When God commissioned Jeremiah as a prophet to speak in his name he used the words: “Gird your loins; stand up and tell them all that I command you” (Jer 1:17). And when God wanted to get Job’s attention, he said: “Gird up your loins now, like a man: I will question you, and you tell me the answers!” (Job 38:3). Jesus told the disciples: “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks” (Lk 12:35-36).

“Gird your loins,” though archaic, is still often retained in modern Bible translations because it is forceful and attention getting. We know instinctively that it means “prepare yourself for action,” even though we may not know that to gird one’s loins means literally “fasten your belt.” The phrase takes on spiritual meaning in passages like “Stand fast with your loins girded in truth” (Eph 6:l4) and “Gird up the loins of your mind, live soberly, and set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet 1:13).

Every year at Ash Wednesday the Church calls all Christians to gird up their loins for the challenge of Lenten renewal in preparation for the celebration of Easter, our communal spiritual birthday. This Ash Wednesday our monastic community launched a special observance making a direct link of our Lenten asceticism with a program of general belt-tightening as a community, looking for ways to improve our stewardship of God’s gifts by saving resources and examining expenses.

We focused our community discussions on “Institutional” and “Personal” categories. Some examples of institutional would be policies on number and use of vehicles, or on departmental purchasing; examples of personal would be use of phones or computers, and policies governing vacations and personal spending. In some areas it was enough to raise awareness (for example, in the consumption of electricity in the use of lights and machines), others required plans for implementation and accountability.

Besides the rising cost of living in

general and the reduction of income because of fewer monks and the aging of wage earners in the community, there have been two recent incentives to a closer look at our usage and expenses. One has been the recent dramatic increase in the cost of gas and electricity; the other the strain on our local water supply during the fall and winter. The latter turned out to be due as much to an undetected leak as to the drought of late summer and fall, but it made us conscious of how easy it is to take a precious resource for granted.

Of course, these current conditions should be only reminders of our constant responsibility toward consumption of this world’s goods and resources. We mean to continue our program of watchfulness after Lent is over. It is easy for any of us, including monks, to fall into a careless attitude about the good things at our disposal. Recent statistics reveal that though the United States has less than 5% of the world’s population, we consume 21% of the its total energy resources.

The story is told of a young Jewish student from New York who went to visit a renowned elderly Rabbi in his study in Moscow. The student had many questions, which the Rabbi answered with patience. The younger man was completely absorbed in the Rabbi’s gentle and profound wisdom. Suddenly he became aware of his surroundings: the Rabbi’s study had only a small table with the Torah and some paper, and the two chairs they were sitting on.

“Where are your shelves and furniture?” he asked the Rabbi, “and where is your secretary? You have nothing in this room.” “Neither do you,” answered the Rabbi. “But I am just passing through,” said the student. “So am I,” responded the Rabbi.

In girding our loins this Lent, we monks were also reminded again of the constant theme of asceticism in our monastic vocation. To use the goods of this world with care is an important way to express our gratitude to God and to the people who, under his guidance, help provide us with what we need for our life here.

The December chronicle ended with the prediction of a White Christmas. White it was—except it was pure ice, not snow. Beginning early Christmas morning, the Great Arkansas Ice Storm of 2000 wreaked havoc on travel plans, liturgy schedules, power lines, chicken house roofs, and trees. Damage was much worse in every direction from the Abbey. Here we had little tree damage, never lost power, and never missed a hot meal. What valiant ladies (and men) we have in the kitchen and Health Center, who were not deterred by the elements. Thanks!! On January 4, Brother Eric Loran fell on the ice and fractured his upper femur. He’s been pinned back together and has since graduated from immobility, to wheelchair, to walker, to cane.

Academy Headmaster Hans Broekman announced his resignation on January 9. He will stay on until the end of the current term. The School Board moved quickly, and asked that Fr. Aaron Pirrera be appointed interim headmaster for the ’01-’02 school year, which request was approved by Abbot Jerome on January 20. Father Aaron is doing a sort of apprenticeship, learning the many facets of this crucial role.

Abbot Jerome followed the receding glaciers north, conducting a retreat for the monks of Mount Savior Abbey in New York State. He returned with all sorts of delicacies from the monks.

Our Black Angus mothers began dropping their calves in January, so the farmers had to be extra vigilant to provide assistance. Brother Tobias DeSalvo and our hired farmers—Mr. Butch Geels and Stan Schluterman—rescued three calves from the dead. It did seem almost miraculous that these calves, with body temperatures as low as 50°, came back to life in the “hot tub” arranged for them. The farmers named the three-miracle babies “Tombstone,” “Cemetery,” and “Coffin.”

 “What’s going on?” asked Mr. Don Berend, interim Business Manager, as he arrived for work

Ed. Note: Subiaco Abbey currently has four monks studying away from the Abbey. Three of the four offer a brief reflection on their life and studies in another monastery. The fourth, Brother James Casey, is pursuing college studies at St. Benedict’s Abbey in Atchison, Kansas.

Brother Joshua Fry is in his third year of temporary vows. He writes: “I am attending Saint Joseph Seminary College in Saint Benedict, Louisiana, as a philosophy major. Last year, I commuted to Arkansas Tech University, Russellville, Arkansas, to major in creative writing. I asked to change colleges because I hoped I would be able to be more involved in all aspects of academic life. Living and studying at St. Joseph provides an opportunity to be involved in many activities, such as morning prayer with the seminarians, working with the apostolic outreach programs, and group study sessions. Though it has been difficult being away from Subiaco, I feel that my experiences here—meeting new people, the French-Cajun culture, and my studies of philosophy—are helping me develop as a monk, and as a person, living in the twenty-first century.”

Brother Anthony Pierce made his solemn profession on August 15, 1999. He writes: “I am currently going to college at Saint Gregory’s University in Shawnee, Oklahoma. I am working on a bachelor’s degree in psychology. I hope to receive an associate degree in May 2001.

Shawnee is only three hours away from Subiaco. This makes it possible for me to come home for holidays, or to be home for funerals and special occasions. There are Subiaco Academy graduates attending St. Gregory’s so we are able to provide each other with a familiar face and shared experience. After graduation, I hope to

return to Subiaco to teach and to assist in student life programs.”

Brother Isaac Youker made his final profession on December 31, 2000. He writes: “I am attending St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota. I am a theology major with a focus in education, and I am working towards a master in theology and religious education. I take some of my classes at the

Brs. Joshua Fry, from left, Isaac Youker, Anthony Pierce and James Casey stand proudly by their creation last Christmas.

College of Saint Benedict in nearby St. Joseph, Minnesota, which is run by the Benedictine Sisters. The whole atmosphere at St. John’s inspires spiritual and secular learning. I enjoy classroom and religious learning, but I also gain much from the abundant cultural activities that are the norm at St. John’s and St. Ben’s. I also greatly enjoy the beautiful natural setting of St. John’s Abbey. I have been able to go ice fishing—a first for me. The fishing is great, and I marvel at the variety of wildlife along the lakes and in the woods of St. John’s. I plan to return home to Subiaco to be an instructor in our Academy, and would like to be involved in the catechetical program in the local parish.”

For Whom the Bells Toll
Capital Punishment Awareness Project

Subiaco Abbey and Academy will participate, beginning Easter Sunday, in a nationwide project to raise awareness of the issue of capital punishment in the United States. Traditionally, church bells are tolled to announce a local death or a funeral service. Subiaco monks, students, and parishioners are very familiar with this practice, and know to ask, “Who died?” or “Who’s being buried?” The “For Whom the Bells Toll” Campaign extends the tolling of the bells to announce deaths in execution chambers around the country. On the day of a scheduled execution, the church bells will toll for two minutes at 6:00 p.m. Fr. Mark Stengel explained the project in a talk to the monastic community on March 23.

Brother James Lindsay did the same in a student assembly. Their talks stressed that all citizens have a stake in these state-sanctioned deaths. Each citizen should be willing to say, “Yes, I agree with this use of my tax dollars,” or “No, I don’t think this is an effective, or moral, or Christian practice that I’m paying for.” The tolling of the bells will remind all hearers of the fact and frequency of executions in our country. It will ask us to reflect on our stance, and to pray for the person being executed, as well as for the victims of crime. There have been 23 executions so far in the current year, 10 in Oklahoma alone. The annual rate has been approaching 100. A Supreme Court ruling is expected soon on the execution of the mentally deficient, and arguments swirl over the proposal to televise the Timothy McVeigh execution. The death penalty certainly is a hot topic. We who celebrate Jesus’ victory over death as the greatest event of human history cannot turn a blind eye to the deliberate taking of human life by capital punishment. The frequent tolling of the bells will not allow us the luxury of “not knowing” what is being done in our name. Back To Menu

A traveler through Arkansas in these early spring days has to wonder what sort of disaster has occurred. Fallen and disfigured trees line the roadsides—tops shattered, limbs torn away, evergreens twisted. At the same time, the soft greens and pale yellows of early growth soften and cover the scars of the ice storm’s destruction. A great pruning has happened, but the restless sap of life rises again, ever hopeful and green.

In the Rule, St. Benedict urges his monks to prune away during the season of Lent any excesses that may have crept in. The changes that life brings, both the helpful and the harmful, do creep in; we don’t notice that something is becoming disfigured because the warping or twisting is so gradual. We need at least forty days to notice our own excesses, determine the appropriate pruning, and allow the reshaping to begin.

The “Lenten Austerity Program” asks us monks to examine our use of this world’s goods. We want to be light on our feet as we run in the way of Christ’s commands. The “For Whom the Bells Toll’ campaign will bring us to a regular

awareness of our attitude toward capital punishment. Father Aaron looks at education with an eye toward the mature tree rather than the unruly shoots of daily classroom experience.

Pruning is a necessary and sometimes painful means. It should not be confused with the end. No, Lent strives toward Holy Easter; punishment should aim at reformation, and education brings Christ to full stature. St. John the Baptist said it best: “He (Christ) must increase; I must decrease.” This is the goal of our Lenten journey.