| At Monte Cassino in Italy there still exists a monastery established by St. Benedict more than 1500 years ago. Because it was perched on the side of a hill overlooking British and American forces attempting to advance northward, the Allied World War II military commanders believed that it was being used by the German Army as highly strategic lookout post. Consequently, in 1944, the worst saturation bombing in all of history, up to that point, leveled the monastery.
When the smoke cleared, no soldiers were found inside, only civilians who had fled there for refuge. The bombing had killed most of them.
After the war ended, the monastery was rebuilt on its hillside perch where it remains to this day, looking more glorious and more beautiful than ever. Actually, through its 1500 year history, the monastery was destroyed many times, by fire and earthquake and war. And always it was rebuilt to appear more beautiful than before.
This history is symbolized in the “coat of arms” of the monastery which depicts an oak tree that has been cut down, lying next to its stump. Growing out of the stump are new branches, bearing new green leaves. Underneath this visual image are the words, “Cut down, it comes to new life.” 1
Perhaps that once sentence motto, “Cut down, it comes to new life”, is the real message of Easter in concrete terms for each one of us. For most of us, life is not without its painful times or even its daily painful moments.
A friend of mine has been dealing with a difficult work situation. In it not uncommon for him to call me several times each week from his office to discuss the latest turn of events. He says he makes these calls for two reasons: firstly, because he needs some moral support, and secondly, because he needs – and wants – to be encouraged see God’s activity at work in his life even when things seem difficult. I encourage his calls because I am firmly convinced that Jesus is the vine which sustains our lives. You and I are the branches which sustain that life in others. For that reason, I need to remind myself often that what may seem an inconsequential act of kindness may be the very essence of what another person needs to get through a difficult moment in life.
Of course I wonder how many times each week I also fail to offer that simple word of encouragement because I am too busy or too preoccupied with “bigger matters” or simply being selfish with my time.
There is a story about a self-centered old man who dreams that he died and went to hell. In the midst of his anguish, he looks heavenward and cries out for a second chance. A voice from above asks him what he had done in his earthly life to merit a second chance.
After much soul-searching, all the man can remember is that while walking in the woods one day, he saw a spider and did not kill it. At once, the thin, silvery thread of a spider web is lowered to within his reach. He eagerly grabs hold of the thread, and it begins to rise and lift him out of his misery.
At that moment two of his fellow inmates [in hell] grab onto his feet and his garment, hoping to escape. Fearing that the thread will break, the man cries out, “Let go! Let go!”
The others do not let go – whereupon the thread breaks, and all three fall back into hell. The self-centered old man realizes that the thread was strong enough to lift all together, but it could not bear the burden of a selfish soul. 2
What Jesus is saying to us in this morning’s gospel reading is really quite simple. If we are truly his disciples, we will want to do his work, to continue it on a daily basis, because he abides in us and we abide in him: if we love him, we will keep his commandments. In many ways it is a comforting image. He wants to be a part of our daily lives, whether things go well or, as often happens, not so well. But the message is that he is with us for the long haul. However, it is a relationship which needs daily sustenance. Dropping into church whenever we want something or praying only when it is convenient will not sustain a relationship with him.
If you spend much time in the garden, you discover quickly that certain vines can really grow. A number of years ago, we moved into a house which had been vacant for some months. As a result, the garden was overgrown with vines and all sorts of plants which grew up the side of the house. I spent a good month in the spring of that year cutting back, pruning, and trying to make some order out of nature’s seeming chaos in the yard. While I made it look considerably better, I was never really able to win the battle with the simple, elegant vines which would grow almost overnight as if by magic. They were so easily cut out and cut down, and yet they came back with such speed. They were almost impossible to remove on a permanent basis.
In a way, prayer is like a vine which is growing in the springtime. Once prayer becomes a part of our lives each day, it is almost impossible to eradicate. Prayer isn’t always easy nor is it always convenient. Sometimes we just don’t feel like talking with God because it’s an effort to do so.
However, if we have established a day-to-day relationship with Christ our Lord, then before long prayer works its way back into our lives, as inevitably as a vine will grow up the side of a wall. When the seed of prayer is planted, when the Sacraments become the cornerstone of our lives, when Holy Scripture is read and treasured, it grows into the very fabric of our existence. Nothing makes me happier than when a Christian wants instruction in how to use prayer book daily readings from the Bible. It means that Christ has taken root in a new part of that person’s soul.
Being in a relationship with Jesus Christ is not always an easy thing. People often approach me for the sacraments as a convenience. They want to drop in and schedule a wedding or a baptism, although they have no relationship with this – or often with any – church. When pressed a bit, they will usually admit that they really have no intention of worshipping regularly or of wanting to undertake any of the responsibilities which accompany membership in the Household of Faith. And so I tell them, rather sadly sometimes, that I appreciate their honesty but that I cannot in good conscience dispense the sacraments of Christ to those who do not value them or attempt to take them seriously. Jesus asks better of me than casual treatment of his gifts.
I have been singularly blessed in that probably 90% of my ministry has been happy and productive, times when I felt I could make a positive difference in the lives of others while also enjoying the work to which I have been called. But I must also add that the 10% of the time which was less than positive was also sometimes unpleasant and sometimes painful. Sometimes I wondered what I was doing and I wondered why I was doing it when my efforts seemed so futile. When things are not going well for most of us, we tend to see life in the worst light.
The timeless paintings of the great French Impressionist, Auguste Renoir, literally glow with life and light and color. Renoir seemed to put light inside the people he so beautifully portrayed on canvas. For the last twenty years or so of his life, Renoir was crippled with arthritis. His hands were twisted and gnarled; even his spine was affected, so that he could not stand when he worked, and needed assistance to move from one position to another.
The pain he suffered while working caused beads of perspiration to stand out on his face. On one occasion, his prize student, Matisse, asked Renoir, “Why do you torture yourself to go on like this?” Renoir replied, “The pain passes; the beauty remains!” 3
That is really what our relationship with Christ is about. He is truly the vine which keeps growing and which sustains us. When life is difficult, when it is painful, he reminds us, “The pain passes; the beauty remains.”
I am the vine, you are the branches. If you love me you will keep my mmandments. Apart from me, you can do nothing.
The Ven. Theodore W.Bean, Jr.
Provost
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1 Sunday Sermons, “God’s Key: The Pain Passes But the Beauty Remains”, Easter 6, Year A.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
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