You’ve probably heard the news that Holy Father Pope Francis has appointed a new bishop, His Excellency Bishop Nelson Perez to the diocese of Cleveland. I was able to meet Bishop Perez on Tuesday. A number of the clergy were able to concelebrate with him at the Cathedral, and then had lunch with him at the Cathedral rectory.
My first impression is that Bishop Perez is an extremely relatable, congenial man. If you have the means, you should check out on the internet the interview he did on Fox 8. Very relatable. I think he will be refreshing to our diocese, surprising, and also challenging.
At the Mass on Tuesday, Bishop Perez preached on an idea that has come up often in the preaching of Pope Francis over the last few years, that of “encounter”, or “encuentro” in Pope Francis’ native-tongue. Bishop Perez explained how as Christ is filled with compassion and mercy, so too must mercy and compassion be at the heart of the Church, and in the heart of every Christian. And whether we are trapped in sin or steadily progressing in sanctity, we are able to encounter the Lord. In his mercy, the Lord meets us where we are, and calls us to holiness and deeper faith.
The Gospel on Tuesday was all about how the Lord sends his disciples out into the world to preach the Gospel and to perform the works of mercy. Through preaching and living the Gospel, each one of us is called to go out and help others encounter Christ.
Parents are to help their children encounter Christ, spouses are to help their mates encounter Christ. A good neighbor helps us encounter Christ through their kindness and charity.
Tuesday was also the feast of St. Benedict, a very fitting day to preach about “encounter”. St. Benedict is truly one of the most important saints in Church history. Benedict was born into a rich Italian family in the year 480 and went to complete his studies in Rome. Around the age of 20, became a hermit; he went to live in a cave for three years in Subiaco, Italy.
Why would a wealthy, academically gifted young man go to live in a cave? For one, he sought what we all seek: happiness! He believed that he could be happy seeking Jesus Christ in the silence and solitude of a cave. He was right. He encountered Christ in a place that very few people choose to look.
Because of his sanctity, Benedict quickly attracted many followers, who like him wished to withdraw from the world in order to strive after holiness through a life of work and prayer. To house his company, Benedict built twelve monasteries, and around the year 550, he left Subiaco to start the monastery at Montecassino. It is there that he wrote his famous Rule, “The Rule of St. Benedict”
Benedict lived in a time when the classical world was breaking apart—bloody wars were tearing down the civilization of the Greco-Roman world. Barbarians were sweeping through Europe. These were the dark ages. European culture was crumbling. Yet within the Benedictine Monastery a different culture of work and prayer and learning and love of God and encounter with Christ prevailed. The monasteries became beacons of hope for the people of Europe.
Amidst the barbarian armies and the crumbling culture, Benedict’s monasteries became potent force in rebuilding Europe. The very first universities sprung up from the monastic schools. So, if you went to college, or benefited in some way by someone that did, you can thank St. Benedict.
Fast forward 1400 years to the 1950s. The Bishops of the Second Vatican Council saw danger looming on the horizon again: a new modern barbarism spreading throughout the world, a godlessness threatening the very foundations of civilization.
And, in the documents of Vatican II, the holy bishops stressed that not only monks and priests and nuns and bishops are called to strive for holiness, but all Christians should develop vibrant prayers lives and to generosity in charitable service.
In the monasteries, Benedict’s lived out a rhythm, a harmony of work and prayer; yet the ultimate aim of the monk’s was to seek God. Benedict wrote: Nihil amori Christi praeponere—Prefer nothing to the love of Christ. Holiness consists of this: preferring nothing to the love of Christ.
So many of our worldly pursuits keep us from real happiness because they keep us from encountering Christ. Sadly, so often, we prefer our cell phones to Christ, our credit cards to Christ, our vices to Christ. We prefer gossip over prayer, lust over purity, and greed over self-giving.
St. Benedict is often depicted in art with a finger pressed to his lips because he so valued silence. Silence was such an important part of his rule because in silence we learn how to listen to the quiet voice of God. Silence is often indispensable in encounter the love God has for us.
The Christian Philosopher Svoren Kierkegaard said if he were a doctor he would prescribe as a remedy for all the world’s disorders, “silence”. St. Benedict would no doubt agree.
Our culture abhors silence; it is addicted to stimulation. We have to constantly have the television or internet going. The constant stimulation and busyness bring not cheerfulness, but exhaustion and emptiness. One of the spiritual dangers of having cell phones that can access the internet anywhere, anytime, is that one never learns how to sit in silence.
The cell phones and televisions in every room of the house is a great threat to health and holiness of the family. I know of many families who therefore have a very healthy rule, that between certain times, all electronics are turned off. Perhaps between 5:30 and 8pm: no tv, no video games, no cell phones, especially at the dinner table. Study and conversation build up the family in ways that all of the electronic gadgets cannot possibly. Perhaps a family rosary must be prayed before the television is even allowed to be turned on.
Through silence, simplicity, and prayer, we make our souls rich soul for the word of God to be planted, as we heard in today’s Gospel.
Parents, if you want your children to be happy, make your family as fertile in faith as possible; don’t teach or pressure our children to have empty lives, to be successful according to the values of our culture, but above all to seek to put their gifts and talents in the service of God. Entering a monastery, where one learns to encounter Christ in simplicity, is not failure. Entering the priesthood, consecrated life, these are not vocations for those who can’t do anything else.
Our seminary here in Cleveland has over 80 young men studying for the priesthood, we’ve seen an increase in young women entering convents, why? Likely because many of our young people, like Benedict, see the emptiness the world offers, and they want something more. And for that they should be encouraged!
But whatever our vocation, each of us, should make time for silence, to make an effort each day to encounter Christ through prayer, to push away the non-essential objects of the world, to prefer nothing to the love of Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
