April 2010
Vol. XXXI, No. 4
Dear Oblates and Friends of Portsmouth,
The Lord is risen; he is not here. Just as at the birth of Jesus, angels proclaimed the arrival of the Messiah, so also in Luke's Gospel two angels announce the joyful news of Jesus' resurrection after his death on Calvary and the three days spent in the tomb. This time, not to shepherds who represent the Jews as the Chosen People, but to the loyal women who had come with spices to minister to the corpse of their Master. He is not here. The empty tomb is the first sign that the miracle of man's redemption has taken place and with it, the course of history would be changed. The resurrection is an historical fact, but at the same time it transcends our notion of history and the natural order. The body of the risen Christ is not physically the same as it was before his death, since he has been raised in glory by the Father. Jesus has not been resuscitated, and accordingly, when he appeared first to the Magdalen, then to the Apostles gathered in the Cenacle and later by the Sea of Tiberias, he was not at first recognized. Recognition could only take place after believing in the fact of his resurrection.
Thomas is the exception to this; his belief only comes after being convinced that Jesus lives when he has had physical proof, placing Jesus' fingers in the wounds. He is then rebuked for his skepticism, despite his "My Lord and my God," the climactic expression of belief in the Fourth Gospel. This important scene is the evangelist's way of demonstrating the necessity of faith in the risen Jesus, since his visible, physical presence will end with his ascension. Henceforth, the disciples of Jesus will have to believe in his resurrection through the grace of faith. You have believed, Thomas, because you have seen. Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed. Christ will soon be present not in the body, but only in the sacrament of the Eucharist. Instituted at the Last Supper, sealed by his death on the Cross, and acknowledged by the Father at his resurrection. The two disciples on their journey to Emmaus recounted in Luke's gospel, likewise illustrate the same lesson of how Jesus continues to be present in two ways: when they recognize Jesus in the breaking of bread, upon which he abruptly vanishes; and the other way, when they acknowledge that "our hearts were burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us." Thus, Jesus is both the living bread and the life-giving word.
In the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome there is a marble sculpture of a naked, standing Jesus, holding a Cross which has become a symbol of victory over death. He is no longer weighed down by an instrument of torture or hanging on it as an executed criminal. He is the triumphant new Adam, inaugurating a new Covenant, a new Age, a figure of glory, no longer subject to death or bound by physical limitations. The forty days of celebration after Easter culminating in the feast of the Ascension, correspond to the forty day period of Lenten fasting and penance. Appropriately, they are filled with symbols of joy and the fruits of victory, of affirmation in life, of hope and faith renewed, and of love fulfilled. Jesus as the Light of the World can be seen in the Paschal Candle. The white vestments and golden frontal on the altar, the repeated alleluias, the flowers that decorate the church: all proclaim not only the Church's mood of joy, but also the peace, harmony and spirit of reconciliation that have been accomplished by Jesus' sacrificial act of redemption. The wine of Cana has become the sacramental blood of Jesus in the Eucharist; the miracle of the loaves and fishes has been fulfilled in the transformation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus in the Mass.
In the hymn composed by Thomas Aquinas, Adoro te devotas, which treats of the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, Gerard Manley Hopkins' translation captures the beautiful conciseness of its theology in the concluding stanza, a prayer that can express our faith each time we receive this sacrament:
Jesu, whom I look at shrouded here below,
I beseech thee, send me what I thirst for so:
Some day to gaze on thee, face to face in light,
And be blest for ever with thy glory's sight.
Abbaye de Fecamp and Benedictine Liqueur
A recent article in The New York Times called attention to the 500th anniversary of the most famous liqueur ever concocted, Benedictine. This postprandial cordial was first invented or discovered in 1510 when Dom Bernardo Vicelli, a monk of the renowned abbey of Fecamp in Normandy, blended and distilled 27 herbs and spices in an attempt to find a medicinal potion for the sick monks of his monastery. Called an Elixir, it was highly successful but the formula was kept secret and not used for commercial purposes. During the French Revolution, when the monastery was suppressed in 1791 and the buildings destroyed except for the abbey church (which was spared to serve the people), the recipe that had been so jealously guarded was lost until the secret was discovered by chance in a centuries-old book from the monastery library that had been placed on sale. This was among a cache of used books bought by Alexandre Legrand, a nineteenth-century entrepreneur, who recognized the value of his find and conducted experiments based on the ancient formula. Eventually, he succeeded in developing the liqueur which he cannily called simply Benedictine, acknowledging its source and giving it the cachet associated with a famous monastery, produit de Fecamp.
Many monastic houses have produced their own particular liqueurs: Chartreuse, originally produced by the Carthusians in France, immediately comes to mind, but the venerable monastery of Lerins on the isle of St. Honorat, just off Cannes, has developed several brands of liqueur. Even at Portsmouth Abbey, one of the monks, Dom Joseph Byron, periodically confects his own unique elixir, which compares favorably with its more renowned predecessors and is brought out for festive occasions. Fecamp, where the authentic liqueur is produced, now boasts a large museum adjoining the distillery, which displays the process without giving away the technique. A section of the museum is devoted to an exhibit of the many imitations attempting to capitalize on the Benedictine name and utilizing the same shape of bottle and the distinctive D.O.M. trademark (Deo Optimo Maximo: To God the Best and Greatest).
The Abbey of Fecamp, until the time of its destruction, had an ancient and illustrious history, dating back to the seventh century when it was founded as a convent for nuns. Destroyed by Vikings and later by Normans, Benedictine monks were established there, patronized by the Dukes of Normandy and by King Edward the Confessor, who was grateful for the hospitality he received when he spent his exile in Normandy prior to his reign in England. Famed for its production of illuminated manuscripts and its contributions to liturgical music in the Middle Ages, it continued its high reputation through scholarship when it embraced the Maurist reform in the 17th century. Until it was dispersed in 1791, the community maintained an exemplary monastic observance. It is perhaps ironical that it should be best remembered as the site where the most popular liqueur originated. In New York, a cocktail with Benedictine as its base is now being served called the Monte Cassino. But the chief demand is for its being mixed with a bottle of Courvoisier or Martell to reduce the sweetness and offer the added zest of a good brandy.
Liturgical Calendar for April
Cycle of Prayer: New Members of Church; Vocations;
Right Use of Media; the Church; Human Work
Services for Holy Week in the Abbey Church:
1 Maundy Thursday - Liturgy: 5 p.m.
2 Good Friday: Liturgy 5 p.m.
3 Holy Saturday: Paschal Vigil: 8 p.m.
4 EASTER SUNDAY: Masses: 7, 8, 9:30 a.m.
11 SUNDAY II OF EASTER
18 SUNDAY III OF EASTER
21 St. Anselm, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
23 St. George, Martyr, Patron of England
25 SUNDAY IV OF EASTER
Oblate Day of Recollection: Father John Neilson
29 St. Catherine of Siena, Doctor of Church
Patron of Europe
