Feast of James Huntington - Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Holy Cross Monastery, West Park, NY

Br. Bob Pierson, OHC
Feast of Fr. James Huntington - Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Click here for an audio version of the homily

A few days ago I ran across a post on Facebook that asked the question: “If you could spend an hour visiting with any person from the past, who would it be?” I didn't post a response, but as I think about it, I would really like to spend an hour visiting with our founder, Father James Huntington.
He was an amazing man from all accounts. Like Abram, he heard the call of God and walked away from an upper class lifestyle to live as a monk at a time when monks were held in derision by many in the Episcopal Church. Initially he had the support of two friends, Fathers Dodd and Cameron, but when they both dropped out, Fr. James persevered and made Life Profession by himself on November 25, 1884.

In the wider church, he is remembered for his concern for the poor. His biographer, Vida Scudder, describes the life of that early group of monks, making them sound a lot like the worker priests of Paris. But they were also monks, and very dedicated to the liturgy, especially the Divine Office, and their own personal spiritual growth. The whole thing proved to be too much for them, and eventually they gave up the very active service of the poor in New York City for the more contemplative setting of rural Maryland. I wonder how Father Huntington felt about that move? He certainly did not give up on the cause of the poor, and he continued to travel far and wide to promote things like labor unions, the single tax, and help for the working poor. He evidently did not see a conflict between monastic life and concern for the poor.

I always look forward to the celebration of his feast at this time of year. I am especially fond of our celebration of Matins and Vespers, where we use those wonderful quotes from his Rule as antiphons for the psalmody. Of course, his most famous quote is:

“Holiness is the brightness of Divine Love; love must act and light must shine and fire must burn.”

If we could sit down and visit with Father Huntington today, I suspect he would ask us about how we are acting in love, as individuals and as a community. He would want to know how we are showing our own concern for the poor. And he would want to know that our commitment to our own spiritual growth is just as strong as his was.

Of course, he had his faults, as we all do, and I suspect that he would be compassionate with us even as he would continue to urge us to do better. He said: Humility, obedience, love: this is the holiness without which we cannot see the Lord.” As we continue to follow the example Father Huntington gave us, may we humbly listen for the voice of God in our day, and recommit ourselves to responding in love as he did.

"The cross is our all-sufficing treasure, and His love our never-ending reward."