March 21st: The Solemnity Of The 'transitus' Of Saint Benedict.

In monastic tradition, these first vows were the main event: solemn vows three years later only confirmed the offering of oneself that a monk makes after the noviciate.   Clearly we must follow canon law in which these vows are now only for three years, but we must also bear in mind and strike a balance between monastic life seen as an institution and governed by law, and monastic life as a charismatic life lead by the Spirit to whose call the monk responds.Looking at our vocation from a charismatic point of view, we Benedictine monks are monks who live in cells and monks who live in community; and these two dimensions of our life correspond to the two main typess of monk, the anchorites and the cenobites.

Our cells are not just bedrooms or offices or places to entertain; still less are they internet cafes!   They are monk’s cells, places of prayer, of lectio divina, of silence, places where we can even more intensely seek God.  How we use our cells indicates how mature we are in the monastic life.

We are also cenobites.  The Gospel of the solemnity of St Benedict’s death, the “Transitus”, is taken from Christ’s prayer, “that they may be one as you, Father, in me, and I in you etc in chapter 17 of St John.”   Each  of us is called to seek God, but we are to seek God together in community.   We are called to be one, as Christ and the Father are one.   We no longer belong to ourselves, nor do we possess anything of our own.   Making this a reality as well as living responsibly in our cells are our ways of approaching God and form our kind of asceticism.

These photos show Brother Jose Luis taking his vows at the conventual Mass of the community on St Benedict’s Day, March 21; Brother Jose Luis signing his vows on the altar, (the paper is places under the corporal during the Mass); and the Pachacamac community after the Mass, plus the abbot and minus the aspirant who took the photo.  There is now a resident community of eight, plus an aspirant, which isn’t bad.  However, two in solemn vows are away, Monday to  Friday, studying for the priesthood.