In
writing these brief meditation-memos, I have usually avoided including much
personal material, although I use some of my life-experiences to illustrate
more general points in homilies. On this
occasion I reverse the process:
discussion of my vocations may be too difficult for some to hear in
homilies, so I sketch it out here, rather than in a homily. My purpose is to explain to parishioners
something few apparently understand, because of lack of experience with Benedictines
monks (men and women): the nature of the
monastic vocation is strongly different from the call to be a priest in the
Church. If this memo fails to clarify my
vocational situation for you, let me know and I shall write a longer version
and post it on our website.
We all have multiple vocations
from God, not just one. To focus on
a single vocation is naive and misleading.
Our foremost and common vocation is to become what we have been created
to be: happy, virtuous, fulfilled,
engaged human beings, who find our ultimate completion in God alone. Furthermore, some have a calling as men, some
as women. Most human beings find
considerable personal fulfillment in being married and raising loving children. Furthermore, our natural abilities and
interests point to having other vocations.
In my case, I have long been interested in learning and in teaching; in
music, photography, literature; in philosophy and in spiritual life. We also share the vocation to be men and
women in Christ Jesus, and to live out this calling as faithful Catholics.
I have two additional vocations
which have been highly significant in my life:
I have been called by Christ and by a Benedictine community to live as a
monk until death; and my abbot chose me to serve, at least at times, as a
priest for the community, and in the larger church. Repeatedly I have learned that even life-time
Catholics do not understand the monastic vocation; many consider it invalid,
escapist, or inhuman. The essence of the
Benedictine monastic calling is to seek God in community. We take three vows: obedience to the Rule of St. Benedict and to
our abbot; stability of life as a monk until death; and a life of ongoing
conversion to Christ. To seek God means
that one truly trusts and acts as though “my happiness is in You alone.” Monks forsake marriage, family life,
property. The vocation of priests is to
serve parish families, helping to lead people to God. Priests keep their earthly families, are
attached to place, may inherit and own property. In brief, whereas monks are called to seek
God in prayer and study, Catholic priests are called to active ministry. They are very different and even conflicting
vocations. Every monk who is a priest
knows well the conflict, and seeks to find the right balance in his life.
Let me be practical. I entered St. Anselm’s Abbey in 1982 to seek
God. With chaplains needed for the Gulf
War, I entered the Navy in 1991, and since then, have been a fully-engaged parish
priest. My life as a Benedictine monk
was not negated, but was at least partially suspended. Active ministry has left much less time for
study and contemplation. As I approach
retirement from active ministry, my monastic vocation returns to the fore. My abbot has chosen to restore my status
as an active member of our monastery.
As such, I am obligated to spend generous hours in prayer, study, and
meditation every day, as well as do some manual work. Most of the monks of our monastery share in
some pastoral ministry, including writing, teaching, preaching, care of the
sick, and so on.
When I retire on 1 July, I will no
longer be a parish priest, nor am I a diocesan priest. I return to full-time status as a
Benedictine monk. I may on occasion
preach in public, or offer a Mass, but my main form of teaching and preaching will
take the form of writing. To write, I
must meditate and study. To these ends,
I will considerably reduce my social life, as Benedictine monks live a life of
relative seclusion from the world, from business, from socializing. I am not leaving the planet, but please
understand if I decline opportunities to socialize or to minister in
public. Please understand: I am not a diocesan priest, but a man who
vowed himself to seek God in prayer, study, and contemplation. This vocation requires large amounts of time
in solitude. With the help of God, I
will live out my Benedictine vocation until death.
