+ The Church's praises ring out with joy this day as we recall the feast of Saints Peter and Paul. It is the keys of Peter and the words of Paul that assure the Church of its never-ending call of holiness of life and the beatific vision of God's face forever in heaven to those who are faithful to such a call, and respond generously with lives of love and service. Today we also celebrate the Fifth Anniversary of the Founding of a religious group called the Joyful Servants of the Cross. It has been from the very beginning the desire of the participants in this group to seek holiness of life and a means of channeling loving service for the good of those in the Church on the local level and the world at large.
I should like to combine these two celebrations by addressing the simple vows that will be pronounced by the members today and demonstrate how they are a true outgrowth of the spirit of Peter's profession of faith, and Paul's mission to all nations to convert all who would be converted to the Lord.
The three vows are: stability, conversatio morum and obedience. These reflect the vows taken by true Benedictines, who serve as a model of structure and way of life for the Joyful Servants. Saints Peter and Paul were both stable and committed spiritually to the task given then each personally by Christ the Lord himself to raise up a Church – for the glory of the Father – and for the salvation of all people everywhere. This stability, perseverance, commitment, stick-to-it-ive-ness, persistence and loyalty both in season and out, in good times and in bad, in all kind of assaults and persecutions both externally and internally encouraged and sustained by the working of the given Holy Spirit within them made the Church alive, effective and the hope of the world. The Joyful Servants commit themselves today to such a spirit of stability both internally and externally: binding themselves to live together for life (so long as ordinary circumstances allow), understanding that perseverance, commitment, stick-to-it-ive-ness, persistence and loyalty both in season and out, in good times and in bad, in all kind of assaults and persecutions both externally and internally will also be their lot. But with the same help of the asked for and given Holy Spirit they will endure and flourish with the help of God.
The second vow is conversatio morum – a Latin term not easily translatable – best left in Latin. It has everything to do with "conversion of ways," conversion of mores, transformation of patterns of life, a real total spiritual turn-about – it has everything to do with "dying to sin" and "becoming alive in God;" it has everything to do with becoming holy and perfect as we have been commanded by God to become. The monastery is a specially treasured incubator where such holiness and perfection are nurtured and groomed. It is the Holy Spirit's own workshop! It is the goal of conversatio morum for the monk to actually be holy – which means not being anything which is profane, crass, worldly or unholy. Its fruit is JOY – the sentiment and expression of deep abiding SPIRITUAL JOY come what may. It was this conversatio morum (that actually comes in seed form at Baptism and is strengthend by Confirmation) that gave Saints Peter and Paul the inner resource and strength to be what God called them do be and to do his will, and his will only!
Which leads to the third vow of obedience – the entire redemption of the world revolves around the love that is obedience. Jesus obediently, but o so very lovingly obeyed his Father, came to earth, became one of us, took upon himself everything that is sinful and then died in order to break the curse of sin and death forever! That is powerful love, that is powerful obedience, that is the spirit that ought to be behind every act of obedience that anyone gives anyone else. If, there is a true and God-given, chain of command – then obedience by all involved in the chain will produce not only JOY but PEACE, deep abiding peace that the world cannot give. In the monastery the Abbot – the very representative of Christ himself – obeys God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – he passes on what he hears and experiences to those under him; the monks obey the Abbot as though they were obeying Christ himself and with a love and devotion that they would show him. Both Abbot and monks – as St. Benedict tells us in the rule – then obey each other, serving each others' needs, in mutual respect and placing the others before one's self always. This type of monastic life not only then produces joy and peace, but also hope in the face of all of life's difficulties.
It was the task of Peter and Paul to be the first to pray and work for the purification and perfection of the Church on earth so that it can be made ready to meet its Lord in heaven, and also to transform the world into the glorious kingdom of God with Jesus reigning as King – this is also the primary mission of the Joyful Servants of the Cross, who pray thusly, and impact the world in whatever ways the Spirit has in mind for them to do.
As Peter and Paul gave their lives for Christ entirely both in this life, and in their deaths, so may we the Joyful Servants of the Cross do the same.
No comments:
Post a Comment