Holy Cross Monastery, West Park, NY
Br. Josep Martinez-Cubero
The Initial Profession of the Monastic Vow of Br. Jacob Anthony Lecthworth OHC, February 18, 2025
- 1 Samuel 3:1-11
- 1 Corinthians 1:22-31
- Matthew 6:24-27
Click here for an audio of the sermon
I want to first, on behalf of the monastic community, welcome all of you who have come for this joyous occasion. Thank you for being with us. Anthony has been here at the monastery answering a call- trying his vocation, a word that comes from the Latin ‘vocatio’, a calling- a strong urge toward a particular way of life or career. For us monastics, a vocation is not just something that God calls us to do, it is also what God calls us to be. When people inquiring about monastic life say to me: “I’m feeling called to monastic life and I’m not sure if I should maybe discern a vocation,” my response is always: YES, followed by what was said to me by our late Brother Andrew when I started inquiring about the life: “If you have a vocation, in other words, if you are being called by God, that call will never go away. You might as well pursue it.” We can choose to answer the call or not. But that phone in our heart keeps ringing, and that phone has no voicemail or answering service. I’m sure some of us still remember what it feels like to hear a phone’s relentless ring when it is not answered (although I think today God just keeps sending text messages).
In our first lesson, Samuel, is a boy who lives and works in the temple during a period when the religion of Israel had become dry. One night God calls to Samuel. He thinks it's the old priest Eli. This happens three times before Eli finally realizes that God, who hasn't spoken much to the people lately, is speaking to this boy. He tells Samuel to listen and obey when the voice speaks again. When Samuel finally responds to God instead of Eli, God tells him of plans to punish Eli’s family because of the iniquity of his sons. There is no task given, and no clarity. In other words, listening and obeying does not exempt us from life with all its joys and complications and struggles.
One of life’s biggest challenges is coping with uncertainty. Circumstances are always changing around us, and often in very unexpected ways. In fact, change is certainly one of life’s few guarantees. No matter how much we plan for the future there is actually little that we can know for sure about what will happen. Learning how to accept not knowing is one of the keys to spiritual health. Afterall, as Jesus tells us in the Gospel lesson today, by worrying, we cannot add a single hour to the span of our lives. Optimism and hope are absolutely important, but very often resilience and fortitude count much more.
So, dear Anthony, here you are- at a gate. You have not made it. You have not arrived. You are about to begin. Today you join the rest of your professed brothers on a pilgrimage. It is a wonderful journey of self-knowledge that will draw you deeper into the mystery that is God. The postulancy and novitiate periods have given you the map and have led you to the threshold. You are a hiker, so you know that often on a journey we encounter detours and turns that don’t appear on the map. We may journey through beautiful mossy brooks, grassy fern covered grounds, waterfalls, and incredible vistas. We may also encounter rocky climbs and muddy swamps. We may get off the path and have to find our way back to the trail. Getting upset and disheartened does not change the situation, and when we pray to God, the answer is usually, “I’m with you. Go ahead!” Accepting what is with resilience and fortitude is what helps us get to the other side, and we can do so while still enjoying all the beauty around us.
In a few moments, you will profess and sign the threefold Benedictine vow of stability, conversion of your ways to the monastic way of life, and obedience. The vow names the core Benedictine values of not running away when the going gets tough, being open to change and transformation, and listening intently and responding with your heart.
Monastic stability means accepting this particular community and Order as our way to God. For Saint Benedict, community is not just the place where we seek God, but the very means by which we find God. Living in community is not simply about cohabitating. On the hand, it is not about being fused in unhealthy ways either. Healthy community living involves being self-differentiated as we strive to stay connected. By vowing stability, we commit ourselves to facing the difficult times of our vocation without running away. Instead, we rely on the support of the community to carry us through. As our Brother Randy has said: “Crisis is often a prelude to some kind of deeper growth.”
Conversion of our ways to the monastic way of life calls for continuous transformation into Christ. Among other things, it challenges us to reevaluate our relationship with worldly possessions by holding all things in common. In a capitalist and consumerist society, we have become so attached to things, possessions have become our idols. In today’s Gospel reading Jesus reminds us that we cannot serve God and mammon. So, conversion to the monastic way of life encourages us to trust that our needs will be met. And when our wants are not met, we can say with Blessed Mary: “Here I am, the servant of the Lord. Let it be with me according to your will.”
As monks we are always in a state of becoming and encountering our need for conversion at deeper and deeper levels. Through ongoing conversion, we shed away the layers of defense we have built around us in order to cope with a world that sometimes seems anything but loving. Vulnerability is the key to ongoing conversion and growth. Trusting our Brothers and constantly opening ourselves to them is a vulnerable choice because it means that we will inevitably get hurt by them at times. The good news, though, is that the opposite is also true. In community we can experience love at a deep, soulful and trusting level.
And finally, obedience- easy to talk about and very difficult to live out. It is perhaps the hardest part of the monastic vow because refusing to obey challenges our stability in the community and in the order and hinders our conversion to the monastic way of life. It is not about mindlessly conforming and complying. On the other hand, it is not just about listening. The idea that obedience is just about listening implies that, yes, I will listen to what my superior, the Order’s council, or the community is saying. I will consider it, and if I agree I will obey. If I don’t agree, I may engage in all manner of passive-aggressive behavior, grumbling and murmuring, or plainly decide not to obey. That is not monastic obedience.
Monastic obedience involves giving our hearts to what we have heard. Like every other aspect of our life, it involves discernment and prayer. Through discernment, we strive to hear God’s voice manifested in the practices of the community and the requests of those in authority. Prayer leads us to a spirit of respect and charity toward others. No leadership role in this order is a “power” position, but a “servant” position. Even when dialogue, communal consideration, or expert advice are necessary, we respond to those in authority with cooperation so they can fulfill their leadership role with dignity and integrity. This kind of deep listening and cooperation is only possible when we do it from a place of love. It is love that opens us to hearing the voice of God in our fallible Brothers.
Anthony, you came to this monastery with a deep, deep longing for God. That longing is manifested by your great capacity for love, and your willingness to receive love. It is manifested in your love for our liturgy and communal prayer, your concern for the welfare of others, your willingness to lend a hand when needed, your devotion to your various tasks, and your love for community life. You have shown incredible conscientiousness by deeply listening and reflecting on what you hear with openness and humility. It has been a great joy and privilege to accompany you on your discernment for the past three years, first as an inquirer and aspirant, and then as a postulant and novice, and to have witnessed your transformation day by day. There is much more to come, and I’m looking forward to experiencing it with you, no longer as your formator, but as your fellow Brother. I love you. We all love you and wish you every blessing in your vocation. ¡Que así sea en el nombre del Padre, del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo! ~Amen+
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