Monks
as Angels
Abbot Paul's Homily
on the feast of St Michael and All Angels.
"I
tell you solemnly, you will see heaven laid open and, above the Son of
Man, the angels of God ascending and descending."
The first Christian monks believed that this word of Jesus to Nathanael was as much the basis of their lives as the texts from the Acts of the Apostles describing the life of the first Christian community in Jerusalem. So together with the terms Apostolic Life and Coenobitic Life, the early monks (and nuns, of course) used the term Angelic Life to describe the wonderful way of life to which the Lord had called them. So the Belmont Community, that has the privilege of living under the protection of St Michael and All Angels, is a community not just of apostles and coenobites: we are a community of angels, for that is what God has called us to be.And the longer you live in the community and get to know the brethren well, the more you come to realise what angels they are.
Why were the desert fathers so struck by the similarity of a monk's life to that of the angels? To begin with, the Bible tells us over and over again that the angels stand in God's presence night and day singing his praises, worshipping his majesty, basking in his glory, enjoying his presence, seeing his face. That is what a monk seeks to do, through the grace and the mercy of God. We are aware of God's presence not only when we gather together in church to celebrate the liturgy, but also in the refectory, the calefactory, the cloister, our cells, wherever we happen to be working, indeed wherever we are. The desire and the aim to practise continuous prayer lead us to see God in all the circumstances of our lives, in all places and in all people.
The Scriptures also tell us that the angels are God's messengers and servants. In this way too our vocation, such a tremendous gift of God, calls us to proclaim the truth and the beauty of God's word, the wisdom and the righteousness of his will, his breathtaking and gracious love for creation and for each one of his creatures, his children. At the same time we are called to serve the monastic community, our brethren, with charity and humility and without murmuring, as St Benedict reminds us constantly in the Holy Rule. And there is a wider call to service in the Church and in the world. Just think what Christian monks and nuns have contributed to mankind, to civilization in so many areas of life over the past 1800 years or so. Where would we be today without them?
Since our abbey church has been cleaned and the lighting improved we are all much more aware of the many angels who surround us and accompany us in our prayer: they're everywhere. The angels we can see depicted in art should be a reminder of the countless angels we cannot see with our eyes but are truly present when we join in their hymn of praise: Hagios, Sanctus, Holy, Holy, Holy. We should remember what and who we are and are called to be in the mystery of God's love and the intentions of his Divine heart. May today's feast and this celebration help us remember that we are called to be as the angels, light as a feather on the breath of God in the singing of his praises, messengers and servants of the Lord, nothing without Him but everything with Him.
On behalf of this beautiful community of angels I wish you all a very happy and grace-filled feast day. To the brethren who celebrate today the anniversary of a profession or ordination, every prayer and blessing. Amen.