Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

MARK 6:30-34
SAINT BENEDICT LIVED IN THE THIRD CENTURY AND FOUNDED WESTERN MONASTACISM. THE BENEDICTINE MONKS, OF COURSE, TRACE THEIR EXISTENCE TO HIM; BUT SO DO THE CARTHUSIANS, THE TRAPPISTS, THE CISTERIANS, AND INDEED THE MAJORITY OF MONASTIC ORDERS IN THE WEST. AND THEY HAVE IN COMMON THAT THEY FOLLOW THE RULE OF ST. BENEDICT, THE ONLY DOCUMENT WE HAVE WHICH WAS AUTHORED BY HIM. THE RULE OF ST. BENEDICT IS SURPRISING IN ITS MODERATION. PRIOR TO BENEDICT, THOSE WHO LIVED MONASTIC LIVES, OR LIVED AS HERMITS, INFLICTED THEMSELVES WITH GREAT MORTIFICATIONS, STARVED THEIR BODIES, SPENT WHOLE WEEKS WITHOUT SLEEP; LIVED ON PILLARS, AND IN GENERAL, SPENT THEIR LIVES TRYING TO OUTDO EACH OTHER IN THESE SO CALLED HEROIC ACTS OF HOLINESS. BENEDICT WOULD HAVE NONE OF THAT. THE PURPOSE OF HIS RULE WAS TO HELP THOSE LIVING IN MONASTIC COMMUNITIES TO DRAW CLOSER TO JESUS CHRIST AND LIVE PRODUCTIVE CHRISTIAN LIVES. AND THE RULE IS CHARACTERIZED BY BALANCE. THE MONKS LIVE SIMPLE LIVES, BUT THEY ARE TO EAT AND DRINK NOT JUST TO KEEP BODY AND SOUL TOGETHER, BUT TO HAVE HEALTHY BODIES. THE DIET IS SEMI-VEGETARIAN, WITH MEAT EATEN ON SPECIAL DAYS IN SOME OF THE ORDERS. ALCOHOL IS USED IN MODERATION, AGAIN, RESERVED FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS. MONKS ARE TO GET A DECENT NIGHT'S REST. HAIR SHIRTS AND OTHER PHYSICAL PENANCES ARE LOOKED UPON WITH SUSPICION, AND ARE ONLY TO BE UNDERTAKEN WITH THE PERMISSION OF ONE'S SUPERIOR, AND THEN ONLY FOR A LIMITED TIME.
BENEDICT IS SURPRISINGLY PRACTICAL. IF MONKS CANNOT SLEEP ONE TO A ROOM, THEY MUST SLEEP AT LEAST THREE TO A ROOM, AND AT LEAST ONE OF THE THREE MUST BE ELDERLY. “SPECIAL FRIENDSHIPS” ARE NOT ALLOWED, AND DURING THE EVENING RECREATION, MONKS WERE TO SPEND TIME CONVERSING WITH A DIFFERENT MONK EACH EVENING.
BUT PERHAPS ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING RULES, ONE WHICH COULD APPLY TO EVERYONE, NOT JUST MONKS, IS THAT THE RULE PUTS A LIMIT ON HOW LONG A MONK CAN WORK, OUT ON THE FARM, IN THE KITCHEN, IN THE COPYING ROOM, IN THE LAUNDRY – A MONK HAD TO STOP EVERYTHING, AND GO TO THE SCHEDULED PRAYERS, OR TO THE COMMON MEALS, OR TO THE RECREATION. THIS MEANT THAT THE LONGEST THE MONK SPENT DOING ANY SINGLE ACTIVITY WAS NO MORE THAN THREE HOURS AT A TIME.
CONTRAST THAT WITH OUR LIVES. WE AMERICANS, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF US WHO ARE SUCCESSFUL, TEND TO BE WORKAHOLICS. IT BECOMES PART OF OUR INDOCTRINATION. WHEN I WAS TRAINING AS A PHYSICIAN, THERE WAS AN EXPECTATION THAT WE WOULD ARRIVE EARLY AND STAY LATE; PEOPLE WHO PUT IN EIGHT HOURS AND WENT HOME WERE CONSIDERED TO BE LAZY. AND IF WE TOOK A BREAK, IT WAS VERY SHORT; WE HAD TO GET BACK TO WORK. AND WE WOULD FINISH ONE TASK, NO MATTER HOW LONG IT TOOK, BEFORE TAKING ON ANOTHER. I THOUGHT WE PHYSICIANS WERE A PECULIAR LOT, BUT LATER I LEARNED THAT IN MOST PROFESSIONS THIS KIND OF WORK ETHIC REARS ITS HEAD. WHEN MY DAUGHTER WORKED FOR A LAW FIRM AS A YOUNG LAWYER, IT WAS THE SAME THING; IT DIDN'T COUNT TO JUST DO YOUR JOB; YOU HAD TO KEEP EXCEEDING YOURSELF IF YOU WANTED TO GET AHEAD.
AFTER THE APOSTLES HAD GONE OUT TO PREACH REPENTANCE AND DRIVE OUT DEMONS AND HEAL THE SICK – THE GOSPEL WE HEARD LAST WEEK, THEY CAME BACK TO JESUS, PROBABLY ALL EXCITED AND READY TO GET OUT THERE AND DO MORE; AND JESUS TELLS THEM, AND I'M QUOTING THE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NOT THE READING WE JUST HEARD, “COME AWAY WITH ME BY YOURSELVES TO A QUIET PLACE AND REST FOR A WHILE.” MAYBE THAT'S WHERE ST. BENEDICT GOT HIS IDEA. WE CANNOT LEAD AN EFFECTIVE CHRISTIAN LIFE IF WE DO NOT MAKE ROOM IN OUR LIVES TO DO JUST THIS.
JESUS SAYS, “COME AWAY” -- WE HAVE TO GET PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY AWAY FROM OUR TASKS.
JESUS SAYS, “WITH ME.” -- WE HAVE TO PUT OURSELVES IN HIS PRESENCE, AND PAY ATTENTION ONLY TO HIM.
JESUS SAYS, "BY YOURSELVES." -- WE HAVE TO CUT OURSELVES OFF FROM THE PHONE, THE INTERNET, AND OTHER PEOPLE.
JESUS SAYS, "TO A QUIET PLACE" – WE HUMAN BEINGS NEED QUIET IF WE ARE TO MEDITATE AND CONTEMPLATE, AND DO ANY KIND OF SELF-EXAMINATION, OR SERIOUS PRAYER.
JESUS SAYS, "AND REST FOR A WHILE." -- EVEN THOUGH THE KIND OF RETREAT THAT JESUS ASKS OF US, HIS DISCIPLES, IS NECESSARY, IT IS JUST AS NECESSARY, AFTER CATCHING OUR BREATH, TO GO BACK TO THE BATTLE.
SO SAY THOSE WORDS OVER AND OVER TO YOURSELVES; HEAR JESUS SAYING THEM TO YOU. "COME AWAY WITH ME BY YOURSELF TO A QUIET PLACE AND REST FOR A WHILE." AND IF WE ARE NOT DOING THIS AT LEAST ONCE A DAY, WE ARE BEING FOOLS; AND IF WE ARE DOING THIS TWO OR THREE TIMES A DAY, THEN MAYBE WE ARE MAKING SPIRITUAL PROGRESS AS WELL AS BECOMING MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE IN THE TASKS GOD HAS FOR US.
IF YOU WANT TO FIND SURPRISINGLY HAPPY PEOPLE LIVING LIVES OF GREAT SIMPLICITY, AND SERVING AS EXAMPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE FOR THE REST OF US TO FOLLOW, TAKE A LOOK AT HOW MONKS ACTUALLY LIVE AND WORK; AND YOU MIGHT DECIDE TO ADOPT A LITTLE OF THIS LIFE STYLE FOR YOURSELF. BENEDICT'S RULE HAS BEEN FOLLOWED FOR 16 CENTURIES AND THE MONASTIC MOVEMENTS ARE STILL GOING STRONG, EVEN WHILE OTHER ORDERS ARE SEEING THEIR NUMBERS DROP. SO HE MUST HAVE HAD A POINT; AND JESUS HIMSELF GIVES US THE SAME ADVICE TODAY – WITHDRAW, RETREAT, EMBRACE SILENCE, CONSCIOUSLY SEEK HIS PRESENCE, EVEN FOR A FEW MINUTES IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR BUSY DAY, AND YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF BECOMING MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, MORE HUMAN.
BECAUSE THAT IS ALL GOD WANTS FOR US, TO BE FULLY AND COMPLETELY HUMAN, THE WAY HE DESIGNED US IN THE BEGINNING.