Camaldolese Tidings Spring Has Sprung “Lenten” Meaning “Spring”
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Camaldolese Hermits of America Camaldolese Tidings New Camaldoli Hermitage • Big Sur, California • Volume 17 • Issue 1 • Spring 2011 I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick. – Ezekiel 34:16 2 ~ Camaldolese Tidings Prior Knowledge – Father Raniero Zeal – Energy – Desire In chapter 72 of the Holy Rule, God through participation in our daily St. Benedict urges monks to foster good communal prayer: the Monastic Office zeal with fervent love – a zeal that leads (Vigils, Lauds, Vespers) and Eucharist. to God and to everlasting life. And so he We begin our weekly Monastic Office says, “prefer nothing whatever to Christ, with 1st Vespers of Sunday and conclude and may He bring us all together to with Lauds on Saturday. Then we flip everlasting life!” our Office book back to the first page The prophet Isaiah reminds us and start over again, week-after-week, that both the deliverance of Israel from month-after-month, year-after-year. Yes, before, to stir into flame within us a zeal, exile and the fulfillment of the promised monastic communal prayer is routine an energy, a choice to be consciously Messiah happen only because “the zeal of prayer, regimented prayer. Many 21st present, vulnerable, and open in our the Lord of hosts will do this.” –Isaiah 9:6 century people would say, “It is soooo prayer. Maybe this Lent can be a time to In John’s Gospel, after Jesus boring!” And at times I think each one be consumed with this zeal, this energy, cleanses the temple, his disciples recall of us monks experiences this reality. so that God’s desire for me and my desire the words of Scripture, “Zeal for your BUT, it is a prayer that instructs, pierces, for God can mature and become fuller and house consumes me.” –John 2:17 and transforms!! AND, it is a prayer that more complete. Being consumed in this Zeal in these passages seems to requires a mindful, deliberate, intentional way does not mean that my identity or my indicate an energy that flows from God’s zeal flowing from a desire to love God person is annihilated, lost, or destroyed desire for us and our desire for God – not and to be in ever more full union with – but rather that God, the Source of my two distinct desires, but one desire fulfilled God. This requirement is a choice and, identity and person, and I have become in a union of God with us and us with God. even more, a freedom – a choice and a One! Jesus came to incarnate this desire and freedom that become the motivation and The zeal of the Lord of hosts will thus be the zeal, the energy of God’s desire the energy of our individual prayer, our do this. Zeal for your house (for YOU) for us, and then to stir into flame within us communal prayer, and our Eucharist. I am consumes me. the zeal, the energy of our desire for God, always encouraged when we pray Psalm so that we (God and humanity) can be 122:1 – “I rejoiced when they said to me, one. Every year at the Hermitage, on the ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord’.” And Saturday before Ash Wednesday, I meet Psalm 27:4 – “One thing I ask of the Lord; with all of the monks and suggest some this I seek: to dwell in the house of the Camaldolese Tidings is published by the Lenten practices that we, as individuals Lord all the days of my life.” This is the Camaldolese Hermits of America for our and as a community, might find helpful for desire, the zeal, the energy, the choice, friends, oblates, and sponsors. our observance of Lent. This year I have the motivation, and the freedom for our asked myself and the monks to consider prayer. Publisher evaluating our energy, our zeal for union So for us monks, and perhaps Father Raniero Hoffman, OSB Cam. with God – especially the energy and the for you, maybe this Lent can be a time of Editor zeal that is needed to express our love for asking God to grace us or, as I mentioned Brother Bede Healey, OSB Cam. Development Director Robert J. Allen Prayer Schedule Public Relations & Design Weekdays: Susan Garrison 5:30 am Vigils 7:00 am Lauds If you have questions or comments about 11:30 am Eucharist this publication, please address them to: 6:00 pm Vespers New Camaldoli Hermitage 62475 Coast Highway 1 Big Sur, CA 93920 Sundays and Solemnities: (831) 667-2456 • Fax: (831) 667-0209 5:30 am Vigils E-mail: [email protected] 7:00 am Lauds 11:00 am Eucharist or visit us on the web at: 5:00 pm Vespers www.contemplation.com Camaldolese Tidings ~ 3 Camaldolese Communications By Fr. Robert Hale, O.S.B. Cam. a significant conference on Teilhard de Chardin at Santa Clara University. Our daily life here, of course, consists But returning to the point made in the ongoing, regular rhythm of our at the very beginning of this article, the prayers: in church, culminating in daily real heroes are the monks who stayed Eucharist: our personal prayers in our cells at home when one or another of their and through the day; and our regular work brethren were out, who kept the prayer assignments and guest ministry, which and work and hospitality ministry going! enable the community to carry on. This is Raniero and Bernard and Emmanuel and Mark, our Operations Manager, and the heart of the matter. But then there are and Gabriel and Joshua and Isaiah and many others. And we were helped by the particular happenings on this day or Michael Harrington and Zacchaeus and an amazing front page article in the Los that, in this season or that. This column is Benedict and Isaac! They were assisted Angeles Times, which was picked up by about those moments. In that respect this in a wonderful way by our four young our local paper in Monterey and other also has been a very eventful period. monks, now Postulants: Chad, Brannon, papers around the world. I also did a gig We were able to have the rough William and Martin. They contribute so on Salinas television – presumably the portions of our road beautifully smoothed much work and energy—and prayer! beginning of an amazing television career! out and repaved by the generous work We celebrated the holidays of This year we are focused on getting of the Don Chapin Company and their Thanksgiving and Christmas in this the word out about our retreat ministry, friendly team, and by the generous gifts period with grace filled liturgies and which is at the heart of our Benedictine, of donors. The work was completed just wonderful meals, joined by retreatants Camaldolese spirituality. We do have before rainy season. and guest friends; these were truly blessed retreat room openings in various months For our ongoing formation program, seasons. These two feasts are always (for this year. Please spread the word regarding which benefits our whole monastic discerning folk!) fruitcake and date nut the profound value of a retreat in such a community, Fr. Scott Sinclair gave us cake time. We made tremendous efforts beautiful setting, in the Big Sur and on seven splendid conferences over a week’s to publicize, sell here, and mail out our the Pacific Ocean, with which God has time. These focused on Scripture teachings exceptional cakes and other e-commerce blessed us and our retreatants and guests. regarding evil and the overcoming of evil. items. Well, we completely sold out! And do come yourself if you can! Scott has his doctorate in Scripture and is Thanks to the heroic work of Zacchaeus professor at the Dominican University. He has been coming here to offer conferences over some twenty years and is a wonderful The Song of Luke Released on DVD Cyprian Consiglio, OSB Cam, has just released a DVD of Oblate. his noted Oratorio, The Song of Luke. It is based on the entire In that same program we received infancy narrative in the Gospel of Luke, which includes the conferences from two of our Oblates annuciations and births of John the Baptist and Jesus. who are experts in icons. These focused Previously only available as a CD, this DVD provides on our own beautiful icons here in our a spectacular presentation of the Oratorio, including the church, so that we might more appreciate modern dance sequences that are such an integral part of the and reverence these and explain them to composition. Performed by the Augustana College Department retreatants and guests. of Visual and Performing Arts, including the outstanding And our monks have gone out to 72-voice a cappella choir, under the direction Dr. James Johnson, contribute to the “ongoing formation” of this production presents the Oratorio in its entire splendor. The production values are others. For instance, Bede has offered excellent – putting you right there in the midst of the performance. several conferences on lectio to the First performed for the Animas Music Fest in 2002, this is only the eighth School for Deacons at Bishop’s Ranch. time it has been performed. Professor John Pennington, who collaborated with Daniel offered an Advent Retreat at St. Cyprian, commissioned the piece. The composer himself states ”The Song of Luke Patrick Parish, Arroyo Grande, with our is one big homily on the unity of spirit and flesh.” Book Store manager BeBe providing for Gary Walker, who reviewed the first performance, called it “…creative and the participants wonderful tables of our impressive…The crowd bolted to its feet for a lengthy and well-deserved standing books and gifts and art, all available for ovation for composer and performers.” It is available for purchase in our bookstore purchase.