The Abbot’s Notebook for August 24, 2016
Blessings to you! Our life at the Monastery has been filled with rainstorm after rainstorm. The last few have not destroyed our road any further, but the road needs a lot of major repair from the severe storms over the last ten days. On the other hand, it tends to keep the monks home where they should be!
A whole group of us did go to Albuquerque for the weekend. That is most unusual because we try always to stay home especially on the weekends. But once a year a group of us go to celebrate a special day of prayer to Our Lady of Lavang at the Sanctuary of Chimayo. Some years there are large crowds of people. Others years there are less. Our Lady of Lavang is one of the appearances of Mary in Vietnam. Very much as Our Lady of Guadalupe expresses the heart of Mexican piety, so also Our Lady of Lavang expresses much of Vietnamese Catholic piety.
Our Brother John Baptist Tran Van Chinh left after these celebrations and has begun his return journey to Vietnam where he is studying theology.
Our Brother Peter, who recently had surgery to repair his left ear drum, received the news that the surgery seems truly to have restored his hearing, little by little. He has been many years without hearing in the left ear.
Prior Christian and Father Simeon have gone to California to raise funds for our monastery and the various projects that we must complete. For instance, we have been installing new batteries and solar panels and thought that we were pretty well caught up on that project. Then we voted to construct two more buildings at the novitiate in order to house the large number of vocations coming to us. Two more buildings means that we must once again purchase and install more batteries and more solar panels. Always when we build, we have to plan an extra cost in providing for electricity and water and septic systems.
No one should ever have an illusion that monastic life is about sitting around quietly and only praying! Our challenges never seem to cease. On the other hand, it is true that the heart of our life is silence and prayer. Always our struggle is to maintain this focus in our lives and to develop and maintain a deep sense of silence and prayer, both physically and in our hearts.
Sometimes, as I have mentioned, I pray more for my dogs than I do for other human situations. On the other hand, I find that the intensity of prayer for an innocent dog helps me to pray more intensely for people who are also in difficult situations. You can imagine that I feel a bit embarrassed that I feel such a closeness to the three dogs who generally are with me! Monks should have dogs. I often say I don’t want another dog—and yet always I end up with more. I actually had a period of time without a dog, but helping the brother next door with a dog. Then the brother left for a while and it was not sure that he would return so I got another dog to help with the one dog. Together, they keep each other exercised, which is really important for dogs and for us! Then my friend, Charles, died and I inherited a third dog. The first dog is a Beagle, the second is a Beagle mix and the third is a small six pound toy poodle.
Of course, one of the early monks said: my dog is better than I am because my dog loves without judging.
Yes, of course, I get attached to the dogs just as they are attached to me. I get so anxious if something goes wrong in their lives. On the other hand, I also feel that same anxiety about my brothers if things are going wrong with them. The difference is that the dogs are almost completely dependent upon me and the brothers are mostly truly free and might or might not listen to me.
Always I return to the fact that spirituality is about seeking to know and love God, and for us, God in Christ Jesus. I am keenly aware that my real challenge is to love my brothers and all those who come into my life. If my love for God’s creation gets in the way of that, something is wrong. It is easier to love my dogs than to love my brothers and others.
In our community we have been speaking about silence, both inner and outer. It is so much easier to keep an external, physical silence, than it is to keep my heart free from all gossip, judgment of others, thinking ill of others, pushing others away, etc. Inner silence implies a complete love of others without ever judging them. That is almost impossible but possible only with God’s grace and love.
Only if we see that we must struggle against ourselves is there any hope of having a true and vibrant inner life of prayer, a spiritual life. If we try to get rid of the problems so that we do not have to suffer, then we shall not grow. We must learn to accept every suffering that comes, every challenge from another person, so that we can truly give our lives to the Lord in every situation.
No matter what happens, no matter what challenges come into our lives, no matter how difficult life is, we must keep on striving to love the Lord and to love all the people who come into our lives. Love for modern culture means a desire for the other person. Love for the Gospel means a recognition that the other person is also God’s creation and I can find a way to love that person, no matter what.
Personally, I have to pray every day to love each and every one of my brothers as Christ loves them. I am not naturally patient nor am I willing to suffer fools easily. I find myself at times reacting within myself—and yet know that I should never take any decisions nor criticize others until I am completely peaceful in a situation. Perhaps this week I shall try to deepen just a bit my love for others and for God.
As always I promise to celebrate a Holy Mass for you and for your needs and intentions. Please pray for me and for the sisters and brothers of our communities. I send you my love and prayers.
Your brother in the Lord,
Abbot Philip
