Welcome back to Around the House! For our March/April edition, we’re featuring three noteworthy items of interest that have occurred within Saint Meinrad Archabbey’s cloister.
Lent is upon us, and we monks have begun our Lenten observance. While St. Benedict says that “The life of a monk ought to be a continuous Lent” (RB 49:1), he also says that, “…we will add to the usual measure of our service something by way of private prayer and abstinence from food or drink, so that each of us will have something above the assigned measure to offer God of his own will with the joy of the Holy Spirit” (RB 49:5-6). Lent is a time to accompany Christ into the desert, praying and fasting with him so we can recognize him in each other. Here’s a glimpse into how we’re encountering Christ in each other around the house.
The first has been the subject of many follow-up questions from our readers—the progress on my HO scale model railroad layout. I’m happy to report that there has been much progress. Our co-workers from the Physical Facilities department have been most generous in sacrificing their time to help me with the heavy lifting and carpentry. The bench work has been assembled, and the first section (8 ft x 4 ft) has been screwed into place. We’re simply waiting on the board to stop warping before I proceed with landscaping and scenery. In the meantime, I’ve been keeping myself occupied with painting, assembling, and weathering more structures for the layout. I recently completed a pair of Hampden row houses, a staple of the city of Baltimore, as well as a train station; I also added scenery to structures I had already assembled. Please enjoy a sampling of my oeuvre thus far.
Next on our agenda is the publication of the second edition of the Liturgy of the Hours for Benedictine Oblates. The new edition is an updated and revised version of the first edition, originally published in 2009 (with a second printing in 2013) under the leadership of Father Meinrad Brune, OSB. The psalms, prayers, and hymns contained in this breviary have nurtured and enriched countless oblates over the years, not to mention a few monks as well. The second edition, initiated in 2019 at the behest of the late Janis Dopp, the former director of Benedictine Oblates, was intended to bring the oblates’ Office more into line with how the monks pray the Office each day in the Archabbey Church. This was more than merely a practical consideration but one that also manifests the bonds that our oblates have with us and us with them.
Father Michael Reyes, OSB, the director of Benedictine Oblates, stated that all the thanks and kudos are due to Brother Joel Blaize, OSB, the new edition’s compiler. Brother Joel commented, “Working on the new Liturgy of the Hours for Benedictine Oblates was a real pleasure and a labor of love. I hope that it is enriching the prayer life of the whole oblate community.” If this correspondent may editorialize for a moment: having seen the volume and paged through it, I can testify that Brother Joel’s care, love, and dedication shine brightly from cover to cover and in between.
The most notable and obvious feature of the second edition of the Liturgy of the Hours for Benedictine Oblates is the switch from a four-week distribution of the psalms to a two-week distribution—this is one of the ways in which the revised volume resembles the monks’ Office. The hymns and responsories have been appropriately updated to mirror the monastic community’s choir books, and antiphons have been added to the psalms prayed on ferial days (normal, non-festal weekdays). Additionally, more variety has been included, primarily hymns and responsories tailored for the different liturgical seasons—Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time.
Father Archabbot Kurt Stasiak, OSB, closes the foreword with words of encouragement for all who pray from this breviary: “We hope this new resource enhances your prayer life, fills your hearts with God’s love, and deepens your spiritual journey.”
If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the second edition of Liturgy of the Hours for Benedictine Oblates, please contact the Office of Benedictine Oblates at (812) 357-6817 or oblates@saintmeinrad.edu.
The third item to be discussed is something that should be a constant in a monk’s life, though especially around this time of year—Lent. As St. Benedict wrote in Chapter 49 of The Rule, “Everyone should, however, make known to the abbot what he intends to do, since it ought to be done with his prayer and approval” (RB 49:8). It’s our custom here at Saint Meinrad Archabbey to fill out a form every year that we submit to Father Archabbot during Mass on Ash Wednesday. We commit to three acts of penance, following the traditional Three Pillars of Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. We also must select a book to read.
Each Bona Opera is a personal statement to the abbot of a monk’s humility—the truth of who he is as a man, a Christian, and a monk. While it may not be the place to discuss specific “good works” that we undertake, some general idea of what we do for Lent is included here for your consideration.
Prayer
- Spend more time practicing lectio each morning.
- Spend 30 minutes in front of the Blessed Sacrament in the afternoons.
- Offer prayers for a specific person or intention.
Fasting
- Fast from dessert on all days except Sundays and feast days.
- Fast from gossiping about my confreres (or co-workers, friends, et cetera).
- Fast from idleness and being slothful.
Almsgiving
- Donate unused (or underused) clothes to the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
- Give away some books (or trinkets, knick-knacks, et cetera).
- Offer a kind word to someone who needs a little extra love.
If these Lenten “good works” seem… simple, well, that’s because they are! We monks aren’t spiritual superheroes, impervious to the supernatural assaults of the Evil One. Rather, we’re flesh and blood men who try each day to conform our whole lives to the ideal of a monk—Jesus Christ. Such an enterprise has no room for sappy piety—it takes commitment, good zeal, and above and before all else love. It’s the love of God that spurs us on to love each other and those whom the Lord sends to us. Lent is the time to reflect with Christ, to journey with Him in the desert, and learn from Him the way to love as He loves.
Have a blessed and grace-filled Lent!
Br. Stanley, OSB
Correspondent
Around the House