July 2009
Vol. XXX, No. 7
Dear Oblates and Friends of Portsmouth,
In the middle of the summer one of the Sunday gospels narrates the incident of the loaves and fishes, among the most familiar and spectacular of Jesus' miracles, one which is recounted by all four evangelists, indicating the importance it held for the time of his ministry and for the early Christian communities for whom the gospels were written. In the catacomb of Callixtus in Rome a favorite mural is one of the fish and a basket of loaves of bread, and in Israel, at the traditional scene of the miracle, there is a mosaic of two fish beside a vessel containing cross-marked loaves on the pavement of a fifth-Century church built to commemorate this event. For us, too, the miracle is equally significant, since it is at the very heart of Jesus' teaching, foreshadowing as it does the gift of Himself that Jesus bequeathed to us when he promised "not to abandon us and leave us orphans." John's account of the miracle, a sign of a deeper reality, is the one that concentrates on the doctrine of the Eucharist, adding soon after this sign a discourse that more properly belongs to the scene of the Last Supper.
In John's treatment he connects the miraculous feeding of the five thousand with his Word and with Himself as the Bread of Life. Likewise, the synoptic accounts link this event with the words of consecration of the bread and wine in the Eucharist: "Looking up to heaven, he blessed, broke and gave to his disciples." John also notes the time of the miracle as being near the Passover, to emphasize the role of Jesus' becoming the Passover, as both priest and paschal lamb.
In reflecting on this miracle, one is first struck by the compassion of Jesus and his "Good Shepherd" concern for the welfare of the multitude who have been eagerly listening to his sermon. He is troubled at their plight of being without food and with little likelihood of satisfying their hunger in this lonely place with evening fast approaching. The inability to feed such a large crowd is heightened by the fact that only five barley loaves and two fishes are available. The apostles have no solution to the problem. Only Jesus knows what to do and has the power to do it.
Secondly, the apostles, here named Philip and Andrew, are the same two who later are approached by the Greek-speaking Jews who had come to Jerusalem and who wished to speak with Jesus. A subtle allusion to the fact that the Eucharist, once instituted, will be extended to the Greek-speaking or gentile world. The Word and the Bread given here to the Chosen people are to become available for all mankind.
A third point made by all the evangelists is the prodigality of feeding such a multitude, a foreshadowing of one of the attributes of the Messiah, who, when he comes, will provide a never-ending banquet for the elect. This is precisely why the people seek him, identifying him with the long-awaited messiah, and they wish to make him king. Jesus escapes to a solitary place, bereft even of the companionship of the apostles, who, like the crowd, are ignorant of the spiritual significance of what has happened. John adds a discourse immediately afterward, explaining that He is the Bread of Life, which, when consumed, will bring eternal life. At this the people murmur, lacking comprehension, mistaking the literal for the spiritual, and "no longer walk with him" in a mass desertion based on their lack of faith and disappointed hope - unlike the apostles, who despite their incomprehension, remain loyal through the strength of their faith in the conviction that Jesus alone has "the words of eternal life."
What effect should this account of the loaves and fishes have on us as we receive the Eucharist, all too often not adverting sufficiently to what it truly signifies? Paul, the first Christian theologian, tells us in his epistles that when we receive the Eucharist in a worthy state, we participate in the unity the sacrament brings about (communion); that the barriers between ourselves and each other disappear and, simultaneously, we are united to the triune God "who is Father of all, who is over all, and works through all, and is in all." The prayer of grace before meals used in our monastery is taken from Psalm 145 and is one that we can all use appropriately and ecumenically, as we manifest our dependence on God, our Provider, our Father and our Lord. "The eyes of all hope in you, O Lord, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand and fill every living creature with blessing."
From a hymn composed by Saint Thomas Aquinas:
O bread to pilgrim given, Give us for thy long pining,
O food that angels eat, To eat till richly filled;
O manna sent from heaven, Till, earth's delights resigning,
For heaven-born natures' meat; Our every wish is stilled.
LITURGICAL CALENDAR FOR JULY
3 St. Thomas, Apostle
4 Elizabeth of Portugal, Queen
5 SUNDAY XIV OF THE YEAR
11 St. Benedict, Abbot, Patron of Europe
12 SUNDAY XV OF THE YEAR
14 Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha
15 St. Bonaventure, Bishop & Doctor
19 SUNDAY XVI OF THE YEAR
22 St. Mary Magdalen
23 St. Bridget of Sweden, Religious
Patron of Europe
25 St. James the Greater, Apostle
26 SUNDAY XVII OF THE YEAR
29 SS Martha, Mary & Lazarus, Friends of Jesus
30 St. Peter Chrysologus, Bishop, Doctor
31 St. Ignatius of Loyola, Founder of Jesuits
MONASTERY NOTES
In May the Abbess of Stanbrook in England sent Abbot Caedmon a portrait of Portsmouth's first canonical Prior, Dom Wulstan Knowles, who was appointed to this post by the Abbot of Fort Augustus, transferring him from Saint Anselm's Priory in Washington, D.C. In 1926, Fort Augustus took on the responsibility for Portsmouth from Downside Abbey, which in 1919 had sponsored the first EBC American house under Dom Leonard Sargent, who, as the founder of the Priory, was accorded the honorary title of Prior until the transfer of the monastery to Fort Augustus in 1926. At this time Dom Hugh Diman founded the School, under the Prior, Dom Wulstan, who continued in this office until his election as Abbot of Fort Augustus in 1929. Upon his departure, Dom Hugh was then appointed the second Prior, remaining Headmaster as well. In 1949 Dom Wulstan returned to Portsmouth to grant the monastery independent status, appointing Dom Gregory Borgstedt Conventual Prior. At the close of Fort Augustus in 1999 the portrait was sent to Stanbrook where Dom Wulstan had spent his last years after serving several terms as Abbot. For this valuable archival picture, we are deeply grateful to the community of Stanbrook.
The Honorable Donald Gregg, former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, gave the Mother Seton Lecture in May, in which he described the years he spent in the C.I.A. and his government service as Ambassador. His presence was especially appreciated by the large number of students from South Korea attending the School.
At the commencement exercises in May, the speaker was the Honorable Raymond Flynn, former mayor of Boston and recent U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican, an office he held from 1993 to 1997 under President Clinton. During his tenure in Rome, he frequently accompanied Pope John Paul on his travels during which he developed a close friendship with the Pope, described in his book, John Paul II, A Personal Portrait of the Pope and the Man.
During May, Dom Christopher Davis was invited to give a blessing to the newly installed wind turbine erected by the town of Portsmouth at the High School. It has already more than vindicated the wisdom of constructing it through its efficiency and the enormous saving in fuel consumption.
Dom Julian Stead also officiated recently at a blessing of the new award-winning HUNT 52 yacht at Hunt Yachts, Inc., located in Portsmouth.
Dom Gregory Havill reported that, while in Rome, he had the opportunity of visiting the museum/home of the celebrated sculptor, Giacomo Manzu, an important influence on his own sculptural works. Dom Gregory returned from his sabbatical in June, his health restored and able to return to the School's Art Department in the Fall.
