Monastic Mumblings, a Friar's Journey

Aidan 31 August 651

During the seventh century Northumbria, an area in northern England comprising the kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira, was a violent battleground. Rival kings determined whether or not the Gospel could advance and in what form (Roman or Celtic). In 616, Edwin, the new king, was converted by a mission from Canterbury led by Bishop Paulinus, who established his see at York. Edwin's death in battle in 632 was followed by a severe pagan reaction. The next year, Edwin's exiled nephew Oswald gained the throne, and proceeded immediately to restore the Christian missionary Church.

During his exile, Oswald had lived at Columba's monastery of Iona (in Scotland), where he had been converted and baptized. He therefore asked the Bishop of Iona for a missionary instead of Canterbury. The first Bishop to preach was a monk named Corman, who had little success, and returned to Iona to complain that the Northumbrians were an unteachable race of savages.

The historian Bede writes that, at a meeting to discuss the problem, a young Irish monk called Aidan, said: "Perhaps you were too harsh with them, and they might have responded better to a gentler approach." Aidan, therefore, found himself appointed to lead a second expedition to Northumbria. He centered his work, not at York, but in imitation of his home monastery, on Lindisfarne, an island off the northeast coast of England, now often called Holy Isle.

Little is known of the saint's early life, except that he might have studied under St. Senan on Scattery Island, in County Clare, Ireland.

With his fellow monks and the young English men he trained, Aidan restored Christianity in Northumbria, King Oswald supported him and even served as his interpreter from time to time. The mission was extended through the midlands as far south as London.

Aidan lived a frugal life, and encouraged the people to fast and study the scriptures. He himself fasted every Wednesday and Friday, and rarely ate at the royal table. When he was required to attend a feast, the food set before him would be given away to the hungry. He was often given rich presents, but these he gave to the poor or used to buy the freedom of slaves, some of these freed slaves entered the priesthood. During Lent Aidan would go to the small island of Farne for prayer and penance.

Aidan died at the royal town of Bamborough, 31 August, 651. The historian Bede said of him:

"He neither sought nor loved anything of this world, but delighted in distributing immediately to the poor whatever was given him by kings or rich men of the world. He traversed both town and country on foot, never on horseback, unless compelled by some urgent necessity. Wherever on his way he saw any, either rich or poor, he invited them, if pagans, to embrace the mystery of the faith; or if they were believers, he sought to strengthen them in their faith and stir them up by words and actions to alms and good works."

That is quite a testimony, and one any Christian could be proud of. Perhaps a kinder, gentler way of talking to people would attract more converts even these days!

O loving God, Who called Your servant Aidan from the peace of a cloister to re-establish the Christian mission in northern England, and gave him the gifts of gentleness, simplicity, and strength: Grant that we, following his example, may use what You have given us for the relief of human need, and may persevere in commending the saving Gospel of our Redeemer Jesus Christ; Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

*Many of the words and ideas above are from various sources around the web, not all my own.

Pneuma ~ Direction of the Spirit

On this St. Augustine's day, I ponder one of his great thoughts, i.e.  maybe it is better not to fight about what we are not certain of... or something to that effect.

There are times when people of Faith have to do more work than at other times. The Reformation for example, or the time of Christ and the early Church. However Holy Mother Church as known from long experience that Truth, and the deep, unsearchable Wisdom and Judgment of God Almighty, can seem so obscure to many people that you actually may have to torture and perhaps even destroy their mortal bodies before they see the error of their ways, and quite naturally save their Immortal Souls.

I think we are in one of those times now.  For many years the Church has found the culture changing in ways that is hard for people of rigid beliefs to react to, in meaningful ways. I think it was somewhat like that in the days of the Apostles and we are just as challenged to deal in ways that both honor God and are a blessing to our neighbors on this planet.  Here, in the Tulsa area, it appears to me that the Church sees only Heresy, not some new aspect of Truth in the lives of younger, freer people. Just consider their general reaction to the Emergent Churches.

Think of it, eating forbidden food!! In our culture it has no meaning, yet for the people of the first century, it was as horrific as welcoming the local gay man's chorus to sing your Easter Cantata would be at almost any local church here.  When we read the Gospels, Acts and the letters of St. Paul, we must put ourselves in the precarious position these people found themselves in.  Before their very eyes the impossible happened! Nothing in their experience of the history of their Faith, their understanding of the Law or Prophets prepared them for the actions occurring before them. 

It is so hard to imagine, the Spirit falling on GENTILES! Peter and all faithful Jews had been taught all their lives, and deep within the very core of their being was the settled fact that gentiles where outside the Chosen, strangers to the Law, unworthy to enter the Sacred Temple.  How then could this be so?  Obviously the Spirit was working in a way unfamiliar to the Apostles.  They had the Grace to accept the obvious and incorporate them into the Church, a step that I personally benefit from to this day.

How does this inform my journey (and perhaps others)? I once could not abide female Priests or Ministers.  I felt Paul and through him, God Himself had, once for all, settled the matter and women were not allowed to serve in that capacity.  However, the Spirit has been kind enough to remove the scales from my eyes, and I see more clearly now. I was wrong.   Some of the most dedicated, successful and Spirit-filled ministry of my last few years has been done my women. Clearly the Spirit has fallen, our understanding of the Scriptures was in error, the Church benefits in wondrous ways from the Apostolic Truth of female Priests, Ministers, and Deacons. 

I am fortunate that I participate in a community that allows exploration, some freedom to the Spirit, or i would have been trapped in dry certainty, never receiving the pnumea that God so desperately wanted to give to me. 

Perhaps St. Augustine has it right. 

Melius est dubitare de occultis quam litigare de incertis.

(It is better to make doubt of those things which are secret, than to strive about those  things that are uncertain.)

And a tidbit for those who want to know more about women's roles in the early Church:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/first/women.html

August 24 St.Bartholomew

Today is August 24, feast day of St.Bartholomew  (Nathanael  Bar-Tolmai) Apostle of Christ

We know very little of Bartholomew with certainty, but he is mentioned in the lists of Apostles, both in the synoptic gospels and Acts as one of the Twelve. These lists normally are given as  six pairs, and the third pair in each of the Synoptics is "Philip  and Bartholomew". Scholars believe he is the same as Nathanael mentioned in John,(who says he is from Cana) because:

(1) "Bar-tholomew" is a patronymic (derived from who his father was), meaning "son of Tolmai (or  Talmai)." It is therefore likely that he had another  name."Nathanael son of Tolmai" seems more likely than "Nathanael  also called James (or Simon)."

(2) Nathanael is introduced in John's Gospel as a friend of Philip. Since Bartholomew is paired with Philip on three of our four lists of Apostles, it seems likely that he is the same man.

Even as few lines are mentioned of Bartholomew, there is a wealth of information. When Nathanael made his appearance in the Gospels,  he did so with a bit of amazing sarcasm by saying "Can anything  good come out of Nazareth?" Maybe Bartholomew was teasing about  Nazareth with a little rivalry that comes with being familiar since Cana, the home of this apostle, was only about nine miles Nazareth.

Amazingly when Jesus saw him, He extended an astounding and unique welcome to  (Nathanael) Bartholomew. Not one of the other Apostles did the Lord  greet so warmly. As He saw Bartholomew coming, joyfully He could say, "'Behold a true Israelite in whom there is no guile. '" St.  Augustine made the remark about this passage: "A great testimony! That which was said neither to Andrew nor to Peter nor to Philip was said of Nathanael."

What moved him from doubt to faith in Christ? What does Bartholomew see in Jesus that causes the change? Can you imagine what it was like meeting Jesus face to face? What would He say to you, and how would you reply to Him?  During this brief meeting with Bartholomew, Jesus told him that he  would experience greater things than with this first meeting, and  he certainly did, for he was one of those to whom Jesus appeared on the shore of the sea of Galilee after His resurrection.

After what we see recorded in the Scriptures, we know very little of Bartholomew's life. Some writers, including the historian  Eusebius of Caesarea, say that he preached in India. However, the majority tradition, with varying details, is that Bartholomew preached in Armenia, and was finally horribly skinned alive and beheaded by King Astyages.  One "chance" meeting…changed Bartholomew's life forever, can it change ours?

May our prayer be:
Almighty and everlasting God, Who gave to Your Apostle Bartholomew  grace truly to believe and to preach Your Word: grant, we beseech  you, to Your Church, to love that Word which he believed, and both  to preach and receive the same.  Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who  lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God forever and  ever, Amen.

*Many of the words and ideas above are from various sources around the web, not all my own.

Embracing a Rule of Life

My blogging friend Kerry has an extraordinary post on how he has embraced and is living out a Rule of Life for himself.  He sees the discipline as "not meant to tie you up and stunt your growth by loading you up with Pharisaical practices. Rather, like a young sapling tied to a stake, a Rule of Life is intended to guarantee you safe and consistent growth through the storms of the world."  His post is a powerful journey that I highly recommend anyone to read in entirety and absorb what can be taken for your own lives.

To most Protestants, the term "Rule of Life" would most likely be something new, or at least largely unheard of. It certainly was for me until a couple of years ago. So, if you haven't heard the term, you're not alone.

If I was to help my fellow Protestants understand what I'm talking about, I might illustrate that a Rule of Life is an ancient form of the modern teaching that suggests each of us needs to have a personal vision. Now, before you respond with an "Oh, now I get it" .. let me tell you that there's a major weakness with that comparison. The difference is subtle at first glance, but it is a difference that has massive ramifications the further you "flesh it out".

In essence, a personal vision is generally a set of goals outlining what you want to achieve with your life, while a Rule of Life is essentially a structure in which spiritual formation is facilitated. And therein lies the difference. A personal vision is mainly about "doing", while a Rule of Life has its primary focus on "being".  The rest here...

Lord have mercy

Hurricane Dean is ravaging the Yucatan peninsula today. Let us remember all in the path of the storm.

God of mercy and compassion, be in their midst and bind them and us together in Your Spirit as a community of love and service to bear one another's burdens in these days as Your children living in Playa de Carmen, Cancun, Merida, and throughout the Yucatan peninsula face the ravages of storm and sea. This we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord from Whom alone comes our hope.
† Amen.

Policies

Those who have been reading my blog all along, know that I make all sorts of links and attributions of various types to source material.  However, I want to take myself to task a little on my recent Rule of Life posting. 

In my somewhat haphazard method of blogging, I tend to write, cut, paste, and incorporate stuff I find online, in books, and that I come up with myself,  to convey what I want to talk about.  I do my best to credit the source, but once in a while I don't get the correction attributions into the posting. I think part of the issue is that I don't consider my words anything I would want to "keep".  However I DO want to honor those who do, they are THEIR words, after all.

As I was posting Rule of Life, it got long, and I wanted to shorten it, so I deleted a some sections, one containing the attribute for  Fr. Rick Lord being the major source of the content for this particular posting.  I want to be sure to clear that up, because they are mostly his words, not mine.

My "policy" is that when I post the entirety of someone's work, or the exact words, I try to link to them. But when I condense, rewrite and mix with other stuff, it can get tough, and to be honest, I don't know how to attribute such a mishmash like that without giving footnotes and that is a lot of work for a blog, not a research paper.

I had a suggestion once, to write something like: "I am grateful to ____ (fill in the blank) for many of the words and ideas above."  Do you, my readers, think this is a good method?  Maybe I should put a disclaimer on the main blog site?  Would that be good?

Living a Rule

In exploring how people apply a Rule to their lives, I wanted to share how Kerry developed this for himself.  He commented here on the blog, and is exploring the Rule of St Benedict.

He bases his personal Rule on 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, which reads ...

"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need."

Then he asked himself the following questions.

1) How do I live this rule for myself personally?

2) How would this rule be lived by a group or a small community?

These are powerful questions which he answers Here.   I would like to hear from those who would consider those questions in their own life.  I am curious how Rivendell or any other Emergent community could apply those questions to their intentional community, since they were discussing a Rule, lately.

The Virgin Mary 15 August

Today is the day the Church remembers and celebrates the Feast of the Blessed Virgin and remember the woman Scripture calls "Blessed" for all generations.

Her life was very localized, dusty and seemingly of no more consequence than the thousands around her that had gone on before. We know very little about her and then generally only when her life and the Life of her Son connect in various ways.  Somehow I think that is very telling.  She never seems to draw attention to herself, but is God's handmaid, humble and an example to us all. Jesus is the One Who is important, and her life's story is only told in connection to His.  Isn't that a wonderful way to be remembered?

She does, however, deserve honor. She was especially chosen to be Theotokos or the God-bearer. We must never lose site of that extraordinary fact. Of course Mary is a creature and wasn't the origin of God, Who is without beginning or end.  But the Second Person of the Triune Godhead chose to truly become man.  He did not just come and borrow a human body and drive it around for awhile like some rental car.  No, at the moment of His conception in the womb of Mary, a miracle almost beyond comprehension happened.  God the Son united Himself with a human nature forever.  Humanity and Divinity were so closely bound together in Jesus, Son of Mary, that they could never be separated again.

She was real, young and scared, yet willing to be used of God.  How many of us faced such fear and danger, yet willingly laid our lives down?

Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with you; Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus;   Son of Mary, Son of the living God, have mercy upon us, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Rule of Life

We Monastic types often follow what is called a "Rule of Life". I was wondering if others out there also did, or if anyone would care to share what they do.

A Rule of Life is simply a structure in which spiritual formation is facilitated.  The Latin term is regula, which we get our word regulation. I know most modern Christians don't like to think on rules constraining them, but each person's own Rule regulates their  life in a way they see  that is helps them to grow.   It should be something you yearn to do.  It is a tool for growth, not a pair of steel shackles.

The point of a Rule of Life, for communities or individuals, is that life should be lived in balance, with God as the focal point.  A Rule of Life can provide us with the information and guidelines we need to get on the path of intentional practice of our Faith, and the loving accountability we need to keep us there.  My Order has one that the Brothers follow, and we individualize it for our personal circumstances.

I find that there is strength in joining forces with others who have a similar hunger and desire to live the way of Jesus in the here and now.  There is no doubt that we will fall short of keeping the rule in consistent ways, but this is why St. Benedict called his monasteries a "School for the Lord's service." 

Practicing a Rule of Life with others moves us against the grain of our individualistic culture. However, I believe that a Rule should grow from the positive aspects of our life, not what we perceive to be our failings.  We should discern it in conversation with God and others in our community, and we must make God the focus of our Rule (don't focus on  negative images of ourselves) and then we move in the directions in which we feel God's calling. A Rule of Life should be a response to being loved by God in the first place, and feeling moved to become what God calls us to be in this world.

Ever since St. Benedict's time, Christians have used a Rule of Life to provide an ancient yet powerfully consistent way to live into our present and future faith.

Father Dick Daniels

A kind and gentle man, who loved his Lord Jesus deeply and the people that God gave to him to be Priest to.  Today we say goodbye to Fr. Daniels.  He was quite a Bible scholar, and a man who I respected a great deal.  Now he sings in triumph in the very Presence of the Word he served his life long.

Dear Friends: It was our Lord Jesus Himself Who said,
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Let us pray, then, for our brother Dick, that he may rest from his labors, and enter into the light of God's eternal sabbath rest.

Receive, O Lord, Your servant, for he returns to You.
Into Your hands, O Lord,
we commend our brother Dick.

Wash him in the holy font of everlasting life, and clothe him in his heavenly wedding garment.
Into Your hands, O Lord,
we commend our brother Dick.

May he hear Your words of invitation, “Come, you blessed of my Father.”
Into Your hands, O Lord,
we commend our brother Dick.

May he gaze upon You, Lord, face to Face, and taste the blessedness of perfect rest.
Into Your hands, O Lord,
we commend our brother Dick.

May angels surround him, and saints welcome him in peace.
Into Your hands, O Lord,
we commend our brother Dick.

Almighty God, our Father in heaven, before Whom live all who die in the Lord: Receive our brother Dick into the courts of Your heavenly dwelling place.  Let his heart and soul now ring out in joy to You, O Lord, the living God, and the God of those who live.  This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.