Feast of James Huntington: November 19, 2017

Holy Cross Monastery, West Park, NY
Br. Josép R. Martínez-Cubero, OHC
Feast of James Huntington- Saturday, November 25, 2017

To hear the sermon in its fullness click here.

Br. Josép R. Martínez-Cubero, OHC

We, unaccustomed to courage exiles from delight

live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.

Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.

Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.

We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love's light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.

Yet it is only love
which sets us free.

Today, we celebrate Father James Otis Sargent Huntington as the founder of our Order, a title he never wanted. And perhaps the fact that he never wanted to be thought of as the founder is the more reason to celebrate him. And, indeed, it is right to give thanks for his life, his faithfulness, his vision, his perseverance, and his love. The founding of what came to be the Order of the Holy Cross was born out of a conversation between Fr. Huntington and Fr. Robert Stockton Dod. It was Fr. Dod who led Fr. Huntington and Fr. James Cameron who soon after joined them, in the formation of community life beginning in the autumn of 1881. It was Fr. Dod who was the first Superior, and who wrote the first Rule of the Order. But both Dod and Cameron left within the next two years. I would bet that possibilities were not lacking for the intelligent, confident and charismatic twenty-nine-year-old Fr. Huntington. But he chose to stay the course, and that's why we are here today. He was not the more dominant character of the three, but the stronger. As Br. Adam McCoy states in his history of our Order: "It is in this sense that Fr. Huntington became Father Founder: not that he had the founding vision, but that he had the founding strength to remain faithful, and his faithfulness raised up a mighty work.” (p.38)

His decision was undoubtedly fueled by his conviction that the virtues of monastic life- humility, obedience, love- could serve as an example for all Christian life. The distinction lies in that, in monastic life the individual relinquishes independence in order to become part of a unified body, guided by the Holy Spirit.

In his letter to the Galatians, Saint Paul gives us an account of some traits that characterize a Spirit-led community. It begins with the understanding that life according to the Spirit is not something that can simply be structured according to human expectations. It is a counter-cultural orientation of the heart especially in western culture, which places a great deal of emphasis on independence and self-sufficiency. Statements such as: “I can take care of myself” or “I can make it on my own” or “I don’t need anything or anybody” are often applauded, and heard with admiration.

By contrast, monastic life is characterized by the interdependence of its members. And that means that we support one another in times of need, but also that we are willing to confront one another when necessary. Our common welfare depends on the spiritual health of each member, and we all have a stake in helping one another walk faithfully in Jesus’ way. But it goes further. Saint Paul urges his readers to bear one another’s burdens. We are called to imitate the self-sacrificial pattern of Jesus’ life, who, “humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death- even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:8) This requires the complete surrender of our false self, our individualism, and selfish desires and consider first the interest of the community. 

For Father Huntington that was the call. That was the model for the monastic life, and for him, this vision extended to the entire human enterprise. A community that keeps its vision focused on Jesus and does not ignore the poor, the sick, and those in any need or trouble. A community that keeps its vision focused on Jesus and seeks the well-being of all. A community that keeps its vision focused on Jesus and sees the depth of God's forgiveness, grace, and love. A community that keeps its vision focused on Jesus as the ultimate example of a life of service and sacrifice. A community that keeps its vision focused on Jesus as the manifestation of what being created in the image of God really looks like. A community that keeps its vision focused on Jesus as the ultimate example of holiness. 

This was the vision of Father Huntington, who in his rule for our Order wrote: “Holiness is the brightness of divine love; love must act as light must shine and fire must burn.” It was this sense of love that carried him through all his struggles: his two companions in the early days of the Order leaving; a scathing reply from Bishop Potter of New York, who had encouraged him in the early stages of his vocation, refusing to attend the laying of the cornerstone for this monastery, writing, “Once you were the head of a Brotherhood engaged in the service of the poor. Now, I believe yours is a “contemplative” brotherhood, and you a roaming preacher. I must own that neither your aims nor life interest us.” And there were periods of what appeared to be something close to nervous breakdowns, and depression, and burnout, and temptations to escape, and incredible disappointment, especially about what he experienced to be the failure of the ideal of the monastic life as he had understood it. His life seems to have been one of constantly seeking to imitate Jesus’ self-outpouring, through his involvement in the economic and social issues of his day, as well as his evangelistic work. But it was also, clearly, a life of constant struggle. Yet, from all I’ve read, his faith never seemed to have waivered. There was constant surrender of self-will and despite the struggle, he stayed the course, and followed the path.

On the Vow of Obedience in his Rule for the Order, Father Huntington wrote: “The opportunity for this surrender is afforded in our community life. We are to die to our isolation and separateness as individuals, that we may live in the energies of a mystical body wherein the life is one, and that the life of Jesus, our Head. The community is thus our means of entrance into union with our ascended Lord.” Every time we enter this church to pray the office, we do so as one body. It is no longer about my voice, my prayer, my worship, but our voice, our prayer, our worship. We each bring our uniqueness, our fullest personality to form part of a bigger whole, a mystical body.

This is the surrender, the obedience of which he spoke; a surrender and obedience that can only be achieved by that love that “must act as light must shine, and fire must burn.” In the flush of love's light, he dared be brave, and suddenly he saw that love cost all he was and would ever be. Yet it was love, which set him free.

Blessed James Huntington, intercede for us. ¡Que así sea! ~Amen+

________________________

References:

·      Maya Angelou, Touched by an Angel (poem)

·      Adam Dumbar McCoy, Holy Cross: A Century of Anglican Monasticism (Morehouse-Barlow Publishing, 1987)

·      Richard Paul Vaggione, OHC, editor, The Rule of James Otis Sargent Huntington and his Successors (Order of the Holy Cross, 1996)

·      Father Alan Whittemore, OHC, O. H. C. (Unpublished)

·      Br. Adam McCoy, OHC, Sermon for the Solemnity of James Otis Sargent Huntington, OHC – Holy Cross Monastery, November 27, 2012

·      Br. Robert James Magliula, OHC, Sermon for the Solemnity of James Otis Sargent Huntington, OHC – Holy Cross Monastery, November 25, 2015

·      Br. Robert Sevensky, Sermon for the Solemnity of James Otis Sargent Huntington, OHC – Holy Cross Monastery, November 25, 2016