Winter 2009
ADVENT Reflection 2009 by Abbot Philip, OSB
Advent came as a complete surprise in my life. My family had no sense of the liturgical year. We didn't even know the word "liturgical." Baptized at the age of eight, all my first religious experiences were in Pentecostal Holiness churches or other fairly fundamentalist churches. Later when my family converted to Catholicism, we participated in small mission parishes where the sense of Advent was somehow lost. For me then, the first experience of Advent was 1958 when I went to the seminary.
What a delightful surprise it was to find those three or four weeks of joyful expectation leading up to Christmas, the celebration of the Word made flesh in Jesus Christ. I had no familiarity with the early Christian writers, or those of the medieval period who wrote so beautifully of this first season of the Church calendar. How very strong was my impression when I first heard of the final coming of the Lord Jesus in all His glory at the end of time.
For Advent celebrates both mysteries: the birth of the Lord Jesus in time in Bethlehem, one like us in all things save sin, but also it as a reminder of Christ's coming in glory at the end of time. Advent also reminds us that Jesus has come in a personal way and continues to enter our hearts, our minds and all our being.
The season we now enter is about nurturing again a deep and heartfelt longing for the experience of the presence of God in our daily lives and, at the same time, a preparation for a new experience of the Divine Presence in the future. This means that while we celebrate the Birth of the Lord in time,we are at once still longing for a profound encounter with the Lord in our
tomorrow's and should also long for His promised coming at the end of time.
The readings for Holy Mass in Advent speak powerfully to us of this longing of our hearts for the Living God. Through this selection of readings the liturgy of the Church invites us to reflect on the intense longing of our ancestors in the faith for a Messiah. They invite us to as well to reflect on how the Divine Presence has already come into our lives individually and as a community of faith. Finally, they invite us to give thanks to God the Father for sending a Redeemer to save His people.
With these readings as a backdrop, I invite you to take seriously this season of joyful anticipation either by participating in the Daily Mass or, if that is not possible, to spend some time each day of Advent reflecting on these readings so as to allow for a renewed and more joyful celebration of the Lord's birth at Christmas.
May the Lord bless you and grant you the gift of Advent longing for a renewed experience of the Lord's coming now and at the end of our days. You remain always in my prayers.
We Open the First Vietnamese Monastery in the US
Our brother, Fr. Dominic Nguyen Duc Hanh, is the superior our new Monastery, Thien Tam, which means Heavenly, or Sacred Heart. It was founded to attract American born Vietnamese vocations, of which there are a growing number. It is the first such Benedictine monastery in the USA. At this point, six of our professed brothers form the new community.
In the fall of 2008, 297 acres of land south of Dallas,Texas, near Kerens, was purchased for the new monastery."We picked Texas because, after California, it has the greatest number of Vietnamese residents," explains Fr. Dominic. This fall, on September 19th, the official Mass and blessing our new community and formal inauguration took place.
With 600 guests in attendance, including many priests and dignitaries, Bishop Kevin Farrell of Dallas presided at the Mass and read the decree, giving formal acceptance to its beginning. At the end of Mass a letter from the Abbot President of our Subiaco Congregation, Dom Bruno Marin, was read, congratulating Christ in the Desert and the monks at Thien Tam on this new monastic house. The joyous celebration, steeped in prayer and community encouragement, is a clear indication of the support that this monastery will have.
Please keep them in your prayers as they grow and develop.
Our Program of Monastic Reflection Excites Parishes
We have been having a wonderful and mutually enriching time visiting parishes, introducing them to our Monastery. Through our program, Morning of Monastic Reflection. Fr. Christian, OSB, and Sharon Colby, MA, are assisting people to discover ways to deepen and support their spiritual life, drawing from our vibrant monastic tradition. The experiential, mini-retreat format includes chanting portions of the Daily Office, presentations about monastic life and practices, discussion of one's spiritual journey, and information about our flourishing international community at the Monastery.
While we are there for the weekend, Fr. Christian preaches and celebrates Masses, and we have opportunities to meet with youth groups, area deacons and share in the life of the parish.
Check the News section on our website through the year to see where we are going next. We hope to see you during our travels!
If you would like to extend an invitation from your parish to support our friend-raising and fundraising activities such as this one, contact Sharon, our Director of Donor Relations and Events, at (505) 771-2922.
Upcoming Out of Town Monastic Programs
East Brunswick, NJ - St Bartholomew Dec 5-6
Doylestown, PA - Our Lady Mt. Carmel Dec 12-13
Albuquerque, NM - Prince of Peace Jan 30-31 ( Being rescheduled; check News section of our website for the new date.)
Houston, TX - Rothko Chapel Feb 20
Humble, TX St Mary Magdalene Feb 20-23
Manhattan, NY - St Vincent Ferrer Feb 27-28
Albuquerque, NM - Church of the Holy Rosary Mar 13-14
Upgrading our Environmental Systems
We are very thankful for all the financial donors who assisted us with the hot water solar system upgrade/repair. The previous system had reached the end of its rated life span and had sprung leaks making it inoperable. The replacement system is glycol-based and is much more efficient in collecting solar energy to heat water for showers and sinks in the cloister, as well as providing a primary system of radiant floor heat for the individual cells. This "green" upgrade will significantly cut our propane usage, resulting in a huge savings in fuel costs.
The upgrade of the solar powered electric system remains our critical need. We must replace the 96 batteries which store much of the power to run the Monastery. Solar arrays gather energy throughout the day and store it in batteries which then provide power to the Monastery 24 hours a day. We are completely off the `grid' and are the largest privately owned solar-power system in New Mexico. The cost for this is estimated at $130,000. To help, contact Father Christian at monkchristian@gmail.com.
Giving the Gift of Receiving
It is an odd turn of phrase the first time one hears it - `Giving the gift of receiving.' You have to stop and let it roll around inside you for more than just a quick moment to allow its layers of meaning to unfold. Giving a gift, receiving a gift - most of us understand that, with some framing it as a social transaction. The idea of receiving being a gift hints at the profound and transformative relationship between those who share the material and spiritual blessings of God with one another.
In our community at the Monastery, we are deeply aware that each of our lives are fully intertwined with yours by grace in the mystical Body of Christ. Prayers are given for you and received from you in a continual circle of support and celebration to the glory of God. The time, treasures, and talents you share with us in your commitment to be faithful stewards of God's gifts to you and your loved ones are received, we humbly desire, in such a way that you, and us, and the wider world to whom we offer hospitality and spiritual refreshment, are drawn closer to the source of all life and love.
May all the world open their hearts to the beloved Child, born of Mary, giving to God the gift of receiving Him, so that we may offer our lives to God and to one another in thanksgiving!
Brother Bruno Boyko, OSB Made His First Vows
On October 3rd, Brother Bruno made his first vows in our community. He is 46 years old and is a Ukrainian Catholic from Canada. Brother Bruno has great gifts for the web page of the monastery, for baking breads and for helping Brother Christian in the gift shop. We are grateful to have him with us. Pray for him and all who have taken vows.
Thoughts on the Rule of St. Benedict
One of the most important values promoted by the Rule of Benedict is silence and restraint of speech. In his Rule, Saint Benedict tells us that speaking can lead to sin. He also says that silence gives place for reflection. Our own personal experiences confirm this in our daily lives. How easy it is to gossip. How easy it is to say bad things about others. Sometimes our words get us into situations that are really bad for us, resulting in conflict from lies, exaggerations, etc.
Learning to value silence is not easy, especially when the culture around us encourage lots of empty words. Learning to bite our tongue and be still when anger possesses us is an enormous challenge. Saint Benedict does not want merely physical silence. Instead we are invited to live in inner peace and harmony with a silence filled with the goodness of God's presence. This living in God's presence will keep us from judging others, from having evil thoughts, from wasting our time and from a host of other unhelpful inner and outward activities.
We can also recognize that our body language speaks to others. This is surely part of keeping silence: learning to be still and peaceful in every aspect of our lives. When we are peaceful and still both inwardly and outwardly, we are more strongly images of the living God. Always we pursue this monastic value of silence, peace and stillness to give witness that God is calling us and that we are seeking to respond to God and to do His will. The spiritual warfare that we must wage against ourselves in order to attain such stillness and peace is really important for anyone who wants to seek the Lord. This spiritual work is well worth the cost because we come to an entirely different
place in our relationship with the living God in our lives. Only God can give us the strength constantly to seek His face.