The Abbot’s Notebook for March 21, 2018
My sisters and brothers in Christ,
Blessings to you! Last week Brother Benedict Hall had a bad day and even went to the hospital. It seemed in the end, however, that what was happening to him was an allergic reaction to three shots of Novocain when the dentist had worked on his teeth. So all was well. Thanks be to God!
Father Joseph Gabriel has finally received his FBI clearance and so will go the South African Consulate in Los Angeles this week to obtain his visa. Then in the middle of April, most likely, he will head to South Africa to help at Saint Benedict’s Abbey, Polokwane. We hope to seek at least two or three brothers there regularly in order to strengthen that community and help it recover from many problems that it has suffered.
Brother John Christie-Searles was granted his doctorate this past week and we give thanks for that. Prior Benedict went to Oklahoma for the wedding of his niece and we also give thanks for that.
Our Canonical Visitation was formally closed on March 19th, the Solemnity of Saint Joseph. The Visitors read the official report to us. It was a good visitation and will help us move forward. That is really the point of a Visitation: to help a community continue to deepen its monastic life in Jesus Christ.
As many of you already know, I will be 74 years old later this year and our Constitutions stipulate that I must submit my resignation as superior when I reach the age of 75. For this Visitation and for the last three Visitations, the Visitors keep encouraging our community to realize that I will be leaving office! In October of this year I will have served for 42 years as the superior of this community. So now the community (including me!) must begin to think beyond my time as superior and move on with another superior.
At the same time that we will be thinking about that, we will be leaving the English Province of the Subiaco Cassinese Congregation. When we were accepted into this Congregation in late 1983, most of us just presumed that we would remain in this English Province. Now, thirty-five years later, for lots of reasons, it seems better that we are being move directly under the Abbot President. There had been a previous plan to form a new Province and that might actually come about in the future. But for now, the best road forward for us seems to be directly under the authority of the Abbot President.
Real life always has changes! Whether it be the change from an English Province to being directly under the Abbot President, whether it be a change of superiors, whether it be new monks entering or old monks leaving—always there is some change happening and we simply adjust to it.
At many levels, and I suspect that most of you will understand this, even the thought of no longer having responsibility for this community and its foundations and for the many ways we help other communities and people—that thought seems delightful at times. Someone else will be able to guide the community and made the decisions about all of those things!
When I am asked what I will do after retiring as abbot, my answer is always the same: whatever my abbot asks of me. A retired abbot is just another monk in the house and does what the abbot asks him to do. There are certainly lots of opportunities for work in our community. So never think for a minute that I will have nothing to do!
The change is not going to happen tomorrow. It is like everything in life: wait for the right time! Then try to make the right decisions. Then seek the face of the Lord and do His will.
So as always with our Christian spirituality, we wait in patience, always trying to do what is right and serving and loving the Lord God and all others who come into our lives. The roles that we have are so clearly secondary! Even when they look important from the outside, what is more important is whether inside I am seeking the Lord God, trying to do His will and loving everyone who happens into my life. None of us does that perfectly, some do it better than others—but all of us must keep trying.
There are times when large changes loom in our lives and we must go forward and see what those changes will mean for us and for those around us. That is how I feel right now. I have been “in charge” of the community for so many years that this change will be a large change for me. Always I pray that I will be a good monk under the new abbot, whoever he may be. Last year when I had to step down for 6 months because of illness was a great preparation for this change whenever it comes.
Like many people, I like stability and I dislike a lot of changes. If I am in control of the changes, I like them better. This time around I will not be in control but my faith carries me through because always it is God who is in control. I have always been an idealist and so I pray that I will pass through this change in a really good way, both for me and for the community.
Always I send my love and prayers for you. I will celebrate Holy Mass once this week for your needs and intentions. Please pray for me and for our community here. Pray also for the men and women in the communities associated with ours.
Your brother in the Lord,
Abbot Philip
