It's still one continuous story.

Wednesday July 20, 2011

In as much as this website is dedicated to dialogue and the building of bridges, I thought it opportune to take advantage of opportunities that not only promote dialogue but give witness to compassion and the authenticity of life in the Spirit. Our God is not only the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses, but still the God of Israel and the God of Islam and the God of the Hindus. But God is also belongs to those who don’t recognize God and that God is the God that we believe was incarnate in Christ at Bethlehem. In the words of Karl Rahner, major contributor to Vatican II, colleague of Josef Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) and advisor to Pope Paul VI, Jesus is the “exemplar” of what we can become over time when we partner with God.

The essence of Jesus’ life is best summed up in one word: compassion. Many view him as a reformer and a revolutionary but those who know him best do not consider him a combatant but the one who truly combines justice and mercy. “In you, O Lord, justice and mercy meet.” Psalm 87. This is why Bethlehem must always be viewed in the shadow of the cross.

The reflection below came to me on Monday evening after a visit to an old friend whom I consider a very holy man. Though we may differ in many areas of theology and ecclesiology, we do not differ in the acceptance of Jesus as “the way, the truth and the life.”

At a time when one of the qualifications for church leadership appears to be the ability to “fight” the opposition and to demonize one’s enemies, I found it refreshing to be in the presence of someone who has been the instrument of forgiveness and peace for many whom he has served over the years.

I hope you enjoy this reflection as much as I enjoyed writing it.

The old and the new are still part of one story.

I want to share with you a story about Bethlehem. No, not the Bethlehem of the Holy Land but the Bethlehem of Chester, New Jersey, a ‘laura’ (community) of Hermits

But first you need to know a little bit about Father Gene Romano, the founder of Bethlehem. I can’t tell you about his whole life but I can tell you about Gene from seminary days when I first met him.

Gene was a deacon at Darlington Seminary when I entered as a first philosopher. I respected him as a man of traditional piety, indeed, a prayerful man, and a wonderful example to us young ‘turks’ just beginning our seminary career.

On the day following his ordination to the priesthood at St. John’s Cathedral on May 25, 1957, Father Gene celebrated is first Mass at St. Vincent Martyr Church in Madison. I was honored to be invited to serve as an acolyte. His devout family was so proud that day. They were Catholic to their fingertips.

In my heart I knew that Gene would be no ordinary priest. His piety was genuine and his commitment to Christ was exceptional. He possessed a genuine pastoral sensitivity that won the admiration of every parishioner he served over the course of his four parish assignments. His first two assignments at Blessed Sacrament and St. Michael Parishes successively in Paterson were considered by most who were aware of their difficult pastors as a trial by fire but Father Gene never yielded to discouragement. In fact his zeal for ministry increased.

Father Romano had and still has a great appreciation for good art, especially religious art and so when he became pastor at Our Lady of Pompeii Parish in Paterson, he transformed the small church into a beautiful place of worship. He was later assigned as pastor at St. Andrew Parish in Clifton.

But there was more going on in the mind and heart of Father Romano. There was never any doubt about the genuineness of his call to the priesthood but Gene had a deep down desire to lead a more contemplative life. In fact, prior to his entrance into the diocesan seminary, he had discerned the possibility of a call to the Cistercians (Trappists) but it was not to be. However, the desire for a more contemplative life did not leave him and it was obvious from his daily dedication to prayer that this desire would not lay dormant forever.

Father Romano had a dream that one day he would found a community of hermits based on the ancient rule of St. Anthony the Hermit that would not be an escape from the priesthood but would intensify that commitment. Evidence of this was already foreshadowed on his ordination prayer cards on which these texts were printed: “With Christ I am nailed to the cross. It is now no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me.” [Galatians 2:19-20] and from Colossians, “What is lacking of the sufferings of Christ, I fill up in my flesh for his Body, which is the Church.” [Colossians 1:24]

He has always maintained that the mystery of Bethlehem is always connected to the mystery of Calvary.He viewed himself as a victim but with no martyr complex. Gene is lighthearted and can always find humor even under the most trying circumstances.

At any rate, as time passed, Gene’s spiritual journey brought him into contact with an elderly gentleman living on a large farm in Chester. Within a short time, this man saw in Father Romano the kind of spirituality that so impressed him that he sought his spiritual counsel and guidance. And then it came to pass that he made a proposal to Father Romano that his dream of Bethlehem might be fulfilled on his farm. The condition was very basic – that he would be permitted to live in his home until his death.

And so the land was donated to the Diocese with the express purpose that Father Gene be permitted to establish a community of hermits that came to be known as Bethlehem.

I remember many conversations between Bishop Casey and Father Romano to which I was privy. At that time I serviced as Vice Chancellor and priest secretary to Bishop Lawrence B Casey. As reluctant as +LBC (as we referred to him) was to release Father Gene from active pastoral ministry, he knew in his heart that if he denied Father Roman’s request, he could be sinning against the Holy Spirit. Bishop Casey knew that this was no ordinary call and he knew also that the Diocese would be blessed to have in its midst the Hermits of Bethlehem. My encouragement to Bishop to accede to this unique request was unnecessary. LBC knew it was the right decision. And so it all began and so it remains today a house of prayer for its members comprised of sisters, brothers and priests as well as for the many guests who spend a day or a week in solitude.

The campus is comprised of a main house with a very simple chapel, a dining area with auxiliary rooms and several hermitages nestled among the tall pine trees that grace the land.

But why did I want to share this with you?

During a recent visit to Father Gene during his recuperation from a fall, we spoke of many things and shared many memories of our association through the years. In the time that has passed since I first met Gene in the seminary and the founding of Bethlehem, our lives have taken very different paths. Gene’s spirituality remains steeped in the hermetic tradition of St. Anthony the Hermit. Though Bethlehem has incorporated the post conciliar liturgy, its devotional practices are definitely rooted in a more traditional pre-conciliar theology. Nevertheless, the authenticity of hermetic life is very strong and in fact is like a golden threat that runs through the entire tradition of the Catholic Church and is not incompatible with the post conciliar Church.

When I visit Bethlehem and especially whenever I have had the opportunity to preside at liturgy during Father Romano’s absence from time to time, I have experienced the richness of our Catholic tradition and felt united in Spirit with the communion of saints of every age and rank – named and unnamed.

And this brings me to some very significant ‘learnings’ about where we have been and where we are going as a church.

1.Despite the present turmoil and the theological debates that have ensured and that will continue willy-nilly notwithstanding the objections of those in highest places, the Church is not collapsing.

2.Those in the diaspora of Church who for a variety of reasons do not attend worship on a regular basis do not view themselves outside but well within the fold and will not be dismissed as long as they are striving to lead an authentic spiritual life in union with ‘The Teacher’, Jesus Christ who is the same yesterday, today and forever.

3.Sincere believers can differ in their understanding of our tradition without a loss of integrity and this does not remove them from the path toward holiness. Surrendering to the Spirit always leads to a greater insight and even to a new truth that recognizes God’s inclusive embrace of all humanity.

4.The Church has taken on many forms and gone through many trials from its early beginnings. It will not only survive but will flourish in time – taking on yet new forms and shapes and yes, new structures and ministries incorporating both men and women in ways that we cannot imagine today.

5.Although it has a necessary institutional component, the Church is more a movement than an institution or canonical structure. The Spirit breathes where it wills and we know neither whence it comes nor where it goes but we must listen attentively and pray fervently not that God is on our side but that we are on the side of God.

6.In the words of theologian, Bernard Prusak, head of religious studies at the University of Villanova,we are an “unfinished Church” and what we are to become is known only to God and the gates of darkness will not prevail against God’s designs and I might add, God’s dreams.

I treasure my association with Father Romano and Bethlehem and am thrilled that I was a witness to its foundation almost thirty-five years ago. It is a place of solitude that is so needed in today’s busy world. No matter their attire or their particular ‘brand’ of spirituality. It is one more proof that there are indeed more ‘both/ands’ in this world and in this Church than ‘either/ors.’

There is a great deal more to this story but that will be left to Father Gene whom Bishop Casey asked to write it all down – his life, his call, and of course, his Bethlehem.

Apropos of these ‘learnings’ I came upon this relevant passage in Richard Rohr’s book entitled, “The Naked Now”, Chapter Five, ‘A Lesson frm the Monks’

Do not plunder the Mystery with concepts. __Zen Masters

My religion is kindness.__ the The Dalai Lama

“What is the goal of religions? What do they equip us to learn, see, or become? As I study the history and teachings of the world religions, I am deeply struck by one overwhelming difference. In Native religions and in the religions of the East, one consistently finds the goal to be “harmony,” the overcoming of distinctions, conflicts, and oppositional energy by various conversions of the mind, the heart, the emotions, the body, and the will. They tend to be less concerned about metaphysics than we are, and also less concerned about the next world. We have different gifts, and also overlapping strengths.”

“Most ancient teachings – including those of Jesus and the Desert Fathers and Mothers, as well as aphorisms, riddles, stories, wisdom sayings, and concrete practices – revealed the small self to the person and opened her up to some form of the divine self. These wise teachings invariably sought to create balance both within and without. The emphasis was on spiritual practice – and on practices much more than on believing cerebral ideas to be true or false. They did not worry about ‘sin management’ the way we Western clergy did. Their concern was usually to seek some kind of equilibrium, inner harmony, or peace, which took many different forms and emphases. In general, they thought that balance brought one to divine union more than moral perfection did. It is very hard for Westerners to make this switch – to most of us it feels soft and amorphous.”

And from Ammon Hennacy (Catholic Activist, 1893-1970)

Love without courage and wisdom is sentimentality, as with the ordinary church member. Courage without love and wisdom is foolhardiness, as with the ordinary soldier. Wisdom without love and courage is cowardice, as with the ordinary intellectual. But the one who has love, courage and wisdom moves the world.

[As quoted by Shane Clariborne in The Irresistible Revolution, living as an ordinary radical, Zondervan, Grand Rapids Michigan, 2006]

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