Oak Grove Abbey News

Saint Lucy (and Linus & Lucy)

2006-12-13T07:57:00.000-08:00

Lucy's name means "light", with the same root as "lucid" which means "clear, radiant, understandable." Unfortunately for us, Lucy's history does not match her name.

Because people wanted to shed light on Lucy's bravery, legends grew up. The one that is passed down to us tells the story of a young Christian woman who had vowed her life to the service of Christ. Her mother tried to arrange a marriage for her with a pagan. Lucy apparently knew that her mother would not be convinced by a young girl's vow so she devised a plan to convince her mother that Christ was a much more powerful partner for life. Through prayers at the tomb of Saint Agatha, her mother's long illness was cured miraculously. The grateful mother was now ready to listen to Lucy's desire to give her money to the poor and commit her life to God.

Unfortunately, legend has it, the rejected bridegroom did not see the same light and he betrayed Lucy to the governor as a Christian. This governor tried to send her into prostitution but the guards who came to take her way found her stiff and heavy as a mountain. Finally she was killed. As much as the facts of Lucy's specific case are unknown, we know that many Christians suffered incredible torture and a painful death for their faith during Diocletian's reign. Lucy may not have been burned or had a sword thrust through her throat but many Christians did and we can be sure her faith withstood tests we can barely imagine.

Lucy's name is probably also connected to statues of Lucy holding a dish with two eyes on it. This refers to another legend in which Lucy's eyes were put out by Diocletian as part of his torture. The legend concludes with God restoring Lucy's eyes.

Lucy's name also played a large part in naming Lucy as a patron saint of the blind and those with eye-trouble.

Whatever the fact to the legends surrounding Lucy, the truth is that her courage to stand up and be counted a Christian in spite of torture and death is the light that should lead us on our own journeys through life.

We'll enjoy a traditional St. Lucy's Feast tonight and afterwards we'll all watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas."

St Nicholas' Feast

2006-12-06T14:55:00.000-08:00

St. Nicholas was born in Asia Minor. He was named bishop of Myra, a poor and run-down diocese. (Presently it's a city on the southern Mediterranean seacoast of what is now Turkey.) When his wealthy parents died, he gave his wealth to the poor and devoted himself to the conversion of sinners.

Once he heard that a man who had become very poor intended to abandon his three daughters to prostitution because he could not afford a dowry for them to be married. Nicholas, the story goes, on three occasions threw a bag of gold through the window into the room of the sleeping father. His daughters soon were married. Later the father came to Nicholas, fell at his feet and said, "Nicholas, you are my helper. You have delivered my soul and my daughters' souls from hell."

This story and his many other works of charity led to the tradition of giving presents on Nicholas' feast day and at Christmas in his name. The name Santa Claus, in fact, evolved from his name.

Nicholas died at Myra in 350. His popularity, already great, increased when his relics were brought to Bari, Italy, in 1087. Both the Eastern and Western churches honor him. St. Nicholas is the patron saint of Russia, Greece, Apulia, Sicily, and Lorraine. He is regarded as the special patron of children. His feast is December 6.

Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving

2006-11-22T21:44:00.000-08:00

Twas the night before Thanksgiving, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even our mouse;
Jolie had prepared all kinds of good food, In hopes that our stomachs soon would be wooed;
Connor and Camden were nestled all snug in their beds,While visions of lions danced in their heads;
Michael and Greg had gone to a show,
And Evan was letting his creative juices flow.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But only Andy and Dave drinking a beer.

Updating

2006-11-08T09:28:00.000-08:00

Just so's you know, we're the process of doing some pretty extensive overhauls to the oak grove abbey website (oakgroveabbey.com). In congruence, this abbey news blog will have a new address and feel that will meld together with the website proper. In all likelihood, some of our personal blogs will be redone as well. Hopefully all of these pages will be worth your amusement and perusing in the very near future...

Hospitality and Common Life

2006-10-26T09:07:00.000-07:00

Ever since my first big plunge into monastic thinking several years ago surrounding the Order of the Cowgirl at the first Emergent Gathering, I have taken keen interest in the Rule of Saint Benedict. Rather than taking my cue from the "12 Marks of the New Monasticism" and things of this nature, I have been more inclined to take on the hermenuetical task of re-applying the wisdom of the ancients to our present situation as the budding of the Oak Grove Abbey has transpired.

The most direct application we have engendered from Benedict's Rule is his beautiful picture of hospitality as a receiving of every guest as Christ Himself. We aspire to do this in our frequent hospitality -- no so much with lodging as with meals, parties, deck dialogue, and common prayer. Our kindred spirit in cyberspace, A, recently blogged about hospitality. Through one of his commenters, I was exposed to this brief series of reflections on the contemporary application of the Rule to true Benedectine monasteries. There are a number of paragraphs throughout that I resonate strongly with, and I hope the rest of the Abbey-dwellers might link on over and peruse as well.

In addition to Ward's useful fleshing out of the concept of hospitality, I also liked very much his distiction between community and common life. His understanding of common life is far more descriptive of what the Oak Grove dares to be / become than the more abstract notion of community.

Finally, this quote seems terribly apropros for us today on a great number of levels and layers:

Monastic obedience is not a carrying out of an order, but a total giving of self to God through a monastic community. Such giving sometimes does involve pain and hurt because the individual cannot "march merely to his/her own beat." But then neither can a spouse in a marriage or a child in a family. Obedience within the monastery today rests upon the idea that the cenobium, the community, is a society of persons who, through mutual love, sanctify each other. Obedience is the Yes of community living.

And rouse him in the name of Crispian

2006-10-25T18:14:00.000-07:00

Vatican II can't find any hard evidence that the Crisp-twins really existed, but I dig their story nonetheless.

Kenneth Brannaugh, impromtu French cooking and homebrewed bier de garde added to the fun. Happy Crispin and Crispian Day!

St Anthony Mary Claret

2006-10-24T15:03:00.000-07:00

Born Dec 23, 1807 in Salient, Catalonia, Spain, Anthony Mary Claret was trained as a weaver. Hearing the call to serve God, he attended seminary in 1829 and performed mission work in his hometown as well as in the Canary Islands. Eventually, he established his own order and was named archbishop of Cuba. There he established a seminary, schools, hospitals, and anything else that would aid the poor.

His dedication to those less fortunate almost cost him his life. Throughout his ministry, he endured 15 assassination attempts.

During Queen Isabella's reign, he returned to Spain at her request to be the Queen's personal Confessor. He lived in an Italian hospice, caring for the poor while he served the Queen.

He died of poor health on Oct. 24, 1870. He was canonized in 1950 and is known as the patron saint of savings. (as in "a penny saved is a penny earned!")

Announcing Michael Manes

2006-10-19T09:16:00.000-07:00

Michael is the newest resident of the Oak Grove Abbey. After moving to Austin from a brief stint in LA, we had a 2-week "courtship" period and then wholeheartedly affirmed that he should be among us. The ever-flexible Andy moved into Evan's room (where Jason lived until he got married [see previous entry]), and Michael went into Dave's room. Michael is a good dude, and hopefully you can get to know him over the blogosphere. Here's his site.

Announcing Mr. and Mrs. Jason Ryan Friedrich!

2006-10-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how this little piece of information has neglected to be included in our blogtations for so long, but Jason and Tinamarie got married nearly a month ago! This was the second Oaken wedding in 2006. You may recall that Sean and Melissa were wed on New Year's Day. Similarly, Jason and Tinamarie hitched up on Rosh Hashana, the "Head of Days" in the Hebrew calendar.

It was a beautiful ceremony and celebration down at Jason's folks' home, surrounded by enormous oak trees and close friends and family. It was my honor to facilitate the nuptials as well as to provide a delicious homebrewed Belgian Trippel (it ain't bragging if it's true!).

One Week to Prepare

2006-10-08T07:25:00.000-07:00

Another Woman Doctor? Catholics Are Becoming So Modern!

2006-10-03T12:40:00.000-07:00

I'm not exactly sure why, but we will be honoring Therese of Lisieux tonight at dinner. She died on September 30th, is listed this year for October 1st on Catholic Online, but is honored on the 3rd in the Celtic Daily Prayer Book. Also, I read a quote today from Dorothy Day mentioning "today is Therese's feast day and tomorrow's is for Saint Francis," which is still actually on the 4th (tomorrow). You follow?

At any rate, Therese is imminently popular for her wonderful embodiment of the Little Ways, a way of living she writes of as being a complete embrace of suffering and honoring God and others in tiny, undetected gestures of love and kindness. She did this so well that a sister nun in her convent, upon preparing for her funeral, remarked that there was nothing notable so say about her in eulogy! But her autobiography was nontheless dispersed widely to European monasteries, and within a few years she had become an enormously beloved figure among the common people of faith. She was canonized as a saint thereafter, and became promoted in 1997 as the most recent "Doctor of the Church."

She stands in remarkable contrast to so many bigger-than-life saints that bravely square off against pagan practices and evangelize thousands. Her meek and seemingly insignificant "widow's mite" of a life inspires hope and understanding for the rest of us aniwim of the world.

Patron Saints of Pharmacists

2006-09-26T14:34:00.000-07:00

Tonight we celebrate Saints Cosmas and Damian, brothers from Arabia. Being skilled in the science of medicine, they joyfully cared for the sick, refusing any compensation. When Diocletian began persecuting Christians, they were marked men. Eventually they were apprehended and tortured around 283. Today is their feast day.

Their ministry is especially poignant to me today because of our recent medical happenings. With both boys needing "well checks" and me with my face pains, we've been in and out of way too many doctor's offices lately. Camden's 2-month-well-visit was billed to our insurance company at a whopping $818. My visit to the ENT was billed at a staggering $772. Connor's well check cost $742. I could go on . . . but you get the idea. I know that providing medical care is not cheap. And I know that doctors spend years studying their respective fields. The notion that health care, health insurance, and pharmaceuticals has become big business, where "suits" look at the bottom line, profit margins, and shareholders is truly distasteful. These brothers certainly challenge the current obsession with money and provide a beautiful picture of operating out of one's giftedness to the benefit of a community.

Name Droppings

2006-09-22T22:11:00.000-07:00

In case you weren't in the know, the Abbey contains a handful of incredibly skilled musicians. In the past month, por exemplo, Evan toured the West coast with the Polyphonic Spree, sat in with Okkervil River at ACL and continues to gig with David Chenu and Tacks the Boy Disaster. Andy is playing at Stubb's tonight with Wide Awake, the band who recorded the Live Strong theme song (Andy plays string pads on it), and then gets on a tour bus at midnight to play keys for Chris Tomlin for the next couple of months supporting his new album. Last night, Tucker Roundtree was in town and played at the Elephant Room (the local jazz venue). Jason and Andy played with him and Evan sat in on a song. Roscoe Beck played bass (he has his own Fender signature electric bass). Eric Johnson showed up and had a "guitar wanking" session with Tucker for a couple of tunes! For an aging picker like myself that's some serious *#%!

Lasagne Night

2006-09-20T22:06:00.000-07:00

As a side dish to my mother's lasagne recipe, I served up Philippians 4:6.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."

I pray amidst the loudness of the world we will all be able to quiet our hearts and present our needs before God.

Cyprian and the Empire

2006-09-15T10:26:00.000-07:00

Wednesday marked the feast day for Cyprian, another fascinating example of what becomes the best and worst theology for the Western Church. In reading his story, though, I became even more intrigued by the antagonist, Emperor Decius. Here is a quote from Gonzalez's The Story of Christianity:

In 249, Decius took the purple robe. Although Christian historians have depicted him as a cruel person, the truth is that Decius was simply a Roman of the old style, whose main goal was to restore Rome to her ancient glory. There were several factors contributing to the eclipse of that glory. The barbarians beyond the borders were increasingly restless, and their incursions into the Empire were growing more and more daring. There was a serious economic crisis. And the ancient traditions associated with the classical times of Roman civilization were generally forgotten.
...Therefore, if Rome's ancient glory was to be restored, it was necessary to restore also its ancient religion.

So, Decius decides to torture Christians who refused to give complete allegiance to the Empire, rather than killling them outright. I find a lot of potential and ironical (hint) history lessons to be alerted to here. Sincerity and traditional conservatism aren't necessarily a beneficial combination in and of themselves. I pray that we who profess Christ would remember what it is like to be on the short end of the Empire-stick, and that we would take our cue from the ancients who refused to let patriotism be an idol.

Yesterday's Feast

2006-09-05T18:59:00.000-07:00

On Labor Day, over a casual table of bison burgers and American Amber, we briefly spoke of three persons who are given feasts on September 4th. The Orthodox commemorate the Holy Martyr Babylas and an obscure Old Testament figure named Moses (sarcasm). But the Episcopal calendar mentions a Paul Jones. Jones' apparent honor is that he was outspoken in his pacifist views during World War One, something which was so isolated and unpopular that it resulted in his resignation as a bishop! Does it ever disturb anyone else that the "Church" so often throughout history has eagerly demonized the voice of peace in his or her own time, but then, when the challenge of the situation is long over, made these same people into saints and heroes? Can 't we find the courage to affirm peacemakers precisely when such a view is risky and subversive?

The Abbey Kiddos

2006-09-05T18:39:00.000-07:00

But Jesus said, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these." And who could resist those tie-dyed t-shirts, anyway?!

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

2006-09-05T11:41:00.000-07:00

It's been almost 10 years since the death of Mother Teresa and 3 years since her beatification. Tonight we will have a simple meal, in the spirit of Blessed Teresa, and discuss her inspiring life and works.

Until then, ponder these words from Blessed Teresa:

Make us worthy, Lord, to serve those people throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger.
Give them through our hands, this day, their daily bread, and by our understanding love, give them peace and joy.

When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed.

Better Late Than Never

2006-09-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

August 31st Feast Day for Saint Aidan

During the seventh century Northumbria, comprising the kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira, was a battleground in which the fate of rival kings determined whether the Celtic or the Roman Church should be the prevailing missionary influence. In 616, when King Ethelfrith of Northumbria was defeated in battle and slain, his son Oswald took refuge in Scotland and was converted to Christianity at Iona. Edwin, the new king, also became a Christian, but under the influence of Saint Paulinus, bishop of York, whose allegiance was to Rome. After Edwin's death in 633, Paulinus abandoned his work in northern England. Oswald returned from exile and eventually became king, whereupon he sent to Iona for a bishop who would preach the gospel in Northumbria.

The first Celtic bishop, Corman, soon returned to Iona, where he declared that the Angles of Northumbria were too stubborn and intractable. The historian Bede writes that, at a meeting to discuss the problem, an Irish monk called Aidan suggested that Corman had been unreasonably harsh with his unlearned listeners, and "did not first, as the Apostle has told us, offer them the milk of less solid doctrine". It was immediately resolved to send Aidan to Northumbria as bishop.

Little is known of the saint's early life, save that he may have studied under Saint Senan on Scattery Island, Co. Clare. He arrived in Northumbria c. 635, and with Oswald's consent made his headquarters on the offshore island of Lindisfarne, close to Oswald's castle at Bamburgh. It was a fruitful partnership, with Oswald having on occasion to interpret the words of Aidan, who lacked fluency in the English language.

When Oswald was killed in battle in 642, Aidan worked equally well with Oswin, king of Deira. Aidan preached widely throughout Northumbria, travelling on foot, so that he could readily talk to everyone he met. When Oswin gave him a horse for use in difficult terrain, Aidan quixotically gave it to a beggar soliciting alms. Oswin was angry until, as Bede recounts, Aidan asked if the son of a mare was more precious to the king than a son of God. Oswin sought Aidan's pardon, and promised never again to question or regret any of his wealth being given away to children of God. Both Oswald and Oswin are venerated in England as saints and martyrs.

Scores of Scottish and Irish monks assisted Aidan in his missionary work, building churches and spreading Celtic Christian influence to a degree that Lindisfarne became the virtual capital of Christian England. The saint also recruited classes of Anglo-Saxon youths to be educated at Lindisfarne. Among them was Saint Eata, abbot of Melrose and later of Lindisfarne. In time, Eata's pupil, Saint Cuthbert, also became bishop of Lindisfarne.

Aidan lived a frugal life, and encouraged the laity to fast and study the scriptures. He himself fasted on Wednesdays and Fridays, and seldom ate at the royal table. When a feast was set before him he would give the food away to the hungry. The presents he received were given to the poor or used to buy the freedom of slaves, some of whom entered the priesthood. During Lent Aidan would retire to the small island of Farne for prayer and penance. While there in 651, he saw smoke rising from Bamburgh, which was then under attack by the pagan King Penda of Mercia. He prayed for the wind to change, and many of the besiegers were destroyed by fire.

When Oswin was killed in 651 by his treacherous cousin Oswy, king of Bernicia, Aidan was grief-stricken. The saint outlived Oswin by a mere twelve days, dying in a shelter he had erected against the wall of his church in Bamburgh.

Periodicals

2006-09-01T07:17:00.000-07:00

Some of us have decided to chip in together and subscribe to a handful of magazines. Potential candidates are Mother Jones, Newsweek, Sojourners, Christian Century, Orion, Adbusters. Any suggestions for something we may not know about?

In related news, Tacks the Boy Disaster got a large write up as a recommended show again yesterday in the Austin Chronicle. Big show tonight at the Parish!

I am featured in a one-page snippet in the latest issue of Relevant magazine. The article [9 People Out to Change the World] is pretty basic information (not available online), but it's a teaser for their new book, called The Relevant Nation. I have a 3-4 page insert in the book that is more comprehensive. I'll avoid the temptation here to be sarcastic about the "relevance" of myself and the Abbey, and simply say "thanks" to Chris Troutman for thinking that the Abbey would be worthy of some attention.

Saint Augustine

2006-08-29T06:53:00.000-07:00

There would be very few challengers to Augustine in the role of "most influential" Christian after the period of the New Testament writings. Augustine's theological assertions have, for better or for worse, held a tight grip on Western Christendom -- both Catholic and Protestant -- for 1600 years. Here are some broad points of his legacy:

His Confessions is regarded as the world's first autobiography, offering psychological insights that wouldn't be matched until the modern psycho-analytical movement.

His "just war" philosophy has been the basis of official Catholic views of war and peace ever since. This view was used to justify the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition, but was also invoked by the late Pope in condemnation of the U.S. war in Iraq.

Some of his views have also negatively been used to justify the tragic anti-Semitism that developed in the Middle Ages, and continues in some spheres of Western Christianity [i.e. paranoia surrounding Mel Gibson].

The City of God stands as a monumental work, parsing the distinctions between the Kingdom of God and the kingdoms of man. Just as Rome was being sacked by the Vandals, Augustine was writing in Hippo about the inevitability of nations to eventually fall, due to their love of themselves. In contrast, the reign of God will last forever, because it is based on the love of God.

Augustine champions the idea of free will, and yet, paradoxically, speaks often of God's predestination and the irresistable nature of grace.

The doctrine of original sin originated with Augustine. Pelagius and the Eastern Church took differing views on this issue.

Here's the wikipedia link to his life.

Last night, we had a nice Morroccan-inspired meal (not too far from Hippo) and thoughtful review of the influence of Saint Augustine, patron of brewers, theologians, and sore eyes.

Lock-In

2006-08-26T17:54:00.000-07:00

The current OGA dwellers participated in a little "lock in" over the weekend. We didn't have a place to go for retreat that was practical, so we saved some time and money and just locked the doors and turned off the phones and hung out at home.

This was a time to simply share our life stories with each other and to look ahead to the new year (it's easier to think in terms of school years for us). We talked a lot about confessing our shortcomings to one another in an unforced and natural way. We want to practice our core belief that we are to represent Christ for each other, especially when we can humble ourselves and be a "community of sinners" that can say to our brother or sister, "you are forgiven." All in all, it was a very rich time of openness and collaborative thinking. The Spirit is crafting a beautiful family reality among us.

Someone's getting married!

2006-08-05T08:06:00.000-07:00

A lengthy blog, perhaps, but it was noted that folks might be interested in hearing how these two met, so as the story goes, once upon a time....

10,000 sweaty runners-with-a-cause flooded the streets of Clarksville as Oak Grove Abbey dwellers (which is to say, Connor, Jason, and Sean) and their neighbors lined the sidewalks rattling their obnoxious noise makers, clapping, and cheering them on. Actually, I don't imagine that Jason and Sean were quite so raucous, but Connor was characteristically festive.

Next door, standing on their balcony, a single Mama named Tinamarie and her son, Chandler, being the faithful Austinites that they are, were contributing their own rackety sounds from above. After about an hour or so, Chandler got bored with the monotonousness of the view and asked if they could walk to the local bookstore, seeing how the endless stream of sweat-makers prevented them from pulling their car out of the driveway to get to some further destination. So off they went, and who should stop them along their way, but Connor.

"What's yewr name?" he asked, and "Can you come and pyay with me?"

Once the adults had introduced themselves, Tinamarie started to wonder about this house and its curious dwellers. 'So,' she thought to herself, 'This guy named Jason isn't Connor's dad, and this Sean guy isn't either, but they all live here together?' "So," she found herself saying aloud, "are you guys like an intentional community or something?"

"Actually," Jason modestly replied, "we're kind-of an abbey."

Surprised by his response, Tinamarie enthusiastically asked, "Are you OAK GROVE Abbey?"

"Yeah. You've heard of us?"

"Yes! I've wanted to know WHERE you guys are for months since I first heard about you through close friends in a community called Mosaic."

"Cool," he said. "You guys should come over and have dinner with us sometime."

Thus, boy next door... meets girl next door.

Fast forward about a month later:

Tinamarie and Chandler gradually became a regular part of the Oak Grove Community, and discussions and prayer about their moving into the Abbey evolved into a unanimous yes from mother, child, and the abbey crew. They were thrilled to be moving in within a few weeks, until the unexpected happened...

Jason and Tinamarie fell in love, which sort of put a bit of a hitch into the whole move-in plan.

So, let's see... months of love, mushy stuff, and more love....

Fast forward to late July when Jason and Tinamarie were on a beautiful campsite in a forest, north of Memphis, Tennessee. The sun had just begun to rise at the pedestals of the towering cypress and oak trees, and its refulgent beams were streaming towards them in the undeniable shape of a cross, inviting them into a timeless silence filled with awe and gratitude.

In the sacredness of these moments and as they were gazing up through the high-rising, now sun-lit, tree tops into the sky, Jason asked Tinamarie to marry him... and she said yes.

When Tinamarie called Chandler to tell him the happy news, and before she could get out more than "Hello, Punkin' Unkin'," Chandler said, "Mom, has he asked you to marry him yet?" She told him that Jason had indeed proposed and asked Chandler what had inspired him to ask such a question. Chandler told her that he'd been thinking a lot about wanting them to get married, that he'd had a feeling that Jason was going to propose while they were on their trip, and that he'd really hope that he would!

So, come late September of this year, the happy couple will become husband and wife! John Lyly once wrote that marriages are made in heaven and consummated on earth. With God's grace, with the prayers and support of their friends and their families, and with lots and lots of love, may their union reflect the glory of God who brought them together. So be it.

Full House!

2006-08-02T17:53:00.000-07:00

Dave moved into the Abbey this past weekend, thus completing the double-occupancy bachelor / musician back wing of the house. This is now the largest group of long-term dwellers we've ever had, and that's without the additionally loud and charismatic presence of little Camden! It looks like we may be losing one of the fellas for a while soon, but I'll let someone closer to the situation explain that on the blog in their own words.

So, an official Abbey welcome to our newest communitarian, Dave! In good form, he has begun his own blog today, so go over here and bgreet him face to virtual face...

Joseph of Arimathea

2006-08-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

Today is the Episcopal feast day for Joseph of Arimathea. The Catholics commemorate him on March 17, but most of us Irish wannabes don't want anyone to share the spotlight with the great apostle Patrick! So, we'll follow the Anglican lead here (it was yesterday in the Orthodox tradition).

A lot of interesting things can be said about the legend of J of A. Wikipedia has a nice and succint page here. And you can plunge right into historical claims that link him to Britian, the Grail, King Arthur, etc. at this fascinating page. This fellow, like so many figures that pop in and out of the New Testament narrative, has given imaginative reconstructionists so much enjoyable fodder over the course of the last 2000 years.

There is also a deeper, archetypal significance for us to contemplate from the slice of information we are actually given from each of the gospel accounts. In Joseph we find a person ready to stand alone in the world with the task of caring for and preserving the body of Christ. A body, no less, that was in all actuality dead.

I am stirred today by the challenge of a similar task -- to love, serve and preserve the present Body of Christ, even when (especially when?) that Body (church) has no apparent signs of life. I can further be assured that such a task is precisely the means by which the Body will be Resurrected. Today's patron saint of death offers a rich typology towards the way of life!

St. Ignatius of Loyola

2006-07-31T13:23:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrate St. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits. He was born in Spain in 1491 (right about the time Columbus was seeking sponsorship to sail to the New World), the youngest of 13 siblings. Like most young men during that time, he became a page and eventually joined the Spanish army to fight against the French. This suited him well because he was quite a surly young fellow -- more interested in gambling, fighting, and women than anything else.

According to one website, a cannonball and a series of bad surgeries ended his military career. While recurperating, he requested "romance novels," however none were available. Instead he was given a book about the life of Christ and a book of saints. Ignatius was challenged by what he read and transformed.

For several years he tried to travel to Jerusalem to walk where Jesus had, but he was unsuccessful. (Fighting between the Christians & the Muslims prevented his journey -- guess some things haven't changed?!) At the age of 33, he decided to study for the priesthood. Since he didn't know Latin, he began studying with schoolchildren and eventually ended up at the university. Even though he wasn't a priest, he began teaching and was several times imprisoned by the Church because he wasn't yet "ordained."

Eventually he was ordained & ended up in Paris with 2 companions. They requested an audience with the pope himself and asked to found a new order, known as the "Society of Jesus" or Jesuits. They took the typical vows of poverty, chastity, & obedience, but they also added the notion of traveling whereever the Holy Father decided and performing whatever tasks were needed.

Throughout his life, the Jesuits grew from 8 to 1000 members. They became primarily known for their teaching and found it the best way to correct ignorance & corruption among the clergy.

Ignatius died today (7.31) in 1556.

Picking Up the Feast Mantle Again

2006-07-26T13:37:00.000-07:00

It appears that none of the Oaken dwellers will win any prolific blogging awards, as all of us feel increasingly uneasy about trying too hard to articulate thoughts in such an impersonal and quirky medium. Still, we want to keep this page fresh with updates on various feast days and happenings at the very least.

Last night Andy told us about Saint Anna, Jesus' grandmother, so I'm not going to rehash the same territory tonight -- even though the major feast is for the Parents of Our Lady. Instead, I'll throw the spotlight on Saint Paraskevi, a very brave female martyr from the year 140.

In other news, Jason and Tinamarie will be returning tonight from their odyssey up north. Andy and Angelic have headed to the beach with some friends for a few days. Oh, and Evan and co. should be putting the finishing touches on the extra wall they are building in order to more sufficiently sound-proof the garage / media / rehearsal room. Hopefully Tacks the Boy Disaster will be able to jam at night without disturbing the greater Abbey peace...

The Oaken Oath: Jubilee and Benediction

2006-07-17T07:37:00.000-07:00

*As an inseparable part of our devotion to God, we commit to a life of Jubilee.

Jubilee refers to the sounding of the Shofar ram’s horn to announce the year of freedom and celebration every 50th year. Jesus life, death and resurrection inaugurated the Age of Jubilee and exemplifies Psalm 35:27, which says Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication; And let them say continually, "The LORD be magnified, Who delights in the prosperity of His servant.”

We will proclaim enthusiastically the good news of the Kingdom of God!
We will refuse to accept the world of doubt, despair, debt and sin as the reigning end reality of human existence. Instead, we will stand with the prophets of old who dared to imagine the world with the end in sight.
We will take hope and joy in today by finding answers to this day's problems in the life of Jesus who incarnated a hope-filled future.
We will sing Christ's message of love, reconciliation, and peace as the unifying communal song of celebration.
We will embrace all that is good in a spirit of feasting and enjoyment of life.
We will partake regularly in the Eucharist as the profound symbolic action of being nourished by the body and blood of Christ.
We will look to the Resurrection of Jesus as the victorious source of passion, purity, and justice that fuels the Jubilant Spirit of our every action towards all Creation!

I bind to myself this day and for all my days a vow of Jubilee.
Upon these four legs I will stand, and rest, and feast.

ALL: May God preserve and empower you according to His pleasure.

Vower: In the Presence of the Sacred Trinity and Christ's flock, I take these vows asking:
Hearer: In the Presence of the Sacred Trinity and Christ's flock, we accept these vows asking:

Whenever you are as certain about something as I am go forward with me;
Whenever you hesitate, seek with me;
Whenever you discover that you have gone wrong come back to me;
or if I have gone wrong, call me back to you.
In this way we will travel along the street of love together as we make our way toward him of whom it is said, 'seek his face always.'
+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Happy 7-11

2006-07-11T14:11:00.000-07:00

Jolie read online today that 7-11 was giving away free slurpees in a commemorative cup to celebrate their 79th birthday. Gleefully, we drove the block to "get ours." Alas, most of the flavors were out of order, and the "cup" was made of paper and 7.11 ounces in volume (not much, in other words). Nevertheless, the five free mouthfuls were appreciated.

In a bit of a contrast, however, today also marks the feast day of Saint Benedict of Nursia. With a bit more staying power than a slurpee, we can claim a great deal from the legacy and vision of this humble lay person. When I place my cup under his Rule, I regularly find wisdom and inspiration that resonates backwards towards the Scriptures and forwards to my own desires for Spirit-breathed community.

I often hear Protestant-descended Evangelicals easily brushing Benedict off, saying that he was an unfortunate, well-intentioned Catholic with a pitiful fear of hell and a zealous desire to earn his salvation. To this I can't help but wander how glibly "Evangelicalism" or even Protestantism will be dismissed 1500 years from now by Christians in a completely different context. Further, I can't help but see a bit of inconsistency here, too. Benedict's blueprint for monasticism had all the ingredients for "reformation," without the ugliness of the "protestation!" Here was a man, driven by any number of complex motivations that can neither negate or explain him entirely, who was able to articulate a concrete way to live faithfully to the way laid out by Jesus Himself in an era that was particularly known for it's lack of articulation and coherence. The historical fact that thousands of people continue to align themselves with his Rule not only magnifies the brilliance of his articulation, but more sadly, the continued lack of coherence and concreteness present within Christendom. Why do we continue to waste away about "how to do church" and "go to the nations" when we still have such a half-assed formulation of practical Christian living? That's the kind of question that drove Benedict to draft his form of monasticism, and in his honor, that's the kind of question that drives me on the highway that he did much to pave.

I raise my 7.11 ounce cup to you, Benedict of Nursia.
And I also give an e-shout out to Anthony, a newly consecrated Benedictine. Pray and work, brother A.
Pax.

The Oaken Oath: Shalom

2006-07-09T06:46:00.000-07:00

Today is Jason's Bday, so it seems appropriate to disclose the next portion of the Oaken Oath on this day, seeing as how he took the lead on the penning of this section:

*As an inseparable part of our devotion to God, we commit to a life of Shalom.

Shalom means “peace be unto you.” Jesus promised this peace in John 14:27, saying Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

We dedicate ourselves to the pursuit of peace, both inward and outward. We will cultivate peace within our own minds and hearts by submitting to God our fears, our judgments and our need to be right. We will cultivate peace in word and in action by speaking of others with integrity and love and by forgiving others as we have been forgiven. We will cultivate compassion by choosing to see the face of Christ in both friends and adversaries.
We dedicate ourselves to a life which expresses the importance of rest, solitude, and participation in the Seventh Day so that we may, as Christ did, listen deeply and apart from distraction to the voice of God.
We dedicate ourselves to a hospitable life in which we will welcome every person as Christ himself.
We dedicate ourselves to a life of healing and reconciliation by working at a local level for visible social change and being a voice for justice among the oppressed.
We dedicate ourselves to a life that reflects our love and gratitude for God's creation by acknowledging that we live on a planet where resources are limited and by making responsible choices with what God has entrusted to us.
We dedicate ourselves to bringing about physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being to those with whom we come into contact by taking on the responsibility of intercessory prayer.

I bind to myself this day and for all my days a vow of Shalom.

ALL: May God preserve and empower you according to His pleasure.

Tacks' Big Night Out

2006-07-06T18:54:00.000-07:00

Saturday night was the big CD release concert for Tacks, the Boy Disaster -- that's the band Jason and Evan (and Nathan and Elan, too, for that matter) put together some many months ago. All their digence is starting to pay off in the form of a growing local following and global interest. I was pretty tired at their big show last weekend, seeing as how I'd just coached a new human into the world. So don't take my word for it. Check out this review from the latest Austin Chronicle.

Memorable Sunday Night Gathering

2006-07-05T20:05:00.000-07:00

Jolie, Camden and I were blessed to host our regular Abbey gathering in Room 751 of the hospital this past Sunday night. Although several community members were out of town, those present gave us a cherished moment. Along with the reading of some impromptu birth-related Scriptures, we sang "Happy Birthday" to Camden and took Communion. Afterwards, the lads "wet the head" of the newborn (possibly my new favorite British expression).

Camden Lawson Willis

2006-07-01T16:11:00.000-07:00

Oak Grove Abbey welcomed Camden Lawson Willis today at 12:30 pm.

Camden's stats:

Length : 20 inches
Weight: 7 pounds
Skin tone: Pinkish red with purple feet
Eye color: Blue

We are all extremely excited to have a new addition to the house!!

The Oaken Oath: Aniwim

2006-06-26T18:31:00.000-07:00

Last night Jason and Heather took the vows (the Oaken Oath), thus completing the original six Abbey-dwellers' ceremonies. Once again, there was a joyous and vibrant spirit among us as they told of their saint-of-choice and we witnessed their vows and prayed over them. Here is the 2nd of the 4 "legs" of the the Oath:

*As an inseparable part of our devotion to God, we commit to a life as Anawim.

Anawim is the Hebrew concept of “the lowly ones,” or “the groaning ones.” Jesus expounds upon this Old Testament concept in His Beattitudes, saying:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

We believe in dedicating ourselves to a spirit of meekness, living as the poor of God, in total dependence on Him.
We commit to living simply and humbly, seeking first the Kingdom of God and remaining unencumbered by excessive possessions.
We commit to living in a spirit of humility, through unnoticed actions in a life of service to others. To lead a simple life that prioritizes people. We struggle to place the needs of others before our own selfish desires.
We unite ourselves with poor, oppressed, and marginalized peoples, befriending and learning from them, standing in unity as we eat, drink, and commune together.
We value children, recognizing that they have much to teach us, and living humbly as examples of Christ’s love for all people so that they will live on in that kind of love for others.
We resist the natural urge to coddle insiders and strive to prioritize our time with outsiders to the faith.
We practice contentment, thankful for work and expressing creativity as co-creators with God.
We value and participate in the local economy, as caretakers of this Earth and its peoples.
We commit to a life of intercession and groaning for the poor in spirit, being a voice for the voiceless, an advocate for freedom and justice.

I bind to myself this day and for all my days a vow to be Aniwim.

ALL: May God preserve and empower you according to His pleasure.

The Oaken Oath: Shema

2006-06-23T18:43:00.000-07:00

*As an inseparable part of our devotion to God, we commit to a life of Shema.

Shema means “hear” or “obey” and is the first word of Deuteronomy 6:4-9, which says Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

We commit to remain in a posture of listening and obedience before God. We pledge to approach life in a holistic manner with God as our center. We will seek the counsel of those who hold the wisdom of God and will be faithful to teach all with grace, passing on the Traditions and Customs of Jesus with the help of the Holy Spirit.
We commit to a life of community, that we will do life together with others in a mutual spirit of availability and vulnerability, living in close relationship with those around us, loving our neighbors as Christ loves us.
We commit to the disciplines of a contemplative life: practicing prayer for others as well as our selves, times of solitude with Christ, fasting to remove obstacles to the worship of God, learning from all who enter into our lives, taking instruction in the Words of Christ, and Meditation on the Holy Spirit, on Christ's goodness, and our life in the ever changing body of Christ. A life of Shema is a life that is set apart, consecrated for holiness and for mission.

I bind to myself this day and for all my days a vow of Shema.
ALL: May God preserve and empower you according to His pleasure.

The Oaken Oath: Prelude

2006-06-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

Oaken Vow Ceremony

*Is it necessary, or even appropriate, for a tiny group of people to make life-long spiritual vows?

*Ultimately, it is only necessary to give oneself wholeheartedly to the Lord Jesus, to profess with your mouth and believe in your heart that He is the Holy One of God, and to follow Him with your all. This is what it means to be called a “Christian.” However, we believe that it is increasingly appropriate for self-proclaimed Christians to articulate precisely what they mean by a term that has lost its edge in a post-Christian Western society. We believe that Jesus of Nazareth is more interested in action and embodiment than He is with lip service. Therefore, we have determined to clarify for ourselves the praxis that most sufficiently expresses how the Spirit has forged our souls in Him.

*Jesus calls us to His way. The way of lambs among lions, the way of salt and light in dark and dry places, the way that points to the city on the hill.

*Jesus calls us to lead others to green pastures just as he has lead us. To forgive as we have been forgiven and love as we have been loved. To eat, drink, and commune with the marginalized and poor. To lead a simple life that values relationships more than money or power. To develop the strength to live this life from the power of his suffering, death, and resurrection.

*The way is not easy, but the burden is light. We recognize our need for one another in this journey of discipleship.

*Thus, we commit ourselves to God as the Grove of Oaks, bearing jubilant fruit within a spiritually famished world.

*Through vulnerability and availability to God and man, we strive to live and act in blessed union with all of creation. We struggle to place the needs of others before our own selfish desires. We invoke the Kingdom of God through the proclamation of justice through peaceableness. We invite all peoples to share the Eucharist as part of our table communion. We seek to live simply and humbly, in unity with God and each other. We commit ourselves to be consistently disciplined learners in the way of the Teacher.

[Vow takers will come forward and kneel.]

*Jesus read the following words in public at the beginning of His ministry, and said that these words were being fulfilled in Him. We are, then, quite simply the carry over of His life in us.

*Isaiah 61:1-3 says:
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called Oaks of Righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

In the Presence of the Sacred Trinity and Christ’s flock,
I hereby submit myself unto God in view of being transplanted among the Oaks of Righteousness.

Necessary Trackback

2006-06-16T13:06:00.000-07:00

It would simply be wrong not to give a head nod to this little link from tallskinnykiwi.

Right on.

Vows are 66.66% Fulfilled

2006-06-14T12:46:00.000-07:00

Random Church-going Inquisitor: "So what church are you a member of?"

Oak Grove Communitarian: "Um, I'm not a member of a church. I'm a member of an order."

[silence, look of confliction, possible confusion, possible misjudgement, potentially further inquiry]

Some of us have looked forward to some version of the above nano-dialogue as an opportunity to assert a coded phrase about our identity in Christ as expressed through Abbey-life. To my knowledge, however, this sequence has not happened in actual fact yet. Perhaps it never will. No matter.

My point today is simply to raise the awareness that 4 out of 6 of us original Abbey-dwellers have now taken the Oaken Oath, a vow in the updated spirit of monasticism that we have all agreed to honor - by the mercy of God - for the rest of our lives. Jolie and I took the vow on Pentacost Sunday, and Sean and Melissa took it last Sunday night. On June 25, Jason and Heather will take it. There will hopefully be some more takers pepperred about the course of the next year as well. The intention is to take these vows after living in community for a year. Each of the 6 of us have chosen an "adopted saint" [not necessarily canonized, and not a patron in the Roman Catholic sense; rather, a person in Christian history that we find significant identification with and inspiration from] and done research about our choice. Over dinner, we share the story of our chosen saint as the final task of preparation for taking the vow.

As for the vows themselves, all of us contributed to the praying, talking, visioning and writing process. The ceremony itself is 4 pages long. Perhaps we'll share them here in installments...

Let the harvest begin

2006-06-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

This monster tomato came from our garden last week. We've also been enjoying green beans and fresh herbs. In addition to a bumper crop of tomatoes, the cucumbers and peppers look like they'll be hearty this season, too!

Not that you asked, but...

2006-06-01T18:52:00.000-07:00

No one cooked tonight, but it is the feast night of Justin Martyr in the Orthodox calendar. He's a figure that looms pretty large in the 2nd Century life of the Church, definitely worth a quick reminder look-see.

In case you are wondering why the Abbey blog has been so scarse lately, there are a host of reasons and I'll mention a few:

We are currently utilizing most of our computer writing moments in preparation for a series of Sunday night vow-taking ceremonies. Jolie and myself will be the first to take these vows this coming Sunday night, Pentacost. When we have finalized the vows, we will hopefully post them as part of a rennovated Oak Grove Abbey website in the near future.

In the mean time, long time Abbey dweller, Sean and his wife Melissa recently moved into their new home over on the East Side. Heather will also be moving in with them in early June. This represents the first grafting of the Oaken vision elsewhere -- the house is apropriately located on Oak Springs road. We are super-exited about what God is stirring in Sean, Melissa and Heather's hearts to embody Christ in a poor and needy neighborhood.

This has made the dynamics at the Abbey in flux, as we are preparing for several new people to move in. Andy, if you recall, moved in over Holy Week. Angelic will be moving in in mid-June. Dave will be moving in later in July. We are still still finalizing at least one more male to move in over the summer as well. All is well...

Retreat scene

2006-05-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

Here we are -- minus Alyssa & Andy.

Weekeend Retreat

2006-05-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

(or, as Leonard Sweet says, an "advance")

We'll be heading up to Fredricksburg this weekend for our end-of-the-year retreat. The goal is to put a nice book end on the time that we have spent together in community thus far by filtering down those things that we would like to pen for our Vow and Rule.

We have purposefully NOT done those things until we have lived together for an entire year (which we have!), in order to use our experience as the appropriate litmus of who we really are and want to become.

If you think of us, please pray for the Spirit's clear presence and direction...

Gregory of Nazianzus, Bishop and Theologian

2006-05-09T09:37:00.000-07:00

There is a traditional list of eight great Doctors (Teachers, Theologians) of the ancient Church. It lists four Western (Latin) Doctors -- Ambrose of Milan, Augustine of Hippo, Jerome of Strido, and Gregory the Great (Pope Gregory I) -- and four Eastern (Greek) Doctors -- Athanasius of Alexandria, John Chrysostom of Antioch and Constantinople, Basil the Great, and Gregory of Nazianzus (also called Gregory Nazianzen).
Gregory of Nazianzus, his friend Basil the Great, and Basil's brother Gregory of Nyssa, are jointly known as the Cappadocian
Fathers (Cappadocia is a region in what is now Central Turkey).
In 379, after the death of the Arian Emperor Valens, Gregory was asked to go to Constantinople to preach there. For thirty years, the city had been controlled by Arians or pagans, and the orthodox did not even have a church there. Gregory went. He converted his own house there into a church and held services in it. There he preached the Five Theological Orations for which he is best known, a series of five sermons on the Trinity and in defense of the deity of Christ. People flocked to hear him preach, and the city was largely won over to the Athanasian (Trinitarian, catholic, orthodox) position by his powers of persuasion. The following year, he was consecrated bishop of Constantinople.
More information at dinner. We’re having chicken with a Turkish marinade, rice, and salad. If anyone wants to help grill the chicken around 6, I'd appreciate it. : )

Dame Julian of Norwich

2006-05-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

Julian received 16 "showings" or visions. One of the loveliest stories from Julian's collection of visions involves a point where she was asked to hold something little, no bigger than a hazelnut. When she asks God what this is, she is told "It is all that exists." She marvels that this thing could even continue to exist, so small and delicate. She then realizes the reason the universe continues to exist is because "God made it, God loves it, and God keeps it." This sums up Julian's optimistic, visionary theology -- a theology where the love of God is expressed not in terms of law and duty, but in terms of joy and heartfelt compassion.

Biographical info to be shared over dinner . . .

a night in tunisia

2006-05-04T14:39:00.000-07:00

Monnica

MOTHER OF AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO (4 MAY 387)

Tonight we honor Monnica the mother of Augustine of Hippo. We don't know much about her, but we do know that she prayed tirelessly for the salvation of her son and died shortly after his conversion.
We are inspired by her dedication and hope and faith in God, but also her belief that the Father listens to his children.

We know about Monnica almost entirely from the autobiography (the Confessions) of her son Augustine, a major Christian writer, theologian and philosopher (see 28 August). Monnica was born in North Africa, near Carthage, in what is now Tunisia, perhaps around 331, of Christian parents, and was a Christian throughout her life. Her name has usually been spelled "Monica," but recently her tomb in Ostia was discovered, and the burial inscription says "Monnica," a spelling which all AC (Archaeologically Correct) persons have hastened to adopt. (On the other hand, it may simply be that the artisan who carved the inscription was a bad speller.) As a girl, she was fond of wine, but on one occasion was taunted by a slave girl for drunkenness, and resolved not to drink thereafter. She was married to a pagan husband, Patricius, a man of hot temper, who was often unfaithful to her, but never insulted or struck her. It was her happiness to see both him and his mother ultimately receive the Gospel.

Monnica soon recognized that her son was a man of extraordinary intellectual gifts, a brilliant thinker and a natural leader of men (as a youngster he was head of a local gang of juvenile delinquents), and she had strong ambitions and high hopes for his success in a secular career. Indeed, though we do not know all the circumstances, most Christians today would say that her efforts to steer him into a socially advantageous marriage were in every way a disaster. However, she grew in spiritual maturity through a life of prayer, and her ambitions for his worldly success were transformed into a desire for his conversion. He, as a youth, rejected her religion with scorn, and looked to various pagan philosophies for clues to the meaning of life. He undertook a career as an orator and teacher of the art of oratory (rhetoric), and moved from Africa to Rome and thence to Milan, at that time the seat of government in Italy. His mother followed him there a few years later. In Milan, Augustine met the bishop Ambrose, from whom he learned that Christianity could be intellectually respectable, and under whose preaching he was eventually converted and baptised on Easter Eve in 387, to the great joy of Monnica.

After his baptism, Augustine and a younger brother Navigius and Monnica planned to return to Africa together, but in Ostia, the port city of Rome, Monnica fell ill and said, "You will bury your mother here. All I ask of you is that, wherever you may be, you should remember me at the altar of the Lord. Do not fret because I am buried far from our home in Africa. Nothing is far from God, and I have no fear that he will not know where to find me, when he comes to raise me to life at the end of the world."

Unexpectedly Festive Feast for Athanasius

2006-05-02T20:39:00.000-07:00

Tonight was a rare one, indeed, as not only our entire household was present, but those that will be moving in very shortly were all here, too. In addition, Andy's parents from the UK were our special guests, as was my buddy Callaway. [Methinks this would be a good time to announce that Andy Dollerson is the newest addition to the Abbey, having moved in 3ish weeks ago. You can check out his new blog here.]

Seeing as how it is the feast day for Athanasius (at least in the RC tradition), I attempted an Egyptianesque meal: shiskabobs with a middle eastern dry rub, hummus and pita, couscous with homegrown mint, followed by fruit pastries for dessert. [It is becoming reduntant, yet necessary, to thank - once again - the beloved Jolie for purchasing most of the ingredients and preparing them while I was at work. Handclap praises as well for Angelic (will move in next month) for single-handedly cooking the couscous and Tinamarie (will also move in next month) for brewing the tea.]

On to Athanasius.

I was deeply struck by the complexities of today's story. Athanasius' life is lived amidst numerous world-altering shifts - Christianity goes from marginal and persecuted to central and empowered. There is time to develop doctrines, and the fighting turns inward as various positions attempt to claim "orthodoxy." Athanasius becomes the "black dwarf" as a deacon at the Council of Nicea that gains the attention of those present with his rhetoric and zeal. Shortly thereafter he reluctantly accepts the bishopship at Alexandria, after attempting to hide out among the Dessert Fathers. He takes fighting the Arian heresy extremely seriously, and he is widely considered the greatest threat to the survival of Arian views. He moves in and out of Alexandria like a ping pong ball, as various emperors and bishops side with the Nicenes or the Arians and he is therefore either exiled or allowed to return, depending upon the sympathies of the current leadership. He lives like a dessert monk - at least in terms of having a strict life of discipline and asceticism and authenticity. Yet he is also prone to using violent and fundamentalist means in order to squelch the threat of Arianism. In addition, he is the first to list the books that are now considered inspired in the New Testament. He is a prototype in his development of the doctrine of the Incarnation and the nature of Jesus in relation to the Father. And, perhaps most importantly for us Abbey-types, he is largely responsible for the global awareness of monasticism through his highly-read account, The Life of Antony.

Done.

2006-04-27T13:17:00.000-07:00

Everyday in Africa, many people, particularly women, have to walk for miles to get water. The chore of fetching water is no small task. It involves walking sometimes up to 10 miles to the nearest water source, and carrying home the heavy containers filled with water. This often takes up a big part of the day, and even then the water source is not always a safe one. It might be scooped from a dirty pool, unclean and containing parasites or dangerous bacteria.

Through the 10 Mile program, the African Well Fund asks you to Walk 10 Miles in Her Shoes. Individuals or groups who wish to participate raise 10 miles worth of pennies -- or 84,480 pennies ($844.80).

It's taken just over 12 months, but we've finally raised the money.

26 . 7 . 40 . 13 . . . 1

2006-04-21T22:56:00.000-07:00

26: the number of flies on the inside of my door when i arrived home this afternoon

7: the number of rolled up newspaper pages used to swat every last one of them

40: the number at which i lost count of how many flies i killed today

13: the number of flies on one side of the china ball as i walked in the room tonight

thanks for allowing me the break from our wonderful passion week discourse. this shows that not only do urban abbey's have animals, they also have flies... just like normal homes.

grace and peace to you all. we now return to our regularly scheduled blog...

and... 1: no kidding, the number of fly i killed just now while ending this blog

Resurrection Sunday

2006-04-21T08:24:00.000-07:00

I realize that having favorite Easters is about as appropriate as having favorite children, but...

The Oak Grove Abbey commemoration of Christ's resurrection was, from all accounts, a rare and wonderful day. We gathered at Barton Springs at 10:00 a.m. for a humble liturgy and reading of the selected Scriptures, followed by the baptism of Alyssa in the river. Alyssa stopped our hearts when she closed her eyes and recited the following declaration of faith from memory:

I call all heaven to witness today
that I have put on Christ.
I choose no other Lord
than the Maker of Heaven and earth.
This day I walk with him
and he will walk with me.
I fasten close to me this day
that same Jesus
who came to us as flesh and blood
and was himself baptized in the Jordan River.
He died upon a cross to rescue me,
broke free from death, its conqueror.
He left us, to return the more certainly.

All these truths and their power
I fasten close to me this day.
Resisting my own selfishness and sin,
refusing to live as a slave to riches,
pleasure, or reputation,
rejecting Satan and all his lies,
I call on heaven to witness today
that I have put on Christ.

After being immersed in the spring water, she put on a (terry cloth) robe to signify, in the spirit of Colossians 3, being clothed in a new life with Christ. Then we took Communion, read a Psalm of praise and headed back to the Abbey for a huge celebration feast. We are unspeakably grateful for the life we share in the Risen Lord!

more photos here.

A Good Friday

2006-04-18T10:30:00.000-07:00

The morning prayer time was especially meaningful on Friday for two reasons - we were a little tired-yet-moved from our personal vigils the night before; and it was Andy, our new housemate's, first morning with us. It's good to hear an English accent among the liturgical voices!

In the early evening, we all met up at Marakesh to celebrate Jolie's birthday. Considering all the events of the week, it was a nice change of pace and I think Jolie felt loved.

We headed back to the Abbey for a 9 o'clock observance of the Stations of the Cross in the garage room. It was a very reverent and moving experience to share these precious hours of Christ's life and death together.

Then Jason began his vow of silence, and the rest of us went to bed early.

Maundy Thursday

2006-04-17T11:54:00.000-07:00

The "maundy" in Maundy Thursday comes from the Latin word "mandatum," which means "command." The meal commemorates the 2 commandments Jesus gave at the Last Supper -- to continue the sacrament of communion and to love one another.

We had a simple Armenian meal of Lentil Soup with the elements as the first and the last piece. Then we moved to the living room for a footwashing ceremony to symbolize the second commandment. Because of space issues, we followed a simple Mennonite service consisting of scriptures, candles, Mozart's Requiem, extinguishing candles, and washing one another's feet. The 8th candle was left burning to remind us of Jesus' urging to his disciples to keep watch in the garden. (Because it was so dark, we don't have many pictures to post.)

Finally, we each signed up to keep watch for an hour throughout the night. Beginning at 10 pm and ending at 7 am, we each awoke and spent one hour in prayer and meditation before we convened for our usual morning prayer.

Passover Begins - Seder Meal at Oakgrove

2006-04-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday night the Abbey celebrated it's second seder meal, my(jason) first. It was alot of fun and our usual numbers at least doubled that night. With much help from Alyssa(who is half Jewish), we prepared sweet potato latkas, which are traditionally eaten at Hanakah.

It wasn't exactly a Jewish Pessach. The fact that we believe the Messiah has come in Jesus the Christ, it changed the atmosphere a bit. Here is the form that we followed, more or less.

Kaddesh: Santification
blessing over first cup of wine.

Urechatz: Washing
washing of the hands with a blessing.

Karpas: Vegetable
parsley symbolizing the lowliness of God's People.

Yachatz: Breaking
matzah is broken.

Maggid: The Story
story of the exodus is retold. second cup of wine is blessed.

Rachtzah: Washing
second washing of the hands.

Motzi: Blessing over Grain Products
general blessing.

Matzah: Blesssing over Matzah
a bit of matzah is eaten.

Maror: Bitter Herbs
horseradish symbolizing the bitterness of slavery.

Schulchan Orech: Dinner
festive meal is eaten.

Tzafun: The Afikomen
matzah is eaten for dessert.

Barech: Grace after Meal
third cup of wine is blessed and fourth is poured with an extra for Elijah.

Hallel: Praises
Psalm is recited. Blessing over the last cup of wine.

Nirtzah: Closing
seder is complete, with a wish that next year we may celebrate in the New Jerusalem.

Tuesday -or- Somewhere Between Triumphal Entry & Upper Room

2006-04-14T20:05:00.000-07:00

what a flurry of activity.
what a crazy city.
what a provocative story.
what poetic-prophetic glory...

in parables

a man prepares a vineyard for success: rich soil, large storehouses, a crush pad, and he appoints men to take care of it while he is gone. after a time he sends a servant to check on the progress of the wine, to report on how well his vineyard is progressing. the trusted workers beat the owner's servant. the distraught owner sends another in his entourage to the vineyard. the workers scorned him. yet another servant sent, but the workers went so far as to kill this man.
the owner's only son was the only one left to send. he loved his son greatly. he thought, "they too will love my only son."
but - the workers wanted the son's inheritance. they killed him and threw his body out of the vineyard.
and what will the owner do? kill those who killed his son and give the vineyard to others.

"the stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,
the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes."

Fig-Hoeffer Monday

2006-04-13T19:59:00.000-07:00

Monday night was my night to cook, which included telling the story of the cursing of the fig tree and Jesus' symbolic destruction of the Temple, combined with reclaiming Dietrich Bonhoeffer from the night before (alas, he was omitted this year because the day of his martyrdom happened to be on Palm Sunday). With so much to tie in, I had no choice but to attempt a multi-course meal, each course paired triumphantly with an a complimentary beer sample:

Course 1: Field Green Salad with oxalis and spinach leaves from the garden, gorgonzola cheese, toasted walnuts and diced figs. Paired with the Passionfruit Witbier I made especially for Passion Week. Discussed Jesus' "living parable within a living parable" with the incident of the fruitless fig tree being declared useless directly tied in to Jesus' symbolic action in the Temple - no fruit in Jerusalem? God's judgement is immanent.

Course 2: Brie with garlic and crackers. Paired with my other current homemade concoction, Kolsh - a light and refreshing German summer ale. This led us straight in to discussion of the life and thought of Bonhoeffer, a man who, as a member of the underground "Confessing Church" gives us a rare example of cryptic Christianity in the midst of a so-called Christian nation, a faith that was acted out in such practical and ethically stimulating ways, that it ultimately resulted in being hung naked in a concentration camp 3 weeks before Hitler's demise.

Course 3: Grilled German sausage and hot potatoe salad (made by the beloved Jolie). Paired with Celebrator, an award-winning German "doppelbock," invented 500ish years ago by Paulaner monks who needed a heavier and richer beverage to keep them nourished during their Lenten fast from solid foods. Capped off with a brief reading from Bonhoeffer's Cost of Discipleship.

palm sunday (in pictures)

2006-04-09T19:15:00.000-07:00

abbey "lint"

2006-04-02T20:57:00.000-07:00

insert a break from the usual online discourse of saints - or gardening.

done.

we had something die in the attic in the back of the house just over the dryer during the past week. this happens about every 3-4 months. the smell is atrocious for a couple days then dissipates slowly. thankfully, no one died or even got sick from the encounter. just wanted to let everyone who reads this know that urban abbey's have rats/vermin/opposums just like "normal" homes.

in other news - though we don't agree at all with the brutal practices of jack bauer and his associates, 24 has us all hooked and we're eagerly awaitng the next episode.

o ya - lent is progressing nicely with many new faces. we have very much appreciated the wave of fresh perspectives.

and... rock the targum. amen.

2006-03-28T21:20:00.000-08:00

John Keble, born 1792, ordained Priest in 1816, tutor at Oxford from 1818 to 1823, published in 1827 a book of poems called The Christian Year, containing poems for the Sundays and Feast Days of the Church Year. The book sold many copies, and was highly effective in spreading Keble's devotional and theological views. His style was more popular then than now, but some of his poems are still in use as hymns, such the three beginning:

New every morning is the love

Our waking and uprising prove,

Through sleep and darkness safely brought,

Restored to life and power and thought.

Sun of my soul, thou Savior dear,

It is not night if thou be near.

Oh, may no earthborn cloud arise

To hide thee from thy servant's eyes.

Blest are the pure in heart,

For they shall see our God.

The secret of the Lord is theirs;

Their soul is Christ's abode.

He was Professor of Poetry at Oxford from 1831 to 1841, and from 1836 until his death thirty years later he was priest of a small parish in the village of Hursley near Winchester.

On 14 July 1833, he preached the Assize Sermon at Oxford. (This sermon marks the opening of a term of the civil and criminal courts, and is officially addressed to the judges and officers of the court, exhorting them to deal justly.) His sermon was called "National Apostasy," and denounced the Nation for turning away from God, and for regarding the Church as a mere institution of society, rather than as the prophetic voice of God, commissioned by Him to warn and instruct the people. The sermon was a nationwide sensation, and is considered to be the beginning of the religious revival known as the Tractarian Movement (so called because of a series of 90 Tracts, or pamphlets addressed to the public, which largely influenced the course of the movement) or as the Oxford Movement (not to be confused with the Oxford Group -- led by Frank Buchman and also called Moral Re-Armament, or Mra -- which came a century later and was quite different). Because the Tractarians emphasized the importance of the ministry and of the sacraments as God-given ordinances, they were suspected by their opponents of Roman Catholic tendencies, and the suspicion was reinforced when some of their leaders (John Henry Newman being the most conspicuous) did in fact become Roman Catholics. But the movement survived, and has profoundly influenced the religious thinking, practice, and worship of large portions of Christendom. Their insistence, for example, that it was the normal practice for all Christians to receive the sacrament of Holy Communion every Sunday has influenced many Christians who would never call themselves Anglicans, let alone Tractarians. Keble translated the works of Irenaeus of Lyons (second century). and produced an edition of the works of Richard Hooker, a distinguished Anglican theologian who died in 1600. He also wrote more books of poems, and numerous hymn lyrics. Three years after his death, his friends and admirers established Keble College at Oxford.

Grant, O God, that in all time of our testing we may know thy Presence and obey thy will; that, following the example of thy servant John Keble, we may accomplish with integrity and courage that which thou givest us to do, and endure that which thou givest us to bear; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Charles Henry Brent has 3 first names

2006-03-27T12:22:00.000-08:00

In 1902, Charles Henry Brent was sent by the Episcopal church to the Phillipines, a newly-acquired American territory. Most people expected him to either set up shop & spend his days serving other Americans stationed there -- OR -- aggressively converting the Roman Catholics on the island. He did neither.

Instead, CHB devoted his time to the natives of the island -- pagan Igorots, animists, & Muslims. He made considerable inroads and established thriving Christian communities in all areas.

Three times he was offered a promotion to Bishop, but three times he refused. Finally, in 1918, he agreed to return to the States as Bishop of Western New York. His experiences in the Philippines had aroused in him a strong concern for the cause of visible Christian unity, and this became his life's work upon his return.

He died in Switzerland in 1929, while attending the World Conference on Faith and Order, an event he helped to organize.

Bishop Romero

2006-03-24T20:50:00.000-08:00

Oscar Romero was/is an inspiration to the poor of El Salvador just as MLK was/is to minorities in America. He chose to stand (and eventually die) with the oppressed in his country. He is worth your time to google and learn more about the political strife in the country, and how the US supported the regime that killed Salvadoran peoples.

Though a tragic story of a life cut short, we remember his own words to his persecutors that live long after his death: "we bless you and pray for you."

Viva libertad!

Feast of Gregory the Illuminator

2006-03-23T06:22:00.000-08:00

Although I will be at work, I will have dinner prepared in advance (with Jolie's aid) in honor of one of my namesake's. This particular Saint Gregory is considered the apostle and patron of Armenia. His story can be found here (warning: some of the details of torture make Brave Heart seem quite tame). In brief, his endurance of horrific trials and 13 years of imprisonment resulted in the conversion of the King of Armenia to Christianity and eventually to Armenia being the first "Christian nation" in history - still several decades before Constantine.

In addition to honoring Gregory the Illuminator, today we honor the brave history of Armenia itself -- a tiny buffer nation that has endured occupation by Persians, Arabs, Turks and Soviets and somehow retained its identity in Christ.

St. Lea

2006-03-22T09:35:00.000-08:00

This letter, written by St. Jerome to St. Marcella, describes the fate of St. Lea.

St. Lea was a fourth century widow who retired to a Roman monastery after the death of her husband. Below is the only written account of her life.

"Who will praise the blessed Lea as she deserves? She renounced painting her face and adorning her head with shining pearls. She exchanged her rich attire for sackcloth, and ceased to command others in order to obey all. She dwelt in a corner with a few bits of furniture; she spent her nights in prayer, and instructed her companions through her example rather than through protests and speeches. And she looked forward to her arrival in heaven in order to receive her recompense for the virtues which she practiced on earth. So it is that thence forth she enjoyed perfect happiness.... Lea who was willing to be considered a fool on earth, has been received into the house of the Father, at the wedding feast of the Lamb. Hence, I tearfully beg you to refrain from seeking the favors of the world and to renounce all that is carnal. It is impossible to follow both the world and Jesus. Let us live a life of renunciation, for our bodies will soon be dust and nothing else will last any longer."

sicilian food for st. joseph's day?

2006-03-20T19:08:00.000-08:00

Yeah, that's what I thought, too.

Evidently, Joseph (the one who married Mary) is the patron saint of Sicily. Legend has it that the island was suffering from a terrible drought. Out of desperation, the people prayed for rain and promised Joseph that they would celebrate a feast in his honor if the rain came. The rain came; so did the feast.

Tonight we dined on Sicilian baked fish. Seemed like a good fit for this story and for the carpenter's family, who undoubtedly ate fish as well.

if you can read this, then you are invited.

2006-03-15T13:27:00.000-08:00

from 10am - 6pm

2006-03-11T20:05:00.002-08:00

we began with crappy dirt
then we got some crap
some more hands

eves happy in the garden
adams happy
and God, make it grow

Tonight: Breakfast for Dinner and Saint John of God

2006-03-08T13:16:00.000-08:00

Saint John of God prayer:

Saint John of God, help us to act out of love as soon as we feel the promtings of the Holy Spirit. Help us learn to fight the little voices in our heads and hearts that give us all sorts of practical reasons to wait or delay in our service of God.
Amen.

Perpetua & Felicity

2006-03-07T07:05:00.000-08:00

I've recently been troubled by what seems to be the lack of women throughout Christian History who have been able to juggle both family and calling. It seems like they choose one over the other (i.e., Brigid, Ita, Mother Teresa, and even Dorothy Day to a certain extent.)

The story of Perpetua and Felicity intrigued me. We celebrate their feast today.

Both are from Carthage, which is modern day Tunisia. Both lived during the 2nd century, under Septimus' rule. Perpetua was a well-educated and upperclass; Felicity was a slave. Both were arrested for their beliefs and taken to prison. Perpetua had a newborn while Felicity was 8-months pregnant.

Two deacons who ministered to the prisoners paid off the guards so that Perpetua and Felicity could be moved to a less crowded area of the prison. Her family was able to visit and bring the child for nursing.

The women were given the opportunity to renounce their faith, but they refused. Perpetua's exasperated father would not send her newborn to see her after this.

Two days before their execution, Felicity gave birth to a healthy daughter who was adopted by a Christian woman in town.

The women were stripped and faced a rabid animal. But the crowd, so disturbed at the site of naked young mothers, recoiled and the 2 women were clothed. As their throats were cut, Perpetua's last words were, "Stand fast in the faith and love one another."

forget the empire (commercialism), all you need is love

2006-02-14T05:33:00.000-08:00

a while back in say the 3rd century, there was a man. this particular man, named valentine, worked for the people, on their behalf. sometimes he would even marry them (oh, oh, oh-oh; the sweetest thing).

then there was "the man," an empire-ruler named claudius. he loved weilding power and raising wealth and waging war. he thought soldiers were better if they were single, so he banned marriage for the young lads (bummer).

well - valentine thought God's covenant in marriage was stronger than any royal edict and chose to marry people in secret. the evil emperor, found out and had valentine beaten and beheaded.

today, we remember valentine's commitment to God's love over and against that of the empire...

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

Priscilla & Aquilla

2006-02-13T14:30:00.001-08:00

Corinthians, friends of Paul's, tentmakers, fellow missionaries, early church leaders.

an encouraging husband and wife whom we remember through tonight's meal...

Feast of Feb. 9th

2006-02-09T09:35:00.000-08:00

There are several canonized saints to choose from today, so I picked two that were the most interesting and significant for us. That would be St. Apollinia and St. Alto.

St. Apollinia
St. Apollonia, who died in the year 249, was martyred for not renouncing her faith during the reign of Emperor Philip. The account of the life of St. Apollonia was written by St. Dionysius to Fabian, Bishop of Antioch. Apollonia had all her teeth knocked out after being hit in the face by a Christian persecutor under the reign of Emperor Philip. After she was threatened with fire unless she renounced her faith, Apollonia jumped into the flames voluntarily. She is considered the patron of dental diseases and is often invoked by those with toothaches. Ancient art depicts her with a golden tooth at the end of her necklace. Also in art, she is seen with pincers holding a tooth.

St. Alto
Hermit and missionary, recorded as an Irishmen or possibly an Anglo-Saxon. He lived near Augsburg, Germany, arriving in the region circa 743. Living in a simple hut in wild lands, Alto soon achieved a reputation for holiness and austerity. Word of his good works reached King Pepin, who gave him a parcel of land near Altmunster, in modern Friesling Diocese in Bavaria. Alto cleared the land and founded an abbey. St. Boniface came in 750 to dedicate the abbey church. The monastery was ravaged by the Huns but was restored in 1000 and made a Benedictine house.The Brigittines took it over in the fifteenth century.

The One Whom the Lord Remembers

2006-02-07T14:30:00.000-08:00

Prophet Zechariah, whose name means "the one whom the Lord remembers," prophesied in Jerusalem from 520 to 518 BC. Zechariah was the eleventh of the twelve minor prophets, and he was a contemporary of Haggai. Zechariah's prophecy took the shape of visions and dialogues with God. Not only did Zechariah encourage the Jews to complete the rebuilding of the temple, but he also prophesied of the coming of Christ, making more predictions about him than any other prophet with the exception of Isaiah.

Wednesday night we eat in his honor.

Happy Saint Brigid's Day

2006-02-01T07:18:00.000-08:00

Today is a big day for us celtic-wanna-be's. Brigid is the 2nd most important female in Irish tradition (Mary would be first), and easily one of the very strongest woman figures in all of Christendom.

Tonight we will enjoy a feast in Brigid's honor. We will also be praying house blessings over the Abbey and a few friend's homes as well. And we will make Brigid's crosses, too, if I can find some suitable switchgrass.

Steak of the Union

2006-01-31T11:15:00.000-08:00

The Abbey is undefeated when watching sporting events together down in the sound room. That is to say that the team we have rooted for has won in each of the handful of times we've viewed a game down there. Although this only includes the Longhorns (which were undefeated themselves) and the come-from-behind-thriller we saw last Saturday when my favorite sports franchise (the Dallas Stars) took out the Red Wings in sudden death overtime on national television.

I only say all this because I hope the Abbey will have the same good fortune as we watch President Bush's State of the Union Address downstairs tonight. Is there any chance at all that the president will advance our deepest hopes and refute our greatest concerns? Not likely. Still, we want to try to be the most faithful alien residents we can possibly be; and listening to our appointed leader and responding with thoughtful reflection seems like a good place to begin.

We'll have an open grill tonight, so bring whatever you want to char. Jolie and I will be having good ol' Texas sirloin.

Orthodox Synaxis

2006-01-31T10:53:00.000-08:00

I like old sounding words with the letter "x" in them, so I'm particularly elated with the above title. Hope you like it, too.

Last night Jason was too affected by "cedar fever" to cook or blog, but he was kind enough to order pizza and read a lot of interesting information about "The Synaxis of the Three Hierarchs." We learned the story of how the feast came about in the 11th century as the result of internal competition about whether Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian or John Crysostom was the most important figure. It was revealed to a devout monk that the three were equally honored in heaven, and that a feast should be created to honor them in harmony.

Among other notable things, each of these figures played prominently in refuting the Arian heresy, framing theological concepts that remain foundational to orthodoxy, and caring for the poor. [Haven't yet discovered many honored saints to which care of the poor wasn't a huge part.]

Blinded by the Light

2006-01-25T11:15:00.000-08:00

Acts 9:1-19

The Conversion of Saint Paul

Monday, 1/23

2006-01-23T10:19:00.000-08:00

Phillips Brooks is best known today as the author of "O Little Town of Bethlehem." Former generations, however, accounted him the greatest American preacher of the nineteenth century (and not for lack of other candidates). His sermons are still read.
He was born in Boston in 1835 and educated at Harvard and at Virginia Theological Seminary. After ten years of ministry at two churches in Philadelphia, he returned to Boston in 1869 and was rector of Trinity Church there until 1891. He was then elected Bishop of Massachusetts, and died two years later.

Four Martyrs, c. 270

2006-01-19T13:59:00.000-08:00

Tonight we will recognize Maris, his wife Martha, and their two sons, Abachum and Audifax. A family of Persian nobility, these four were "converted to the faith and distributed their possessions to the poor." They moved to Rome during the reign of Emperor Claudius II, during a time of Christian persecution. As the story goes.... Claudius ordered his legions to gather Christians in the amphitheater, where they were killed and their bodies burned. The Persian family gathered together their ashes and buried them. The family is known for sympathizing with the persecuted faithful and burying the bodies of the slain. This led judge/governor Muscianus to arrest them. Muscianus was unable to persuade them to abjure their faith and condemned them to torture. No suffering could subdue their courage. Maris and his two sons were beheaded, and Martha was cast into a well.

A Roman lady named Felicitas gathered together what remained of the four bodies and had the sacred relics secretly interred in a catacomb. This happened before the Kalends of February, which is the 20th of January (?). The commemoration of these martyrs, however, has been appointed for January 19th, because the 20th is the feat of St. Sebastian.

Thirteen centuries later their bones were discovered and now lie honored in churches across Italy and Germany.

For dinner: Persian food.

The Lamp of Monasticism

2006-01-17T20:18:00.000-08:00

I had been looking forward to preparing a nice feast in honor of Saint Antony on my day off for quite some time. He's a pretty important figure for any monastic-anything to give tribute to.

Well, things didn't turn out exactly like I'd planned, but I think everything was fine in the end.

I decided this would be the perfect time to christen the primo new grill (that's really it's name) that the Bakers gave to us on the day of the wedding. After all, what could be more honoring to an Egytian saint then grilled kabobs, right? Well, it took me way too long to figure out how to get the fire hot enough, but when I did we were blessed with some delicious "egyptian-marinated" chicken kabobs. The Phoenicia Bakery supplied the hummus, pita, tabouli and baklava to go with it.

Just as I was about to give my speil about Antony, Connor came dancing down the stairs, humming "The Ants Go Marching" (no, not Dave Matthews) at concert-level volume. In spite of his impatience, I again managed to read this to the group.

After so many minor distractions today, I think I can appreciate Antony's desire to live out his faith as a hermit even more...

Related:
Arlen is now Antony
Wikipedia
The Life of Anthony by Athanasius
The existing monastery
a coptic monastery in cali

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

2006-01-16T07:20:00.000-08:00

Tonight we celebrate a saint in his own right. In just 13 years, MLK instigated reforms & legislation on behalf of Americans who had been marginalized for hundreds of years. We'll learn about his life and his legacy this evening.

Until that time, consider these words written by his widow, Coretta Scott King, concerning the purpose of today: "We call you to commemorate this Holiday by making your personal commitment to serve humanity with the vibrant spirit of unconditional love . . . ."

and these words written by King himself:

"I have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their tired bodies, education and culture for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, men other-centered can build up. I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and non-violent redemptive goodwill will proclaim the rule of the land 'and the lion and the lamb shall lie down together and every man shall sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid.' I still believe that we shall overcome."

2006 Thus Far

2006-01-11T13:01:00.000-08:00

The dust is finally settling after many back-to-back phenomena -- Christmas, the wedding details, the wedding itself, the Rose Bowl, return to work, etc.

Melissa and the Abbey seemed to have adjusted to one another quite beautifully so far. We are thrilled to have her stay with us as a fully-resident family member now! In such a small community, it's amazing how much one person can contribute to the overall dynamics and chemistry.

We are currently trying to tweak our daily prayer "offices" to better accomodate our particular situation. We are currently using the Revised Common Lectionary, with daily readings as suggested by none other than pcusa. In the mornings we read the designated morning psalm, the gospel selection and either the OT or NT passage. Which ever passage we don't read then will be read in solitude at some other part of the day.

The big change is an effort to add a brief evening prayer in lieu of compline. The idea is to read the evening psalm from pcusa, combined with a brief meditation (Merton, Bonhoeffer, Brueggeman, Berry, etc.) and book-ended with liturgical prayer. We are still developing the liturgical portion.

We've got a few other potential areas we'd like to tweak in the near future as well. Will keep you posted...

BTW, if you have any ideas about how to arrange the Psalms into an 8-week cycle, we would love to know about it.

The Neu mann...

2006-01-05T07:55:00.000-08:00

I am fortunate enough to be staying at The Abbey this week, while my wife is spending an extra week in North Carolina with her family. I miss her greatly of course, but it's good to be back in the house on Enfield for a spell.

Which brings me to today's celebrated saint. Saint John Neumann (1811-1860), formerly of Bohemia, settled in the Philadelphia area of Pennsylvania.

Apparently, Saint John Neumann's "ability to learn languages...led him to learn Spanish, French, Italian, and Dutch so he could hear confessions in at least six languages. When Irish immigration started, he learned Gaelic so well that one Irish woman remarked, 'Isn't it grand that we have an Irish bishop!'." To read more about him, go here. As most consecrated saints, he was humble and a friend to the poor.

I will be trying to throw together some authentic Philly cheesesteaks for dinner tonight, in honor of Saint John.

--cgrave

Roses, Juniper and Leftovers

2006-01-04T07:36:00.000-08:00

The sound / movie room will be set to go for the big Rose Bowl this evening. Hook 'em Horns (I can't believe I just typed that!).

We will also be honoring Brother Juniper, one of St. Francis' more colorful followers. He is listed in the Celtic Daily Prayer book for today, the day of his death; but for some reason I could only find a Catholic day set for January 28th (not sure why). I'll pick a selection from his portion of Little Flowers to read tonight over the pre-game dinner.

BTW, we'll be having wedding leftovers -- spicy chicken pasta for dinner and Valrhona Double Chocolate Stout for the game. We'll throw in some strawberry bride's cake for good measure.

Big Day!

2006-01-01T11:43:00.000-08:00

Sean and Melissa will be wed in a few hours!

It'a an all-Abbey wedding:
Sean - groom
Melissa - bride, moving into what was once Sean's bachelor pad
Heather - reader of Scripture
Jason - percussionist for the reception
Connor - co-flower tosser
Jolie - vocalist
Greg - minister and co-homebrewer

advent-ure

2005-12-24T20:51:00.000-08:00

Advent is over. It was wonderful to read through Isaiah and enjoy the anticipation with y'all.

Merry Christmas Everybody!

PS - the abbey is closed for Christmas. (except when i get back there around 8 or so tomorrow night.)

St. Thomas day, St. Thomas gray, the longest night and shortest day

2005-12-20T09:31:00.000-08:00

On December 21st we will celebrate the feast of St. Thomas the Apostle. This day is also considered "Christmas preparation day" - a day for cleaning and baking - and "pie day." In parts of Canda and Tyrol it is tradition to bake meat pies that will be frozen and served for the feast of the Epiphany. At the Oak Grove Abbey there will be pie eating - an Argentine favorite - empanadas.

A prayer for St. Thomas Day
Everliving God, who strengthened your apostle Thomas with firm and certain faith in your Son's resurrection: Grant us so perfectly and without doubt to believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God, that our faith may never be found wanting in your sight; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Tacks, the Boy Disaster Chapter 8

2005-12-16T11:31:00.000-08:00

The ongoing adventures of Tacks, the Boy Disaster...

Yippee ki yi yay!!!
There will be a FREE Tacks show this Saturday evening at the Victory Grill!

Saturday, December 17th.
1104 East 11th.

We will be making music with Loxsly and the Magic Surprise and the
festivities will begin at 9 and we're first, as far as we know.

We've missed you all and we can't wait to see you there, freebie-style.

Love,
Tacks.

myspace.com/tackstheboydisaster
myspace.com/loxsly
myspace.com/themagicsurprise

Tweaking the OGA website

2005-12-15T12:15:00.000-08:00

Yeah, the information on the website was thrown out there long before we had ever gotten started with the actual living together part of it. As a result, it hasn't really reflected reality very accurately. So, I did manage to cut out some of the misleading filler and rewrite a few things in the hope of giving it a good overhaul over the next, say, month or two?

Thoughts or suggestions are welcomed...

Lucia of Syracuse

2005-12-13T12:39:00.000-08:00

Rich, young Christian of Greek ancestry. Raised in a pious family, she vowed her life to Christ. Her Roman father died when she was young. Her mother, Eutychia, arranged a marriage for her. For three years she managed to keep the marriage on hold. To change the mother's mind about the girl's new faith, Lucy prayed at the tomb of Saint Agatha, and her mother's long haemorrhagic illness was cured. Her mother agreed with Lucy's desire to live for God, and Lucy became known as a patron of those with maladies like her mother's.

Her rejected pagan bridegroom, Paschasius, denounced Lucy as a Christian to the governor of Sicily. The governor sentenced her to forced prostitution, but when guards went to fetch her, they could not move her even when they hitched her to a team of oxen. The governor ordered her killed instead. After torture that included having her eyes torn out, she was surrounded by bundles of wood which were set afire; they went out. She prophesied against her persecutors, and was executed by being stabbed to death with a dagger. Her name is listed in the prayer "Nobis quoque peccatoribus" in the Canon of the Mass.

and sicilian food, gangster style.

Here we go a'wassailing

2005-12-13T11:48:00.000-08:00

'Nother Celtic Feast

2005-12-11T20:55:00.000-08:00

Monday night we will honor old-school Celtic monastic teacher St. Finnian. I'm working on some kind of Irish-esque menu that will be acceptably palpable for everybody...

Sermon by Merton

2005-12-10T15:50:00.000-08:00

Tommorow night Alyssa will be preparing our meal, which will additionally commemorate Thomas Merton. As part of our Sunday evening worship gathering, we will each offer a favorite quote of his. Apart from the Scripture readings, these quotes will be our sermon.

We thought some of you may want to post a comment with your favorite Merton quotation, too...

St Nicholas Feast tonight

2005-12-06T06:50:00.000-08:00

Turkish Dinner

2005-11-29T11:11:00.000-08:00

Saint Paramonus contested for piety's sake during the reign of Decius, in the year 250. A ruler named Aquilinus, seeking relief from a bodily malady, visited a certain therapeutic hot spring. He brought with him captive Christians from Nicomedia, and commanded them to offer sacrifice in the temple of Isis. When they refused, he had them all slaughtered, to the number of 370. Saint Paramonus, beholding their murder, boldly cried out against such an act of ungodliness. When Aquilinus heard this, he sent men to take the Saint. Some smote him with spears, others pierced his tongue and body with sharp reeds, until he died.

Saint Philumenus' contest in martyrdom took place during the reign of Aurelian, in the year 270. Coming from Lycaonia, he was conveying a load of wheat into Galatia when he was denounced as a Christian to Felix, Governor of Ancyra. Nails were driven into his hands, feet, and head, and he was commanded to run. While running in the road, he fell and gave up his holy soul into the hands of God.

Wed. - Saint Andrew's Day

2005-11-29T09:37:00.000-08:00

Wednesday evening we will celebrate Saint Andrew.
We'll be having a variety of Scottish breakfast foods, including apple scones, toad-in-the-hole, potato cakes, and some dessert with chocolate & Scotch whiskey.

Saint Andrew was a fisherman who became a follower of Christ, an apostle. Andrew spread Christianity and was crucified on a cross or olive tree in the form of an X. There are different versions of the story, but some monk or missionary transported Andrew's remains to Scotland, which is how he became the patron saint of Scotland.

The Feast of Irenarchus

2005-11-28T07:35:00.000-08:00

Saint Irenarchus, who was from Sebastia, lived during the reign of Diocletian. In his youth he ministered to the holy Martyrs during the time of their punishment in prison. Once, on beholding seven women being tormented in behalf of Christ, and marvelling at their courage, and seeing how, although they were weak in body, they nonetheless became like men before the tyrant and put him to shame, the Saint was enlightened by divine grace and confessed Christ with boldness. Tried by fire and water, he was beheaded together with the holy women in the year 298.

Advent celebration

2005-11-27T19:13:00.000-08:00

We just finished our first Sunday night Advent celebration. Sean's green shirt says it all . . . "hope."

Communal thanks (certainly not a comprehensive list)

2005-11-24T21:27:00.000-08:00

To Jason for helping my understanding of prayer and jazz and thus myself.
To Heather for loving children so much it hurts and fighting through the pain.
To Jolie for being the continual hostess. ready for any opportunity to serve.
To Greg for the encouragement and challenge to be a better man.
To Connor for the constant reminders of child-like faith.
To Chris for sleeping on my couch and invaluable late-night convos.
To Melissa for your amazing love, poured upon me and so many others.

To all those who have stepped foot in the abbey, I thank you for helping me grow in love this year.

2 Major Playas

2005-11-23T07:59:00.000-08:00

No one was around last night (Tuesday) to celebrate (saint) C.S. Lewis' feast day, but a few of us did manage to fry up some fish and chips and enjoy Fuller's famous ESB. We also read a brief snippet from "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" in referrence to Aslan's magical return to life. My favorite line: "the children couldn't tell whether they were playing with a thunderbolt or a kitten" (or something to that effect - I don't have the book with me right now).

I will be working another late shift tonight, and will miss an even more important feast day for the Abbey -- St. Columbanus. He was the first Celtic missionary to travel straight into Europe proper, establishing monastic communities in Burgundy, Austria and even Italy. An important apostolic figure who gets very little attention in most church history surveys. Check out this fantastic link I discovered today...

Tacksadermy

2005-11-20T21:02:00.000-08:00

Dearly beloveds,
We (Tacks, the Boy Disaster) do cordially invite you to a music-making
experience you won't soon forget. We shall be the opening act for the
marvelous World Leader Pretend from New Orleans this Tuesday night
(11-22) at Stubb's. We will be performing all the old favorites, and
we'll be dressed super-snazzily. It will be an evening of epic
excitement, so set your phasers on pun, leave your turkeys at home and
come on out.
Doors are at 8.
We're playing first.
I'm guessing that puts us on stage around 9.
Hope to see you then!

Respectfully,
Tacks.

Can't Let This One Go Unnoticed

2005-11-18T09:15:00.000-08:00

So last night there wasn't anybody home to celebrate with, but it is still mandatory for all Abbey-dwellers to take note of "Gregory the Wonderworker."

St. Hild(a): Abbess and Peacemaker

2005-11-18T07:59:00.000-08:00

In the 7th century, Hild followed the lead of Columbanus establishing a monastic community of both monks and nuns at Whitby. She has been renowned as a patroness of the arts. In this vein and under her abbessness was the well-known Caedmon, an excellent singer and poet and shepherd. She hosted the Synod of Whitby in which some compromise was sought for the Roman and Celtic traditions. Though the Romans “won” and Hild accepted that ruling, Hild remained true to her Celtic roots. Ruins of what became of the Whitby Abbey after Hild remain today as a symbol of her valuable contribution to Northumbrian monasticism.

In her honor, we’ll be eating a Monkfish (from the waters off the Shetland Islands) and Scallops with Coulis recipe from a Whitby Abbey neighbor – The Whitby Catch.
{small change - no scallop coulis - since the "samphrine" for the coulis is such a ridiculously obscure sea weed from the UK. who knew? not i said the monk-fish}

Blessed be the peacemakers.