On Sunday, September 14, 2008, Br. John Dat (Luan Van) Nguyen died in his cell. It happened sometime between Lauds and around Noon, when he was discovered. A police officer arived in the early afternoon. His body was taken to Albuquerque for an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. The autopsy determined that the exact cause was an acute spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage.
Its suddenness came as a great shock to us. We held a Requiem Mass Monday morning. The autopsy took place Tuesday morning. He was cremated late Tuesday afternoon. His ashes were placed in state at the foot of the altar in the Abbey Church Tuesday night. Some of the monks waited up for him and had welcomed him back with songs and prayers in English, Vietnamese, and Latin.
Br. John Dat Nguyen was born August 9, 1970 in Dong Nai, Vietnam. In 1993 he entered Religious Life. He made his First Profession at Thien Binh on November 24, 1995. He transferred to Christ in the Desert in December, 2006. He made his Solemn Profession on April 12, 2008.
His Funeral Mass was held at Noon on Wednesday. It was an emotional final procession and burial afterwards, with songs and prayers in English, Latin, and Vietnamese.
Br. John Dat's Funeral Homily, delivered by Fr. Prior Francisco, OSB, our Prior
My Dear Brothers in Christ:
"If someone serves me, follow me, for where ever I am, my servant will be there too". these words, my dear Brothers, we have just heard in today's Gospel.
These same words the Lord pronounced in the life of our Brother John Dat, after giving him life on August 9th 1970 in his home town of Dong Nai in Vietnam. In 1993, the Lord asked him to follow Him, calling him to Monastic Life in the monastery of Thien Binh; he answered his calling and made his First Profession on the 24th of November of 1995; and once again, the Lord asked him to follow Him; inviting our Brother John Dat to leave his native Vietnam, and come to our Monastery of Christ in the Desert, in December of 2006; he made his final consecration to the Lord with his Solemn Vows in our community last April 12th.
He heard for the last time, here on Earth the calling of the Lord to follow Him, and in doing so, he says good bye to us his brothers, his community. We will miss him; He leaves an empty space in our community. It is a departure without return; it is the final trip, the final destination.
For he has already reached the goal every monk must reach, our monastic life heads to this great day, as our Holy Father St. Benedict, reminds us in his Rule. It is one of the Instruments of Good Works: "To have death present in front of us every day and to aim for eternal life".
This moment has already been lived by our brother and he is now in the eternal home of our Heavenly Father giving him Glory and living eternally in God's presence. this is our hope, in the promise of our Lord:"Wherever I am, there will be my servant".
Another sign that fills us with hope and that at the same time sohould be a consolation to us who are still in shock for the suddenness of Brother John Dat's departure, is the fact that our brother was called to our lord on a special day, the day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This symbol of the Cross of Jesus is for us Christians a synthesis of our faith, because the Cross reminds us of God's love for us. the Cross is thus a symbol of love, life and victory. This symbol of the ross of our Lord shows us that love is stronger than death.
Our Brother John Dat went to sleep in the Lord under the sign of the Cross of Christ. This was for him the key that opened wide the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Today's Gospel continues to shed light into the mystery of our celebration telling us that if a grain of wheat doesn't fall on the ground and dies it will remain alone; but if it dies, it will bear much fruit. Lut us celebrate my brothers in faith, this first solemnly professed brother to die here at Christ in the desert, to reach the Kingdom of Heaven, our first seed planted in eternity and our first seed to fall in our cemetery.
To celebrate is to live, our brother tells us from his place in the presence of Christ. He tells us to have courage, to go ahead that I am already here, here I wait for you. We can easily close our eyes and imagine our Brother John Dat, smiling and singing there, close to Christ, as he did in the kitchen the last time the brothers saw him. It will not be difficult to imagine him, because that was one of his characteristics and qualities, his constant joy. Let us imagine him telling us not to give up and to keep going. It is now our turn to keep walking this path of our monastic life, lived with generosity and devotion, to live the joy of being monks, that the Lord one day told us when He called us to our monastic life;"Follow Me"; and that at the end he will ask us to follow Him, as he asked Brother John Dat.
Its suddenness came as a great shock to us. We held a Requiem Mass Monday morning. The autopsy took place Tuesday morning. He was cremated late Tuesday afternoon. His ashes were placed in state at the foot of the altar in the Abbey Church Tuesday night. Some of the monks waited up for him and had welcomed him back with songs and prayers in English, Vietnamese, and Latin.
Br. John Dat Nguyen was born August 9, 1970 in Dong Nai, Vietnam. In 1993 he entered Religious Life. He made his First Profession at Thien Binh on November 24, 1995. He transferred to Christ in the Desert in December, 2006. He made his Solemn Profession on April 12, 2008.
His Funeral Mass was held at Noon on Wednesday. It was an emotional final procession and burial afterwards, with songs and prayers in English, Latin, and Vietnamese.
Br. John Dat's Funeral Homily, delivered by Fr. Prior Francisco, OSB, our Prior
My Dear Brothers in Christ:
"If someone serves me, follow me, for where ever I am, my servant will be there too". these words, my dear Brothers, we have just heard in today's Gospel.
These same words the Lord pronounced in the life of our Brother John Dat, after giving him life on August 9th 1970 in his home town of Dong Nai in Vietnam. In 1993, the Lord asked him to follow Him, calling him to Monastic Life in the monastery of Thien Binh; he answered his calling and made his First Profession on the 24th of November of 1995; and once again, the Lord asked him to follow Him; inviting our Brother John Dat to leave his native Vietnam, and come to our Monastery of Christ in the Desert, in December of 2006; he made his final consecration to the Lord with his Solemn Vows in our community last April 12th.
He heard for the last time, here on Earth the calling of the Lord to follow Him, and in doing so, he says good bye to us his brothers, his community. We will miss him; He leaves an empty space in our community. It is a departure without return; it is the final trip, the final destination.
For he has already reached the goal every monk must reach, our monastic life heads to this great day, as our Holy Father St. Benedict, reminds us in his Rule. It is one of the Instruments of Good Works: "To have death present in front of us every day and to aim for eternal life".
This moment has already been lived by our brother and he is now in the eternal home of our Heavenly Father giving him Glory and living eternally in God's presence. this is our hope, in the promise of our Lord:"Wherever I am, there will be my servant".
Another sign that fills us with hope and that at the same time sohould be a consolation to us who are still in shock for the suddenness of Brother John Dat's departure, is the fact that our brother was called to our lord on a special day, the day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This symbol of the Cross of Jesus is for us Christians a synthesis of our faith, because the Cross reminds us of God's love for us. the Cross is thus a symbol of love, life and victory. This symbol of the ross of our Lord shows us that love is stronger than death.
Our Brother John Dat went to sleep in the Lord under the sign of the Cross of Christ. This was for him the key that opened wide the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Today's Gospel continues to shed light into the mystery of our celebration telling us that if a grain of wheat doesn't fall on the ground and dies it will remain alone; but if it dies, it will bear much fruit. Lut us celebrate my brothers in faith, this first solemnly professed brother to die here at Christ in the desert, to reach the Kingdom of Heaven, our first seed planted in eternity and our first seed to fall in our cemetery.
To celebrate is to live, our brother tells us from his place in the presence of Christ. He tells us to have courage, to go ahead that I am already here, here I wait for you. We can easily close our eyes and imagine our Brother John Dat, smiling and singing there, close to Christ, as he did in the kitchen the last time the brothers saw him. It will not be difficult to imagine him, because that was one of his characteristics and qualities, his constant joy. Let us imagine him telling us not to give up and to keep going. It is now our turn to keep walking this path of our monastic life, lived with generosity and devotion, to live the joy of being monks, that the Lord one day told us when He called us to our monastic life;"Follow Me"; and that at the end he will ask us to follow Him, as he asked Brother John Dat.