"When I am in adoration,
what matters is not my capacity to be lucid for an hour,
but rather the fact that in accounting for life,
I have chosen that all of myself should be His.
I am not there with my head, nor with my senses, but I am there,
and I am there, my God, because I have chosen to be there with you.
Whether I succeed or do not succeed at this is your business.
The important thing is that
— even if I lose my initial lucidity —
I must recall the days of my youth.
The youth that we must recall before God
is not our biological youth,
but rather the youth of the "Yes" we said to God.
To rejuvenate means to be always young before God."
Antonino Grimaldi, La sfida del puro amore,
Itinerario umano e spirituale di Madre Mectilde de Bar (1614–1698)
(Portalupe Editore, 2006, p. 131).
Yesterday a certain person was saying to me that she believed that the communities entrusted to her could be healed and rejuvenated by Eucharistic adoration. It is not for nothing that the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar of the Tridentine Missal begin with the words, Introibo ad altare Dei, ad Deum qui laetificat juventutem meam, "I will go up to the altar of God, to God who makes glad my youth" (Ps 42:4).
Spiritually, we grow old and stiff–jointed when we forget the "Yes" that first brought us to the foot of the altar in adoration. The recovery of a youthful spirit — not to be confused with an impulsive and immature spirit — but of the freshness and wisdom of spiritual childhood is intrinsically related to the recovery of adoration.
Communities (and individuals) grown old, and stiff, and resistant to change, that is, to conversion, can recover their youth, their suppleness, and the élan of their initial "Yes" by exposing themselves to the glorious Body of Christ in Eucharistic adoration.
In response to Thy presence, O Lord,
I offer Thee my presence.
In response to Thy silence,
I offer Thee my silence.
In response to the gaze of Thy Eucharistic Face,
I offer Thee my eyes.
In response to Thy Eucharistic Heart,
I offer Thee every heartbeat of mine.
In response to the mystery of Thy Eucharistic poverty,
I offer Thee my poverty.
My one desire is to remain before Thee
even as Thou remainest before me
in this the Sacrament of Thy Love.
Comments (6)
Thanks I copied for my afternoon reflection. sb
Posted by Anonymous | February 6, 2007 7:54 AM
Posted on February 6, 2007 07:54
Father: I've noticed that you are describing yourself as a Benedictine-Cistercian. Could you explain?
Great blog!
Posted by Neri | February 6, 2007 8:36 AM
Posted on February 6, 2007 08:36
Dear Neri, It has long been the custom for the monks of the Congregation of San Bernardo in Italia to identify themselves as Benedictine–Cistercians. First of all, we are Benedictines because we follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Then, the fact that we are an Italian Congregation very close to Holy Father Benedict probably influenced the choice of that designation. In some of our old books we are actually called "The Reformed Congregation of Saint Bernard of the Order of Saint Benedict." Here in my monastery of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme the Cistercian Missal and Office were not used; rather the Romano–Benedictine Office was in use until rather recently with adjustments made for the celebration of Cistercian saints.
If you look closely at the photo of one of our liturgical books that I posted a few days ago you will see that the name used for us is Benedictino–Cistercians. We are not Trappists. The Trappist Order (O.C.S.O.) came into existence as a separate entity in 1892 under Pope Leo XIII. The Congregation of San Bernardo in Italia came to Santa Croce in 1561 to replace the Carthusians.
Posted by Don Marco, O.Cist. | February 6, 2007 3:14 PM
Posted on February 6, 2007 15:14
To rejuvenate means to be always young before God
Beautiful reminder, Father.
Posted by Argent | February 6, 2007 4:27 PM
Posted on February 6, 2007 16:27
+Dear Father,
I hope you are not forgetting that today is also the Solemn Feast of St. Colette of Corbie, France, Virgin and Reformer of the 1st and 2nd Orders of St. Francis?! Surely not! Some of us are celebrating in high festivity...Thank you for your post today,nonetheless, because in a coincidental way it connects: You mention about the "youth" of our first response to God. Our proper first reading for today's Mass is from Hosea. And I am specifically thinking of 2:16-17- "I will allure her and lead her into the wilderness
There she will respond to me as in the days of her youth".
Now, this can have several levels of meaning, but I am thinking of the mystical sense of being led into the wilderness/desert away from everything that can draw us away from God and our choice of Him above all else. In that way, He can draw forth from us the "response of our youth", the purity and innocence of our first yes to Him. When we leave all things, or when all is taken from us, it is so we can see that God is all we need and ultimately, the only One to Whom we can say that complete "yes" of Love. I know this is not new to you, but just wanted to share my day. Are you familiar with Paul Claudel's poem on St. Colette: "Walled in Light"? It is magnificent. I could type it here for you, if you are interested. Glad to have you back posting here...
Posted by MVT | February 7, 2007 2:27 PM
Posted on February 7, 2007 14:27
Dear Dom Marco:
Are you forgetting your Poor Ladies so quickly?! Your friend always, Egeria.
Posted by Egeria | February 7, 2007 2:30 PM
Posted on February 7, 2007 14:30