TERCE

At 7:30 am the monks have a plain breakfast and then tend to their different morning chores until the bell tolls for Terce at 9am. Terce bears a close relationship to Sext and None, collectively known as the little hours which punctuate the day between the hinge hours of Lauds at sunrise and Vespers at sunset. The origin of Terce dates back to Apostolic times where according to an ancient custom of the Romans and Greeks, the day and night respectively were divided into four parts of about three hours each. The second division of the day contained the hours from about the modern nine o’clock until about midday; using the Roman numbering the hour just preceding this division was called hora tertia, the third hour, from which the word terce is derived. In the New Testament we find mention of the sixth hour in Matthew 20:5; Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; John 19:14; of the ninth hour, in Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:25; the Holy Spirit descends upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost at the third hour, Acts 2:15. As you look at these texts it seems that these three hours may appear in preference to others as those chosen for prayer. So Terce, known as the Third Hour of the day after dawn, is a fixed time of prayer consisting mainly of psalms. Terce as the marker of midmorning, signals a time to take a break from business for a time of blessing. In the western world we may have a tendency to see terce as an interruption to progress, just when we really get going we have to stop our activity to spend time with the Almighty. But Terce gives us a special gift, space for silence, which in our seductively high speed society, saturated with the sent of success we desperately need. Terce offers us a reminder of what is really important, that progress is not measured in our production or plans but prayer, that it is not found in our frantic activity but in our heavenly Father. Terce calls us away from our activity, and into intimacy with the Almighty. Jesus modeled this stepping away from the work for the word, the bible is filled with examples of Jesus withdrawing from the world to pursue the heart of the Father in prayer. Jesus took time for retreat and rest, resisting the pressure of the constant crowds and the push and pull of their momentary needs. Without retreat and respite we open ourselves up to being run over by the ruinous rush of His world. Jesus, in one of His frequently visited villages, found respite in the home of His close friends, the sisters Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus. In Luke 10:38 Martha invites Jesus in, its interesting to note here that Luke calls it Martha’s home even though Mary and Lazarus her siblings both live there. Whatever the legal ownership may be Martha has taken charge, placing her priority on her possession, something we see played out in her actions. Shortly after opening up her home to Jesus we see her coming to Jesus to complain about her sister Mary. Martha had invited Jesus in while Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. Luke tells us that Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made, so she came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” While Martha had opened up her home to Jesus, Mary had opened up her heart and her hearing. Martha’s focus was flawed, it was on the tasks instead of the truth, yet she was so convinced she was right she demanded that Jesus give her justice. Sometimes we can become so bold in our blind beliefs that we even try to boss God around. Notice her conviction was not based on Christ but her cares and concerns, which however good are still not God. While Mary was preoccupied with her place at Jesus feet, Martha’s possession had become her priority. Here we see the subtleness of self deception, and the seduction of activity. On the outside her activity seemed God focused yet it drove her to try and force God to do her will. Martha was more concerned with cleaning than Christ, trading his feet for frantic activity. Self deception leads us to feeling so spiritually superior, that we feel justified in judging others and their choice for Christ. In response to her request Jesus says: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset over all the details. There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” Jesus digs deep, helping us to discover the hidden motives of the heart. His response is practical and profound, he doesn’t discount or discredit her good work or dodge her heart issue of worry. Worry is like a worm that burrows into our beliefs, distracting and dividing the heart, pulling us apart. Martha was so distracted by the details that she missed the deity, and like her we also may be tempted to trade the great for the good. The good of house keeping was keeping Martha from the great of God, enjoying the presence of Jesus. Martha missed the peace, because she traded His presence for a possession. Her heart was consumed more by her home than Christ, so she traded the Almighty for activity. She started out intended to serve the Savior yet came to Him demanding He do her bidding. How often have I started out wanting to serve the Savior only to end up focused on self, driven by my dismissive demands. We too like Martha can become distracted, pulled apart by the demands of our day, and we need to discover like Mary what’s really important. We can not afford to rush passed the words of Jesus: “There is only one thing worth being concerned about” for in them we see the secret of satisfied living. The secret is not at the circumference but at the center, its not about reducing our activity but refocusing our heart. Its about where the lens of our longing is focused, its not enough just to open our home to Jesus, He wants our heart. Martha opened the door of her home to Jesus, she just didn’t dine on the divine. Not only was Martha caught up in the whirlwind of activity but she also tried to whisk Mary away with her while using The Lord sanction her action. If we are not careful we can reduce the Almighty to a rubber stamp, there simply to sanction our activity. This time called Terce is really a call to Christ, it isn’t taking us away from but instead its bring us to. Its a time to sit with the Savior, and like Mary to marvel at His majesty. To open our hearts to hear His words and truly listen undistracted to The Lord. In a world thats whizzing by at warp speed we need this mid morning pause in prayer. Today we live tethered lives, in a wired World Wide Web filled with a wealth of information yet steadily producing people with a poverty of attention. People so distracted in the doing that they too miss the deity, a society so bent on being better but bankrupt of belief. If we are not careful we too can go from servant to sullen, demanding our will while missing His. Jesus calls our actions a choice, no one forced Martha she chose and so did Mary. The question is what will we choose, the good or the great? We will be tempted to trade being for doing, to skip time with the Savior for the sake of success. Yet here I have learned to let my soul sit and soak in the silence. Far to often when it comes to truth I have been like a tourist trapped by my itinerary of seeing instead of soaking. But prayer allows me to be more like a pilgrim, who instead of just passing through pauses to drink it in. So far today I have accomplished nothing significant for the Savior yet He loves me and is pleased with me apart from my performance. Real peace is not found in my performance but in His presence. Today like me you have a choice, will you pause in the presence of the Prince or rush on by choosing instead a different preoccupation?

Moments in a Monastery – Part 4

While at the monastery I had the privilege of chatting with one of the monks, Father Giles, who I shared a name with and who had helped me on my first day. Father Giles entered monastic life at Pluscarden in 1972, the year I was born. Monks take the following 3 vows which are not listed in any order of significance:

1. Conversion – This vow involves monks choosing monastic living, a conversion of life for life. This vow does not have a direct English equivalent, because the Latin can take the meaning of both a conversion of one’s behavior and or conversion to monastic living. However in practice, this vow means both, with an emphasis on the latter. Through the vow of conversion, the monk embraces the essential aspects of monastic Christianity: dedication to prayer, celibacy, sharing of material goods in community, a life of simplicity.

2. Stability – Monks take a vow of stability to a specific monastery, thereby making a commitment to a community. This vow of stability to a monastery allows for quick and substantial growth in purity of heart and charity, while providing stability in the community.

3. Obedience – Monks take a vow of obedience to the abbot of the monastery. They no longer live by their own judgment, giving into their whims and appetites; rather they walk according to another’s decisions and directions, choosing to live in a monastery and to have an abbot over them. Men of this resolve unquestionably conform to the saying of the Lord, “I have come not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me” John 6:38. The monastic way of life is one of continual learning, growing, self sacrifice and commitment to community. The monastic not only believes in the Lord Jesus Christ but abandons all monetary gain, accumulated possessions, and inheritance to follow the Lord. Forsaking the need for materialism allows the monk to cooperate more fully with God as he strives to do God’s Will

Musings of a Monk and a Minister

I asked Father Giles what his greatest struggle was, to which without much hesitation he replied living with poverty. I was slightly surprised as one would have thought that after 42 years he would have adjusted to and become accustomed to going without. But my understanding and interpretation of his answer was not what he meant, he went on to explain, turning the tables to where I was once again surprised. Here was just another reminder that so often our interpretation of what is said and meant may not be accurate. Going on, Father Giles elaborated saying “in some ways material poverty is the easy part, its the poverty of my spirit that I wrestle with, my lack of faithfulness. Wrestle with your wretchedness, coming face to face with your bankruptcy, realizing your utter poverty without God’s provision of Christ.” How many of us really get past the material to the spiritual, and come face to face with our “filthy rags” as Isaiah 64:6 calls them? May be that is why Jesus in His first sermon on the beatitudes talked first about the poor in spirit. At this point Father Giles leaned in looked me in the eye and said “what if God’s children learned to accept poverty as a gift? But that would require us learning to live life embracing the liberating freedom of Sonship. For it is the unconditional love of God that liberates not our effort. The liberating gift of Sonship means that its not about doing but being, being in His presence.” What if we really embraced the truth, grasping the gift of God? Yet so many christians do and do but never be, leading a life filled with activity yet empty of the Almighty. So much of the Christian life has become imposed instead of sought, rules instead of relationship. Today we come into His presence with our many petitions, give me this or give me that, but we walk away having missed the greatest gift, God. The gift is not in what we get its in God. Here was the question I had to wrestle with, “what are you here for to get or to God?” God is not some cosmic slot machine where we put in our request and He responds with our wants. How many of us have reduced the relationship to a request, treating God more like a genie than a gift, here to do what I what according to my whim. No, the liberating gift of Sonship is that I already have, you see my cup is already overflowing. So instead of demanding more I chose to drink deep from the cup of His already blessed provision. Father Giles then asked me a question, “do you know why so many walk away? Well the problem with Christianity is not that it has been tried and found wanting but that it has been tried and found hard.” Its not easy living for The Lord, but He never said it would be so why would we expect it to be. “Yes there are difficult physical things like personal poverty, not having anything that you can claim as yours or not being able to go to a concert. Or when you are not able to do something you desire because its not just about your concerns but community. Yet these are all temporary things and over forty years I have gone without many wants but never any needs.” I asked him what was the greatest blessing of being a monk, to which he replied: “the gift of living in community.” Again I was surprised by his answer but then again why wouldn’t I, for we live in a world that shuns community. We see community as a burden, an obligation that binds us, trying us down with its demands, holding us back and holding us hostage. Why because our focus is so on self, that all we can see are the restraints of community instead of the riches. Father Giles then went on to expound upon the gift of living in community. He said: “living in community there are no pretenses you can’t pretend to be what and who you are not. You see when you live in the closeness of community people get to see the real you, there is no hiding the fact that you are a fallen fallible being. You don’t have to waste your time keeping up an image, you can stop pretending. So many put their time and effort into propping up a facade, the store front looks good on the outside but inside its shelves are empty, it has nothing to offer. Community lets you stop wasting precious time propping up a picture of who others think you should be or even who you may think you want to be. Community cuts to the heart of who you really are, it gives you the facts and with that you have the foundation upon which the Father can build. Instead of maintaining an image you are free to get on with the real thing. Christianity is not about painting a picture or propping up an image its about personal change. Christ didn’t come so we could look good He came so that we could be good. Here in community we know we are all sinners, community is like a rock tumbler, the rough gem stones go in together and as they bounce and bang into each other they become polished. Today we desire the finished product we just don’t want the process, we want to be a finished Gem but we just don’t want to have to crash around in community. We see the bumps and bangs of community as a problem and yes sometimes just like a rock tumbler it gets noisy and there is heat from all the conflict and you wonder how will this ever work? But we need to live with each other, we need to bang into what and who will polish our rough edges. People see us Monks as weird, why, because we choose to live in community where we can be interdependent and serve each other. Today people want change independent of community, we want to retain our independence, we don’t want the friction that comes from family. People may say they want community but in truth they want coddled, community can be hard and the greatest challenge to it is me and my wants. But isn’t selfishness one of the rough edges that needs polished smooth in our lives? But its not just community that counts, its Christ at the center, for without Christ as the connection of community is there really any lasting change? He told me that one of the gifts of community is that we get to not just see change we experience it. One of the greatest pleasures is see other peoples progress, that novice monk who starts as a wreck and is slowly transformed. I then asked him how he gets what he needs to which he replied we go to the abbot. We ask him for what we need but only after careful consideration, and personal questioning, is this really a need or a want? The abbot then determines if we really need it, checks and balances are another gift of living in community. Something we in selfish society, don’t like because we might be told no. Today we use activity to avoid the Almighty, in an attempt to avoid dealing with our own flaws. For when we stop and sit before God we come face to face with who He is and in His light we see the shadow of our fallen self. We don’t just come face to face with God we come face to face with ourselves. That is why so few really stop and sit with the Savior for fear they might see the reflection of their own flaws. Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden until sin entered in, one of the first effects of sin was hiding from God. Yet it was the grace of God that sought them out, “where are you, I have come to commune with you” it is God that clothed their nakedness and covered their sin. The same Savior still seeks, calling us to come and sit, to take time to come and commune. So today will you come and commune with Christ?