Monks Pray for Peace in Syria

Below is Pope Francis' most recent Angelus address, in which he calls for a day of prayer and fasting on Sept. 7, the Vigil of the Birth of the Mary, the Queen of Peace.  May our prayers and fasting, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, bring about a peaceful resolution to all war driven nations.  

God, our Father, Your Word, Jesus Christ, spoke peace to a sinful world and brought mankind the gift of reconciliation by the suffering and death He endured. Teach us, the people who bear His name, to follow the example He gave us: may our faith, hope, and charity turn hatred to love, conflict to peace, and death to eternal life. Amen.

POPE FRANCIS
ANGELUS
Saint Peter's Square

Sunday, 1st September 2013

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Hello!

Today, dear brothers and sisters, I wish to make add my voice to the cry which rises up with increasing anguish from every part of the world, from every people, from the heart of each person, from the one great family which is humanity: it is the cry for peace! It is a cry which declares with force: we want a peaceful world, we want to be men and women of peace, and we want in our society, torn apart by divisions and conflict, that peace break out! War never again! Never again war! Peace is a precious gift, which must be promoted and protected.

There are so many conflicts in this world which cause me great suffering and worry, but in these days my heart is deeply wounded in particular by what is happening in Syria and anguished by the dramatic developments which are looming.

I appeal strongly for peace, an appeal which arises from the deep within me. How much suffering, how much devastation, how much

Queen of Peace

pain has the use of arms carried in its wake in that martyred country, especially among civilians and the unarmed! I think of many children will not see the light of the future! With utmost firmness I condemn the use of chemical weapons: I tell you that those terrible images from recent days are burned into my mind and heart. There is a judgment of God and of history upon our actions which are inescapable! Never has the use of violence brought peace in its wake. War begets war, violence begets violence.

With all my strength, I ask each party in this conflict to listen to the voice of their own conscience, not to close themselves in solely on their own interests, but rather to look at each other as brothers and decisively and courageously to follow the path of encounter and negotiation, and so overcome blind conflict. With similar vigour I exhort the international community to make every effort to promote clear proposals for peace in that country without further delay, a peace based on dialogue and negotiation, for the good of the entire Syrian people.

May no effort be spared in guaranteeing humanitarian assistance to those wounded by this terrible conflict, in particular those forced to flee and the many refugees in nearby countries. May humanitarian workers, charged with the task of alleviating the sufferings of these people, be granted access so as to provide the necessary aid.

What can we do to make peace in the world? As Pope John said, it pertains to each individual to establish new relationships in human society under the mastery and guidance of justice and love (cf. John XXIII, Pacem in Terris, [11 April 1963]: AAS 55, [1963], 301-302).

All men and women of good will are bound by the task of pursuing peace. I make a forceful and urgent call to the entire Catholic Church, and also to every Christian of other confessions, as well as to followers of every religion and to those brothers and sisters who do not believe: peace is a good which overcomes every barrier, because it belongs all of humanity!

I repeat forcefully: it is neither a culture of confrontation nor a culture of conflict which builds harmony within and between peoples, but rather a culture of encounter and a culture of dialogue; this is the only way to peace.

May the plea for peace rise up and touch the heart of everyone so that they may lay down their weapons and be let themselves be led by the desire for peace.

To this end, brothers and sisters, I have decided to proclaim for the whole Church on 7 September next, the vigil of the birth of Mary, Queen of Peace, a day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria, the Middle East, and throughout the world, and I also invite each person, including our fellow Christians, followers of other religions and all men of good will, to participate, in whatever way they can, in this initiative.

On 7 September, in Saint Peter’s Square, here, from 19:00 until 24:00, we will gather in prayer and in a spirit of penance, invoking God’s great gift of peace upon the beloved nation of Syria and upon each situation of conflict and violence around the world. Humanity needs to see these gestures of peace and to hear words of hope and peace! I ask all the local churches, in addition to fasting, that they gather to pray for this intention.

Let us ask Mary to help us to respond to violence, to conflict and to war, with the power of dialogue, reconciliation and love. She is our mother: may she help us to find peace; all of us are her children! Help us, Mary, to overcome this most difficult moment and to dedicate ourselves each day to building in every situation an authentic culture of encounter and peace. Mat, Queen of Peace, pray for us!

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/angelus/2013/documents/papa-francesco_angelus_20130901_en.html

 

Monastic History: Origins of Monasticism (Part 1 of 3)

Withdrawal From the World

The word “Monasticism” is derived from the Greek term “Monachos,” meaning “sole,” “single,” or "alone".  Since the earliest days of Christianity individuals and small groups of people have chosen to withdraw from the world in order to live in the

Desert Father: Abba Scisoes

solitude of the desert and the fringes of society.  Although this initial flight from the world could be attributed to various reasons, such as the early Christians’ attempt to avoid persecutions or heavy taxes, it soon became the means by which men and women sought “White Martyrdom,” the daily dying to self and the complete giving of one’s self to Christ. 

   

Developing more or less at the same time in Mesopotamia, Syria, Egypt and Cappadocia, as well as in the West, Monasticism was not a phenomenon that sprang up overnight as a finished product.  In fact, early Christian Monks had very different attitudes about what the ascetical life should entail.  Overall, although monastic life was widely practiced, it was not properly structured.  However, it did not take long for a model to arise.  In the Life of Antony, written by St. Athanasius, Antony is presented as a prototype for monks, a model for emulation.  Although Antony of Egypt (251-356 AD) was clearly not the first monk to live in the desert, due to his discipline and holiness of life, he is regarded as the founder and father of monasticism. 

For more information about the Life of Antony, Part II of Origins of Monasticism will be posted on September 5. 

     

St. Benedict and Spiritual Combat (Part 2 of 3)

The Medal of St. Benedict, according to an old tradition, became widely known through the following

Medal of St. Benedict

occurrence. Bruno, who would one day become Pope Leo IX, had in his youth been bitten by a venomous reptile, in consequence of which he was seriously ill for two months. He had lost the use of speech and in a short time was reduced to a skeleton. All hopes of his recovery had been abandoned when suddenly he beheld a luminous ladder that reached to heaven from which descended a venerable old man wearing the habit of a monk. It was St. Benedict, bearing in his hand a radiant cross with which he touched the swollen face of Bruno, and instantly cured him. Then the apparition disappeared.

Pope St. Leo IX

Bruno, who had been healed in such a miraculous manner, later entered the Order of St. Benedict. He ascended the papal throne in the year 1048, under the name of Leo IX and was renowned in the Church for his sanctity, his devotion to the Holy Cross, and to St. Benedict. He was later canonized. Through this pope the Medal of St. Benedict was enriched with special blessings, and its veneration spread far and wide.


To learn more about the images on the Medal of St. Benedict: http://www.osb.org/gen/medal.html

St. Benedict and Spiritual Combat (Part 1 of 3)

In The Ratzinger Report, Pope Benedict XVI said: “Whatever the less discerning theologians may say, the devil, as far as Christian belief is concerned, is a puzzling but real, personal and not merely symbolic presence.  He is a powerful reality, a baneful superhuman freedom directed against God’s freedom… On his own, man has not the power to oppose Satan, but united with Jesus we can be certain of vanquishing him”. 
    

Known to have frequent battles with the evil one, St. Benedict found the power to defeat Satan by means of the sign of the Cross.  As a powerful intercessor against demons, St. Benedict also taught his disciples to use the Sign of our Redemption against the assaults of Satan, and in other dangers as well.  St. Maurus and St. Placid, his first and most renowned disciples, wrought numerous miracles through the powerful sign of the Holy Cross.

For more on St. Benedict’s use of the Sign of the Cross & his combat with Satan, Read these Chapters from Book Two of the Dialogues:

CH 2: HOW HE OVERCAME A GREAT TEMPTATION OF THE FLESH: http://www.osb.org/gen/greg/dia-04.html#TopOfPage

-   CH 3: HOW Benedict, BY THE SIGN OF THE HOLY CROSS, BROKE A DRINKING-GLASS IN PIECES: http://www.osb.org/gen/greg/dia-05.html#TopOfPage

-   CH 4: HOW Benedict REFORMED A MONK THAT WOULD NOT STAY AT HIS PRAYERS: http://www.osb.org/gen/greg/dia-06.html#TopOfPage

-   CH 8: HOW A LOAF WAS POISONED, AND CARRIED FAR OFF BY A CROW:  http://www.osb.org/gen/greg/dia-10.html#TopOfPage

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    CH 11: HOW VENERABLE BENEDICT REVIVED A BOY, CRUSHED TO DEATH WITH THE RUIN OF A WALL: http://www.osb.org/gen/greg/dia-13.html#P89_36708

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    CH 13: OF THE BROTHER OF VALENTINIAN THE MONK, WHOM THE MAN OF GOD BLAMED FOR EATING IN HIS JOURNEY: http://www.osb.org/gen/greg/dia-15.html#P94_40064

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    CH 16: OF A CERTAIN CLERGYMAN, WHOM VENERABLE BENEDICT FOR A TIME DELIVERED FROM A DEVIL: http://www.osb.org/gen/greg/dia-18.html#P105_47082

-   CH 25: HOW A MONK, FORSAKING THE ABBEY, MET WITH A DRAGON ON THE WAY: http://www.osb.org/gen/greg/dia-27.html#P154_67772

-   CH 30: HOW BENEDICT DELIVERED A MONK FROM THE DEVIL: http://www.osb.org/gen/greg/dia-32.html#P170_73635

Monks Begin a New Semester of Seminary

While some monks attend seminary in order to attain a Master of Arts degree in subjects such as Systematic Theology, Sacred Scripture, or Monastic Studies (so that they might go on to teach in our college or seminary), other monks attend seminary in order to pursue a degree required for Priestly Ordination (Master of Divinity Degree).

The purpose of the Master of Divinity Degree is to prepare the monk (or diocesan seminarian) for ordained ministry and for general pastoral and religious leadership responsibilities. However, a monk does not choose this pursuit of ordination based on his own judgment. Rather, through his own careful discernment and the prayerful discernment of the Archabbot, a monk may be called upon by his abbot to study for the priesthood.

Listening to the wisdom of the Holy Rule, St. Benedict tells us, “Any Abbot who asks to have a priest or deacon ordained should choose from his monks one worthy to exercise the priesthood” (Ch 62).

This monk must constantly be on guard against conceit and pride: “Just because he is a priest, he may not therefore forget the obedience and discipline of the Rule, but make more and more progress toward God” (Ch 62).