CHAPTER 15 - PENNSYLVANIA
The community enjoyed the fruits of the labors of Madam Wu and Sister Jane. The normal monastic custom is to listen to reading during meals, which are taken in silence. In a small community it is often simpler to listen to spiritual, or sometimes health-related, audiotapes. In recent times the monastery had moved up to CDs. At the evening meal this evening they listened to an American woman who became a Tibetan Buddhist nun. Her name is Pema Chodron. She spoke in simple and practical terms about things such as self-forgiveness, assertiveness, the forgiveness of others, and looking at life from a deeper viewpoint. She spoke with humor and gratitude. Her words, while coming from a Buddhist point of view, had a Christian and Salesian flavor. As the community members enjoyed their meal and listened “with the ears of their hearts” as St. Benedict would say, their minds were filled with thoughts that nourished their spirits even more than their bodies.
One of Pema Chodron’s most loved books is called When Things Fall Apart. In it she talks about what really matters, things that arise from the depths of the spirit, things that cannot be weighed or measured in a science lab. The woman speaks from her own experience of the painful life events that prompted her to dig more deeply into the reason for existence and the healthiest way to respond to life. Brother Matthew's thoughts turned to ecumenism. Even as a young child, Brother Matthew thought that people were more alike than they were different. He thought the same about groups of people who might join together in the name of a particular religion or philosophy. He held to his own Christian monastic roots, but celebrated all that is held in common among people of goodwill, and respected that which might be different
Sister Scholastica's life had taken her to faraway lands and into very dangerous situations prior to her entering the monastery in her early forties. She dealt with people who spoke different languages and worshiped very differently from her, but she had an ability to see deeply into their hearts. This convinced her of the goodness of all people, even while in the midst of those who were not doing good things. Sometimes the goodness she believed to be within each person had to be taken on faith, but most of the time it was available to her if she simply opened her eyes and her heart.
"Let us bless the Lord," the prioress proclaimed. "And give God thanks," the community responded. This verse and response indicated that it was now time to break silence and enjoy one another's company through conversation.
"I thought it would be nice to chat for a while as we enjoy our dessert," Sister Jane explained to the community. Even our holy father St. Francis de Sales encouraged us to recreate and to relax. Talking meals, and talking desserts, were not frequent, but were also no big surprise when they occurred. Everyone began to chatter about how good the food tasted and how interesting Pema Chodron's book was. After everyone talked for a while, they got up and began clearing the table. The cooks were normally excused from doing the dishes, so Madam Wu and Sister Jane retired to the sunroom to continue their conversation of earlier that afternoon.
Sister Jane collapsed into an old wingback chair covered in orange brocade. "I fear I am beginning to show as much wear and tear as this old chair," she observed jovially.
Madam Wu could identify with the nun. "I've got a few things that creek going myself," she laughed. "I understand that Brother Francis was recently knighted. Can you tell me what that's about?"
"It's true; it's also rather unusual. As you know, Brother Francis is a doctor of natural medicine and a clinical psychologist. He specializes in behavioral medicine and Chinese medicine. The Medical Order of the Knights Hospitaller became aware of his good work and nominated him for knighthood. They hold “investitures,” as they call them, in various countries throughout each year. About a year after his nomination Brother Francis flew to Miami, Florida, and was received into this ancient medical order in a local Maronite Catholic Church and knighted as well."
"The author Dan Brown has provided the world with part fantasy and part fictitious information about the Knights Templar. I believe that the medical knights emerged about fifty years after the Knights Templar; is that correct Sister?"
"Right you are, Madam Wu. The Knights Templar, as I understand it, began in order to protect pilgrims who came to the holy land of Jerusalem as pilgrims. Sad to say, there was bloodshed among various political and religious factions. The Knights Hospitaller then began to offer medical and spiritual care to those who had been wounded or became sick on their journeys."
"The little reading I've done about this topic made it clear that the medical knights took in and treated people of any background, be they of no religion, Jewish, Muslim, or Christian. They also began institutions that we know today as hospitals. Even their symbol of a Maltese, eight-pointed, cross became a Red Cross symbol for the organization that bears that name. I believe that Florence Nightingale had some affiliation with the medical order as well."
"Abbot Francis told us that the group he was knighted with, about thirty-eight women and men strong, was comprised of dentists, conventional physicians, psychologists, chiropractors, herbalists, scientists, and legal experts. All of these people had to take training in natural medicine beyond their traditional training in order to practice in the name of the order.”
The Master General of the order held a glinting sword on high and then moved it from one shoulder to the other over Brother Francis as he bestowed knighthood upon him. Both men were now clad in a long black mantle with a large white Maltese cross on the left side of the black cape. He prayed over the newly-knighted monk, asking that God would give the monk the courage to shed his blood for the cause of the order if it be needed. After the Salesian monk and the other men and women with him had been knighted or “damed,” as the women’s process was called, the Grand Master concluded:
“By the authority delegated to me under the authority of the Grand Council, and in remembrance of God’s holy presence, I have transformed you into Knights and Dames. I offer you sovereignty, the cross, and invest you in a habit of little worth. The four arms of the cross stand for the virtues of prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude. The points stand for the Beatitudes that spring from those virtues: spiritual joy; life without malice; repentance over any misdeeds; humility before others; love of justice; mercy; sincerity, and purity of heart--and finally it symbolizes an overall suffering of persecution if need be.”
Madam Wu was in awe at what she just “saw” within her spirit. She seemed transfixed. "The medical order is actually older than the Salesian order. We are talking about the twelve hundreds and St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal founded the Salesian family in the fifteen hundreds and sixteen hundreds, correct?"
"Yes, Madam, it seems that our abbot is going back further and further in time. He is truly captivated by the life of the early Christians too. Many people today think that the Church of the fifteen hundreds down to today is the way it always was. Not so, life in the early Church was quite a bit different. It burned with the fire of the Holy Spirit. I know that is something you know a great deal about my friend. Anyway, the early Christians were dedicated to a life of good works. From time to time they would come together to tell stories from Scripture and the life of Jesus, share the bread and wine, thus experiencing God through the Living Word and the Eucharist. This experience of coming together and sharing, by its very nature, brings forgiveness and healing. I must admit that I long for those days as well. I respect all that the Church stands for but some of its trappings are not necessary for me. Sadly and frighteningly, there are even some who become violent when they think about the Church."
"I suppose monasteries tend to be simpler than parish communities. That doesn't make one better than the other, I realize, but we each are called to find our way in accord with whatever path we are drawn to, I suppose." Madam Wu smiled and relaxed in the presence of someone who was becoming a good friend. It was risky to become friends with anyone because anyone could hurt or betray us, even accidentally. Such was the experience of Jesus and many of the saints. If one is human, one is at risk. A life without risk is a pretty superficial life, she thought.
"It's almost time for Compline, Madam Wu. That's just another name for Night Prayer. Do you know why the traditional name for Night Prayer is known as ‘Compline?’"
"That is one of the many monastic mysteries that I have not yet solved."
"The word Compline means to complete. Night Prayer completes the rhythm of daily Offices, the celebrations of Psalms and readings that relate to the liturgical or Church seasons such as Advent and Lent. The Liturgy of the Hours, or Divine Office, is generously punctuated with feasts of various kinds in honor of saints or events in the life of Christ. All of this is used to bring us closer to God, not to the worship of saints or even of Jesus’ blessed mother. So the Liturgy of the Hours is the backbone of the monastic schedule. I know you understand but sometimes our monastic jargon can be confusing. You almost married someone you let go of so that he could become a monk. Anyway, to make a long story short—which I can’t possibly do at this point, Compline simply means to complete the rhythm of common prayer for the day."
The gifted Christian psychic pondered these words for a few moments. Then she said, "Every night at Night Prayer we chant that Canticle of Simeon and Anna. The first line of it says 'Now, God, you can let your servant go in peace.' It makes me reflective, and I begin to wonder if going to sleep for the night is a kind of temporary dying so that we may rise again with Christ in the morning."
The prioress nodded her head as the squeaky rocker that Madam Wu sat in seemed to give its assent also. "Simeon and Anna were two elderly and presumably wonderful people who were dedicated to service in the Jewish Temple. They longed for the coming of the Messiah. When Joseph and Mary presented Jesus in the Temple, in accord with the Jewish custom, he was recognized by them as the Messiah and the canticle you speak of burst forth from Simeon's lips in recognition. He was indeed ready to die because his eyes had seen the Messiah."
As if on cue, the bell in the community room pealed three times. It was indeed time to walk to the oratory to celebrate Compline, after which the great silence would begin, and no one would be permitted to speak until after breakfast the next day.
The prioress hesitated for a moment and then said, "It's been on my mind to share with you something that happened to Brother Francis. There were a few times when he was almost killed. One of them was not long ago. I'd like to tell you that story when we chat again, although I'm not sure why."