Solemn Profession of Br Andrew

Clothed in his monastic cowl, Dom Andrew sings his vows. Below is a short account of the profession and Abbot Paul's homily.

"Suscipe, me Domine"

On the feast of St Thomas Aquinas, 28th January, Br Andrew made his solemn profession - his lifetime commitment to the monastic life at Belmont. It was a tremendous celebration for the whole monastic community, and for his family and friends that joined him for this very happy occasion. Monsignor Mark Crisp, the Rector, together with staff and students of Oscott College came down for the occasion.

The ceremony dates back to the 6th century, to the Rule of St Benedict itself. Br Andrew sang his vows and promised "in the presence of God and his saints," stability, conversatio morum and obedience. These are the traditional Benedictine vows reflecting a monk's commitment to be rooted in his monastic family (stability), being faithful to the monastic way of seeking God (conversatio morum) and an openness to listen and respond to the challenges presented by the Abbot and community (in obedience).

Perhaps one of the most moving moments was the singing of the Suscipe. Three times, taking a higher note each time, he sang 'Suscipe me Domine, secundum eloquim tuum et vivam, et non confundas me ab expectatione mea' (Receive me Lord, according to your promise and I will live. Do not disappoint me in my hope). The community repeated the verse each time after him. It a most moving expression of hope and trust in God. There is no monk who does not feel his heart renewed with fresh joy at the memory of his own Suscipe, sung, as it is, to a beautiful Gregorian tone.

The monks finally all sung together the Gloria Patri: an acclamation of praise to God. Each member of the community, in turn, gave an embrace of welcome to the new brother in their midst.

At the end of the service, Dom Andrew's hood was pinned up and he 'entered into the tomb' with Christ for three days complete silence. This is a precious and beautiful time of retreat and reflection that he will not forget. May he be granted many happy days serving God as a monk of Belmont.

Abbot Paul's Homily

Dear Andrew, the author of the First Book of Samuel tells us that, "it was rare for the Lord to speak in those days." It only goes to show that there has been a vocations' crisis for a very long time. I say that because any true vocation, like a monastic vocation, like your vocation, has to be the Lord calling, speaking, inviting. It is the Lord's doing. We often talk, quite wrongly, of a vocation being mine, my vocation, but no, it is not mine, it belongs to God, it is his. "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening," the boy Samuel is taught to say. It is God who speaks; we, in return, listen and respond. That is the dynamic of a true vocation. You have been called to seek God, to find him and to serve him in a Benedictine monastery. You have been called to be a monk of Belmont.

Like the boy Samuel the story of your vocation began many years ago. As it says in the Book of Revelation, you heard the Lord "standing at the door and knocking". In the depths of your heart you heard his voice and you opened the door and let him into your life. In becoming a Catholic, you allowed Jesus Christ "to come in to share his meal" with you, standing "side by side" with you. Then you heard him say, "Take up your cross and follow me. Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it. Anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it." What clearer call could there be to the monastic life? You heard that call and, giving up all things to follow Christ, you came to Belmont and eventually entered the novitiate.

In your own words, you have come "to love this place and love these people who have allowed me to share their lives. I don't regret this for one moment." That is why you have asked to take solemn vows today, because you love this place and those who make it such a special place, those who have been called, like yourself, by God to be monks in this place and to be members of this monastic community. We can well say what Jacob said of Bethel, "This is none other than the house of God. This is the gate of heaven." We, the monks of Belmont, love this place and, through God's grace, we love you and want you to be part of it, to be one of us as, bound to each other and to God by the vows of stability, conversion of life and obedience, we make haste towards the Kingdom. We pray that all of us, through patience, prayer and work, may persevere in our search for God in this holy place until the Lord call us to himself.

Today, of course, is a very special day on which to make your solemn profession. Who but you could have chosen the feast day of so great a saint, none other than Thomas Aquinas? He was the brightest pupil at the school at Montecassino and it was the abbot who told his father, the Count of Aquino, to take the boy to Naples so that he could study at the university. Against his parents' wishes (they had hoped he would become Abbot of Montecassino), he became a Dominican and one of the greatest thinkers the world has ever known. He was about your age when he died. Now in Question Two of the First Part of the Summa Theologica he debates the Existence of God. In Article Three, "Whether God exists", he writes "The existence of God can be proved in five ways." You know the rest by heart, though perhaps, as a Benedictine monk, you prefer St Anselm's exposition of the Ontological Argument.

Perhaps you are unaware that there is a seventh proof for the existence of God. Like most of us you might, of course, be hard-pressed to believe any of the proofs without the gift of faith to start with. Timothy Radcliffe, former Master of the Dominicans and a Benedictine Old Boy, just like Aquinas, has written that the purpose of the monastic life is to show to the world in a prophetic way that God exists. We are like men standing at a bus-stop, he says, waiting patiently day in, day out, come rain or shine, for the bus to come. Meanwhile other people rush by in cars, on bikes and on foot and, puzzled perhaps, stare at us just standing there. By our persistence and perseverance we proclaim to the world that God exists. He takes his time in showing up, but he is there alright. Others pass by and laugh. They think we are mad. But we wait in hope because we know that one day the bus will come. Watching and waiting, being vigilant in prayer; keeping the commandments, being faithful to our vows; loving the brethren, seeing Christ in all people; persevering in the monastery until death, never despairing of God's mercy; putting nothing whatever before Christ, we are the living proof that God exists. Why else would we be here? Why else would you be taking your vows today? You, Br Andrew, are the seventh proof for the existence of God. Remember that, and whenever they ask you, "What is the point of being a monk?" Just say in reply, "I am the seventh proof for the existence of God."