"Completely off the beaten track?": In search of a profile of Benedictine spirituality in the 21st century
Speech by Abbot Primate Dr Notker Wolf OSB on the occasion of the
the opening of the Spiritual Centre Karfarnaum of Admont Abbey
We Benedictines are not modern in the sense of fashionable. We are not charismatics, but incredibly normal. We want to live nothing other than the Good News of Jesus, as Benedict of Nursia put it into practice in his Rule for Life in Community. Someone asked me whether we were completely freaked out to live according to such an old-fashioned rule? If you want to be modern, you look for your way of life in Far Eastern wisdom teachings, but they are much older. Our clothes look old-fashioned, our lifestyle old-fashioned.
But the worst thing is that we monks are missing out on life. We miss out on life, terribly and boringly: obedience instead of freedom, being tied to a place instead of weekend excursions. Renunciation of family, renunciation of living out our sexuality.
Yes, we don't have a lot of things. We can't afford many of the so-called freedoms. But neither can our fellow citizens. Let's not pretend that we live in a society in which freedom is the highest value. How much bullying goes on, how much cowering, how much cheating! Many people don't speak up or don't say what's going on because they are afraid of losing their job or ruining their career. It doesn't just have to be professional constraints. A man's consideration for his wife and children also prevents him from doing some things he would like to do.
Freedom cannot mean the fulfilment of individual desires either. Individualism is often at the expense of others. Human beings are not designed for singleness, but for community. We all seek it. Only within it can we develop. It means receiving and giving. A monastic community is a completely unfashionable attempt to break down individualism and find our way back to togetherness. Not all monastic communities succeed in this. But this is part of the very mission of a Benedictine monastery. This is what makes Benedictine communities attractive to young people. Sharing one's own community with others, letting them participate in this miracle of genuine human life. Only the person who has overcome his egoism in the community is healed, redeemed - also from himself. The goal of Benedictine spirituality has always been the true humanisation of man. This happens under the guidance of the Gospel, under the rule and the abbot, in community.
Do we need special gags for a fulfilled life? Some people think our lives need to be something very special. There are entertainers for special holidays. Well, gags enliven, but they are not life. For Benedict, what is special is sober normality, the right measure. We humans are immoderate and boundless, we want everything in infinite size, especially money. Being Guinness-worthy seems to appeal to young people, the risk involved in extreme sports provides the thrill. If it's not these extremes, then it's the ideologies and mass hysteria that we seem to need at regular intervals to keep us well: butter is suddenly replaced by tasteless margarine because of its alleged effect on cholesterol levels, because a heart attack is lurking outside the door. Grains and spelt poke their way through the stomach and intestines because everything else contains too many carbohydrates and obesity is imminent. Not to mention the diet plans in our women's magazines, and the men are already following in their footsteps. How about FdH and a balanced diet? The end of the world won't be long in coming. Global warming is causing water levels to rise, forest dieback, BSE, tsunamis and cyclones. I don't want to trivialise anything. But many things seem like mass hysteria, and we humans seem to be addicted to them. Don't touch solar energy, because it is still highly subsidised, or global warming! We Benedictines also recognise the dangers of environmental pollution, climate deterioration and energy waste, but we are not fooled. We know life, the inadequacy of knowledge about all the connections in nature, we do not expect more from life than it can offer. There is no eternal life on this earth. Our home is in heaven, it says in the liturgy for the dead. We Benedictines are completely lost in the eyes of our contemporaries, because for us death is part of our life. And in the face of death, the inner-worldly value structure of our contemporaries slips.
As I said, we Benedictines are by no means living irresponsibly into the day. Our monasteries also think about the environment and posterity, they also try their hand at heat recovery and generate energy through wood chip and biogas plants. We have also set up the latter in African monasteries. For two years now, cheap solar panels have been produced in the workshops of Peramiho Abbey. In S. Anselmo, as some of you know, we are in the process of replacing our 416 windows. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Admont Abbey for its generous and substantial help. This alone will reduce our energy consumption and, above all, give us warmer rooms. A new heating system will further contribute to this. Using resources sparingly and preserving creation for future generations has also become increasingly important to us monks.
And if we now look at ourselves as human beings with our limitations and frailties. Mistakes, failures and even scandals have become particularly visible in recent times. We have no reason to elevate ourselves above others. We are not better Christians, but we are also Christians, Christians among others. We need the mercy of God and of others. We ourselves must become signs of mercy and forgiveness. A Benedictine community is not perfect in the sense of perfection, but a truly Christian community, i.e. through reconciliation. Forgiveness in no way trivialises sin, but marks it as an offence, places it at the mercy of God and seeks a way of human coexistence again. Not mercilessness, no, reconciliation sets us free for the future. Benedict's instruction to hate sin and love sinners - isn't that crazy in an age of moral correctness that favours revenge rather than forgiveness? And just test the eyes of passers-by, the punitive looks when you smoke in the street - not in a restaurant, mind you - or how nervously people react when you point out how highly subsidised solar power is. The fact that the climate conference in Copenhagen worked with false data was only mentioned in passing and henceforth kept quiet.
The monastic community is something of a training ground for fraternal love. This is why Benedict, in the tradition of the early church of Jerusalem, Pachomius and Basil the Great, favours life in community over hermitism. Here we learn to "bear the weaknesses of body and character in one another with great love." The monks not only obey their superior, but also show respect and obedience to each other, as well as caring for each other. When I once entered a Zen hall in Japan and the monks were meditating facing the wall, I asked myself whether it meant anything to them how the monk next to them was doing in human and spiritual terms. Even in our monasteries, people sometimes complain about the lack of mutual interest. "Nobody is interested in me and my work." The question is, of course, whether this is a genuine grievance or whether the confrere in question is simply starving for caresses. In any case, internal dialogue in a community will remain a constant challenge.
Incidentally, we monks also afford ourselves a luxury - and should do so even more: We take time, time for each other, time for a chat with other brothers or guests, time to pray, time for a long liturgy, time to celebrate and play, time for the joy of life, yes, time for life. Taking time, making time, giving each other time is the opposite of the modern hectic pace that many people suffer from. As important as work is, can it alone make up the meaning of our lives? Work processes are being streamlined, jobs are being cut, individuals have to do even more in the same amount of time. This problem has also affected our monasteries, and yet we are not a refuge for work-shy and lazy people. We are helped by the fixed structure of the day and the obligation to adhere to it. The focus is on people, and specifically on people anchored in God. We may also come into conflict when work is pressing, but God must take centre stage. By praying and singing together, we free ourselves from external constraints. One evening recently, when I had so much on my mind and didn't know what to do in view of the work that was still pressing on my desk and was wondering whether I shouldn't take a break from vespers, I remembered the words of the Rule of St Benedict: "Nothing should be preferred to divine service", got up and went to vespers. As I stood in the choir and sang the psalms with the brothers, I suddenly felt liberated from all pressure. I was allowed to be human again, one with God. Work was easier that evening, I had found distance, myself. That's what frees us monks from stress and burn-out.
Personally, we also take the time for Lectio Divina, the prayerful reading of sacred texts. We are not under any intellectual pressure here either. Like the old monks in the Egyptian desert, we chew the texts again, let them pass in our mouths until they have completely become part of our flesh and blood and the Gospel shapes our lives.
We also afford ourselves the luxury and freedom not to do a lot of things that others think they have to do, otherwise they wouldn't be the best. I don't need any special clothes, I don't stand in front of the wardrobe at a loss as to what to wear; I like to eat, but only as much as is good for me. I don't need anything special. That's what the festive season is for. Structure and moderation count there too. We monks have one advantage: we have the responsibility to do our best, but we are free from competition and don't need to elbow our way to the top. Of course, the community as a whole has to see how it can survive economically in its environment.
Perhaps our greatest challenge, our greatest freakishness, is freedom from many things that others consider necessary, including freedom from ourselves in order to live with others and for others. And at the same time to believe in God, in a God who became visible and tangible in Jesus of Nazareth, who even dwells in our midst through his spirit. Life is the hardest of all, we students used to say jokingly, and it's true. But is there anything more beautiful than living? To live with others, to live with a God who loves us and dwells in our midst. The life of the monks is a response to the call of God. It is not a dull affair. We experience this call as a sign of special devotion and love - and our response? It consists in the dedication of our lives. In this way, we respond to God's devotion with our love for him. It's actually crazy, but those who love are crazy, and those who are not a little crazy cannot love.
However, we monks do not create a cosy idyll or home for ourselves. Like all Christians and Christian communities, we are challenged to share what we have with others. Our former prior in Togo told me that this is precisely the African element that we Benedictines have to take into account. I replied that it was the fundamental Christian dimension that we Europeans should also take into account. When we think of sharing, we usually think of material things, of possessions. St Benedict certainly had this in mind when he spoke of the clothing store, where the worn-out clothes for the poor should be kept, if the porter is given the necessary instructions. In this sense, our richer monasteries help to support those in poorer countries. The Camaldolese nuns of St Anthony's on the Aventine serve up to 40 meals every lunchtime.
However, Benedict wishes for more in his chapter on hospitality. Everything is taken care of. The guests have their own accommodation and their own table so that they do not disturb the normal running of the monastery.
The abbot should even eat with the guests and refrain from special fasting rules. Benedict is very accommodating to the guests, and yet he is not only concerned with food and accommodation, he first leads the guests to prayer. He allows the guests to share in the spiritual wealth of the community.
Today we are inaugurating a spiritual centre of a monastery. It offers something other than a kind of holiday on a farm. It serves as a holiday from the ego, from the daily hustle and bustle, the reorientation of our lives, the concentration on the actual goal of our lives. Such a spiritual centre is also not simply a "retreat house". In the connection to a monastic community, in participating in the prayers of the monks, in conversations with them, they experience something of the lived reality and the "normality" of faith. Christian life takes place with a view to the Creator and creation, under the guidance of the Gospel. This allows us Christians to be unbiased, similar to the sparrows that Jesus referred to, a joy in life because we are secure in God. We experience the freedom of the children of God, who value the goods of this world but are not dependent on them. This rootedness in God gives us a home, roots us and sustains us. We have a standpoint from which to view life; we can keep our distance, smile at the irony of life, smile at ourselves and, above all, enjoy life. Joie de vivre is an ancient Benedictine heritage that needs to be carried into the 21st century.
In my opinion, our church needs to realign itself in our modern society. We are no longer the Christian West of old. Many have turned their backs on the church, some are aggressively opposed to the church, others have become indifferent, the church means nothing to them, they can believe just as they do. Believers of other religions live next door to us, make their presence felt, assert themselves. The religious situation in our societies has become complex. Peaceful coexistence requires dialogue and encounters at different levels. I believe that a spiritual, Benedictine centre can make a valuable, integrating contribution here. A Benedictine house should, as St Benedict says, be open especially to members of the faith, but today he would include all those seeking meaning, all those who want spiritual guidance. St Benedict is open to all guests of good will. This non-ideological openness is our great opportunity. Here people come together to meet without fear or prejudice, here they experience spirituality, here they are guided towards a greater dimension of the human being. Today, a monastery can develop a great integrative power and become a centre of hope for our society. Perhaps we Benedictines do not appear to be completely lost in this, but I believe that we belong to the vanguard of our church and society today.
The Rule of Benedict dates back to the 6th century and may appear outdated. Some external forms may have become questionable. However, this rule enables the communities to live permanently and guarantees the vitality of such monasteries. It fits into all cultures. Its principles are at the heart of Christian life, the liberating message of Jesus Christ for mankind. This is why Benedictine life in the monasteries in our latitudes repeatedly arouses the curiosity of journalists and attracts managers to spend days in the monastery. Young people make pilgrimages to youth vespers and experience community with the monks and among each other. This is the enduring challenge facing our monasteries. Admont Abbey contributes to this with its new spiritual centre. My congratulations go to Abbot Bruno and his fellow monks. God's blessing!
