A Meeting of the Ways

Benedictine Oblate Newsletter No. 16, December 2012 Viaway of lifeVitae Benedictine Oblates of The World Community for Christian Meditation A MEETING OF THE WAYS n November 2011, our Benedictine oblate cell group was The day arrived and after bussing from Arcadia down Iconcluding its annual three day retreat at the Benedictine to Surry Hills we found our group of ten retreatants very monastery at Arcadia in Sydney. At the celebratory lunch excited and enthused about the days ahead. At the end of I found myself seated beside the Prior, Father Bernard our bus trip, we were welcomed by the Monks and offered McGrath and we became engrossed in a conversation that lunch in the cloisters of the monastery. Some of us sat took an interesting turn. inside the covered walkways while others sat out in the I explained to Fr Bernard that I had been involved for beautiful gardens of the monastery. It was a wonderful way the last eleven years with a prayer group in the inner city to begin our retreat and this was only the beginning. The of Sydney. This group is called David’s Place and those who retreatants were invited to join with the Monks in praying are part of David’s Place are often people who live on the the Office if they wished and many went to experience and margins of our society. Very few of the people who attend or pray the Hours. David’s Place have regular employment. Many of them are affected by mental illness or some kind of addiction. Meetings are essentially prayer meetings. We do share in conversation, we also share simple meals but the central reason why we come together is to share in the Gospel and the prayer that arises out of the Gospel readings. Once a month we also have a barbecue and a mass which is attended by between 30 to 40 people. We have an annual Christmas celebration and usually more than 100 people come along. We serve a very hearty Christmas lunch to all who attend and each person receives a gift. The original vision of David’s place was built upon the Fr Bernard had agreed to give the talks throughout the work of Fr Brian Stoney SJ, who had been engaged for retreat and these were supported by activities that he had several years with the marginalised of the inner cities of sensitively and creatively designed to help all of us ponder Sydney and Melbourne. Sue Buckingham who had been and deepen our relationship with Jesus. With his first talk inspired by working with Fr Brian started David’s Place. he set one of the themes of the retreat by asking us all Sue had always felt that those who lived on the margins to do some scribbling. He then went on to show us some had a unique contemplative gift to offer, that arose out of scribble that had been done by an artist in London and the fact that they had been stripped of so much in their how this scribbling had been described by Sister Wendy journey through life. She felt that, for a city to have a real Beckett, Art Historian. Bernard suggested that perhaps our heart, it needed to have a true spiritual connection with its prayer life was like scribble. Our prayer life is an inner- poorest. It was not a vision of simply helping the poor - it seismograph of what is going on, without our being in full was something far more dynamic. It was a vision of mutual control. enrichment. When I started talking to Fr Bernard I mentioned to him that one of other things that we do as a community is have an annual retreat, but it had become increasingly difficult to find a suitable venue. Bernard immediately suggested that perhaps the people would like to come to the Benedictine Monastery at Arcadia. Bernard, Sue and I continued to dialogue over the ensuing year and arrangements were made for a retreat that would be held over a three day period in October 2012. Bernard and the monastic community were extremely generous in providing not only accommodation, in the guest cottage but also their mini bus so that we could transport the retreatants to and from the inner city up to the monastery (about an hours drive each way). The Sydney Oblate community, led by After this talk Fr Bernard advised us that he would be Trish, also responded to this event in an extremely generous bringing the cattle up from the lower paddock for feeding. manner. They volunteered to provide food, linen and About twelve of us stood at the top of the rise, watching support services for the retreat and George volunteered to Bernard’s efforts. The cattle by and large moved in the drive the bus. right direction although repeatedly some of the cows would peel off and wander back towards where they came 2 from. This forced Bernard to run back and usher them further in towards the rest of the herd. After watching Bernard run to and fro in this manner for over an hour, two retreatants decided to jump the fence and help him. Soon the cattle were all inside by the feeding gates. One of our retreatants, who was so excited by all of this began to clap, which unfortunately caused the cows to turn and run back to the lower paddock. So once again Bernard and his two helpers began their patient work. We all pondered what the herding of the cows had to do with the talk that Bernard had just given. In the late afternoon we gathered and shared what the experience had been like for us. Some focused on how much they had enjoyed being in nature, smelling the grass and touching the cows. Others thought that the cows and the herding Bernard also gave us talks on the final day about prayer. was perhaps a metaphor of how God works with us and how In one he explained the kinds of situations that had arisen we keep resisting his best efforts to usher us towards the in his life as priest, monk and man that created the need place where we will be most satisfied. The two volunteer for prayer and reminded us that this will arise in our own herdsmen from David’s Place, who jumped the fence to life situations that will also evoke a particular need for help Bernard, perhaps were like those who appreciate the prayer. efforts of God and offer their services in his quest. We had our last lunch together and during the meal there Fr Bernard explained that Jesus often used nature as his were many expressions of gratitude from the retreatants, teaching aid in speaking of fish, mustard seeds, sheep etc. the Oblate helpers and from Fr Bernard himself. We all felt Bernard sensed that if we were more fully in contact with incredibly blessed by this time together in retreat. There nature we will almost certainly be in contact with Jesus. were minor tiffs and tensions between the retreatants All of the talks by Bernard included the theme of nature. but dominantly there was an atmosphere of harmony and We were fascinated to hear the story of someone who had friendship. The David’s Place community moved even observed a butterfly emerging from its cocoon and decided deeper into a life of prayer and community. For me this was to help it by peeling the cocoon away. Unfortunately this a great retreat and one for which I would like to express resulted in the stunted development of the butterfly. my gratitude to Fr Bernard, the monks, the retreatants who Bernard’s message to us all was: although we are often participated so fully and to all the Oblates from our cell going through things that seem difficult, it is, in fact, the group who served so graciously. difficulty that is the making of us. To supplement this talk, PAUL TAYLOR, Australia Bernard sent us out in pairs to see if we could find cocoons. [email protected] My partner Robert, who has a limp and moves rather slowly, was the only person who was able to find a cocoon, and I sensed that it was partly due to his slow and careful gaze. CONTENTS I came to realise that it was the Robert’s pace that allowed A meeting of the ways ..................... 1 him to find the cocoons first. He taught me, in a sense, how Editorial ...................................... 4 to look at nature. Confused ramblings of a postulant ....... 5 On the second evening of the retreat we were divided into three groups and were asked to make posters which Contemplative minds for compassionate Christian action ............................. 6 explored the theme of scribble. Magazines were cut up, NZ retreat .................................... 7 scribble was done, and a great deal of enjoyment and laughter was had by all. WCCM oblate blog .......................... 8 Another theme emerged from the artwork of Terry In loving memory ............................ 9 O’Donnell, one of our Oblates. Terry, a professional artist Lets begin ................................... 10 had recently done a series of paintings, Kerygma, from the New oblations: Makassar & London ..... 11 life of Christ that are hanging in the Monastery Chapel. Introduction to Christian Meditation .... 12 Each of the retreatants had been given a copy of one of these to reflect on during the course of the retreat. Near Annual oblate silent retreat, Canada ... 13 the end of the retreat Terry explained to us the process of Monastery Without Walls .................. 14 how he had developed these beautiful images.

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