Remembering Fr. Jim

This past weekend, the Abbey of Sts. Benedict and Scholastica in Sacramento, CA buried Fr. Jim Straukamp, OSB after a long battle with Alzheimer's.

The Sacramento Bee published the obituary that can be found by clicking on the following link:  http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/15/4338782/obituary-the-rev-james-straukamp.html#storylink=scinlineshare.

Fr. Jim was a true Benedictine at heart as he was a living example of the hospitality that Benedict outlined in the Rule.

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him.

PAX

The Feast of the Passing of Benedict

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Passing of St. Benedict.  We celebrate it, not because he died but because he lived an ordinary life that changed spirituality forever.  This simple yet holy man brought to the world a discipline, not to be lived for the discipline’s sake, but to live a life in which encountering the divine is possible on a daily basis. 

St. Benedict’s teachings for humility and hospitality have lived through the centuries and we desperately need to embody them today.  The world in which we live is plagued by greed, selfishness, and unrest brought on by philosophical differences and religious intolerance.  Just think of the changes each of us could make if we followed St. Benedict’s treatise to “greet everyone as if they were Christ.”  This simple, yet very difficult, act of radical hospitality could begin to change our immediate environment and eventually spill over into the neighborhood, county, state or country where we live.

Embracing each person and discovering the presence of Christ within them can be accomplished if we follow the steps of humility outlined in the Rule.  Not a false humility, but a genuine humility that leads us to freedom from the deceptive trappings we hold on to in our lives.  Actually, we don’t hold on to them as much as we allow them to cling to us; all for the sake of a counterfeit sense of happiness and fulfillment.  

The wisdom of our Holy Father Benedict continues to live in us as we strive to follow the Rule.  So as we celebrate the life of St. Benedict and the legacy he left us, let us rededicate ourselves to the discipline of humility and radical hospitality in our personal life and our Benedictine community as we seek to find the presence of God in all.

PAX,

Abbot Terry Boyer, OSB

Lent 2012

Lent 2012

As we begin the Season of Lent today, I would like to take the opportunity to share some thoughts about this reflective season and how it can enhance our journey as Benedictines.  I will tell you up front that the approach is rather unorthodox but one that I believe will lead us to a greater sensitivity to God’s presence in our daily life.

During Lent most of us participate in the usual life survey making note of all of the bad things we have done and how we are miserable people unworthy of God’s love.  We make promises to better ourselves showing our conviction for repentance through prayer, fasting and “giving up things.”  While these are not necessarily bad in and of themselves, doing only those things will generally lead to failure and a stronger sense of guilt.  So I propose that we put aside these practices of a well indoctrinated Christian and move toward the spiritual sense of the season; connecting with God through each other and our surroundings.

Many who embrace monastic spirituality have the mistaken sense that to live in communion with God and others we must shut ourselves away.  When we disconnect ourselves with the world we become rambling automatons who go through life in a constant state of “seeking”.  However, that which we seek is right in front of us each and every day.  God is present to us in our homes, our work, our community and nature.  So we “seek” at the same time we stumble over the very thing we are chasing.   So why can’t we see it, especially when we are so focused on the season of discernment?

Some of the practices I mentioned earlier of prayer, fasting and such become a distraction.  We become so involved in doing the deed that we miss the opportunity to experience.  We try to obtain perfection through practices, yet I propose that God is not looking for perfect subjects, but those who will participate in being perfected.  Only God can do this through an intimate experience.  The experience of God in and through our present situation is where we begin the process of being perfected.  Those daily experiences are of such beauty that we should not miss one single opportunity.  So what then shall we do?

First, if you want to give up something for lent, give up empty practices.  Next, take every opportunity to find the Divine presence in every person or place you find yourself.  (If you can’t seem to find the Divine presence where you are, look no further until you find it!)  Lastly, embrace the Rule for what it is; a journey for becoming perfected.   Practice humility, love and charity in all things as Benedict prescribed.  In essence, it is the process of becoming saintly.  Just remember, the saints did not become saints because they did extraordinary or miraculous things.  Rather, they did ordinary things very well.

If we can accomplish this with sincerity, then I believe that this Lent will be one of enormous growth for all of us.

Abbot Terry