LIVING ON THE BUS

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SEVENTEEN PASSENGERS

This morning's meditation in Pilgrim Road was based on my experience of riding a bus across Paraguay by myself. The gist of it was that I realized that all of the folks on the bus with me were all, like me, "citizens of heaven" despite being from different countries.

I started to think of our monastic community as being "on the bus" together. The current restrictions on going outside have made me more aware than ever that we seventeen monks of Newark Abbey are very much "in this together." As we try to find workable solutions to questions such as "social distancing" during our common prayers, I'm sure that we're going to get on each other's nerves from time to time. It's an opportunity for us to really live the provisions of Benedict's Holy Rule that call for us to live selflessly, more concerned about our brother monks than about ourselves.

The motto of "Peace" is fairly easy to live out in a community of like-minded brothers when life is running smoothly and according to plan. But the real challenge is to achieve "Peace under pressure," when expectations are dashed or people start getting on ones nerves. Well, we are surely going to feel the pressure over the next weeks.

ALL THE WORLD'S ON THE BUS

One truly unique aspect of this coronavirus pandemic is that it forces everyone on the planet to realize that we are all on the same bus, whether we like it or not. We're getting our noses rubbed in the fact that all of us on the planet share the same human nature, the same fragile hold on existence, the same basic needs and wants. And, borrowing the metaphor from Pilgrim Road, we're all on the same bus, and all heading to the same place -- our heavenly homeland.

This is, I'm sure, a hard saying for, say, a rabid anti-Semite: There will be Jews all over the place in heaven. Or for a rabid racist when he realizes that this bus is a microcosm of heaven: There will be black people in heaven. Depending on the seating  at the banquet, you may wind up sitting near one of them.

The kingdom of God, someone once said, is open to everyone who is willing to sit down with anyone.

HOW TO ACT ON THE BUS

Being crowded together on the coronavirus bus gives us, then, an opportunity to make the Kingdom a reality right now. For example, caring for those around us instead of concentrating on our own wants and our own fears. Offering a simple gesture of kindness such as a quick phone call to someone who lives alone, or offering a smile or a word of encouragement to someone I live with. These acts of love are building the kingdom on earth right now.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Our monastic family is rejoicing today (the Solemnity of St. Benedict) because two of our young members are professing their Solemn Vows at mass this morning. Please pray for Brother Simon Peter Clayton and Brother Asiel Maria Rodriguez, as they publicly declare their solemn commitment to live their lives in this community, under the abbot and following the Rule of St. Benedict according to their vows.

May the Lord send these two young me and all of us the fruits of the Holy Spirit
charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, forbearance, gentleness, faith, modesty, self-control, and chastity as we share this mysterious journey into the unknown.