals, tons of them. Their optimal state is going to
be just as individual, just as different , one from another. Hey,
that's the beauty of the mosaic, which would, after all, have all the
charm of a tiled floor if all the pieces were the same color and
boring shape...

It is not just the weakness of others we have to see. We have to see
our own, as well. How many people there are who are thinking: "When
Jerome gets his ducks in a row, he'll be just like me." Sorry, y'all.
Ain't gonna happen, no more than you all are going to wind up (God
forbid!) looking frighteningly like me. Strengths and weakness are
the only tools we have to work with. If we don't even see them, they
won't be much good.

I confess that I do not know 20% of what my computer can do. I'll
probably never know most of its ability. That's often the case with
computers, but how tragic it is if we allow that to happen with
ourselves. That's why the monastic struggle points us to even deeper
self-examination, self-knowledge and humility. Hey, a hard drive is
neither here nor there in many senses, but a human soul needs a LOT
of disk scanning and defragmentation. There'd better be a good anti-
virus program, too, as well as lots of extra memory! Fortunately,
these things cost nowhere near what software does. They were all
bought for us at a tremendous price. Just ask the Guy Who did that
and He'll give you all the free downloads you could ever need!



Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB

jeromeleo@...    St. Mary's Monastery    Petersham, MA

+PAX

March 31, July 31, November 30

Chapter 49: On the Observance of Lent

Although the life of a monk
ought to have about it at all times
the character of a Lenten observance,
yet since few have the virtue for that,
we therefore urge that during the actual days of Lent
the brethren keep their lives most pure
and at the same time wash away during these holy days
all the negligences of other times.
And this will be worthily done
if we restrain ourselves from all vices
and give ourselves up to prayer with tears,
to reading, to compunction of heart and to abstinence.

During these days, therefore,
let us increase somewhat the usual burden of our service,
as by private prayers and by abstinence in food and drink.
Thus everyone of his own will may offer God
"with joy of the Holy Spirit" (1 Thess. 1:6)
something above the measure required of him.
From his body, that is
he may withhold some food, drink, sleep, talking and jesting;
and with the joy of spiritual desire
he may look forward to holy Easter.

Let each one, however, suggest to his Abbot
what it is that he wants to offer,
and let it be done with his blessing and approval.
For anything done without the permission of the spiritual father
will be imputed to presumption and vainglory
and will merit no reward.
Therefore let everything be done with the Abbot's approval.

REFLECTION

Because we read St. Benedict's 1500 year old Holy Rule with modern
eyes, it often seems harsh. To balance our perspective, we need to
see the radical nature of the Rule when written. Face it, folks, this
was most definitely a gentler Rule for European wannabes who could
never hack it in the Egyptian desert in their wildest dreams. His
introductory paragraph points out his plan of adaptation: "...since
few have the virtue for that..." Without wishing to be politically
incorrect, our founder was most certainly writing for the Special
Olympics of monasticism and he knew it. Keeping that uppermost in our
minds can be informatively humbling.

The Desert Fathers were not interested in mitigation in the
slightest. The early message of the desert was: "Get Lent to the max
or get lost!" They went FAR beyond Lenten and they did it all year,
without a break. Any who couldn't reach that ideal were sent away as
unsuited, not called. If we look carefully at this, perhaps we can
better see that, from the outset, St. Benedict's fatherly heart was
with the underdogs, the also rans, the strays and losers that others
could not be bothered with. He must have felt at some point that
there HAD to be a way for the spiritually challenged to become
monastics. A millennium and a half later, we are still benefiting
from his attempts.

Hence, for us Benedictines, when the Evil One tempts us with her lies
like: "You could never do that! You could never be THAT holy!" our
response must be "Yeah, so what? Your point is...???" We have no clue
of how holy we can be. God alone knows that and God alone will lead
us and show us in ways we are quite unlikely to ever understand.
Whenever the demon of discouragement tells us we are far beneath this
Rule for beginners, we must shrug indifferently and move on, briefly
impressed for once with the Mother of Lies' firm grasp on the obvious.

Of *COURSE* we are beneath this Rule, beneath any of the earlier
ones. Duh?!? We're Benedictines. Our Order was founded for people
like us. That should never, ever be a cause to stop trying, to give
up or quit. On the contrary, that fact should be a heartening
confirmation that we are EXACTLY where we belong, in the best
possible remedial education program for slow learners like us, right
where God wants us.

Like a mother to a crying child, devoid of hope, who moans "But I
CAN'T, I just can't!" St. Benedict is softly saying, "Well, honey,
just do what you can and that will be OK." Get the picture? OK! Then
go out, play nice and do what you can today... Don't be surprised if
you find that God is increasing, sometimes imperceptibly, that "what
you can" little by little to heights of great holiness, which we will
achieve all but unawares and only with His help. Someday, we really
SHALL "run in the way...with hearts enlarged."

Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB

jeromeleo@...    St. Mary's Monastery    Petersham, MA

+PAX

And, liturgically speaking, HAPPY NEW YEAR! (In about 20 minutes
Eastern time, when 1st Vespers of the First Sunday of Advent begins.)

Here, in English translation, is the Creator Alme Siderum, the Advent
hymn referred to earlier by some. Enjoy! It ties so beautifully
together the twin themes of Advent: Christ's first coming as Promised
Messiah and His Second Coming in glory! Amen and Maranatha, y'all!

Love and prayers,
Jerome, OSB

Creator of the stars of night,
The faithful's everlasting Light,
O Christ, Redeemer of us all,
In mercy hear us when we call.

For, grieving that all living breath
Should perish by the law of death,
Salvation for the world You wrought
And healing to the guilty brought.

When this world's night began to fall,
As goes a bridegroom from his hall,
You came from out Your palace-room,
The Virgin Mother's stainless womb.

Before Your boundless majesty,
The whole creation bends the knee,
And things on earth, with those on high,
Beneath Your sway subjected lie.

O Holy One, to You we pray,
The ages' Judge Who comes that Day,
Protect us now from every blow
Here aimed at us by crafty foe.

To God the Father, God the Son
And God the Spirit, Three in One,
Praise, honor, power, glory be,
From age to age eternally. Amen.

+PAX

It's World AIDS day, please remember all with HIV/AIDS in prayer
today. Please also pray for Madeleine, who has lung cancer and for
her parents, Angie and Joe. Thanks so much! JL

April 1, August 1, December 1

Chapter 50: On Sisters Who are Working Far From the Oratory or Are on
a Journey

Those sisters who are working at a great distance
and cannot get to the oratory at the proper time --
the Abbess judging that such is the case --
shall perform the Work of God
in the place where they are working,
bending their knees in reverence before God.

Likewise those who have been sent on a journey
shall not let the appointed Hours pass by,
but shall say the Office by themselves as well as they can
and not neglect to render the task of their service.

REFLECTION

Look, if you think your marriage vows take a powder while you're
traveling on business, chances are a lot of people pity your spouse.
There are jobs that we do not carry with us. We are not surgeons,
welders or toll booth ticket-takers at home- at least hopefully! But
marriage is not a job, it's a vocation and so is monastic life.
Vocations stay with one everywhere, at all times and places. One is
ALWAYS a spouse, always a parent, always a monastic.

Hey, it is World AIDS Day, and there are a lot of similarities
between monasticism done right and HIV. I should know- I've been HIV+
nearly 13 years and a monk for nearly 11. For rather crass starters,
both get in your blood and if they do, there is no cure! Done right,
both are always with you. Since my diagnosis I have never awakened
groggy enough to forget I was positive. Not once. Even in my dreams,
I am always HIV+, never once have I dreamed of my current self
otherwise. I wish I could say exactly the same of monasticism, but
even there, my dreams that are not flashbacks are most usually about
Jerome, not my secular name Phil!

Writ large across my heart are the letters "HIV" and I am still
working on making "OSB" stand out in equally high relief there! At
some point, if we are lucky, we realize that our vocation really is
who we've become. My high school buddy, Sr. Lany Jo, referred to me
as Phil on the phone last night. As I often do, I jokingly reminded
her that Phil was dead- a distressing half-truth at best, since Phil
can be damnably stubborn about refusing to expire totally... Quickly,
I added, "Of course, if you want Phil, I could resurrect him with
very little trouble. Just give me a really big bottle of liquor and a
piano bar full of good-looking customers. No problem!" Lany was very
quick to assure me that she preferred the monk she Southernly refers
to as Jerry Lee, and to reassure me that, while she loved Phil, she
loves Jerry Lee much more!

Virus and vows! Honey, sometimes I wish I had neither, but I always
have both! Most of the time, I am glad of that, in very mysterious
ways, mysteriously grateful for both. In my case, at least, neither
would have been my totally free first choice, but they are undeniably
where God has placed me and both have done me a world of good, most
often through their hassles, but also through their ordinary days!
Cured of either tomorrow, I would never be the same exactly. Nothing
could completely obliterate the years that either have given me,
nothing could completely uproot their lessons in my heart.

We live in a secular society that urges us to follow our dreams.
Well, m'dears, I have swooned at the poetry in that one for more
decades than I care to admit, but it ain't always true. Why on earth
should we ascribe an infallibility to our own dreams that we are
unwilling under any but the most exceptionally extreme circumstances
to apply to anyone else? Whoops! There's a real passing chance our
dreams may be wrong, may have to be given up. I am living proof to
myself that fighting that surrender is hard as hell and just as
useless. Yes, choice often enters into whom we become, but not
always, and sometimes the things that become us are the ones we quite
pointedly have NOT chosen.

Few, if any, choose to be gay or straight, some do not choose to be
parents, some choose one spouse only to find that person changes
horrifically later on and nobody in their right mind chooses to
become HIV+. Many, many things are in some ways forced upon us, but
those things can become fully graced things of wonder, if only we let
God work. If only we would ...



Love and prayers,

Jerome Leo, OSB

jeromeleo@...    St. Mary's Monastery    Petersham, MA

+PAX

Prayers, please, for Ann Vogan, who was robbed and lost her pet,
James Hicks, stress testing after a heart attack, and Alexei,
struggling with life's tough times. Thanks so much! JL

April 2, August 2, December 2

Chapter 51: On Brethren Who Go Not Very Far Away

A Brother who is sent out on some business
and is expected to return to the monastery that same day
shall not presume to eat while he is out,
even if he is urgently requested to do so
by any person whomsoever,
unless he has permission from his Abbot.
And if he acts otherwise, let him be excommunicated.



REFLECTION



Some of us may recall childhood playmates who were not allowed to eat
at our homes or anywhere else, just at their own home. I know I do.
Our family considered her family a bit strange, a bit over the top in
caution, but one thing was very clear. They were a VERY close-knit
family. OK, I have known lots of close-knit families that were not
weird, but let's look at the positive side here.



That girl's family had a high level of what sociologists term
liminality. The term is used often  to describe Hasidic Jews and the
Old Order Amish. It is the degree of difference from the rest of the
world that is undertaken voluntarily and its effect is to heighten
the connectedness of the group in question, to strengthen bonds.



Even though he could not have named it that, maybe liminality is
something of what St. Benedict is aiming at in this chapter. Surely
we ARE meant to be communal, to be cenobitic families that are very
closely bonded to one another. Surely a meal is one way of both
stressing that bond and limiting outside competitive ones. There is
also the problem- greater in St. Benedict's day than in our own- of
the monastic dining on heaven knows what that was forbidden.



These days, far less is forbidden to us dietarily as monastics, but
there are still dangers of monastics being wined and dined and
getting far too accustomed to "only-the-best-for-me-thanks!" We are
certainly allowed to eat out, but I think that it is significant that
we are ordinarily forbidden to eat in expensive places or in people's
homes without permission. That's just our custom here. In many ways,
it is very good, too. Remember that we usually go out in our habits.
I sure don't mind being seen in Taco Bell or some family restaurant
in my habit, but I would be woefully embarrassed and ashamed to be
seen so attired in the Cafe Budapest, said to be the most expensive
restaurant in Boston. What kind of a statement would that make?



So yeah, Father Bede and I have delightedly picked clean more than a
bone or two at Redbones, the Somerville pub with the most awesome
barbecue combo to be had in metro Boston, but also yeah, it was the
$8 lunch special, not a pricey evening a la carte! And we always knew
that our first home was our own refectory. The food may not be five
star, but it is home. That's what we are called to remember in this
chapter. Our homes are sacred, whether Oblate or Abbot Primate, we
live in the houses of God. To His dwelling place, others must never
be preferred. Ask me where I'd like to eat my last meal and the
answer would be right here at home, even if our most challenged monk
were cooking that day. (Names have been omitted to protect the
guilty, but some reading this will be able to fill in the blanks!!)



Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB

jeromeleo@...    St. Mary's Monastery    Petersham, MA

+PAX

Prayers, please, for my uncle, William Coors.  I received word that
he had died last night. Prayers, especially, for his wife, Betty (my
Dad's only sister.) They were married over 50 years and just in June,
their house in NY was sold and they moved to AZ, a wrenching time for
her and now this. I really appreciate your prayers. Thanks so much!
JL

April 3, August 3, December 3

Chapter 52: On the Oratory of the Monastery

Let the oratory be what it is called, a place of prayer;
and let nothing else be done there or kept there.
When the Work of God is ended,
let all go out in perfect silence,
and let reverence for God be observed,
so that any sister who may wish to pray privately
will not be hindered by another's misconduct.
And at other times also,
if anyone should want to pray by herself,
let her go in simply and pray,
not in a loud voice but with tears and fervor of heart.
She who does not say her prayers in this way, therefore,
shall not be permitted to remain in the oratory
when the Work of God is ended,
lest another be hindered, as we have said.

REFLECTION

"...let nothing else be done there or kept there." Don't think for a
moment this refers to only furniture, storage or other activities. It
refers to our hearts, too. We must be terribly careful of what we
take into the oratory, what we carry in our hearts, because it not
only colors our prayer, but often the prayer of those around us as
well. Even half-aware people who live together for years can spot
trouble immediately. They may not know what is wrong, but they are
themselves disquieted by it. Often one never finds out what is
troubling another, so one just prays for them. But the empathy, the
sympathy that moves one to do so by observation has colored the
oratory experience ever so slightly from one of untrammeled peace.

Sometimes we honestly cannot help what we carry in our hearts. I know
that all too well. I knew it this morning especially. My uncle's
death was not the only thing going on and I could scarcely calm the
cacophonic roar of anxiety and hurt. For me, as I am sure for some
others, too, it is all but impossible to pray at such times, through
no fault of our own. I resolve to be a bit more careful to try to
empty my heart whenever I can, but I couldn't this time. Nothing
seemed clear or right. So I just said: "Look, maybe what I am
offering You really is nothing at all, maybe I shouldn't even dare.
If it is nothing, please forgive me. If it's not, please take it for
whatever it is worth." Sometimes that's the best we can do.



Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB

jeromeleo@...    St. Mary's Monastery    Petersham, MA

+PAX

Prayers please, for Antonia, a child having open heart surgery today,
for Marcus, who died at only 37 and for those who mourn him, and for
Nick and his wife, a young mother diagnosed with breast cancer.
Thanks so much! JL

April 4, August 4, December 4

Chapter 53: On the Reception of Guests

Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ,
for He is going to say,
"I came as a guest, and you received Me" (Matt. 25:35).
And to all let due honor be shown,
especially to the domestics of the faith and to pilgrims.

As soon as a guest is announced, therefore,
let the Superior or the brethren meet him
with all charitable service.
And first of all let them pray together,
and then exchange the kiss of peace.
For the kiss of peace should not be offered
until after the prayers have been said,
on account of the devil's deceptions.

In the salutation of all guests, whether arriving or departing,
let all humility be shown.
Let the head be bowed
or the whole body prostrated on the ground
in adoration of Christ, who indeed is received in their persons.

After the guests have been received and taken to prayer,
let the Superior or someone appointed by him sit with them.
Let the divine law be read before the guest for his edification,
and then let all kindness be shown him.
The Superior shall break his fast for the sake of a guest,
unless it happens to be a principal fast day
which may not be violated.
The brethren, however, shall observe the customary fasts.
Let the Abbot give the guests water for their hands;
and let both Abbot and community wash the feet of all guests.
After the washing of the feet let them say this verse:
"We have received Your mercy, O God,
in the midst of Your temple" (Ps.47:10).

In the reception of the poor and of pilgrims
the greatest care and solicitude should be shown,
because it is especially in them that Christ is received;
for as far as the rich are concerned,
the very fear which they inspire
wins respect for them.

REFLECTION

So much is written about Benedictine hospitality that I thought,
after over six years as guestmaster, I'd write about some of the
things it is NOT, since people sometimes seem confused by this. Yes,
we are told to receive all as Christ, but at the onset a salient
difference or two between Christ Himself and the guests becomes
evident. Christ was sinless, Christ was not a threat to others,
Christ was perfect in mind and body and soul.

One of the first things that happened when the care of the guesthouse
was entrusted to me was the receipt of a list of people who in no way
were ever to be accepted again. For one reason or another, the
community absolutely did not want them here again. A few- very few-
more have added themselves to that list in my time. It is useful to
note that in every case these people put either themselves or others
or both at risk for one reason or another. There were some the
monastics were downright afraid of, others whom other guests would
have feared had they only known.

One absolutely stunned into silence an entire group of retreatants of
which she was not a member by an outburst of verbally violent abuse
and belligerence that none had seen coming at all.  She really ruined
the retreat for them, destroyed everyone's peace and the peace of the
house. Everyone walked on eggs for the rest of the weekend. Sorry,
doesn't happen here twice.

Another guest used to come here on the bus immediately after
discharge from psychiatric facilities. He was a potential violence
threat and would stop taking his meds on discharge, thinking he could
come to the monastery and "get it all together." Obviously,
disastrously, what happened was quite the reverse and we finally had
to say that we would never accept him again without the opportunity
and freedom to speak with his psychiatrist. He has not been back. We
were not at all doing him any good, we were actually helping him harm
himself. Couldn't do that.

Far short of the psychotic, there comes a time in human relationships
when we are obliged to stop enabling harm to oneself or to others.
There comes a time when dysfunction must be named and not embraced.
This is where all of us come in, not just the guesthouse. People can
become toxic to each other. The fact that they may be unwell is
sometimes no more of a moral issue than the young man off meds. He
was truly sick, but I had two elderly ladies on retreat in the house
that I couldn't explain that to. Sick, while informative, was not the
deciding factor. So it often is with dysfunction, too. Being unwell
in any degree does not involve an unlimited license to harm.

One can demonstrate this principle clearly by going even a notch
above the guesthouse: come to join the monastery addicted to
disrupting the peace and you will be escorted out, probably well
before vows. People do not enjoy Benedictine hospitality as an always
and everywhere right. As in any human area, the rights of others must
be considered and sometimes decisively so. A monastery is a haven of
peace, but it has to take steps to ensure that it remains that for as
many as possible. One of those steps is the hospitality of saying "No
more." It is not easy, but it is loving. I can tell you from
experience that those hearing the "no more" will quite often rail at
it and at you, terming you un-Christian, un-Benedictine and worse.
That's hard to take, but don't buckle. As Dorothy Day so often
said, "Love is a harsh and dreadful thing to ask of us."



Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB

jeromeleo@...    St. Mary's Monastery    Petersham, MA

+PAX

Long drives to NY for my uncle's funeral today, and back home late
tomorrow, so please pray for Uncle Bill, his family and me- that I
don't drowse off on the road! There will be no posting tomorrow. See
you all Saturday, God willing! JL

April 5, August 5, December 5
Chapter 53: On the Reception of Guests
Let there be a separate kitchen for the Abbot and guests,
that the brethren may not be disturbed when guests,
who are never lacking in a monastery,
arrive at irregular hours.
Let two brethren capable of filling the office well
be appointed for a year to have charge of this kitchen.
Let them be given such help as they need,
that they may serve without murmuring.
And on the other hand,
when they have less to occupy them,
let them go out to whatever work is assigned them.

And not only in their case
but in all the offices of the monastery
let this arrangement be observed,
that when help is needed it be supplied,
and again when the workers are unoccupied
they do whatever they are bidden.

The guest house also shall be assigned to a brother
whose soul is possessed by the fear of God.
Let there be a sufficient number of beds made up in it;
and let the house of God be managed by prudent men
and in a prudent manner.

On no account shall anyone who is not so ordered
associate or converse with guests.
But if he should meet them or see them,
let him greet them humbly, as we have said,
ask their blessing and pass on,
saying that he is not allowed to converse with a guest.

REFLECTION

Helping out when needed, ain't community great? Really, it's no joke,
folks. Father Gregory is away burying his uncle, and I have been
doing a couple of his duties. Now my uncle dies, and no one says a
thing about what it will cost this small community already short-
handed, just "Go, brother, go, don't worry." Never mind that this
leaves us with one less driver and only one car till I get back. They
tell me to go and not worry. The superior will pick up Fr. Gregory in
CT, since I will be gone. "No problem, go, brother, don't worry."

Every monastery and family and workplace can and should be like this.
This kindness is the fruit of selflessness, an orchard all of us
ought to propagate. With very little difficulty, each of us can find
myriad opportunities to be like my brothers for someone else. It
often costs so little and it means so much!

"Go, brother, go." Well, I'm going full of gratitude for a loving
brotherhood. See you all Saturday, I hope!



Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB

jeromeleo@...    St. Mary's Monastery    Petersham, MA

+PAX

Deepest thanks from my aunt, cousins and me for all who prayed for us
during my uncle's death and funeral. God bless you all! Love, JL

April 7, August 7, December 7

Chapter 55: On the Clothes and Shoes of the Brethren

Let clothing be given to the brethren
according to the nature of the place in which they dwell
and its climate;
for in cold regions more will be needed,
and in warm regions less.
This is to be taken into consideration, therefore, by the Abbot.

We believe, however, that in ordinary places
the following dress is sufficient for each monk:
a tunic,
a cowl (thick and woolly for winter, thin or worn for summer),
a scapular for work,
stockings and shoes to cover the feet.

The monks should not complain
about the color or the coarseness of any of these things,
but be content with what can be found
in the district where they live and
can be purchased cheaply.

The Abbot shall see to the size of the garments,
that they be not too short for those who wear them,
but of the proper fit.

Let those who receive new clothes
always give back the old ones at once,
to be put away in the wardrobe for the poor.
For it is sufficient if a monk has two tunics and two cowls,
to allow for night wear and for the washing of these garments;
more than that is superfluity and should be taken away.
Let them return their stockings also and anything else that is old
when they receive new ones.

Those who are sent on a journey
shall receive drawers from the wardrobe,
which they shall wash and restore on their return.
And let their cowls and tunics be somewhat better
than what they usually wear.
These they shall receive from the wardrobe
when they set out on a journey,
and restore when they return.

REFLECTION

In England, far more than in the States, one can tell a great deal
about a person immediately by their accent. The information garnered
is not always favorable, either! Lots of assumptions, many of them
false, can be made. While this is true to a lesser extent in the
U.S., here's something that runs through many, many cultures like a
barometer of prejudgment: clothes.

We unconsciously size up a person at once by their attire. A person's
attire is falsely assumed to place them in this or that social and
economic category and they are usually treated according to the
assessor's prejudices thereafter. Never think for a moment that fine
clothes guarantee fine treatment. They may provoke quite the opposite
reaction in some people, scorn rather than deference may be the
result.

If these prejudgments are not right (where do you think we got the
term "prejudice," anyway?) they are at least certainly human and
virtually universal. That's why St. Benedict, while not wishing to
surrender to such things, nevertheless did not wish his daughters and
sons to walk into a place with clothes that said loudly: "I am a
person of substance! Make sure you treat me nice." No, he wanted all
of us to dress cleanly  and cheaply (a key term!) and with clothes
that fit well. He wanted us to be warm and cool as seasons demanded,
but he did not want excess ever.

That's where all this has a superb message for Oblates and monastics.
What do your clothes say? What do you think they say? How much
relation to reality does either have? Important questions all!



Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB

jeromeleo@...    St. Mary's Monastery    Petersham, MA

+PAX

Prayers for Cliff Gawne-Mark, please, as he makes his final Oblation
at St. John's Abbey! Ad multos annos, Cliff!
JL

April 8, August 8, December 8
Chapter 55: On the Clothes and Shoes of the Brethren
For bedding let this suffice:
a mattress, a blanket, a coverlet and a pillow.

The beds, moreover, are to be examined frequently by the Abbot,
to see if any private property be found in them.
If anyone should be found to have something
that he did not receive from the Abbot,
let him undergo the most severe discipline.

And in order that this vice of private ownership
may be cut out by the roots,
the Abbot should provide all the necessary articles:
cowl, tunic, stockings, shoes, belt,
knife, stylus, needle, handkerchief, writing tablets;
that all pretext of need may be taken away.
Yet the Abbot should always keep in mind
the sentence from the Acts of the Apostles
that "distribution was made to each according as anyone had need"
(Acts 4:35).
In this manner, therefore,
let the Abbot consider weaknesses of the needy
and not the ill-will of the envious.
But in all his decisions
let him think about the retribution of God.

REFLECTION

This chapter may appear to have little to say to Oblates until one
gives a more evangelical twist to it: "where your treasure is, there
your heart shall be also." The monastic who has separate sources of
income has a safety net, a way to ask for things (or get them without
asking!) that would otherwise unlikely be available. Not only is this
bad for the common unity, it is bad for the monastic, too. It
scatters one's focus and diminishes one's dependency on God. It
leaves dangling threads of control all over one's life.

Oblates in the world, have to have some source of income, whatever
that may be, but they can readily and profitably examine where their
treasure lies. They can also make sure that those who depend on them
have all they truly need, yet keep them from getting spoiled or
carried away with consumerist fluff. Especially at this holiday
season, when the television is filled with a horrendous glut of
materialist orgy, our Benedictine hearts should say: "Enough really
IS enough!" But do we say that, or are we to some degree sucked into
the lunacy of a secular winter fest? (One can no longer even
say "pagan" of the secular winter fest. At least the pagans, whatever
their lacks may be, believe in SOMETHING and worship. That can no
longer be said of much of the world's hoopla at this time of year.)

Benedictine attitudes toward poverty are not deprivation, but they
are not excess, either. Always, always moderation. For us, virtue
truly does stand in the middle way!

Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB

jeromeleo@...    St. Mary's Monastery    Petersham, MA

+PAX

April 9, August 9, December 9

Chapter 56: On the Abbess's Table

Let the Abbess's table always be with the guests
and the pilgrims. But when there are no guests,
let it be in her power to invite whom she will of the sisters.
Yet one or two seniors must always be left with the others
for the sake of discipline.



REFLECTION

The Abbess represents Christ, so of course it is her place to be
dining with the guests and pilgrims. Depending on the level of the
enclosure of the community, it also is her responsibility to do the
many little courtesies of hospitality that other monastics may not
do. She does this in the name of all.

There is a very useful application here for Oblates with children.
How do we treat out children's guests when they come to us? The fact
that someone is 14 and fraught with the usual chaos of teenagers does
not make them less of a guest. Both our children and their friends
will learn a lot by how we treat such guests. The guest will learn a
bit of self-esteem and the child host even more! Very few people are
willing to give children their due in the ordinary run of things.
Teaching your children that they are unique and important to you can
be best evidenced by treating their company well!

This, of course, is true of any group that is usually accorded less
respect. Oblates who live alone can be the Abbess or Abbot of their
own tables. Just make sure that the people there feel like the King
of All Who is received in them!



Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB

jeromeleo@...    St. Mary's Monastery    Petersham, MA

+PAX

April 10, August 10, December 10

Chapter 57: On the Artisans of the Monastery

If there are artisans in the monastery,
let them practice their crafts with all humility,
provided the Abbot has given permission.
But if any one of them becomes conceited
over his skill in his craft,
because he seems to be conferring a benefit on the monastery,
let him be taken from his craft
and no longer exercise it unless,
after he has humbled himself,
the Abbot again gives him permission.

If any of the work of the craftsmen is to be sold,
those responsible for the sale
must not dare to practice any fraud.
Let them always remember Ananias and Saphira,
who incurred bodily death (Acts 5:1-11),
lest they and all who perpetrate fraud
in monastery affairs
suffer spiritual death.
And in the prices let not the sin of avarice creep in,
but let the goods always be sold a little cheaper
than they can be sold by people in the world,
"that in all things God may be glorified" (1 Peter 4:11).

REFLECTION

My all-time favorite quote from G. K. Chesterton is: "The artistic
temperament is a disease which afflicts amateurs." Amen!!! Ideally,
Christian life itself has no place whatever for prima donnas or mad
queens (of either gender!) but monastic life most assuredly does not.

The true artist is marked by humility, not because of low self-
esteem, but because of a healthy dose of reality, a firm conviction
that one's gift has been given by God and given with an eye to the
service of all. Christian art, in any form, has no meaning at all
outside of the glory of God and the betterment of the community. For
an artisan to become proud about this would be as ludicrous as for a
priest to be proud of his ability to consecrate, or a layperson proud
of their ability to baptize. Sorry, folks! Doesn't come from us.
Comes from God and we have to always remember our own littleness in
receiving such wonders.

A wrong attitude towards one's gift can quickly turn what God
intended to be a boon to the Christian community into a very large
and unmanageable human cross. Unfortunately, this turn of events is
neither rare well done, you should pardon the play on words. Art
matters in communities, it must be treasured and held dear, because
it is a gift from a loving God. The trap here is that art must always
and everywhere matter less than the people performing or enjoying it.
The brothers and sisters come first, and they do so from a
theological imperative of charity, much, much more intense than any
human reason alone concept or canon of aesthetics. Furthermore, in
one sense, the artist must matter least of all, must disappear behind
the gift, not insist on being thrust into a foreground of power trips
and control.

When a person does liturgy correctly, they vanish behind the veil of
vesture and rubric. They become icon bearers and what is seen is no
longer Traci or Jason, but acolyte and priest. It ought to be so with
artists, but it ought to be so with any gift or skill God has
graciously given us. "He must increase, I must decrease..." As soon
as we forget that, our gift becomes a weight dragging us downwards to
potentially ultimate loss, rather than helping us to ascend the
heights. Good superiors can see this and stop it, but not all
superiors are good! Let us pray that our gifts will always be focused
by the wise and loving hand of some realist, to whom God has given
the gift of loving truthfulness!

Love and prayers,

Jerome, OSB

jeromeleo@...    St. Mary's Monastery    Petersham, MA