Page 27 - Priorities #46 2010-March/April

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Grow?
a talk by Fr. Martin
How Does the Green Grass
I am on the committee that supports the efforts to maintain a campus ethic of sustainability. To be sustainable is considered cool now and just about every high school makes an effort, some better than others, to declare themselves green.
Oftenwewindupdoingtherightthingsforthewrongreasons. Wecandothingsbecausethey willmakeuslookgood, becauseitjustmakesusfeelgood,orperhapstheremightbealittlemoney tobemade. SaintBenedictinhisruleformonasteriesseesdoingtherightthingasawayoflife–as natural.
In every monastery there is a sort of division of labor. One very important person in the monastery isthecellarer. Heisthemanagerofthemonasticstorehouse. Ifamonkneedsanewpairofsandals, afewteeshirts,ortoothbrush,thecellarertakescareofit. Itisinchapter31oftheHolyRulethat Benedict outlines the work of the cellarer:
“As cellarer of the monastery, there shall be chosen from the monastery someone who is wise, mature in conduct, temperate, not an excessive eater, not proud, excitable, offensive, dilatory, or waste- ful, but God-fearing, and like a parent to the whole community... The cellarer should not annoy the members. If anyone happens to make an unreasonable demand, the cellarer should not reject that person with disdain and cause distress, but reasonably and humbly deny the improper request... The cellarer shall regard all the goods and utensils of the monastery as sacred vessels of the altar, aware that nothing is to be
neglected.”
Whatchapter31says,asIseeit,istwothings. First,thecellarerhaspower. Hepossessesthekeystothe
storeroomandmustdealwithallrequestsasproperlyaspossible. Forexample,ifamonkarrivesatthecel- larer’s office and requests (or demands) six medium tee shirts, the cellarer may not always be able to accommo- datethatmonkforavarietyofreasons: a)thecellarermayknowthatthemonkdoesnotreallyneedthem;b) hedoesn’thaveanymediumteeshirts;orc)hereallyneedssixextralargeshirts. Hisanswerinallthreecases willobviouslybeNO. ButitisalwaysinhowthatNOisgiventhatmakesallthedifference.
Whatchapter31doesistosetupascenarioforhumanrelationships. Howdowedealwitheachother? What can we contribute to the life of the other? How can we show genuine respect for each other in every situ- ation? Sothecellarerbecomesasortoftemplatefortheidealgoodmonkandservesasamodelforusall.
Secondly, Benedict tells the cellarer to regard the utensils and goods of the monastery as if they were the sacred vessels of the altar, being always aware that nothing is being neglected. Benedict takes a gigantic step making the most elemental and simple things as sacred – pots and pans, hardware, furniture, tools – all ofthesearerespectedasgifts. Goodstewardshipistheproperacknowledgementofgift. Bylogicalexten- sionthen,thefieldsandthepropertyofthemonasteryandallcreationareregardedassacred. Longbefore sustainability became a popular cause, monasteries throughout the world cared for their little space on the planet because it was their precious gift. It is the reason why the Priory cares.
Amonkownsnothing. Amonkcaresforeverything. Amonkisnoonespecial–justanotherhumanbeing trying, often unsuccessfully, to do it right.
And so are we all.