CHAPTER 15
The community celebrated the Office of the Dead for the repose of the soul of Brother Benedict. They began with Vespers, Evening Prayer, the day after he died and continued through with the various liturgical ceremonies of psalms, readings, intercessions, closing prayers, and blessings that made them up from rising through night the next day. It reminded each monastic that everything in this life is passing and to keep focused on what is really Real.
The following day a Resurrection Liturgy of the Word and Eucharist was celebrated at the local parish church. Technically, monastics do not belong to a parish but monasteries often enjoy a good relationship with a local parish. Such was the case with the Salesian Monastery, and the local pastor was only too happy to allow them to use the parish church since it would accommodate many more than their little monastic Oratory.
Clare, living with the community for several weeks now and considering actually entering the monastery, signed the words of the ceremony from a lectern to the right of the altar. Hearing-impaired but having learned both lip reading and American Sign Language (often referred to simply as ASL), she was fluent in that language and made sure people understood that it is a very real language right next to English, Spanish, Chinese, etc..
Her graceful movements were like dance as she proclaimed the words of the Alleluia verse prior to the Gospel reading: “I am the Resurrection and the Life, says our God. The one who believes in me will not die but will live forever.” Even though no one in the congregation was fluent in ASL, they were wrapped in awe and wonder as Clare spoke with her hands. The exact words were not obvious but the spirit of each phrase was clear with a meaning deeper than words.
Brother Matthew thought about the concept of reincarnation. He was a Christian and did not subscribe to the thought that our souls return over and over again in other forms, human or animal, until we collect enough good karma and burn away all bad karma from past negative actions. He felt exhausted just thinking about it. The girl he broke up with to enter the monastery was now dead and he felt a certain peace believing that she was now with God in the fullness of Life. He believed that he would one day join her and all of his loved ones.
His Abbot had explained to the young monk that he thought that the many dyings and risings we go through during this life were perhaps a Christian version of reincarnation. In order to explain the fact that people report receiving information from past lives, the Abbot subscribed to the famous Swiss analyst’s concept of the “collective unconscious.”
We can all dip into a collective memory bank. Perhaps some are better at this than others. It was all too much for Brother Matthew. He reverenced all traditions and knew that we are all trying to make some sense out of things, especially life and death issues. His mind was drawn back to the ceremony by the familiar voice of Sister Jane.
The Prioress, Sister Jane de Chantal, eulogized Brother Benedict while standing in for Abbot Francis who was between engagements in Hawaii. Brother Francis had shepherded Brother Benedict through the many phases of his vocation and now was content to memorialize him in his heart from Hawaii. This was especially appropriate since Brother Benedict was in the habit of periodically asking his Abbot to “get some rest.” The nun spoke of Brother Benedict’s time in the military before entering monastic life. She spoke of the work of his hands which graced the monastery buildings and grounds in so many ways.
The five foot beeswax paschal candle flickered at the foot of the coffin—the same type of candle blessed each year in the darkness of the Easter Vigil, symbolizing Christ bringing light into the world. It was the same type of candle which burned at Brother Benedict’s solemn profession of vows not many years prior. It symbolized the Christ who had accompanied him throughout the various phases of his life and whom he was now seeing in glory.
The church was filled with a mix of people, many from the local area. One silver haired woman proudly whispered to the man next to her: “Brother Benedict and I exchanged many a recipe in the aisles of the supermarket on Friday mornings.” A young man who looked to be chemically tranquilized sat next to a male nurse in whites. The community, in a spirit of reconciliation, had responded positively to the young man’s request to attend the funeral when an administrator from a New Jersey state hospital called them. He had tried to murder their Abbot at one point but they believed that Brother Francis would have allowed this also.
Pastor Kathryn from the local Lutheran church attended the ceremony. She was a good friend of the community and her presence was an example of the ecumenical bond the monastery had with people of all faiths.
Father Ignatius was “state side” from Asia and attended as well. He was not fond of concelebration, of vesting in special garb and standing in the sanctuary with the other clergy. Rather, he sat simply and quietly in the pews with the rest of the People of God.
Flo, a joyful and generous Registered Nurse supported the community by her presence as well. She had accompanied Brother Francis and about a dozen other people to the mysterious land of Tibet and wished to maintain a connection with the community.
Krishna, originally from India but now working as a family practice doctor in the States, flew in for the funeral too. He was disappointed in not being able to see his old friend Brother Francis but was confident that they would meet again before too long. Perhaps they would go back to Asia together again. They had done that several times before. Hopefully the next time would be a more peaceful and less dangerous trip. We live in hope!
Two CIA agents also attended.
After the liturgy, many from the church gathering proceeded to a military cemetery where a gun salute and taps expressed the phase of life that was not so apparent to the people who knew the sixty-something monk in more recent years.
Forensic and Clinical Psychologist Doctor Chantal Fleur and Detective David Gold, her husband, wiped their eyes as Sister Jane prayed the final prayers at the cemetery. Great friends of the community, they had shared many a meal cooked by Brother Benedict at the monastery-- and solved several mysteries with the help of his rather “black and white” thinking. While others were busy spinning all sorts of theories, Brother Benedict stated the obvious, which was often missed. This always brought them back to the facts and to a more focused approach to crime solving.
In the Salesian tradition, in addition to the usual monastic vows of Conversion of Life (which includes Chastity and Poverty), Stability, and Obedience, there is the option of taking a private vow of charity. This can be done with the permission of the Abbot or Abbess or one’s spiritual director. Though gruff in his exterior deportment, Brother Benedict had taken this vow even as a novice.
Lord Jesus Christ, out of love of you and in the embrace of your cross, I vow for life that I will do nothing contrary to brotherly/sisterly charity in thought, word, or deed.
Help me, O Lord, through the Blessed Virgin, your mother. Glory to you, Source of all Being, Eternal Word, and Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
The community drove back from the cemetery in companionable silence, stopping at the Cracker Barrel restaurant for a luncheon treat in the old-fashioned eatery. Dressed in their blue and gray habits, they put up with a few stares from some of the patrons. The habit was worn to remind them, and sometimes others, that there is something more to life than what we can see and touch. Wearing the “right” clothing is the least of life. It’s fine to enjoy such things from time to time, their saintly founders taught, but don’t get hooked on them—even though the founders might not have put in quite those words.
It had been a long illness and the community needed some rejuvenation. They were a resilient lot and were already bouncing back.