Reflections

Sorry it has been a while for me to post anything on this blog.  So much has been going on, and I don't have access to my laptop until I enter vows (15 months from now).  I can't write in my spare time without walking down to the computer lab.

I am doing really well here at the Abbey.  There is much time for prayer and work, reading and gardening, visiting with other monks and college students.  I see this as a time of formation, when the Lord is forming me in silence.  I recall hearing about parishes hiring a Lifeteen director and then wonder what he or she is doing the first year, because no one really sees any youth work going on.  They wonder if the parish should have even hired that director!  But then, in the second year, the youth ministry works just explodes!  During the first year, the minister was doing a lot of background work, laying the foundations, for youth ministry.  Likewise, the Lord is laying the foundations in my heart, so that whatever I do when I am in vows will be effective and I will be more perfectly His instrument.

During this formation period, the Lord works in silence.  There have been consolations, even when working outside in the garden.  There have been opportunities to "offer up" in prayer and reparation, such as when my lower back gave out on me two weeks ago (getting better).  There has been much rising to the surface to explore in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.  There has been a reviewal of life, where I have come from, and a deepening of who I am.  I have grown to love my postulant brothers deeply, and I have gotten to know many of the wonderful elderly monks that are here at the Abbey.  Already there have been two funerals for monks, both of whom touched me in many ways, and I shall miss them.  It felt strange to line up with the monks after the vigils and have people walk down the receiving line, offering their condolences to me!  Then it hit me, I am part of the monastic family.  Of course they would do that!  As the junior of the monks, I light candles for 30 days at supper for the deceased monk where he used to sit.  The monk is remembered by name for 30 days, and then annually on the anniversary of his death (when his life story is recounted). The community never forgets them.

Back home in Minnesota, two things have happened, good news and bad news.  I'll start with the bad and offer some reflections on both topics.

A terrible scandal has shaken the Archdiocese of St Paul-Minneapolis.  It involves a priest involved in child sexual abuse and allegations of mismanagement on the part of the Chancery.  The unfortunate news can be read here: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2013/09/clergy-abuse/  as well as related articles on MPR.

Some dear friends of mine, former parishioners, contacted me, expressing how they felt betrayed and hurt, saying that it is hard to be Catholic right now.  I agreed, asking them to remember that priests feel that way too, when such things happen.  I'm sure many, many people feel that way, wondering how to face this Church at a time of such scandal.

Currently, I am taking an Ecclesiology (Theology of the Church) course at Benedictine College.  I believe very firmly that so many problems in the church have something to do with improper sense of what the Church really is.  Church history is loaded with scandal.  A case can be made that the Reformation wouldn't have happened if in the centuries prior to it revealed a better portrait of popes and the clergy.  The Avignon Papacy and the Western Schism (when there were allegedly three popes) led to a great sense of disillusionment on the part of the faithful.  The repercussions of scandals can be great, leading to a fragmentation of the church and the loss of souls, for decades (centuries?) afterwards.  We must remember that there have been worse scandals than this in the history of the Church.  We must also remember that there shouldn't be any scandals at all.  Period.

As a side note, I have an enormous problem with blaming priests when they fall.  One of the things people often say is that our priests should be held to a higher standard.  Yes, they should.  But shouldn't the same standard be applied to the speaker of the complaint?  If not, then is this not an issue of hypocrisy?  There shouldn't be two different set of standards for clergy and for laypeople.  Sin is sin.  We all need to clean up our moral lives, including priests.  It baffles me that in this sexually permissive world, people who know they need to behave better criticize priests when they fall.  What would things look like if the same people went up to priests and said, "Father, we love you and we want what is best for you. Let us help you, so you can help us."  Priests might just cry for joy, instead of being afraid of their image before other people.

Back to my original point: the Church is bigger than these scandals.  We need to keep an eye on Jesus Christ and what He has done in the Church.  The Church is the kingdom of God on earth.  Her holiness comes from the Head, Jesus Christ, who is holy.  If every member of the Church sin (which they do), the Church is still holy because the Head is holy.  This was St Augustine's point from way back.  We must love the Church for who she is, rather than looking to the fallen members.

My dear friend, Fr. David Blume, wrote this in his bulletin article for his parish, The Church of St Patrick in Oak Grove, MN:

The Sources of Grace

Saint John Bosco lived from 1815–1888. From the time he was nine years old he would have dreams that appeared to be inspired by the Holy Spirit. Some of these dreams came true and others contained a very profound message. Pope Pius IX instructed Fr. Bosco to write down the details of his dreams.

One of his dreams is about a huge ship that is tossed about during a great storm. This ship is the Church and it is commanded by the Pope. There are other smaller ships nearby that want to destroy it and they are doing everything conceivable to sink it. There are also smaller ships defending it. The large ship is maneuvering toward two large columns. On the top of one column, there is the statue of the Immaculate Virgin, from whose feet hangs a large placard with this inscription: "Help of Christians"; on the other column, which is much higher and bigger, stands a host of great size proportionate to the column and beneath is another placard with the words: “Salvation of the Faithful.” There are hooks or anchors on these columns where a ship could tie up. In the midst of a great battle the ship makes its way to these columns and ties to each of them. The storm subsides. The ships fighting against the large ship commanded by the Pope scatter. Those fighting for her come and tie up to the columns.

The actual dream is much more involved, but the message is that when we are rocked by storms, we have to be anchored to the sources of grace, to the Mother of Jesus who is the greatest intercessor we have and to the Eucharist, the source of all graces.

It is a challenging time right now in the Archdiocese with sad reports showing up in the media many days in a row. Let’s keep our sights fixed on the sources of grace and remember to pray for our Archbishop and all who are in leadership at the Chancery. God bless you all for your prayers!

Let us keep our eyes on the great thing God has done in giving us this Church, which gave me such great life at my baptism!  And remember, despair is from the Evil One, who is prowling like a lion.  We are feeling his teeth marks these days.

The second piece of news is really good news: my dear friend, Fr. Andrew Cozzens, has been named Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul-Minneapolis!  I am very, very happy for the Church,  for she has gotten a wonderful man as a bishop.  He is a wise theologian, humble, and kind.  It may be in the plans of Divine Providence that he may help this diocese recover from this scandal and receive the healing she needs.  Now an enormous Cross has been placed on the shoulders of Bishop Elect Cozzens.  Let us pray for him, that he may not be crushed by it but he may be God's instrument of healing and reconciliation in these difficult times.

Please pray for me as I continue my formation and know of my prayers for you!
Fr Jay Kythe

I have arrived!!!

On the evening of August 14, 2013, at the First Vespers of the Feast of the Assumption, Sean Lee, Brad Geist, and I were admitted to the postulancy at St Benedict's Abbey.  Prayers of blessings were said over us at the entrance of the choir and we were led in to the church.  Assigned a place in the choir, we could now sit with the monks, as well as roam freely through the cloistered sections of the Abbey.

There is great joy in my heart over this new life, but there is also the sorrow of leaving an old life behind.  A monk told me recently that this sorrow lessens over time.  I figured as much, since it takes some time to get used to a new way of life.  As I look ahead, I think I will be happy here.  Time will tell, so ask me in a month and 6 months and one year down the line!

This is a brief note to let everyone know of my status.  I am doing well, and settling in nicely here at St Benedict's Abbey!  Please check out photos and videos of my entry into the postulancy on www.kansasmonks.org, which will take you to a link to youtube!  To go directly to the video, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WT8Ly16VyhU&feature=c4-overview&list=UUWasD93IGF6HKGjhnqOIfUA.

God bless,

Fr. Jay  

Three more days

Three more days until I leave for the monastery!  On Sunday, August 11, my father will drive me down to St Benedict's Abbey and leave me there!  I'm excited and nervous at the same time.  This has been--and will continue to be--quite a transition!

The first part of it was moving everything to my home that I share with my father.  I spent much of these last three weeks unpacking, sorting, throwing away things, recycling other things, destroying sensitive paperwork, packing again, and so on.  It was a monumental and overwhelming task!  But I must confess that it has gone quite well.  I learned that instead of being overwhelmed from the get-go, if I just do a little bit every day, I will get a lot done over time.  It is like reading a book, even 10 pages per day, or going through a bottle of Metamucil (yes, you do that at my age), that over a period of time, you finish the task.  There is a book and movement based on that very principle, The Slight Edge Principle.  Not that I am an advocate of the marketing of that book and accompanying products, but the basic idea really works.  These last three weeks are proof of it.  I feel good, looking at what I've accomplished, knowing that I can pack everything in the back of a mini-van or SUV and go somewhere.

One of the hardest parts of detachments is not having the willingness to get rid of things but an easy way to get rid of things.  Recycle bins, friends willing to take your discarded items, a good friend willing to burn bags of papers that you should shred, etc.  Having a dumpster to discard items isn't a good idea anymore, since some of the items one may have may be too sensitive and can end up in the hands of identity thieves.  This caused me to reflect on the world we live in, and how harder it is to detach today than even, say, ten years ago.

And the good Lord helps.  My wonderful car got a head gasket problem, a very expensive repair.  So the good people at Car Time in Northfield, MN offered to buy it from me and pay me the difference.  Now there's a quick and easy way to get rid of a car!  Yet parting can be such sweet sorrow, with the emphasis on sorrow!

The second part of such a monumental task of detachment is canceling credit cards, accounts, transferring finances to a family member, etc.  This is a mind-numbing and difficult activity that I would rather procrastinate on.  But I am doing it, bit by bit, following my to-do lists.  The hardest part was canceling my cell phone.  I have had that number for 11 years, and as I mentioned in previous posts (or bulletin articles), I love my iPhone.  So as of Sunday, I won't use it, and as of the 25th of this month, it will be deactivated.  Of course, I must part with a fee, because my two year contract isn't finished yet! Oh well, what do I have use for money anyway?

I will try to post messages on my blog at times and also on my facebook page.  Thanks to all my friends who have lifted me up in so many ways!  Write, email, or call me sometime!

Fr Jay

The Last Sermon

I would like to share my last sermon (this is more of a sermon than a homily, even though it refers back to the Mass readings a bit) that I delivered on June 29-30, 2013 at the Church of Saint Pius X in White Bear Lake, MN.  (If you are going to one of my Masses this weekend, don't read this yet!)  This makes me think that there should be "Last Sermon" series in parishes and churches.  It's longer than my usual homilies, but I think people will be patient with me.  Enjoy!

The Last Sermon

June 29, 2013 Feast of Saints Peter and Paul

and June 30, 2013 for 13^th Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle C

On September 18, 2007, a computer science professor was dying of pancreatic cancer.  So at Carnegie Mellon University, Randy Pausch delivered what has been called and published The Last Lecture. This is a common title for talks on college campuses, a “Last Lecture Series,” in which top professors are asked to think deeply about what matters to them and give hypothetical final talks.

In a way, this homily today can be considered my “Last Homily or Sermon.”  This isn’t exactly accurate, because I will keep preaching at parishes and I’m not dying yet.  But I am leaving the parish priesthood, and I am dying to self and to the world as I enter a monastery.  As a side thought, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for priests to give a “Last Sermon Series,” considering the question, “What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance?”

Now this is a strange weekend.  On Saturday, we celebrate the Feasts of Saints Peter and Paul, including at the 5 pm Mass (a solemnity in our archdiocese, one that overrides the Sunday Mass) and on Sunday, we have specific readings for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time.  But I’m not going to compose two different homilies!  Yet both days speak profoundly to what I would like to preach on. 

The context of the Sunday readings is all about following the Lord without looking back!  No excuses are to be given to even delay in following the Lord!  We are called to burn bridges and to go forward without regrets!  Is the Lord worth it?  Certainly He is, but it is clearly difficult.  And the Lord doesn’t comfort us in it, for all He says is, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”  What he is making unmistakably clear is that nothing—not even the most sacred values of the world—is more important than doing God’s will and living according to the plan He has for us.    We seem to have forgotten this these days, as we redefine marriage and society according to our plans and not according to God’s. 

And not just society in general but also our brothers and sisters who consider themselves good Catholics but think the Church is behind the times and needs to “get with it.”  As I’ve said before, I think the world is behind the times and needs to “get with it,” to get with the program, the plan that God has for us.  At times I have had the opportunity to challenge such Catholics.  The usual response, unfortunately, is anger.  “Father, how dare you call me a bad Catholic!”  Well, I want to say, if the shoe fits ... in other words, let’s not be hypocrites here.  My challenge to you is to become a better Catholic, better aligned with the will of Christ and the heart and the mind of the Church.  Remember, this is the Church that Christ founded and this is the Church that gave you the Bible.  This is the Church that has been around for 2000 years and gives you the Body and Blood of Christ.  This is the Church in which Jesus appointed St Peter to be the first pope and we’ve had 265 after him to Pope Francis.  The keys of the Kingdom of heaven are given to him and to his successors.  This is the Church in which St. Paul converted, a sinner transformed to become an apostle.  Yes, this Church is filled with weak and sinful people, especially the priests and bishops, but despite them (me) the Holy Spirit still works and works well through this Church. 

So first of all, trust this Church.  Trust what she teaches, especially with respect to marriage and family life.  Blessed John Cardinal Newman wrote:

Trust the Church of God implicitly

even when your natural judgment would take a different course from hers

and would induce you to question her prudence or correctness.

Recollect what a hard task she has;

how she is sure to be criticized and spoken against, whatever she does;

recollect how much she needs your loyal and tender devotion;

recollect, too, how long is the experience gained over so many centuries,

and what a right she has to claim your assent

to principles which have had so extended and triumphant a trial.

Thank her that she has kept the faith safe for so many generations

and do your part in helping her to transmit it to generations after you.

This is the Church that brought this former Hindu pagan to become Catholic, and to become a Catholic priest, and now, possibly, to become a Catholic priest monk!  I love this Church, and I pray you will too. 

Second, the best way to stay close to this Church is to stay close to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.  We live in a crazy mixed-up world, as is so abundantly clear.  There is an oft-quoted statement that “those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.”  It is actually a foolish statement today because we live in times that we have never seen: the loss of a sense of the Divine in society and culture today; the ignorance of God and His ways with respect to a new humanism; science made in our image to conform to our selfish desires rather than seeing the truth of things; a hyperpluralism of thoughts, ideas, and opinions yelled loudly—all these things are new, never before seen in the history of the world.  How do we stay sane during these times?  Stay close to the Eucharist and to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  This is why I moved the tabernacle, because Christ absolutely needs to be at the center of our lives and our Church.  Even a slight deviation to over there (point to the side of the church) is a sign that things are wrong.  Jesus must be our focus, and you will find His Blessed Mother standing alongside us looking at Him.  She can help us by pointing the way to her Son.  It is only because of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, (and the prayers of monks and nuns) that has kept the Church from going off the deep end these last 2000 years.  And the Eucharist will see us through the next 2000 years, as long as we don’t let Him go in this great and noble sacrament!

Third, a message I have preached for years, to surrender all things to Divine Providence, during the good, the bad, and the ugly times.  I’ve experienced all three, and I know you have too.  When you are most tempted to leave the Lord, don’t.  He loves you and will see you through the dark times.  Today’s second reading: Galatians: “For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery ... Do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh.”  If you live by the flesh, you are no longer free.  The only true freedom comes in staying close to the Lord in all things, to live in the power of His spirit.  Keep your hand to the plow in prayer.  And don’t look back!

Well, maybe I will, just a little bit, to make sure all of you are doing what I taught you.

The Eucharist as a Strange Notion

The Eucharist as a Strange Notion

Father Jay Kythe

This is the article format of a homily I gave for the Feast of Corpus Christi on the weekend of June 1-2, 2013 at the Church of Saint Pius X, White Bear Lake, MN.  So may people have asked me for it, so I post it here.

Have you ever considered how strange our Catholic faith is?  Take, for instance, the Crucifix.  It is an image of an execution.  If you walked into my office and saw a photograph of someone being electrocuted in an electric chair, beheaded in all its gore, or hung from a noose, you would think there is something seriously wrong with my mental health and perhaps I should not be functioning as a priest.  Yet, no one says anything about a crucifix or makes a judgment about the person who owns the crucifix.  As for myself, I like to collect crucifixes; five of them hang over my bed.  People buy crucifixes, call them beautiful or pretty, with an image of a dead body on it and all, and they ask me to bless it!  Strange!

Our faith is filled with strange notions!

We believe in one God but three persons in this one God.  Strange!  We even go so far as to say that one of these three persons chose to become human, chose to be born of a woman.  And not just any woman, but a virgin, who still remains a virgin before, during, and after this birth of this God!  This God is born, cries, burps, poops, laughs, teaches, heals, does everything that man does—except for sin—and even—now this gets weird—even dies!  Dies on a cross!  And we put crucifixes on display on our walls and around our necks! 

All right, I can accept all that.  I can even accept the claim that this person who died on the Cross rises from the dead.  I mean, He’s God, isn’t He?  Seriously, if He weren’t, there would be no resurrection.  Man can’t rise from the dead on his own power.  But there is something more, something I think is even stranger to accept.  Stranger than all the things I’ve mentioned.  Something we live with every day and don’t give it a second thought.  Or if we do, we end up becoming more fervent in our faith or rejecting this strange notion and the Catholic faith entirely.  Not because it doesn’t make any sense—believe me, it doesn’t—but because if we really, truly believed it, we would have to change our lives!

Here it is: We believe that bread and wine to change into the Body and Blood of Christ!  Now that’s really, really strange.  Bread and wine change into the Body and Blood of Christ but still looks like bread and looks like wine?  Really?  Its stranger than having crucifixes on the walls, stranger than virgins giving birth to God, stranger than, well, anything!

I mean, if you really believed in something this strange, you wouldn’t be yawning at Mass and considering it boring, would you?  You’ll be on your knees and praying fervently at every Mass!  Your faith would be a sure and solid rock in your life.  (Or you may want to be become a monk!  Now that’s pretty strange too!)  Churches would be packed to overflowing, and Father would have to add 20 more Masses per weekend. 

You’d have to trust this Church that teaches this, believe in this teaching and everything else she teaches.  I mean, if she got this wrong, what else could be wrong?  If the Eucharist is not the Body and Blood of Christ but just cardboard tasting bread and sweet wine, then we should throw out the Bible.  For that’s where this strange notion begins, from all the places in three of the Gospels in which Jesus takes bread and says, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body,” and takes wine and says, “Take this and drink of it, for this is the chalice of my blood.”  Then there is that powerful chapter of John 6, in which Jesus repeats several times—lest there be any doubts—that  “unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.”  And St. Paul speaks about eating the Body and drinking the Blood in worthy manner.   Seriously, if the Church is wrong about this, we really need to throw the Bible in the trash.

What else should we get rid of?  Perhaps marriage shouldn’t be restricted to just one man and one woman.  Maybe priests should be allowed to marry.  And maybe Communion should be given to anyone who wants it, not just Catholics. 

The doctrine of the Eucharist is at the very center of the Catholic faith, isn’t it?  If it’s not true, then everyone can believe whatever he or she wants and do whatever he or she wants. 

Believing in the Eucharist is not only strange but also dangerous.  For a demand is made in our lives to conform our lives to Christ, to change our lives and get rid of sin. This is the reason why people leave the faith or don’t become fervent Catholics to begin with.  We would actually have to change our lives!  I would actually have to trust Christ and the Church more!  By receiving Holy Communion, I would have to trust the Church and believe in everything she teaches (this is the reason why those who are not in communion with this Church generally should not be receiving Holy Communion in this Church).  I would have to realize that I am actually in communion with all those who share in this Holy Communion, even people I don’t like.  Finally, I would have to trust that when I receive Holy Communion, I am being changed into Christ. 

If you think it a strange notion that bread and wine change into the Body and Blood of Christ, then here’s something equally strange: mere human beings are being changed into the Real Presence of Christ in the world.  As the old saying goes, “You are what you eat.”  God needs people to bring Christ into the world. And as unworthy as I am, He chooses me.  He chooses you.  He chooses us to receive Him in Holy Communion and bring Jesus into the world out there by transforming us into—as I told the First Communion students this year—“little Jesuses!”

So am I willing to believe?  If I am, then am I willing to change my life so it doesn’t contradict with this belief?  It is not good to be a hypocrite.  It is better to be hot or cold, a fervent Catholic or one who doesn’t go to Church; God doesn’t like lukewarm people.  Either all of this is true or its not.  There’s no middle ground. 

What will you choose?  What impact will you allow it to happen on your life? 

On Becoming a Monk

This article will be published in the St Pius X newsletter in the next week or so.  I'll post an "early edition" of it here!

On Becoming a Monk

Father Jay Kythe

            I don’t know about you, but I am struck by the strangeness of this news!  I suspect all of you are as well.  Come on, how often do you hear about someone—anyone—becoming a monk, especially your parish priest?  And here I am, struck by what a strange thing this is!

            Parish priests live in the world.  All faithful Christians live in the world but are not of the world.  They are “new creations” by virtue of their baptism.  Parish priests especially must be witnesses of being this “new creation,” of being citizens of the Kingdom of God, of sojourners towards an Eternity that awaits us.  But frankly, this is pretty hard to do.  I realized this when I really, really, really wanted an iPhone.  How much more worldly can you get?  Yes, my iPhone has cool Catholic apps.  I can do my prayers on it, and I can listen to Relevant Radio any time of the day or night.  I have Catholic podcasts alongside apps that give uplifting daily messages.  But I also have two Star Trek tricorder and one communicator apps, an Amazon.com app, four weather apps, and ... how much more worldly can you get?

            There are times I set down my iPhone and gaze off into space, longing for that life of peaceful surrender to the Lord.  I felt called to religious orders before coming to Minnesota, but my route led me to ordination and serving in the archdiocese.  I chose to belong to the Companions of Christ and live a common life of prayer and fellowship with others.  But I was still in the world a bit too much for my taste.  One day I heard about a diocesan priest entering the Trappists, and I thought, “Could I do that?”  Having visited this community of Benedictines in Atchison, Kansas, I decided to get back in touch with them. 

Years of prayer, visits, and conversations went by, and then the archbishop gave me permission to spend six weeks down there, during a hot Kansas summer!  Remember, I hate the heat and I hate sweating.  I’m from New Orleans, right?  You’d think that New Orleanians are used to the heat, but alas, no.  They are used to air conditioning.  So here I was, outside the mildly air conditioned monastery, picking corn, beans and tomatoes and trimming tree branches and doing many other things to torment me in the heat, sweat pouring down like sheets.  As if that wasn’t the worst thing, there were mosquitoes, one of God’s creatures (what was He thinking?) that absolutely adore me.  I mean it, they LOVE me!  They give me kisses all over my sweaty body, so much so I have to cover myself in that special cologne that has DEET in it. 

            But I loved being there!  I’m not crazy about manual labor under the hot sun, but I wanted to stay!  Leaving that place was difficult, and it would be two more years before the archbishop would grant me permission to return, to test out this possible vocation.

            And now I stare at my iPhone and think, I have to give this up.  I have to give up many things, like my car, the blankets and quits beloved parishioners gave me, the 15 or so sweaters I have (I only need one or two), all the knick-knacks that I’ve accumulated over the years, etc.  The monks did tell me that I can bring my books, because “when you die, we’ll have them!” (And the monk who told me that laughed mischievously!)  Now, my life is pretty simple anyway.  Compared to many people, I really don’t have that much stuff.  When I moved last time, all my volunteers noticed that.  You would think that giving up some of these things would be pretty easy.  No one told me about how possessions can possess you!  There is a sentimental connection to things that I have to give up too. 

            Furthermore, giving up things only reminds me that I must give up my will.  For eight years I have been a pastor, in charge of things and making decisions for the good of the parish.   Now I will be the “low man on the totem pole.”  I will receive the decisions that others have made for me.  The first year-and-a-half will be the hardest.  After that I shall become (God willing) a junior monk and given an assignment in which I can utilize my gifts and talents.  And then three years later, I will have to discern and decide whether or not to make this life a permanent one.  I will either return back to the archdiocese or stay there for good.

            The question that should arise is “Why?”  Why do something like this?  Why give up things that have a sentimental meaning or things that I enjoy?  Why restrict my life in this way?  Why give up my freedoms?

            Because I want to separate myself from the world a bit more and gaze towards Heaven.  Jesus tells us that the way to heaven is through the narrow gate.  Or as St Thomas More said, “You can’t get to heaven on a feather bed.”  Believe me, I want to get to heaven, but I want my “feather bed” (actually, it’s a cool full size Serta mattress and a captain’s bed with an awesome headboard that has bookshelves and cabinets ... but I gotta give that up too!). 

As I meditated on this, I had an imaginative vision of jogging to heaven.  There was a fork in the road.  One way was tough and rocky, filled with thorns and narrow.  The other way was gentle and wide, with chirping birds and sunlight and flowers.  Knowing that the former way was the right one (for the Cross was on the horizon), I began going down that path.  Along the way, I would smile and ask the angels and the saints if this was the right way.  They told me yes.  “Is Jesus down there?” I would ask, and they would say yes.  “Will I see my mom?” and they would answer yes.  But that road isn’t the one most people of the world would pick; they would pick the other one.  For this road to Heaven involves a total surrender of your will to God.  That’s why it’s a hard, difficult one.

            God created us in His image and likeness, and often we recreate Him in our image and likeness.  We follow the God of our own making.  But when we conform ourselves to the reality of who God is and what He has done for us, we must also follow Him as He has revealed Himself through the centuries.  That means, we must follow Him through the Church He established.  This is the path trod by the saints, and there are thorns and rocks along this narrow way.  Their one true love’s choice is Jesus Christ, and their destiny is Heaven.

            So why should I give up this blanket, and this car, and this iPhone, and ... ?  Because I want Jesus.  Jesus is worth it.  The Kingdom of Heaven is worth it.  For me, this means walking down this strange path that God has shown me, a path not meant for everyone, for God has an individualized path towards Heaven for everyone else.  And every time one goes on a particular path, one needs to ask trusted people whether or not this is the right one.  Most of all one needs to ask God.  He will draw us towards Himself with the fruits of the Holy Spirit. 

            People in the world say that the Church is behind the times and needs to “get with it.”  Rather, I think the world is really behind the times, God’s time, and needs to get with it!  At the end of our life, God will ask us a very important question: smoking or non-smoking?  “Do you want to be with me in Heaven for all Eternity, or not?”  We make the choice in the here and now, and we embark on the path towards ... the smoking section or the non-smoking section.  Which will it be for you?

The Stages of Becoming a Monk

I know people have many questions about all this, so here are the stages of becoming a monk at St Benedict's Abbey:

The first stage is entering the postulancy, in which I shall be a postulant.  This is an inquiry stage, in which I live with the monks and participate in their life.  I will pray with them every day, do manual labor around the Abbey, make peanut brittle (and hopefully other delectable delights as well), read, write, etc.  This will begin on the First Vespers of the Feast of the Annunciation, August 14, 2013 and conclude on First Vespers of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 7, 2013.

Thereafter, God willing, I shall enter the novitiate, in which I shall be a novice.  This is a period of one year and one day (according to Canon Law) in which I shall live the life of a monk in a more intense way.  I shall receive a habit and perhaps a new name.  This is a more formal period of probation, prior to my taking vows.  It will begin on the First Vespers of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 7, 2013 and conclude on the feast itself on December 8, 2014.

Then I shall be a junior monk.  This begins when I profess the three vows of a Benedictine.  Usually, monks and nuns profess vows of the three Evangelical Counsels, poverty, chastity, and obedience.  For the Benedictine, these are expressed differently as the three vows of stability, conversion of life, and obedience.  Stability is the vow by which I express that this Abbey will be my home for the rest of my life.  Conversion of life is a vow by which I commit myself to living a holy life and the monastic ideals each and every day.  Obedience is a vow directed towards my Abbot as he directs my life as a monk.  These vows will be temporary and shall last for three years.

After these four and a half years are over, God willing, I will profess my permanent vows, the same ones as above, and will live as a full-fledged monk for the rest of my life.

What do monks do all the time?

I remember hearing this question and discussing it with a particular monk, who's response was, "As little as possible!"  The issue isn't about doing, it's about being.  We live in a world that is active to the point of distraction of the really important things in life: facing one's weaknesses and striving to overcome them, living Christ's commandments to love God and to love neighbor as oneself, and keeping one's eyes fixed on God and Eternity, our final destiny.  Monks live in such a way as to do this.  They pray and work: ora et labora.  So, from praying to teaching to picking corn and tomatoes, to washing dishes, to counseling people, to cheering at a Royal's game (will I have to change my allegiance from the Minnesota Twins to the Kansas City Royals?), to whatever they "do," they will be monks with their eyes fixed on God and Eternity, seeking there the source of their love and their joy.

Pray for me, that I may persevere in this beautiful life!

First Blog Entry

Welcome to my new blog!  This is also my FIRST experience blogging, so we'll see how it goes.  I hope I can keep it up to date!

I am a diocesan priest of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis who is entering a monastery.  This August, I shall be entering St Benedict's Abbey in Atchison, Kansas.  Currently, I am in the application process, which makes me think that perhaps I should have waited before creating this blog.  What if they don't accept me?  Then I will be a priest without a parish and without a monastery!  I'm sure my archbishop will have work for me to do!

I have entitled this blog "Musings from the Monastery."  I shall use it to offer reflections about my experience and commentaries about the world and world events.  This is essentially what I do when I (used to) write articles for my parish bulletin.  Here, in viewing the world from the lens of monastic life, I wonder what I shall see.  This will also give you a glimpse into the life of monks, which I think is helpful to keep our eyes fixed on God and Eternity, somethings monks try to do every day.

Stay tuned!
Fr Jay Kythe