Masthead for The Portsmouth Bulletin (December 1975)

We return to an article published fifty years ago in “The Portsmouth Bulletin” of December 1975. Following the solemn vows of Br. Caedmon Holmes, who later came to serve as the abbot of Portsmouth, Abbot Matthew Stark wrote this reflection on monastic life as a pursuit of truth, making important links to all Christian life as well as to the life of an educator.

On September 14, Dom Caedmon Holmes pronounced his solemn vows. This was, of course, a joyful event in the life of the monastic community and an occasion for us monks to reflect on the meaning of our monastic life. One may view the monastic vocation from any number of its varied aspects. The early monks loved to think of the solemn profession as a second baptism in which the new monk was further close with Christ, his Lord. The symbolism of the ceremony of profession is also that of dying: the monk dies to the world in order that he may live in Christ more fully. At times the aspect of self-denial has been emphasized.

Perhaps another aspect of the monastic life, and one most fitting for us who are committed to education as our work, is the notion of the monk as a man who has dedicated himself to truth. Saint John says in his first epistle that God is truth. If the monk dedicates himself to God, he is also dedicating himself to the truth. Truth is not always an easy thing to find. In many instances, in matters especially concerning ourselves, truth is not always an easy thing to accept. But the monk, in so far as he is faithful to his vocation, should be engaged, always in striving after a clearer perception of the truth, that is a clearer perception of his God. In a way this vocation demands a certain fearlessness, a willingness to follow truth wherever it leads. The monk knows that truth is God and is found in the Church, but the pursuit of that truth is not always easy nor is it without its setbacks, false turnings, and disappointments.
Portsmouth monastic community at time of abbatial elevation (1969)Our Lord says in the Gospel that he is the way, the truth and the life. The monk by his profession takes these words as his basic premise. In committing himself to the monastic life, he is committing himself to learn more deeply, as deeply as he can, the truth which is Christ Jesus. It goes without saying that he can never in this life completely learn the truth, but he will try to do all he can to learn it. It also goes without saying that each monk will probably learn one aspect of that truth which is Christ more perfectly than another. Hence from the beginnings of monastic life in the Church there has been a variety of ways in which the vocation has been embodied. There is no standard pattern or mold into which the monk must fit, granting always that he takes as the foundation for his life the virtues which his rule most command commends: humility, obedience and prayer.

As soon as one mentions humility and obedience it becomes easier to see why the pursuit of truth can be difficult. The spiritual writers assure us that as we come closer to the truth our own pride and disobedience are revealed to us. This is the first step in becoming humble and obedient. One might say that the monastic rule and the Scriptures are the guides for the monk in his pursuit of truth as the rules of scholarly research or scientific method are the rules for the scholar and scientist in their disciplines as they seek the truth. In these several areas of human experience certain basic rules have been discovered which, if followed, enable one to reach the truth with greater assurance and less chance of a substantial error.

In speaking of the difficulties of a life spent in pursuit of religious truth, I do not mean to give the impression that there are only hardships to be found in this vocation. Saint Benedict says in the Rule that “as we progress in our monastic life and in faith, our hearts shall be enlarged, and we shall run with unspeakable sweetness of love in the way of God‘s commandments.“ Saint Benedict mentions the difficulties of his form of vocation admittedly in order to warn off those who might be seeking something other than the God of truth, but these same warnings are an encouragement when we Christians, monk, priest or layman, meet with difficulties in our search for God. There is nothing to be surprised at in this; the difficulties themselves may well be a sign that we are on the right path.
Early black and white image of churchI have said that these considerations may be specially of interest to monks who are committed to education and presumably of some interest to our oblates, to those whom we teach and to those who, in one way or another, support our endeavors. All education is or should be directed to the attainment of truth. In fact we know that many see education as a means to other ends. Many people view education mainly as a preparation for a job or for a certain enhancement of life. That is understandable, but it would be a great misfortune if the idea were lost that education should cultivate the love and pursuit of truth for its own sake. if he is faithful to his profession, the monk should naturally sympathize with this notion of the purpose of education since he has undertaken to follow a course which essentially is the same. Indeed, he is sure that in the end there can be no contradiction between the goal of his own venture on that of any man or woman similarly dedicated to seeking the truth. In so far as a monk has begun to seek God who is truth, he will understand the value and means of pursuing other areas of God‘s truth. Since he knows that God must be sought for himself alone, the monk will tend to encourage the ideal of selfless devotion to truth and appreciate its worth, even in areas which do not immediately seem connected with religious knowledge. Hence it is not really remarkable that many monks have been scholars and skillful educators. One of the greatest of Benedictine scholars, Dom Jean Mabillon, shows the relationship between the desire for truth and the monastic calling when he says: “No one is more disposed to the virtue of humility than he who knows himself best and is most convinced that what he knows amounts to very little. Those who are truly scholars know both these things better than anyone, and are in consequence more disposed to the humility of heart which makes true humility. That is not less true of quite average learning.”
Matthew Stark and Aelred Graham, former superiors of PortsmouthIt is not always easy to know the truth or to speak it. Many in our civilization do not value truth, either in the abstract or in their dealings with others, as they should. Yet a love of truth is at the heart of the Christian life, and hence should be an important part of the monk’s concept of his vocation. The teacher should be a man of truth. The monk, if he is becoming a man of God, will also become a man of truth. If he is also a teacher, then, the monk will perform that sacred function out of a love of the truth and his own efforts to make it his own.

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