Vol. XXVIII                                No. 9

Dear Oblates and Friends of Portsmouth,

        Honesty is a theme which constantly recurs in Scripture, whether it be in our dealings with others, with the State, with God, or even with ourselves. The prophets in the Old Testament constantly found themselves in the position of reminding their hearers, sometimes in harsh denunciation,  of  their failures to deal justly with their fellowmen, especially in taking advantage of the defenseless poor, to increase their already considerable wealth,  a  crime that cries to God for vengeance. The linking of morality with  God  is one of the great advances in mankind's understanding of the supernatural, since in the ancient world, at least until the time of the Greek philosophers and dramatists,  the gods tended to be indifferent to the ways mortals treated each other, and their own behavior was hardly worthy of emulation. Through revelation the Jews paved the way in portraying a God deeply concerned with human moral behavior as  essential in demonstrating love and respect for Himself.  The plays of  Aeschylus and Sophocles explore the primacy of  the eternal divine law and how it  takes precedence when there is a  conflict between it and man-made law. Violation of this law inevitably brings about divine  retribution, with tragic consequences for those who presume to transgress, with the punishment often affecting  the guiltless as well; hence, the problem of evil heightened in the suffering of the innocent.

        The prophet  Amos, who lived several centuries before these Greek dramatists, dwelt in the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Although he was a poor shepherd, he knew how to preach and to write, and felt the call to go where he was most needed in order to correct the abuses which afflicted  the poor. Hearing of the flagrant dishonesty of the wealthy few towards the impoverished majority in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, he made the journey there, where he found the division between the rich and poor steadily widening and the oppression of those in power increasing  with alarming rapidity.  His message was harsh and uncompromising, convinced  as he was that he was acting as God's spokesman and eager to effect a change through an appeal to conscience and an insistence on justice. The forthright language of the peasant Amos was calculated to shock, but  instead of awakening a sense of guilt,  his words only aroused  a deeper indignation and resentment, and he was angrily ordered to return to his own country by  the priest of Bethel.  Without conversion  or repentance or change of  behavior, their destruction was foretold and it soon came to pass at the hands of the Assyrians, a direct result of their refusal to heed the warning of God through his prophet.

        In the New Testament God himself speaks to us through the words of Jesus, either directly or through the familiar method of parable.  In the parable of the unjust steward, for example,  we are dealing with an individual rather than with a class of  society. He has not deprived the poor, but has cheated his master through dishonest practices and, having been found out, he is now  being brought to account.  The steward  continues his dishonest practices, shrewdly altering the debts of those under him.  It is this cleverness in the ways of the world, the practical way of  dealing with material goods  that the Master praises, not his dishonesty, with the point being that our spiritual future is infinitely  more important than that of the perishable present, with a need for the greater care and prudence in the way we act toward each other and, hence, toward the God who sees all our actions and knows all our thoughts.

        Part of the meaning of the parable of the unjust steward lies in the correct use of wealth, which is referred to in a somewhat disparaging way as the world's goods or the unrighteous mammon, since too often riches are used or obtained in an unlawful or unjust way, and so turn one away from God.  The recent scandal of the Enron Corporation  is an instance of the far-reaching consequences of the overweening greed for wealth of a management totally devoid of morality and concern for the thousands of victims of their fraudulent schemes. Wealth and property are to be viewed as being managed with God as the true owner; we are acting in the role of stewards, since all that we have, all that we are, we owe to God as our Creator and Provider. The goods that we own we have in trust and cannot be squandered or accumulated at the expense of the rights of others who are less fortunate.

        Amos and  Jesus  continue to remind us  and warn us of the  primacy of God and His law over the mammon of unrighteousness, and the consequences of  the pursuit of material gain without a regard for justice. God is the providential Father of all, but he is also the  just Judge, whose approval is  required if we are  to  merit  the joy of the Lord as his good and faithful servants.  

Liturgical Calendar for September

(Cycle of Prayer: Spread of the Gospel; Fruits of Human Work; Reverent Use of Creation; Justice and Peace in the World; Victims of War & Disease)

2        SUNDAY XXII OF THE YEAR

3        SAINT GREGORY THE GREAT, Pope & Doctor

          Patron  of Portsmouth Abbey

4        St. Cuthbert, Bishop

8        Birthday of Our Lady

9        SUNDAY XXIII OF THE YEAR

13      St. John Chrysostom, Bishop & Doctor

14     Triumph of the Holy Cross

15     Our Lady of Sorrows

16     SUNDAY XXIV OF THE YEAR

17    St. Hildegard, Virgin, (Sibyl of the Rhine)

St. Robert Bellarmine, Bishop  &  Doctor

19    St. Januarius, Bishop & Martyr

20    SS. Andrew Kim, Paul Chong and Companions

          Korean Martyrs

21    St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

      23  SUNDAY XXV OF THE YEAR

24   Our Lady of Walsingham

26   Saints Cosmas and Damian, Martyrs

27  St. Vincent de Paul, Founder of Vincentians

28  St. Wenceslaus, Duke and Martyr

29  St. Michael and All Angels

30  SUNDAY XXVI OF THE YEAR

      Oblate Day of Recollection: Dom Damian

      The Use of the Psalter as Prayer 
      Saint Vincent De Paul (1581 - 1660)
      September  27

           In 1948  Jean Anouilh, the leading French playwright of his time , collaborated with a film script writer, Bernard Luc, in the production of the internationally acclaimed film, "Monsieur Vincent,"  the story of St. Vincent

           De Paul, friend of the poor and intimate of the rich and privileged. Until his

           "conversion,"  Vincent  seemed headed for the comfortable life of a well

           connected priest who knew the right people, enjoying the benefices which,

          despite his peasant background, would place him with the aristocracy. A

          highlight of the film  shows Vincent, who had been appointed  Chaplain to the     

          thousands of galley  prisoners,  identifying  with their inhuman conditions

          by joining them and helping to row the galley. For the rest of his life, he

         dedicated his ministry to alleviating the conditions of the indigent, the sick, the

         homeless and the orphaned, appealing to the philanthropy of his wealthy friends.

        Not least among his contributions to the church and  society was the vital role he

        played  in the  founding of the Daughters of Charity with Louise de Marillac. His

        energy seemed limitless as he established  seminaries, army chaplaincies,

        hospitals, orphanages, and retreat houses. No one better deserves the title of

        "Patron of Charities"  than the saint of the poor, Monsieur Vincent.

Monastery  Notes

     On August 22 Dom Richard Yeo, Abbot President of the English Congregation, presided over the election of Portsmouth's third Abbot, Dom Caedmon Holmes, who was appointed Prior-Administrator in 2005. He will hold office for a term of eight years.         

     On July 1 Dom Damian Kearney was appointed Director of Oblates, replacing Dom Philip Wilson, who  served for more than ten years, succeeding  Dom Maurus Fleming  in 1996.

     The Wind Turbine continues to attract attention with groups coming  from far and wide to  learn more about this source of energy and its economic and ecological impact. Among recent visitors were a  group of engineers from Yale  and  two classes of   young students from  Brown's summer program. The town of Portsmouth also held a three day symposium hosted by the Abbey for the benefit of the public.

     Three valuable  prints  by the  German expressionist artist, Max Beckmann, have recently come to light and have been catalogued. They were acquired many years ago by the late Dom Hilary Martin.

     A handsome Greek vase dating from the middle of the fourth century B.C. has been sent by alumnus Peter Ferry, adding to his previous gifts of ancient coins,  Roman glass and Greek pottery,  which are housed in the School Library and Art Center.

     The two Lourdes pilgrimages, sponsored by the school in conjunction with alumnus Hugh Markey and Mrs. Hope Carter, were attended  by Dom Christopher Davis and Dom Joseph Byron in the month of July.

     During the summer  the Abbey was host to a number of visitors, benefiting from the use of the grounds and school facilities.  These included the Antique Auto Show, a variety of athletic camps, the Summer School, many of the students coming from foreign countries to learn English or improve their language skills, the Vintage Commonwealth Dancers, and other groups for varying periods of time.

     Oblate Days of Recollection for the coming year  will take place on September 30, October 21, November 18, February 1, March 9,  April 27, and June 1.  The topics and names of those giving the conferences will be announced in next month's issue of  the Newsletter.