Life after death – Fr. Richard Walz, OSB

In the Book of Job, the question is asked: "If a man die, shall he live again?"[Job 14:14] This question has challenged people throughout history. All kinds of answers have been given. The Old Testament did not have a very clear idea of life after death. There was a belief in a kind of shadowy existence, but little was known about this or what it would be like.

In Jesus’ time the Sadducees claimed man had no soul, so at death he simply ceased to exist. Modern materialists say we evolved by natural forces from animals, so, like the animals, we simply cease to exist at death. There are those who might hope there is life after death, but are not planning on it. Their lives give no evidence that they expect to live on after death.

The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection because they denied the existence of the soul. If there was no soul, then when the body died it simply rotted in the ground. Jesus responded by quoting God's statement to Moses [who the Sadducees did believe in], "I AM the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." God said this after these men had died. But God is not “the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”

Of course, these arguments really only convince those who already believe in God. But what about those people who neither believe in God nor in the Word of God?

One of the best answers I have heard is the one describing the argument between the believer and the atheist. The atheist says to the believer: “Just think of the possibility that I am right and there really is no God. You will have wasted your whole life, since in the end you will just die and cease to exist.”

The believer responds by saying: “Think of the possibility that I am right and there IS a God. You will have wasted the whole of eternity! And what’s more, if I am wrong, I will never know it because I ceased to exist at death; but if you are wrong you will know it for all eternity!”

We believe in God and in eternal life. During this month of November we express our hope in the resurrection by praying for those who have gone before us and sleep in death. A passage in the Book of Maccabees tells us: “It is a good and wholesome thought to pray for the dead.” And so we do.

Wildfire – Br. Eric Loran, OSB

In our part of Northwest Arkansas there comes the time of year that everyone dreads, “Flu Season.” Once this malady arrives, it spreads like ’Wildfire’ and disrupts many planned activities. The Academy Administration has had to cancel two major events, “Parent Weekend” and “Discovery Weekend.” These two events are important both for getting families together briefly, and for opening the Academy for potential students to discover what we are all about here.

The medical staffs of both the Academy and Abbey are working long hours to care for those infected by this flu bug. We have these little hand sanitizer bottles placed in strategic spots for everyone’s use.

The thought occurred to me that we as individuals influence the atmosphere where we live by our attitudes. If we are positive and cheerful, this way of relating to those around us will spread like a ‘Wildfire” same as the flu. If we are always negative and grumpy this dark cloud follows us, spreads to others, and they carry this to others just like a disease. Perhaps the old saying that a cheerful disposition is good medicine for body and soul can apply well to our flu dilemma as supplemental medical treatment.

Saint and Souls

Please remember All Saints and All Souls of Subiaco

The Oldest Biblical Text – Abbot Jerome Kodell, OSB

All of the biblical texts we have are copies of copies. We have none of the original manuscripts, the youngest of which would be 1900 years old today. We do possess excellent and reliable texts because of the faithfulness of the scribes who copied the originals and their successors. The oldest manuscripts of the complete Old Testament are just over a thousand years old, the Aleppo Codex from about 930 A.D. and the Leningrad Codex from 1008. The oldest of the New Testament are from the fourth century A.D., Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus.

There are parts of books and thousands of fragments which are older than these complete volumes. It is always exciting to find even an ancient fragment of a known biblical text. Imagine the excitement in 1947 when an Arab sheepherder discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls containing Old Testament manuscripts which had been copied between 150 B.C. and 70 A.D. These contained not only fragments but extensive texts (including the whole Book of Isaiah) which were more than a thousand years older than the Aleppo and Leningrad manuscripts.

In 1979 Gabriel Barkay of Bar-Ilan University in Israel, excavating a burial site southwest of Jerusalem, discovered what are up to now the oldest fragments of the Bible that we have. In the excavation level dated to the late 7^th century B.C. were two tiny silver amulets containing the priestly blessing of Numbers 6:24-26: “The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace.” This was from the time of the prophet Jeremiah and King Josiah, just before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. These amulets are over four centuries older than the Dead Sea Scrolls. The complete story of this latest discovery is told in the Summer/Fall 2009 anniversary issue of the Biblical Archeology Review.

My Story: Church History – Br. Patrick Boland, OSB

I recently had the privilege and challenge of speaking to a group of RCIA catechumens on the subject of Church history, at Christ the King Parish in Fort Smith. While the task to cover 2000 years of Church history in 90 minutes is daunting, I hope I was able to at least cover the major points and provide them with sufficient resources to begin their personal study of specific times or events.

The history of the Church is similar to a life-story, as the years pass we have moments of great insight and growth intermixed with times of struggle and possibly damaging behavior. However, just as surely as the next day comes, we have the opportunity to look back and evaluate our behaviors and put our best foot forward; so to speak, on this journey we call life.

I can think of many times in my own personal life that I was not at my best, occasionally this was due to outside influences, but usually it was my own doing by not making good decisions, either through ignorance, denial or pride. The Church has had its fair share of mistakes, just like me, but that doesn’t make the Church “bad” or me either for that matter. I can acknowledge my errors, just as the Church has done and we both can and have made efforts to repair or reconcile those relationships.

I suggest we can learn a lot about who we are by studying our history, whether that be as Christians, Americans, a particular family origin or nationality. I suppose another reason this method makes sense to me is that I have kept a family tree for the past 7-8 years and have not only thoroughly enjoyed learning about the history of my family, but also meeting so many of my living relatives that I had not previously known has been a very special treat. My family history, just like my own and the Church has not been “perfect”, but by careful reflection these histories can be the source of great insight and growth for future endeavors.

Start Spreadin' the News – Br. Joseph Heath, OSB

On Wednesday, October 21, Abbot Jerome preached a homily on true freedom. We experience true freedom fundamentally when we are dependent on God for all we need. What we need is the grace to live the life God wants to live and are dependent upon God for the graces necessary to do so. This is our greatest need. All else falls into place when we place this need first, truly desire our need, and depend entirely upon God to guide and strengthen us, and rely upon God's forgiveness and mercy for when we fall short. This is the Good News for us who believe in the power of God to shape and change our lives, in order that we may reflect God's Image and Presence in the world we live in!

Several meditations came to mind the past couple weeks along these lines, and Abbot Jerome's homily reaffirmed these:

"Let us approach the throne of grace, confident of God's mercy and grace for timely help."

Hebrews 4:16 (2nd Reading, 29th Sunday, Year B)

"I treasure Your promise in my heart, lest I sin against You."

Psalm 119:11

Know thyself...the unexamined life is not worth living."

Socrates

"To thine own self be true."

William Shakespeare

"The Truth will make you free."

Gospel of John

"In all things may God be glorified."

St. Benedict

"Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done."

The Lord's Prayer

Baseball player/monk by Br. Ephrem O’Bryan, OSB

On October 19 Subiaco monks remember Brother Walter Sproull, OSB, on the anniversary of his death in 1986. My own memory about Br. Walter dates from my freshman year at Subiaco Academy where I worked under him in janitorial tasks in Alumni Hall. It was in this classroom building that I experienced Benedictine hospitality from the example of Br. Walter, who always treated us with kindness and humor during our after-school work period. Being a fan of major league baseball, I also was in awe of Br. Walter who had played minor league baseball as an outfielder in the St. Louis Browns system from 1939 to 1941; his smooth swing at the plate was still evident in informal games at Subiaco. Later, in my days in formation as a novice and young monk, I again worked under Br. Walter’s supervision in the monastic refectory.  And again I appreciated his devotion to duty, his work ethic, and his humor.