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July 16, 2022Dedication of the Abbey Church—July 16, 2022
By Prior Edward Seton Fittin, O.S.B.
Displace one note and there would be diminishment. Displace one phrase and the structure would fall. So says Antonio Salieri on reading the impeccable manuscripts of Mozart in the film adaptation of Amadeus.
St. Paul describes the Church, not as a flock or vineyard, but a building. It’s made up of stone (or bricks), each making its own essential contribution together. Thanks to God’s Spirit, it’s a living, breathing entity of otherwise unrelated and unremarkable people, bound by a common faith. All this rests on Jesus Christ, by whom and in whom we’re one.
This is a fitting image as we celebrate the 56th anniversary of the dedication of the abbey church. Through the sacrifice and hard work of many, under Abbot Patrick’s leadership, this bold, forward-thinking edifice was inaugurated as a sacred space. Here, for all these years, we’ve received novices, witnessed vows and ordinations, buried beloved confreres, friends and relatives, graduated students, comforted the sick, absolved sinners, were inspired by music and lectures, or enjoyed a quiet moment alone with the Lord. Most of all, we’ve been celebrating daily the Paschal Mysteries: the central realities of our faith.
When Jesus witnesses the Jerusalem Temple being used for profane ends, it’s no wonder and for good reason he has a visceral response. St. Benedict is clear about the oratory: Nothing else is to be done or stored there [RB 52:1]. It’s a place of silence and reverence, more than anywhere else, he adds. At its center is this massive altar, the place of sacrifice, a vivid reminder of Christ, truly worthy of our bows. After all, we are to prefer nothing whatsoever to Christ. All on this green hill converges upon and radiates from this altar, from Christ himself. He is the reason we gather here, and the one who sends us forth to be his witnesses.
On a cold November afternoon in 1863, Pres. Lincoln was to offer brief remarks at a 4 hr. dedication of a cemetery. His 271 words are among the greatest in US history: It is for us the living…to be dedicated here to the unfinished work. He was referring to the cause of the Union, for which the soldiers gave their lives.
But might we apply his heartfelt sentiment to today’s solemnity? We, the living, the stones, which when joined together, make up this abbey church. Our faith in Jesus Christ is the mortar. Here in this place of silence and reverence, we must be so dedicated to the unfinished work to which we’re called. This is why we’re here: To keep Christ as our center. If one of us is that displaced note, we cause diminishment, or that one displaced phrase we bring it all down. No!
Here, we’re the living and dedicated. This is the House of God, the Happy Gate of Heaven, Feliz cœli porta. Here, we prefer nothing whatever to Christ, and may he lead us all together to everlasting life [RB 72:11].