Thomas Merton

Br. Mark Dohle, OSCO

“In prayer we must be able to bring before God our fatigue, the suffering of certain situations and of certain days, our daily struggle to follow him and to be Christians, and even the weight of evil we see within us and around us, because he gives us hope, makes us aware of his nearness and gives us a little light on the path of life,” he said. . . .

Jesus’ Company
While Jesus previously withdrew from the crowds and his disciples to pray in the wilderness or on a mountain, the Pope noted that this time Jesus did not want to be alone and called Peter, James and John to be closest to him. They were the same disciples who were chosen by Jesus to be with him during his Transfiguration.

“This proximity of the three during prayer in Gethsemane is significant,” explained the Pope, because “their presence is an invitation to every disciple to draw near to Jesus along the way of the Cross.”

Christ’s Fear and Anguish
Christ’s anguish, the Pope said, is articulated in his words to the three disciples – “My soul is sorrowful even to death. Stay here and watch.” His statement is foreshadowed throughout the Old Testament, the Pope taught, highlighting the suffering of the prophets Elijah and Moses. They experienced the same emotion after “finding hostility, rejection, persecution” following God entrusting certain tasks to them.

In the case of Jesus, his words show that he was experiencing the “fear and anguish at that ‘hour’ … the ultimate profound solitude as God’s plan was being accomplished,” said the Pope.

Christ’s fear and anguish also “summarizes all the horror that man feels at the prospect of his own death, its inexorable certainty and the perception of the burden of evil which affects our lives.”

Praying on the Ground
Jesus then moves away from the disciples and lays on the ground. The Pope noted that Christ’s prostration is “a position for prayer which expresses obedience to the Father’s will, an abandonment of self with complete trust in Him.”

Similarly, this is a position assumed by monks when professing vows, or by bishops, priests and deacons at their ordination. It is also the position priests assume when they begin the service for Christ’s passion on Good Friday. As a posture it expresses “in prayer, even bodily, complete reliance on God,” said the Pope.

Christ then asks that, if possible, he be spared his impending ordeal. “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want but what you want.”

Pope Benedict explained that this episode “is not just the fear and anguish of man in the face of death.” It is also the “distress of the Son of God Who sees the terrible accumulation of evil He must take upon Himself, in order to overcome it and deprive it of power.”

Revealing Passages
The Pope then highlighted three “revealing passages,” contained in this particular Gospel (the Gospel of Mark) scene.

He first said that Jesus’ use of the Aramaic word “Abba,” which was used by children to informally address their fathers, expresses “Jesus relationship with God the Father, a relationship of tenderness, affection and trust.”

Jesus also teaches people about his Father’s omnipotence, the Pope noted, when he makes “a request in which, once again, we see the drama of Jesus’ human will in the face of death and evil.”

Most importantly, said the Pope, we see that ultimately Christ’s “human will adheres fully to the divine will.” In doing so “Jesus tells us that only by conforming their will to the divine will can human beings achieve their true stature and become ‘divine.’”

Pope Benedict said that if Christians pray the Our Father and ask that God’s will is done, “a little of heaven” is brought to earth as a “place where love, goodness, truth and divine beauty are present” but “only if the will of God is done.”

He concluded by telling the pilgrims that in daily prayer they “must learn to have greater trust in Divine Providence, to ask God for the strength to abandon our own selves in order to renew our ‘yes,’ to repeat to Him ‘your will be done,’ to conform our will to His.”

The Catholic Church is fighting mad about an HHS ruling that would have them buy insurance for things they consider sinful–contraception, sterilization and abortion.

All the bishops in the country sent out a letter to be read in their parishes promising that the Church "cannot-and will not-comply with this unjust law."

Even Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who is in charge of Catholic military chaplains sent out the same letter.

But after he did, the Army's Office of the Chief of Chaplains sent out another communication forbidding Catholic priests to read the letter, in part because it seemed to encourage civil disobedience, and could be read as seditious against the Commander-in-Chief.

More than one Catholic chaplain who spoke to us off the record confirmed that many chaplains disobeyed this instruction and read the letter anyway. Others sought further instructions from their Archbishop.

Now after much behind-the-scenes bureaucratic wrangling, a new version of the letter will be read, one that was edited of the language about "unjust laws."

A new statement issued this afternoon from Archbishop Broglio's office acknowledged the interference this way:

Archbishop Broglio and the Archdiocese stand firm in the belief, based on legal precedent, that such a directive from the Army constituted a violation of his Constitutionally-protected right of free speech and the free exercise of religion, as well as those same rights of all military chaplains and their congregants.

Following a discussion between Archbishop Broglio and the Secretary of the Army, The Honorable John McHugh, it was agreed that it was a mistake to stop the reading of the Archbishop's letter.  Additionally, the line: "We cannot-we will not-comply with this unjust law" was removed by Archbishop Broglio at the suggestion of Secretary McHugh over the concern that it could potentially be misunderstood as a call to civil disobedience.

 It's an issue that Catholic chaplains are taking very seriously in private. We obtained a confidential letter sent to the chaplains that  prepares priests to contact the Military Archdiocesan lawyer in case of more interference or any punishment.

The Archdiocese believes that any attempt to keep a chaplain from freely teaching and preaching the Catholic faith, for which you were endorsed, is a violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution.  If any of you are in any way punished or slated for punitive action, I ask that you kindly call our Archdiocesan Attorney, John L. Schlageter, Esq. at 202-719-3635 and he will immediately place you into contact with a Religious Freedom Law Firm that will be most willing to take your case free of charge.

The letter also tries to clarify to priests that the Archbishop's letter "concerns a moral, not a political issue."

While it is true that soldiers do not have an unlimited right to free speech or political action, the military does not want to strain relations with the Catholic Church and its chaplains who provide services to many service members of all faiths.

Oblates and Oblate novices are invited to submit any comments either on-line or in writing. It is encouraged to submitted comments on-line since other Oblates would have a chance to reflect on what is posted. Letters should be sent to Director of Oblates, Belmont Abbey, 100 Belmont-Mt. Holly Road, Belmont, NC 28012. In the March meeting the comments will be presented. The final outline will be submitted to Abbot Placid for his approval.

Oblates Foster a Spirit of Community

• Oblates are committed to their monastery, its values, culture and its prayer;
• The oblates pray for the monastery, the monastic community and the other oblates;
• Oblates attend the oblate meetings on a regular basis.

Oblates Strive for Their Own Continued Christian Renewal and Improvement: Oblates are persons whose lives are shaped by Benedictine spirituality.

• They follow the Rule of St. Benedict in their daily lives as far as their vocation in life permits;
• Oblates commit to a two year period of formation following a course of study approved by the Abbot;
• Attend at least one retreat or day of recollection once a year (see RB 49:1-3).

Oblates Strive to Be Men and Women of Practical Spirituality and to keep the spirit of St. Benedict alive by the way in which they live. They study and read the Rule of St. Benedict, the writings of St. John Cassian, St. Basil, or the writings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers at least weekly and try to apply the passages to one's daily life; these should be read as lectio divina and studied with the help of a commentary or at meetings with one's fellow Oblates (See RB 48:10-16, 22; RB 73).

Oblates Strive to Be Men and Women of Prayer. Oblates should:

• pray the Liturgy of the Hours, especially Morning and/or Evening Prayer, as the duties of their vocation in life permit; (see RB 19:1-2);
• practice lectio divina daily, primarily using the Scriptures (see  RB 48:10-16, 22).

Oblates Strive to Be Loyal and Active Members of Christ and His Church and to live as Men and Women of Christian Virtue and of Peace: Oblates are representatives of the monastery "in the world." As such they should commit to fulfilling one or more of the following at least once a year:

• contributing in a significant way to a project that improves the natural environment for one's community or parish (see RB 31:10-12);
• participating actively in a movement that works for peace and justice in one's local community, one's country, or the world (see RB Prol:14-17);
• undertaking in a specific and regular way one of the spiritual or corporal works of mercy:  instructing and advising in the ways of faith, consoling, comforting, forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently; feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, burying the dead (see Mt 25:31-46; RB 31:9, 4:14-19);
• helping to build up one's parish family or civic community by concrete, regular involvement in a parish  or community project (see RB 58:24- 25).