While the structures within which we live seem at times indestructible, they will all pass away: nation/states, ecclesiological institutions, the villages we inhabit, the work of our hands, our very families. Nothing on earth lasts forever. But we are called to live in light of life's eternal purpose, unencumbered by wealth, power, or prestige, free to love, welcome, and partake in the Realm of God.
Our Father Benedict's system of community ranking is intended to prepare us for life in God's household by setting up a structure that tears down all other structures. One is unable to keep hold of the positions inherited or earned outside the community. There is only the date of entry--the time at which one's intention to be conformed to the likeness of Christ was formally taken up. And the new structure is not indestructible either. It will also pass away, like countless raided and burned monasteries throughout history. But as Benedictines, we learn to live without undue attachment to the particulars of our earthly existence. We learn to live in light of the Eternal Oneness of Being, which alone will never pass away.
Br. Chad
"But as Benedictines, we learn to live without undue attachment to the particulars of our earthly existence. We learn to live in light of the Eternal Oneness of Being, which alone will never pass away." That sounds like the wisdom of Buddhists. (Fr. William Skudlarek of St. John's Abbey had a good, active, interfaith relationship with Buddhist monks--I remember seeing a whole group of them walking along the Abbey grounds in their saffron robes.)
ReplyDeleteThis post also reminded me of an exchange I had with a friend during high school in which I realized with dismay that eventually the world would end--with the explosion of the sun, whenever that happens, if not sooner--and all that all the things, people, and stories that ever mattered, all would be gone. My friend very practically said, "Of course." It's jarring to remember how fleeting our life as earthly creatures is.