This
week we had a big celebration in Newark Abbey as our novice, Brother Thomas Aquinas, professed
his first vows as a Benedictine monk.
As part of his retreat in preparation for taking vows, he
and I reflected on a passage from Hebrews which, it turns out, is the second
reading assigned for mass this Sunday, Aug. 18. The part we reflected on is this:
Therefore, since we are
surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight
and the sin that clings so closely, and let
us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the
pioneer and perfecter of our faith. (Heb.12:1-2a)
(I reflect on this passage in a chapter in Downtown Monks entitled “Making Friends
with the Saints.”) As
Brother Thomas was professing his vows I was aware of all the “witnesses” crowding the church, not
only the visible ones like his mother and brother and relatives and friends, not just his brother monks, or the students and faculty members of our school, but also the “cloud
of witnesses” watching from heaven. The saints staring down from the stained glass
windows (St. Benedict, John the Baptist, Saints Ann, Barbara, Agnes, Frances
of Rome, and the rest) were just symbolic reminders of the fact that the sanctuary
was indeed crowded with the presence of countless unseen witnesses, including deceased
members of our monastic family.
It happened that the day after Br. Thomas’s profession was my birthday. And I became
aware of the people who are encouraging me: Relatives, friends, colleagues and brother monks who are all running the race together with me right
now. The realization began to dawn on me early in the week when I received a
lovely encouraging email from a cousin in response to a blog post of mine. Then
in the following couple of days came a bunch of birthday cards, emails, and phone
calls from all sorts of people just wishing me a happy birthday. This was
another glimpse of the “cloud of witnesses” both living and deceased who are
rooting me on.
Each
Sunday at mass during the Creed when we say we believe in “the communion of saints”
we’re not talking about a lot of dead people: We’re talking about the Church.
An ancient writer asked “What is the Church if not the assembly of all the
saints?” The new Catholic Catechism says simply “The communion of saints is the
Church.” (cf. #'s 946-948) But the Church includes you and me as well as those who have gone before us
and who are now in glory. As
members of the communion of saints, you and I, just like the cloud of witnesses
looking down from glory, encourage one another as we run the race.
I
hope to be in the grandstand one day, but one of the important ways of getting
there is to be a cheerleader for my brothers and sisters who are running
alongside me right now.
Please pray for Brother Thomas that he will be encouraged by the cloud of witnesses, and will prove to be a great cheerleader himself.
The spiritual sensation of the "cloud of witnesses" is especially profound when one stands inside the magnificent Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angles in Los Angeles. Dozens of saints depicted on tapestries face God's altar -- young, old, short, tall, thin, plump, modern, historic, named, unnamed -- united in adoration. I find encouragement there as I face God's altar among holy ones who look like me... encouragement to persevere in hope and joy through troubled times.
ReplyDeleteConverse but parallel to the "cloud of witnesses" notion is the element of easy anonymity seen in the Numbering in Bethlehem image you mentioned above.. of those with whom we interact daily, weekly, once, who are "witnesses?" How many great or struggling souls are overlooked in the anonymity of the passing in the street? May we take the opportunities to show our faith so as to not miss chances for encouragement among the distractions of the world from day to day.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this encouraging post. -- Catherine M. J. Evans (Oblate Candidate S.B.)
ReplyDelete