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Summer Newsletter Part of Ours During Quarantine New Camaldoli Hermitage ORDINARY TIME 2020 BE NOT AFRAID Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. –Isaiah 41:10 62475 Highway 1, Big Sur, CA 93920 • 831 667 2456 • www.contemplation.com BE NOT AFRAID Thoughts from the Editor Lisa Benner, Oblate, OSB Cam. Welcome to the Ordinary Time newsletter, though these In This Issue times have been anything but ordinary. I had another theme planned for this particular newsletter. We were excited to 2 Thoughts from the Editor delve into it, then March happened, the month that things Lisa Benner, Oblate, OSB Cam. seemed to explode. The country (and world) shut down, people were getting sick, we started seeing death tolls 3 What We Train For increasing at alarming numbers—all because of this little virus. Prior Cyprian Consiglio, OSB Cam. 5 Do Not Fear—Working Through this Pandemic As all this was happening and the media reports were Paul Benner gloomier each hour, I sought my quiet space more and more. During these attempts at peace, I was continually 6 Benedictine Values During a Season of Pandemic reminded of the words “Be Not Afraid,” it was comforting Michael Mullard, Oblate, OSB Cam. and profound at the same time. We are called to not be afraid during times like this, to trust in our God and to utilize 7 Science and the Third Good prayer and rely on faith in equal measure. We are asked to Matt Fisher, Oblate, OSB Cam. trust and persevere and if possible do so joyfully. 8 Reflections on this Pandemic These days, I find most of the time I’m at a loss for words. 10 Update from the Development Office How to sum up what has happened? What has been lost— Jill Gisselere lives, jobs, normalcy and how are we all doing with this? Have there been any gains, any positive take-aways? There 10 Activities and Visitors was lots of chatter about how well the environment is re- 11 What the Monks Are Reading bounding now that people are not in the way. Animals are thriving, the natural world is beaming, and in some situations, repairing itself. This warmed my heart and felt like a silver lining amidst a very dark cloud which still looms over all of us. As I was pondering all of this for this newsletter, I decided to call upon a few friends of the Hermitage. I told them our theme and they took to the task to write. And how beauti- fully they did, each with their own stories and information about how they have navigated this strange time and how we can too. Prior Cyprian explores the rich qualities of the monastic life. Things that are part of daily life for the monks also became You might notice our summer newsletter part of ours during quarantine. Solitude and simplicity don’t is a bit shorter than usual. In an effort come easy to some, but when forced they can refine a per- to cut back on costs and still deliver a son and redefine existence. hard copy to our valued readers, we are experimenting with options. While sheltering in place, my family maintained an evening check-in program. During this time, my brother and I had If you want to opt out of receiving mail several conversations about all of this—we shared our fears from the Hermitage, please email jill@ and concerns and even the small wins now and then. He contemplation.com. graciously accepted my offer to write about how this pan- demic has affected his job situation. He remains rooted in Thank you for your continued support. God’s steadfast support and is a follower of Jesus relying on him to lead the way throughout trials in the workplace and beyond. Dr. Michael Mullard, a psychotherapist and oblate, once again enlightens us with his knowledge and wisdom combining mental health and spirituality. These times have been full of fear and anxiety, and Dr. Mullard offers sound advice for navigating with God’s grace and strength. 2 ~ New Camaldoli Hermitage contemplation.com ~ 3 Oblate Matt Fisher eloquently shares with us what is going on in the scientific community. There is hope! He shares how What We Train For the brave scientists of the world are unifying to collect and Prior Cyprian Consiglio, OSB Cam. share data, and how closely this resembles our charism’s Third Good. Another silver lining in this situation indeed! I imagine that heads of families, as well as leaders of other communities and organizations much larger than New These last few months have been strange, difficult and, for Camaldoli, found themselves in the same tense position in some, very scary. As we are all finding our grounding while which I have found myself these months—trying to negoti- in our own personal situations, I pray this newsletter fills ate between panic and complacency. Decisions had to be you with hope, comfort, and peace. made even in practical minutiae such as when we could start using ceramic tableware again instead of paper plates and disposable flatware, all the way up to the larger issues of quarantine, group social distancing and protecting our elderly, most vulnerable monks. And then of course there is For everything there is a season, the long-term vocational and economic perspective, having and a time for every matter under just successfully overcome two financial “challenges” already heaven: a time to be born, and a these last five years. All that on top of trying to make long time to die; a time to plant, and a and short-term practical plans with so much unknown and time to pluck up what is planted; dependent on outside authority and circumstances beyond our control. a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time In the meantime, it seemed just days into the crisis already to build up; a time to weep, and grand theories about everything, from the ultimate origins a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and causes of the disease to the “new normal” and the long- and a time to dance; a time to cast term effects on social interaction, the economy, workplace away stones, and a time to gather operations, new forms of ministry and governance began swirling about—as if anyone knew where this was going. stones together; a time to em- These usually fell along ideological lines and could have brace, and a time to refrain from often ended with the words, “See, I told you so!” As David embracing; a time to seek, and a Brooks wrote, “People trained in the art of rigid ideology time to lose; a time to keep, and a aren’t doing well with a disease that is so mysterious and time to cast away; a time to tear, seemingly random.” At the same time, he was worried that and a time to sew; a time to keep “the polarization industry’s false narrative of division and conflict” would “turn self-fulfilling.” silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time In the midst of it—and in the mist of it—the monks and sup- for war, and a time for peace. port staff here have calmly continued to live our life, a little quieter and simpler, more frugal and sober. And one phrase - Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ESV kept coming to my mind: “This is what we train for.” No, even more strongly: “This is exactly what we train for.” Five areas came to mind immediately, not meaning to be exhaustive, that hopefully we Camaldolese have passed on to our friends and oblates through witness, spiritual direction and/or formation. I shall try to be brief, though I feel as if each of these could be an entire chapter or retreat conference! • The first and perhaps most obvious issolitude . There’s a line in our hymn for feasts of monks, “Each with the other lives alone…” If this is true for regular observance monks, it is certainly true for us Camaldolese who live as “hermits in community,” to use Raniero’s phrase. Living in soli- tude—now experienced as quarantine, social distancing, and shelter-in-place—healthily is not as easy as it sounds. It takes discipline and maturity, and a certain self-contain- ment. Equally, in order for it to remain rooted in a healthy understanding of church and community, it needs ways to stay connected for discernment and support. This is so in keeping with the spirit of Camaldoli. contemplation.com ~ 3 • The line that ends Saint Romuald’s Brief Rule––“Like a else” is vitally important in monastic spirituality, especially chick that tastes nothing and eats nothing but what the Lectio in the broadest understanding of it, spending time mother hen gives it”—calls to mind an attitude of trust with the Word in the Scriptures, the psalms and par- and patient waiting. I often recall the day of the terrorist ticularly the Gospels. (How many missals are available attacks, September 11, what a remarkable sight it was now that offer the daily readings that one can meditate to look at my brothers calmly chanting the Our Father on anywhere, and stay close to the larger Body of the with our arms raised in the rotunda while the rest of the Church?) And remember, Vatican II teaches that Christ country was understandably terrorized.
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