kansas monks winter 2015-16

1t h e y e a r o f m e r c y

kansas monks

INSIDE: THE LEGACY OF BR. LAWRENCE BRADFORD

THE YEAR OF MERCY

THE PROFESSION OF BR. LUKE TURNER & MORE. . .

SAVE THE DATE: APRIL 16, 2016 - THE ABBOT’S TABLE

In the Next Kansas Monks

Ora Labora

• The First Profession of Br. Nicholas Rich • A Look at the 2016 Lumen Vitae honorees: Dr. Dan & Terri Carey and Virgil & Ann Dechant.

On the cover: Br. Luke praying the Suscipe at his Mass of Solemn Profession.

5 - Remembering Br. LawrenceWe look back on the life of Br. Lawrence Bradford - a long-time Benedictine Professor and lifetime academic.

10 - Mercy - Love in ActionFr. Aaron Peters offers his thoughts on mercy and how we might grow in this virtue.

18 - SilenceFr. Jay Kythe offers tips on how we can utilize silence to deepen our prayer life.

21 - UndeservingShane Rapp talks about something we likely don’t deserve – mercy.

4 - From the AbbotAbbot James helps us take the first step on the path to mercy.

6 - What is Mercy?The monks offer reflections on their experience of mercy.

8 - Waking Up the WorldFr. Meinrad Miller reflects on the year of Consecrated Life as it comes to a close.

12 - A Solemn VowWe look at the Solemn Profession of Br. Luke Turner.

16 - Forgiving TrespassesPro-life, anti-capital punishment activist Sylvester Schieber discusses how we can live in mercy and forgive others.

19 - The Power of MercyMaur Hill graduate John Kuckelman offers his thoughts as we begin the year of mercy..

20 - Leaving a LegacyRichard Deitchman discusses his relationship with the monks and why he has decided to leave them in his will.

22 - A New ViewA look at the Abbey’s new windows and the completion of the Share Our Mission capital campaign.

2 K a n s a s M o n k s


L o r d , h av e m e r c y !

Th i s p r ay e r, s h o r t a n d s w e e t i n i t s s i mp l i c i t y, i s a hu m b l e r e q u e s t t o t h e Fat h e r, t h e C r e at o r G o d w h o h a s f o rg e d t h e y a r d s t i c k b y w h i c h w e m e a s u r e o u r l i v e s , t o r e a l i z e t h at w e m ay n o t , a n d a l m o s t ce r t a i n l y w i l l n o t , m e a s u r e u p .

A s t h e s ay i n g g o e s , ‘n o b o d y ’s p e r f e c t ,’ a n d t h i s i s a n e a r l y u n i v e r s a l t r u t h (e v e n M a r y l o s t t r a c k o f J e s u s . ) At o n e p o i nt o r a n o t h e r, w e h av e a l l f a i l e d , i n s o m e w ay, s h ap e , o r f o r m – b u t w e c a n r e s t e a s y k n o w i n g t h at G o d ’s m e r c y i s a p a t h aw ay f r o m t h o s e f a i l u r e s .

Th e m o n k s s e e k a l i f e o f p e r p e t u a l p r a i s e , o f f e r i n g t h e i r l i v e s a s a p r ay e r f o r t h i s m e r c y. Th e y o f f e r u p t h i s p r ay e r n o t j u s t f o r t h e m s e l v e s , b u t f o r u s a s w e l l . Th e m o n k s s e e k t o b r i n g t h e m e r c y o f t h e Fat h e r t o u s .

A s w e e m b a r k u p o n t h i s y e a r o f m e r c y, I a s k y o u t o j o i n m e i n d o i n g o n e t h i n g – p ay i n g i t f o r w a r d . Ta k e t h at m e r c y t h at y o u h av e r e ce i v e d a n d o f f e r i t t o s o m e o n e l e s s f o r t u n at e . E xt e n d i n g m e r c y i s a p a t h t o j o y – a p at h b a c k t o t h e Fat h e r.

- J . D. B e n n i n g E d i t o r, K a n s a s M o n k s , B C ’ 0 8

p . s . T h e Abb e y h a s b e e n s e l e c t e d a s a p i lg r im a g e s i t e f o r t h e Ye a r o f Me r c y, t h i s i s a g r e a t o p p o r t uni t y t o p ray w i t h t h e m o n k s a n d r e c e i v e a n in du lg e n c e .

M E R C Y

L O R D G O D , L A M B O F G O D , S O N O F T H E F A T H E R ,Y O U T A K E A W A Y T H E S I N S O F T H E W O R L D ,

- - H A V E M E R C Y O N U S .


Pope Francis in his Bull, The Face of Mercy, announced the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, exhorting us to “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” The Holy Father invites us to proclaim the words that Christ is the face of God’s mercy: “We need constantly to contemplate the mystery of mercy. It is a wellspring of joy, serenity, and peace. Our salvation depends on it.”

Through this mercy we are able to look upon the face of the Father by experiencing the very gaze of Christ upon us. Standing in this merciful gaze of Jesus, our Holy Father challenges us to understand that this is not a passive position, but one from which we are called to follow Christ by opening ourselves to the Father’s mercy. Mirror-ing the mercy received, we look to our brothers and sisters, and the Holy Father reminds us, we are to look most especially toward those “who are denied their dignity.” Pope Francis writes, “It is absolutely essential for the Church and for the credibility of her message that she herself live and testify to mercy.” Mercy, he says, is “the beating heart of the Gospel.”

As a community, at the beginning of this Year of Mercy, we recog-nized that to be instruments of God’s mercy, we first needed to be recipients of that mercy from God and from each other. We began this Year of Mercy with a liturgy in which we asked for prayers from each other for the faults we have committed in our community life, and then we rededicated and re-consecrated the community to God through the intercession of Our Lady of Divine Providence, our secondary patron, and St. Benedict, our primary patron. I share with you the introduction to this liturgy and the prayer of we offered

Pope Francis, toward the end of The Face of Mercy writes, “At the foot of the Cross, Mary, together with John, the disciple of love, witnessed the words of forgiveness spoken by Jesus. This supreme expression of mercy towards those who crucified him shows us the point to which the mercy of God can reach… In this Jubilee Year, may the Church echo the word of God that resounds strong and clear as a message and a sign of pardon, strength, aid, and love.”

As we journey through this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, may we never tire of extending God’s mercy, may we possess the virtue of patience, and be a font of comfort to the afflicted.

In Christ,

Abbot James Albers, OSB

F r o m t h e A b b o t

L i v i n g M e r c y

A Prayer for the rededication and re-consecration of St. Benedict’s Abbey

Brothers in Christ, we have gathered here asking for God’s mercy, asking also forgiveness from each other. Our community has known many blessings throughout our 158 years in Northeast Kansas, and we have given of ourselves sacrificially in our ministries to God’s people and to each other, here and throughout the world. We recognize, though, that there have been times we have failed as a community and as individuals to live our monastic charism; to practice Christian charity; and to offer proper worship to the Father through a holy life. For this we continually seek God’s mercy and ask for his Spirit to descend upon us and guide us forward. As we rededicate and re-consecrate our monastic home and this community during this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, called by our Holy Father, Pope Francis, we ask the Lord that he implant within us the desire to seek Christ above all, so that our hearts might always be inflamed with the inexpressible delight of love. We come before our Loving Father, offering our consecrated lives and the life of our community to him, doing so through the intercession of Our Lady of Divine Providence and our Holy Father St. Benedict…

…We stand before you, O Lord, seeking the graces neces-sary to live our lives in truth. We desire to follow Christ in our lives consecrated to you in a life of faith. We hope to live well our lives in this community of Christian friendship, sharing ourselves with your sons and daugh-ters in true hospitality. Therefore, we humbly come before you, loving Father, to rededicate and re-consecrate our Community of St. Benedict’s Abbey to you in the great mercy of the Sacred Heart of your Son. We so dedicate and consecrate our community to you through the inter-cession of the Mother of your Son, our mother given to us from the Cross, Our Lady of Divine Providence. Addi-tionally, in this act of rededication and re-consecration, we give ourselves over to you through the intercession of our Holy Father Saint Benedict, our ever-present guide by the wisdom of his Rule and the security of his guiding hand. Shed your saving mercy upon us, that as we seek the presence of your Son in our lives, we might truly see your face.


Brother Lawrence Bradford died peacefully on Tuesday, September 15, the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, surrounded by monks and friends, fortified by the Sacraments of the Church, and having received the Apostolic Pardon.

Larry Glenn Bradford was born on May 24, 1939, the son of Harold and Aurice (Groom) Bradford in Atlanta, Kan. He attended elementary school throughout Kansas, and graduated from Palco High School, Palco, Kan., in 1957.

After completing a Bachelor’s degree at the University of Kansas in 1961, where he was received into the Catholic Church, he came to St. Benedict’s College to study in the seminary for one year. In 1962 he entered the novitiate at the Abbey, but withdrew a short time afterward. He would come back one year later to begin the novitiate again, profess first vows, and go on to study theology for two years in the Abbey’s Theology School, but left before professing solemn vows.

He received a Master’s Degree in teaching from Northwestern University in 1970 and began teaching at the high school level. A call to find Christ in community would continue to attract Br. Lawrence’s heart, and in 1978 he returned to the Abbey to begin the novitiate. This time he stayed,

professing First Vows on August 15, 1979, and Solemn Vows on August 15, 1982. While in first vows he taught mathematics and science at Maur Hill Prep, and served as Assistant Organist and Sacristan for the Abbey liturgies. Upon professing Solemn Vows he began doctoral studies in microbiology at the University of Kansas, completing that degree in 1989. While at KU he also helped as organist at the St. Lawrence Catholic Center.

In addition to serving as a professor of microbiology at Benedictine College, Br. Lawrence was Kitchen Master and continued as Assistant Organist of the Abbey. He was faithful to prayer and the common life. He loved to cook for the monks and guests, and for a time belonged to a gourmet cooking club in Atchison made up of professors and other friends. He relished conversations with monks at social gatherings, with colleagues and students in the college, and with family and visitors. He was a popular figure on campus.

In his love for the arts and the sciences Br. Lawrence was a true renaissance man. He enjoyed going to lectures and concerts. One of his favorite books that he often encouraged young monks to read was Leclercq’s The Love of Learning and the Desire for God. In the 1980s Br. Lawrence was active with Father Robert Brungs, S.J., Ph.D., a physicist who directed The Institute for Theological Encounter with Science and Technology.

Brother Lawrence was preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Aurice. He is survived by the monks of the Abbey, two sisters, Karen Lee (Arthur), Salina, Kan., and Shirley Ruda (Kenneth), Atwood, Kan., and one brother, Harold Bradford, San Simon, Ariz.; nieces and nephews, and numerous colleagues and friends.

We commend our brother, Br. Lawrence, to your prayers.

Eternal rest grant unto himBrother Lawrence Bradford

B o r n • M a y 2 4 , 1 9 3 9P r o f e s s e d • A u g u s t 1 5 , 1 9 7 9

D i e d • S e p t e m b e r 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

• R e q u i e s c a t i n P a c e •

The Latin word misericordia = mercy, is the result of blending the words miseratio = compassion and cordis = heart. For its part compassion is also the result of linking cum = with, and patire = suffer. Mercy is letting one’s own heart be touched by the suffering of another; it is feeling what the other is feeling, it is sharing in the sorrow of another.

Mercy isn’t a passive sentiment; it is neither pity nor a feeling of pain, but it is the concrete expression of the love of God for us and the concrete realization of love within us for our neighbor.

Pope John Paul II emphasized that we not only receive and experience the mercy of God, but that we are also called to be merciful to each other. It is by being merciful like the Father that our hearts are transformed.

Pope Francis recently said, “In short, the mercy of God is not an abstract idea, but a concrete reality with which he reveals his love as of that of a father or a mother, moved to the very depths out of love for their child. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that this is a ‘visceral’ love... Jesus affirms that mercy is not only an action of the Father; it becomes a criterion for ascertaining who his true children are.”

Pope Francis says that mercy is the very foundation of the Church’s life to be lived and to be given like an inexhaustible desire; to be announced and be witnessed to with urgency; to be called upon “in this difficult but crucially important phase of the history of the Church and the world;” to be announced as the “beating heart of the Gospel;” to be shouted out “by words and deeds”; to be welcomed like “an oasis” (§12); and finally to be celebrated and experienced.

If we can put it this way, it is the “concretizing” in our practical life of God’s love, which by touching our hearts and inflaming our compassion, makes us leave behind our indifference and moves us forward on behalf of those who suffer and who are despised.

I was raised in a Protestant home, converting to the Catholic faith with my family as a sophomore in high school. Since then, I have always associated mercy with reconciliation. It doesn’t take a whole lot of imagina-tion to come up with a list of things a sophomore in high school might confess, so needless to say I was pretty relieved when it was over. This relief (you might call it peace) is what I think of when I think about mercy.

Mercy, while it is a grace, God’s unmerited gift to us, also requires our repentance. The doctor can only heal the wound when the patient reveals it. God always heals if we are penitent and allow Him to enter our hearts. That peace I experienced after my first confession, however much of a relief it may have been, was none-theless God’s consolation for me. Today, when I hear the priest’s words at the end of absolution, “Christ has forgiven you, go in peace,” I truly experience a peace in the knowledge that I am living right with God.

Mercy comes from God, but is bestowed upon us with the expectation that we share it. Think of the man who was forgiven his debts but, in turn, went and perse-cuted the man who was in debt to him. Hopefully we are not that man on Judgment Day. I thank my parents for teaching me the importance of both giving and receiving forgiveness; I think it is probably the greatest skill they taught me. I thank God, too, for opportunities to seek forgiveness from others. How awesome an experience when we truly humble ourselves before another person!

It is in this humility that the paradox of Christian-ity comes into full effect. We are not strong when we cling to our pride and refuse to admit our wrongdoings. Christ’s strength is perfected in us when we are weak and vulnerable. In this Year of Mercy, may we allow Christ’s strength to be enough for us.

W i t n e s s i n g G r o w t hb y F r . J o s i a s D i a s d a C o s t a

R e l i e f i n R e c o n c i l i a t i o nb y B r . N i c h o l a s R i c h


St. Thomas Aquinas says that “a man is said to be merciful, when he has, so to speak, a sorrowful heart, being affected with sorrow at the misery of another as though it were his own. Thus it follows that he works to dispel the misery of the other, as if it were his own; and this is the effect of mercy.”

Mercy is what happens when we stand in another man’s shoes and feel his pain, just as Christ did during His life here on earth. The great mystery of sin and forgiveness lies in the fact that sin is always the result of some underlying woundedness from which the sinner acts and needs to be healed. The merciful redemption worked by Christ flows from His incarnation, His taking on all the weaknesses of human existence which lead to sin, while yet remaining sinless Himself. He felt the abandonment which leads us to try to control others; He knew the poverty which seeks comfort in material possessions; He experienced the dishonor which soothes itself with power. But Jesus Christ forsook those false masks which the self puts on to cover its wounds and shame, and was able to forgive the sins of others because He pierced the veiled sanctuary of the human heart and saw the hidden scars and sadness which give birth to sin.

We fail at mercy when we are too wrapped up in our own selves. Our world is too small, and our sight too narrow. To be merciful, we must participate in Christ’s incarnation, laying aside our security and our pride so to touch the vulnerability of others. When we incarnate ourselves into the lives of others, we are enabled to show mercy. When we have known hunger, then we can feed the hungry. When we have been without shelter, then we can shelter the homeless. When we recognize our ignorance, then we can instruct. When we know our own sinfulness, then we can forgive.

Mercy makes us love both because of, and in spite of, who others are. Mercy heals; mercy makes us whole.

I n A n o t h e r M a n ’ s S h o e sb y B r . K a r e l S o u k u p

M e r c y i s a V i r t u eb y A b b o t B a r n a b a s S e n e c a l

Mercy is a virtue of the truly grown-up person, one who is able to put things in to perspective.

God is merciful because God is such a Person. God under-stands the need for justice and order. He wants to remain with us, as a leader, a prompter, a guide. And when we model our lives on Him, we sustain relationships with one another. As St. Benedict reflected, we should all be careful not to break the bruised reed, but to extend assistance to the needy.

Mercy is a choice and in the good hearted, it is a way to deal with a concern. It is not silence, nor is it argument. It has as its goal the effort to move things in the right direction, toward a benefit for all parties concerned. Mercy accepts the challenge to draw the other into acceptance and into forgiveness.

Mercy helps the individual to retain good memories, and to be appreciative of the kindness of the other, in the past, and as it is anticipated in the present moment and in the future. When we have a “storehouse of mercies received and given,” we have a starting point for living mercifully.

As we reflect on the Scriptures, and as we celebrate the Liturgy with other believers, we know the story of Mercy, in the long-sustained hope of the Jewish people that a Savior would come into their lives. This Creator God would even take on our human nature, to show the extent to which He would have mercy.

Mercy acknowledges dependence but not domination. Mercy has a goal of accomplishing growth and maturity. Mercy is mindful of justice and stands by the truth. Mercy does not excuse but seeks to share awareness, understanding and resolve.

“I deeply respect individuals who have shown me mercy.” If one can say this, one begins to be merciful, also. “The world is full of nice people. If you can’t find one, be one.”


A n d f i n a l l y , n e v e r l o s e h o p e

i n G o d ’ s m e r c y .rule of st. beneedict 3:74

For the past year (starting November 30, 2014) the church has united to celebrate the Year of Consecrated Life. This has given us an opportunity to be grateful for the contribution St. Benedict’s Abbey has made to conse-crated life, and to the life of the Catholic Church. Since 1857 the monks answered the call of Christ to offer their lives in service to the Kingdom through prayer and work.

Since the foundation of St. Benedict’s Abbey the monks have played a significant role in the evangelization of this region, as well as the larger world. There were few Catholics in this region of the country when the first monks arrived. Early on, in addition to the schools and the farm, the monks ran missions far flung in Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas. Not looking to their own comfort, but seeing the needs of the faithful, the monks gener-ously sacrificed their own comfort for the spiritual welfare of the people.

In recent years we have witnessed a great growth at Benedictine College. When I was chaplain of the college we brought FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) to campus in 1998. Since that time there has been a steady growth in the enrollment of the college. Not only FOCUS, but other groups like Communion and Liberation, St. Paul’s Outreach, Knights of Columbus, Ravens Respect Life, and countless other groups have helped the college to grow. From this growth there has also been a good number of men and women who have found a religious vocation.

The Abbey has also witnessed a growing number of men interested in our way of life. What is essential for this growth is to realize that our life with Christ is not about a program or a technique; rather it is an encounter – a love story with Jesus Christ. This year of consecrated life is a chance for us to acknowledge how the Holy Spirit has guided the community through the years, and continues to do so today.

But, what I really want to ask is – where do we go from here? As monks we are reminded each day of the presence of God: in the Eucharist, in prayer, in the Abbot, in the brothers, in our work, in the guests. There is nothing in the monastery that is apart from the life of Christ. The monastery exists to cry out the presence and goodness of Christ. Each monk who comes will have a different background and interests; what is the same is that we all seek God.

When we follow Christ, not only will we grow in our faith, hope, and charity, but by living these virtues we will also experience joy. Praying together and sharing our lives because we have encountered Christ leads us to a joy and a peace that no one can take away.

We remember the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Benedict as models of that joy. Mary knew the joy of giving birth to the Savior, and the sorrow of seeing him die on the cross. But ultimately, she witnessed the Resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit. St. Benedict was a witness to these things, experiencing Christ in his time in the cave of Subiaco, then at Monte Cassino where he would write the Rule.

Like any year, this year of consecrated life can pass by without our noticing it. Let us thank God that consecrated life is part of His plan for the Church. Pray for and encourage men who may be called to be monks here.

One of the most celebrated members of consecrated life, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, will be canonized this coming September as part of the Year of Mercy. May she pray for all of us to renew our joy in following Jesus.

On February 2, 2016, the Year of Consecrated Life will end. But hopefully the fruits of this year will only be a beginning as we witness a continued growth in the number of those who seek God here as monks. We join Pope Francis and the entire Church in gratitude for the Year of Consecrated Life.

looking back at the year of consecrated lifeb y f r . m e i n r a d m i l l e r

During the year of conse-crated life, four men, (L to R) Br. Karel Soukup, Br. Benedict Geist, Br. Placidus Lee, and Fr. Jay Kythe consecrate their lives by professing vows.

Fr. Denis Meade cele-brated 65 years of conse-crated life in 2015.


The Foundation

Father Henry Lemke came to Kansas from Pennsylvania without permission from his Abbot, Boniface Wimmer. Kansas was new, raw and wild. Father Henry could

endure hardship, and he had plenty. Repenting of his truancy, he approached Bishop John Baptiste Miege, SJ, bishop of the East Rocky Mountain Territory, to regularize his situation. Bishop Miege assigned him to serve the new river town of Doniphan.

Reconciliation with Abbot Boniface took place. Father Henry waxed eloquent about Kansas being a great place to make a new foundation. Abbot Boniface agreed with him, establishing St. Benedict’s Priory, but said that Father Henry would not be part of it and called him home.

Four superiors led the community from its beginnings until 1876. On September 29, 1876, Father Innocent Wolf of Saint Vincent Archabbey was elected the first abbot and the priory became St. Benedict’s Abbey. In truth, Abbot Innocent was the founding father of the community, and fatherly he was. At the death of Abbot Boniface in 1887 he was so respected by the monks of Saint Vincent that he was elected successor to their founder. However, he declined and remained at his post in Kansas. For him, seeking and doing the will of God was not a pious phrase but the real driving force of his life. He loved his community. All the same, life was sometimes overwhelming. At one such point he wrote to a confidant, “Being abbot is like being married to a wicked wife.” During his tenure the community grew from twenty to ninety-seven members at the time of his retirement in 1921.

Abbot Martin Veth, an Atchison native, was selected to succeed Abbot Innocent. The greatest project of Abbot Martin’s time was the construction of the present abbey complex (shown under construction at left). However, after the monastery had been completed, the Great Depression, beginning in 1929, thwarted the building of the centerpiece of the structure, the abbey church.

In the 85 years that have followed much has happened: Monks served as Chaplains in two World Wars; the Abbey Church was completed in 1957; a new foundation was started in Brazil in 1962; and so much more...

Kansas Monks: A Photo History is available at: Kansasmonks.org/shop

o f c o n s e c r a t e d l i f e


in KansasThe Foundation

1855

1876

1929

“Mercy is the Lord’s most powerful message!”

- P o p e F r a n c i s

b y Fr. A a r o n Pe t e r s


Four days after his election, Pope Francis said in a homily: “Mercy is the Lord’s most powerful message!” He made it clear that divine compassion and mercy would be at the heart of his papal ministry. Thus it is not surprising that in his actions and what he has said since then have evidenced his vision of the Church’s beating heart of mercy in imitation of her Lord and Savior. He reminds us in his Papal Bull, The Face of Mercy, that in Jesus, God makes love “visible and tangible.” Love, he says, “indi-cates something concrete: intentions, attitudes and behaviors that are shown in daily living.” Saint John the Evangelist tells us that God is Love (Jn 1:48 see also 1 Jn 4:7-21). And since Mercy is Love in action, it follows, that God is Mercy.

Let us take a few steps back and look at Moses and the Isra-elites in the desert as presented in the Book of Numbers (Nb. 21:4-9). Here we find that the people were fed up with their long trek through the desert and were disgusted with the very food God had provided them. They bitterly complain. In short, they sinned against God. God sends serpents which bite the people and many die. The Israelites go to Moses and say, “We have sinned in complaining against the Lord and you. Pray for the Lord to take the serpents from us.” Coming to their senses they cry out for mercy. God tells Moses to mount a serpent on a pole and when those who are bitten look upon this bronze serpent they will be healed. In effect, what happens is that the people, by gazing on the serpent lifted up on a pole, must look upon the face of their personal sins as well as the primordial sin committed by Adam and Eve; our original parents fell for the allurements of the Ancient Serpent (Gn 3). So did the Israelites in the desert. So do we in our modern-day lives.

Another way of putting it is to say that the Israelites go to confession and are healed. Saint Peter, writing in his First Letter assures us that Christ carried our sins to the tree in his own body (1 Pt 2:21-24). He became sin for our sake. We are asked in this Year of Mercy to look on the Face of Jesus lifted high on the cross and see in his face the reflection of our sins, the sins that he took upon himself for our salvation. In doing so, the Lord offers us healing. We look on the face of Jesus every time we go to confes-sion and receive the healing compassion of God in absolution.

The Church herself becomes the face of Jesus by providing the sacramental life. Within each sacrament there is some form of penitential act or rite – at some point we ask for mercy. There is always a means by which we can gaze at the face of Jesus and see ourselves reflected in him, as we really are, to our shame, because he did indeed carry our sins to the tree. And the Lord Jesus Christ, Mercy Incarnate, offers us healing and strength to carry on.

To be merciful, then is to be Christ-like, that is, to be forgiv-ing, compassionate, understanding, and loving. The stories of the lepers and of the blind man are examples of Jesus’ Mercy:

The lepers stood at a distance and cried out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Bartimeus, a blind begger sitting by the roadside cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me” (Lk 17: 11-19 and Mk 10: 46-52). These are common in the Gospel and mercy is always shown.

Jesus commands us to “be merciful, even as our Father is merciful,” for “if we forgive others their transgressions, our heav-enly Father will forgive us. But if we do not forgive others, neither will our Father forgive our transgressions.” (See Luke 6:36 and Matthew 6:14-15) If we are not experiencing the joy that comes from in God’s mercy, it may be that we are not being merciful to others.

Personally, I have to sit up and take note of Pope Francis’ instructions that the Holy Year is “dedicated to living out in our daily lives the mercy which God constantly extends to all of us.” Putting the Beatitudes into practice is the best way to perform Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy.

I don’t know about most people, but I know that I find it diffi-cult to be merciful. I tend to be overly judgmental, not giving others the freedom to make mistakes, the same mistakes that I ask, nay, that I demand the freedom to make myself. I hang my head in shame. Yet Our Lord constantly shows mercy to me – giving me the courage to perservere.

And so, Pope Francis challenges each of us to give serious consideration to how our own individual concrete actions might help make God’s mercy more evident in our world today.

Be willing to be changed. Or as St. Benedict very well might say, “Submit yourself to obedience with all humility.” Let the mercy of God transform you into a new creation.

L O V E I N A C T I O N


Year of MercyGratefully received ,

joy fully shared .

Separate this sheet at the dotted line; place the top half stating your intentions in the Kansas Monks envelope and send it to us. Keep the bottom half to remind you of your pledge to joyfully share mercy with those in need.

Yes, I will make a commit-ment to perform (number of ) acts. ____________

Corporal Works of Mercyq Dailyq Weeklyq Monthlyq Annually

Intended to:q feed the hungryq give drink to the thirstyq clothe the nakedq shelter the homelessq visit the sickq visit the imprisonedq bury the dead

Corporal Works of MercyIntended to:q feed the hungryq give drink to the thirstyq clothe the nakedq shelter the homelessq visit the sickq visit the imprisonedq bury the dead

I will perform these acts:q Dailyq Weeklyq Monthlyq Annually

Yes, I will make a commit-ment to perform (number of ) acts. ____________

Spiritual Works of Mercyq Dailyq Weeklyq Monthlyq Annually

Intended to:q instruct the ignorantq counsel the doubtfulq admonish sinnersq bear wrongs patientlyq forgive offenses willinglyq comfort the afflictedq pray for the living and

the dead

Spiritual Works of MercyIntended to:q instruct the ignorantq counsel the doubtfulq admonish sinnersq bear wrongs patientlyq forgive offenses willinglyq comfort the afflictedq pray for the living and

the deadI will perform these acts:q Dailyq Weeklyq Monthlyq Annually

St. Benedict’s Abbeyk a n s a s m o n k s . o r g

First and foremost , seeing the merc y and love of G od in the face of Christ , make an ef for t to truly see , maybe for the f irst t ime, the indiv idual in f ront of you, next to you, or e ven behind you. Simply put , lo ok for the face of Christ in each and e ver y p erson you encounter.

Take a good, hard, searching look around and discover the merc y that i s a lready present in your l i fe . In other words , op en your e yes to your own l i fe and discover and acknowle dge what i s happ ening there . You might be surpr ised!

Search out the many and var ious ways there are to bui lding community, and beg in the work of construct ion; bui ld br idges in your relat ionships ; take the f irst step in repairing broken relationships .

Find someone you know and respect who exhibit s merc y and love in his or her l i fe . Don’t hesitate e ven for a moment to ask for assistance.

Your commitment to perform works of mercy will be placed in a prayer basket in the Abbey Church and kept as a silent prayer for those who need our care and love.

thoughtsfor

growing in mercy


b y M a t t h e w M c G u i r e - b c ‘ 1 7


Each monk’s journey to the monastery is unique – some short, some long. For Br. Luke Turner, his solemn profession is the culmination of a 30-year search – from the monastery, around the world, and back again.

In 2011, after a career as a senior vice president for MasterCard International, Br. Luke returned to the community that he had left in 1980. He made his life-time commitment to monastic life, professing solemn vows December 12, 2015.

Br. Luke has taught in the school of business at Benedictine College, works in the Abbey Advance-ment Office, is the Abbey’s kitchen master, serves on committees in the Abbey, serves as financial secretary for the Benedictine College Knights of Columbus, and serves on a finance committee for the Abbot Primate that meets each March and August in Rome. At the heart of all of this is his monastic life of prayer.

“What drives my day is gathering with my brothers to pray the Liturgy of the Hours several times a day, attending Mass each and every day, and doing the assignments given to me by the Abbot,” Br. Luke said.

Br. Luke always felt a calling to be a monk but he didn’t know when to answer it.

c o n t i n u e d o n n e x t p a G e

b y M a t t h e w M c G u i r e - b c ‘ 1 7


Born in Concordia, Kan. by Milton and Thorene Turner, Br. Luke – baptized as Jeffrey Scott Turner – was the second of three children.

From a young age, his mother said he was always active in the church, using his creativity.

“Back in the 70’s, when banners first became popular in churches, we would have to go get materials so that he could make banners for the church,” Thorene said.

Br. Luke attended Savior of the World Seminary High School, a prep-seminary for boys who were contemplating the priesthood.

After graduating in 1979, he attended Benedictine College as an English and Spanish major. Although he was working towards a degree, Br. Luke’s mother said he still didn’t know what he wanted. In 1981 he joined St. Benedict’s Abbey, living as a postulant.

“I lived in the Abbey during the spring semester of my sophomore year,” Br. Luke said. “Four of us entered the novitiate in August of that year.”

It was then that he received the name Luke in honor of his grand-mother and godmother, Lucille. But as he journeyed through his novi-tiate year, Br. Luke felt a call away, and he ultimately decided to leave the monastery.

“I wasn’t sure this was the environment that I could do what I wanted to do,” he said. “My original plan was to leave for a year, go out into the world to get a taste for what that might be, and come back after a year.”

The monastic community helped him with setting a standard for his faith. “I knew that even though I was in the world, I needed to be engaged in something that helped the world become a better place,” Br. Luke said.

He attended Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Mo., switched his major, and graduated in 1990 with a major in marketing and manage-ment. Companies were eager to hire the bilingual business major, and he began his journey up the corporate ladder.

For the next 22 years he was able to see the world working in over 42 countries and spending time living abroad. “I really enjoyed getting to experience so many different cultures,” he said. He placed his vocation on the back-burner and focused on his career.

His mother continued to believe in him – and he knew he always was meant for something different. “He traveled all around, had a wonderful life, but there was always that something missing, – he never married, he still had a strong faith,” Thorene said, “mom was still prayin’!”

After a long career with MasterCard, Br. Luke answered the call and returned to the Abbey 30 years to the day after leaving.

Br. Luke believes that his time in the world was not wasted. “We are not always sure of the faith journey that God puts us on. I had those experiences,” Br. Luke said.

After answering the call, Br. Luke was still faced with challenges. “Somedays I find it to be really a struggle,” he said. “Moving from my old lifestyle into a single room in the Abbey isn’t hard. It’s sacrific-ing some independence, not making quick decisions. Now I don’t make decisions by myself.”

Even his sister struggled with the idea at first, but gives him her blessing. “When he told me he was joining to the monastery, I thought ‘I’m losing a brother’ but I know I’m not losing a brother, I’m sharing him. I’m overjoyed to see that he has reached the place he wants to be,” said Linda, Br. Luke’s sister.

Br. Luke’s next challenge, and perhaps his greatest, was put in front of him by forces beyond his control – after just one year in the monastery, in the early summer of 2012, Br. Luke was diag-nosed with colon cancer. The same disease that had taken his father’s life in 2007.

• Parents: Milton & Thorene Turner

• Born: March 5, 1961

• Hometown: Concordia, KS

• First Vows: December 8, 2012

• Solemn Vows: December 12, 2015

• Favorite saint: Saint Luke - especially his love of our Blessed Mother

• Favorite devotion: Rosary/Memorare

• Reading now: Listen With Your Heart by M. Basil Pennington, OCSO

• Favorite food: Anything Italian

• Favorite childhood toy: Matchbox cars

• Favorite place: Gazing at the sunrise on the horizon through the NEW windows of my monastic cell

• Best job I’ve ever had: Business Development role in payment card industry in Latin America

• Worst job I’ve ever had: Nothing comes to mind - probably stems from the work ethic my parents instilled in me

• If I weren’t a monk, I’d be: Working in a Soup Kitchen or in Hispanic ministry

• You didn’t know: I’m not a fan of heights!

• Why I want to be a monk: I love connecting my life experiences/work expertise in the context of a monastic community - helping others to know the love and mercy of Jesus Christ

• Qualities I admire in other monks and priests: serving the people of God, giving others hope, witness of love and mercy, helping people understand they matter, gift of the Eucharist

• Best advice I’ve received: “We don’t do this thing called life on our own.”

BROTHER LUKE TURNER


“It was when I was speaking with our health services depart-ment. We were talking about my father’s death of colon cancer some years before I entered, and she asked me when was the last time I had a colonoscopy. I told her it had been some years. So we both agreed, as a baseline, for me to do so. And that’s when I was diagnosed with cancer,” Br. Luke said.

His mother told him not to walk into the hospital with a glum face but to be strong because he was a man of faith.

Br. Luke went for a checkup after his last treatment and the receptionist didn’t know he had even had cancer.

“The receptionist said ‘where have you been? We used to see you every day here’ and I said, ‘Oh well I was going through cancer treat-ment, I’m done, I just came back for my check-up.’ She said ‘You’re kidding me, we always thought that you were a chaplain here.’ I was pleased to tell my mom that I had disguised the fact that I was in treat-ment every day,” Br. Luke said.

Br. Luke finished his last treatment on October 21, 2012. “It was a terrible time for both him and me. His father died of colon

cancer and it was so fresh in my mind. The Lord just put him through that trial and we came out on the other side,” Thorene said.

Today, Br. Luke knows he has made the right decision and is happy that he professed his solemn vows.

“This is where I’m supposed to be,” he said. His dream is to be ordained to the priesthood to spread the message

and to help people with their faith. “It’s really nice to have someone who has such a wealth of experience

behind him. Br. Luke just has such a tremendous heart that he brings to this family,” said Br. Placidus Lee. “He’s able to spread his love throughout the house by doing anything he is asked and going above and beyond.”

“Br. Luke has a great story. With a 30-year gap, you’d think that anybody else would have moved on. He was authentic to the call, he was always open to it,” said Fr. Simon Baker.

“He’s professional in where he comes from, but he is a prayerful man. I think a combination of seeking God, seeking the well-being of others, and being a man of the community, makes him a real treasure to the monas-tery,” said Fr. Meinrad Miller

“Br. Luke is an inspirational monk for me. To go from a successful career to an annual income of zero dollars and zero cents is pretty amaz-ing,” said Fr. Jay Kythe.

“It’s a real riches to rags story,” Fr. Simon added, “where he had every-thing in the world that would make him happy and yet he said ‘You know what, there’s still more.’”

On December 13, 2015, Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of the Cathedral of Rome and has called for the opening of a Door of Mercy in churches across the world for the duration of the Holy Year that has just commenced on December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The opening of the doors is an invitation for us to enter into the realm of God’s mercy, what Pope Francis calls, “the very foundation of the Church’s life.” For those of us who have lost connection or failed to live up to what we know is expected of us, he says that every confessor, “must accept the faith-ful as the father in the parable of the prodigal son: a father who runs out to meet his son despite the fact that he has squandered away his inheritance.”

Pope Francis’ declaration is not just an invitation to come passively through the Church’s doors but as Christian people to “reflect on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.” How long has it been since we have thought of the Christian charter that most of us learned as children? The corporal works are: to feed the hungry; give drink to the thirsty; clothe the naked; shelter the homeless; visit the sick; visit the imprisoned; and bury the dead. The spiri-tual works are: to counsel the doubtful; instruct the ignorant; to admonish sinners; to comfort the afflicted; to forgive offenses; to bear patiently those who do us ill; and to pray for the living and the dead. It is in the practice of these that we can measure whether we are living as Christ’s disciples.

Many of us are presented with the opportunity to practice one or the other of these works of mercy on a frequent basis—drop-ping a few coins or a bill into the outstretched hand of a home-

less person; spending time with a friend who has lost a loved one; or forgiving someone’s thoughtless act toward us. I believe that Pope Francis is asking us to “reflect on” and prac-tice these works of mercy more proactively than we often do in our daily lives.

Some of us are presented with more demanding calls to serve our fellow travelers on the path of life. My wife, Vicki, and I lost a daugh-ter, Shannon, violently several years ago and had to confront what was expected of us as Chris-tians. By the time the serial rapist who killed Shannon was captured four years later, we had come to the conclusion that we had to “forgive those who tres-pass against us” if we hoped to have our own trespasses forgiven.

Despite the publicly stated intent of the district attorney to pursue the death penalty against Shannon’s murderer when he was captured, we prevailed in opposing that sentence in the case. At the time of our public stand on the matter, many people found our stance extremely gracious and merciful. For us, we understood that if we could not embrace our Christian principles when it was difficult, they were not our principles. Even we failed to realize the personal benefits that would accrue to us because of the position we took.

Shannon’s murderer was sentenced to life in prison within weeks of his capture because he was willing to plead guilty if he did not face the death penalty. As a result, we could go on with our lives and find positive ways to remember Shannon. We have met people involved in death penalty cases that drag on for years—17 years on average before the penalty is carried out—and the repeated trials, appeals and hearings extend the period of heightened anguish and anger that survivors suffer through. It is horribly destructive to the personal lives of those involved. We have come to understand what Mark Twain meant when he said, “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.” We were spared that fate because of our Christian faith and its principles that guide us.

Sometimes it is dealing with the big events in our lives that we realize we need to be more attentive to the small ones. Certainly we should embrace the opportunities to perform the works of mercy that arise in our daily lives. But Pope Francis is calling for us to do more, to be proactive in finding ways to perform these basic services for others in this Year of Mercy. The benefits for others may be substantial but may be even greater for us when we do them.

Sylvester and VIcki Schieber actively advocate for the abolishment of the death penalty.

“Mercy is the very foundation of the Church’s life.”

- P o p e F r a n c i s

Forgiving Trespasses- sharing mercy

b y Sy l v e s t e r S c h i e b e r


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Cultivate silenceat all times...

- r u l e o f s t . b e n e d i c t

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S I L E N C E

S i l e n c e f o r c e s u s t o c l e a r o u t t h e n o i s e a n d t o f o c u s o n s t i l l n e s s , t o m e e t G o d i n s i l e n c e a n d o u r s e l v e s i n G o d . I t p r e p a r e s t h e h e a r t t o l i s t e n t o G o d i n t h e m i d s t o f a n o i s y w o r l d .

S i l e n c e c a n b e l o u d , a l m o s t p a i n f u l l y l o u d . I t m a g n i f i e s t h e a c t i v i t y o f t h e L o r d ’s p r e s e n c e w i t h i n u s a n d m a g n i f i e s e v e r y t h i n g i n o u r h e a r t s , h e l p i n g u s t o s i f t t h e w h e a t a n d t h e w e e d s .

S i l e n c e c a n b e a d e a t h t o s e l f a n d s i n . T h e r e i s a m o r t a l s i l e n c e , t h e s i l e n c e o f t h e t o m b , i n w h i c h C h r i s t d e s c e n d s t o t h e d e p t h s o f t h e h u m a n h e a r t , t o l o v e u s a n d t o r a i s e u s u p w i t h H i m .

S i l e n c e p r e p a r e s o u r s o u l s t o r e c e i v e H i s P r e s e n c e , f o r H e s o g r e a t l y d e s i r e s t o s t a y w i t h u s i n t h e s i l e n c e o f o u r h e a r t s . H e c o m e s t o u s i n s i l e n c e .

Silence forces us to ask : what are we running from? Are we afraid to face ourselves? Will we discover how weak we are? Or wil l we discover that we are something greater than the low expectations we have for ourselves?

S i l e n c e i s h e r o i c . S t . J o s e p h g i v e s u s t h e e x a m p l e o f h e r o i c s i l e n c e , b o w i n g b e f o r e t h e M a j e s t y a n d d o i n g H i s w i l l w i t h o u t c o m p l a i n t .

S i l e n c e a l s o p r e p a r e s u s t o e n t e r i n t o H i s h e a r t , f o r H e l o v e s u s i n s i l e n c e . N o i s e s i m p l y d i s t r a c t s u s f r o m H i s l o v i n g p r e s e n c e . We c o m e t o H i m q u i c k l y a n d e a s i l y i n s i l e n c e .

S i l e n c e t e a c h e s u s n o t t o b e a f r a i d . T h e l o u d , n o i s y o n e s a r e a f r a i d t o b e s t i l l ; i t e m b o l d e n s u s t o f o l l o w H i m w i t h c o u r a g e . I t i s m e r c i f u l , a l l o w i n g u s s i m p l y t o b e , t o b e i n H i m .

b y F r . J a y Ky t h e

SILENTIUM. One stark word set into the floor in large letters at the entrance into St. Benedict’s Abbey. What does it mean? Why do we honor it? Why are we encouraged to live in silence as we enter our monastic home? Why are you encouraged to live it in your daily life?

As we enter the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy proclaimed by the Holy Father, I am struck by the radical power of God’s mercy for each one of us. Indeed, God is revealed to us, very personally, in His infinite acts of mercy which, by their very nature, are incomprehensible to us. Radical? Personal? Incom-prehensible? YES!

If we prayerfully discern how God’s mercy has been shown to us individually, words like radical, personal and incomprehensible are particularly fitting because His mercy makes no sense. After all, why should we, in our fallen state, receive God’s mercy?

The truth is we don’t deserve it. Yet He offers us His mercy anyway, just as He offers so many other blessings that we have not earned and do not deserve. Indeed, the very nature of His mercy is that He is sparing us from what we have earned and do deserve. All that is asked of us when we are offered His mercy is to accept it. But accepting God’s mercy is not as easy as it sounds.

Accepting God’s mercy requires the humility to recognize that we need it and we are not entitled to it. For an example of this humility, we can look to how Pope Francis answered the question “Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?” The Holy Father responded, “I do not know what might be the most fitting descrip-tion. I am a sinner.” Even the Pope is in need of God’s mercy!

We are then called to go beyond accepting God’s mercy; we must follow the example of Jesus Christ, God and man, to show mercy on one another just as God the Father has had mercy on us. The Gospels are replete with examples of Jesus showing mercy on those whom he encountered. Sometimes those indi-viduals had terrible illnesses or disabilities, but it seems that more often those who were shown Christ’s mercy were most in need of spiritual healing.

It doesn’t seem so radical that Christ healed the lepers from their unimaginable suffering or that He restored sight to the blind. But beyond His physical healing, he spent his hours spiritually healing tax collectors, prostitutes and adulterers, simultaneously loving them and commanding them to stop their sinful ways. He even begged from the wood of the Cross that his executioners be forgiven because they didn’t know what they were doing!

True mercy, however, requires that we forgive or forgo action that we are justly entitled to take. If we occupy an unjust position and then relent, we cannot congratulate ourselves for showing mercy. One of the many remarkable scenes in the movie Schindler’s List involves Oskar Schindler cleverly influenc-ing the brutal camp commandant to show “mercy” on some of the prisoners, if only for a short while. Schindler accomplishes this by invoking the imagery of a majestic emperor of ancient Rome – telling the commandant that what made the Caesars so powerful wasn’t their ability to sentence a man to death – but rather the special power they held to pardon someone whom they could have sentenced to death. The camp commandant later lingers in front of a mirror for a moment and even practices a gesture with his hand, reciting the words, “I pardon you.”

While the camp commandant may have felt powerful offering pardon, his actions were not genuine mercy because he had no right in the first place to imprison and torture the people in the camp, much less to take target practice at them from the balcony of his quarters. So where we are unjustly withhold-ing forgiveness to others, let us not fool ourselves into believing we are being merciful when we finally do forgive. Indeed, when we unjustly withhold forgiveness, we are the ones who are in need of God’s mercy, as we surely will beg of Him that He not withhold His forgiveness of our sins.

To bring us back to the radical and incomprehensible notion of God’s mercy, would God show mercy to someone like the commandant in Schindler’s List? Rudolf Hoess was the real-life commandant at the Auschwitz extermination camp, where as many as 2.5 million people were ruthlessly murdered under his direction. He pioneered the use of Zyklon B, enabling the murder of 2000 people per hour at Auschwitz. It is reported that, before he himself was executed, Hoess requested a meeting with a priest and that in that meeting he confessed his sins.

We will never know what Hoess said during that confession, but if he truly repented for the horrors he committed, is it incomprehensible to believe that God’s mercy was offered to him? It is certainly radical. It is also personal to Josef Hoess, just as it will be personal for each one of us as we face final judgment and ask for God’s mercy.

t h e p o w e r o f me

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b y J o h n K u c k e l m a n

m e r c ym e r c y

Leaving a Legacy


- I f y o u h a v e a l r e a d y i n c l u d e d S t . B e n e d i c t ’ s A b b e y i n y o u r w i l l o r i f y o u h a v e a n y q u e s -t i o n s , p l e a s e c o n t a c t o u r A d v a n c e m e n t O f f i c e .

H a v e y o u c o n s i d e r e d l e a v i n g t h e m o n k s i n y o u r w i l l o r e s t a t e p l a n s ?

-A planned g i f t to the monks o f St . Benedict’s Abbe y create s a la st ing legacy that wil l al low them to continue their mission of prayer and work for the sanct i f icat ion of the world .

Fo r m o re i n fo r m at i o n co nt a c t o u r D i re c to r o f Ad v a n ce m e nt - M a t t Ke m n i t z i n f o @ k a n s a s m o n k s . o r g

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How did you get to know the monks? I first met them through the college. I visited St. Benedict’s after I visited Donnely College. On my first visit I was able to personally meet many of them.

My cousin, Fr. Eric Deitchman was a monk there as well.

Do you know why Father Eric decided to become a monk?

It has to go back to his family. His mother was very reli-gious; he has a sister that is a Sister of Charity in Leaven-worth.

Why do you to support the monks of Saint Benedict’s Abbey?

Mostly because of Fr. Eric, I would say, and I saw the good work that he did. I was just drawn to him.

What else about the monks inspires you?

Their humility – they seem to be happy with their lifestyle.

And how to get along with people. When you talk to them it’s like they don’t have their habit on, you know? They were just decent people and treated everyone else with decency.

You respected them but you weren’t in fear of them – if you want to put it that way. They’re just real people.

What made you decide to put the monks in your will?

Just came natural. I mean, it was a foregone conclusion, I wanted them in there and that was that.

Why does the world need monks today?.They truly set an example for people – how to live, really.

When you decided to leave the monks in your will, practically speaking, what was your next step?

I met with my tax attorney first and put them in [my will], along with a few other organizations.

a c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h r i c h a r d d e i t c h m a n

UNDESERVINGof his love • of his forgiveness • of his mercy


H a v e y o u c o n s i d e r e d l e a v i n g t h e m o n k s i n y o u r w i l l o r e s t a t e p l a n s ?

C.S. Lewis says in his work Mere Christianity, “Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive.” Admittedly, I have had little to forgive. I have never been betrayed by a friend. I have never been publically humiliated, other than perhaps by myself. I have never been cheated or robbed or attacked. I have led a charmed life.

Of course, this is not the case for everyone. On the global stage, violence and vitriol are destroying entire countries. In our nation, families and communities are crumbling at every turn. In our Church, there is abuse and scandal. In our own lives, people lie and manipulate and gossip.

There is much tha t ne e ds forgiving.There is nothing wrong with justice. Justice is giving and getting what is owed, an idea as

old as humanity, as natural as breathing. Even I, who have so little to forgive, appeal immedi-ately to justice at the slightest perception of being wronged: “Here I am busting my butt, and so and so doesn’t even notice.” “I did all my work; I deserve a break.” “I’m not talking to her, she completely embarrassed me in front of such and such earlier.” Justice is instinctual.

But mercy, giving and getting what is not owed, giving and getting better than what is owed, is the crux of the Christian life. We cannot forget how radical Christ’s message of mercy is. And we must be honest about our desire for mercy.

To have any sense of peace, we have to forget about what others owe us. And when I look in my heart right now, or in my past, and I see the pride, the lust, the gluttony, the anger, the self-pity, the resentment, the pettiness, I know that for every slight that I have experienced, I have doled out a hundred, even if they are unseen. If I am honest about what happens in my heart, I owe much more to others than I probably admit.

Mercy is not only demanded of us as Christians – it’s the only hope we have. Forgiveness is only forgiveness when the other person DOESN’T deserve it, when you have no reason to forgive them, when they will likely do the same thing again tomorrow. And that’s the kind of forgiveness we want, too. Feeding the hungry is only mercy when they CAN’T feed us back, when they likely ARE a drug addict or an alcoholic or one of those guys who just takes every-one’s money and then drives home in a Benz. And that’s the mercy we’ll need, too.

There’s no point in coming up with all the reasons a person doesn’t deserve forgiveness. There’s no point in making a list of all the mistakes poor people probably made to end up poor, or all the bad things they might do with your money if you give it to them. And there’s certainly no point in keeping score with all the people in your life, weighing your own actions against theirs, giving only as much as they do, going only as far as they will.

It ’s onl y merc y if they DON’ T deser ve it. My challenge would be to find the person in your life who least deserves forgiveness, and

forgive them. Find the person who might least deserve a second or third or twelfth chance, and give it to them. Find the person who deserves every bad thing they have in their life, and give them something good. This is my challenge to myself as well.

The problem is, this is an impossible challenge.

Justice is wha t we a re ca pable of. Merc y is b eyond our na ture. And so we turn to the hope of the Christ. We believe that our Creator has seen our small-

ness, our weakness, our inability to escape our own cycles of selfishness, and instead of letting us be doomed as the just result of our sins, He offers us a new life, a new self. He offers us His Self. Being Catholic is not about avoiding sin. It’s not about doing good things. It’s about admitting we are desperate, bankrupt, in the gutter, and begging for mercy. And ours is a God who stopped at nothing to give us mercy.

He didn’t stop at creation. He didn’t stop at becoming one of us. He didn’t even stop at dying for us. But this God has taken on the humiliation of becoming bread for us to eat. He will sit in our guts, right in the center of us, and be digested, just so He can become part of every inch of our self. He will get stuck to the roof of our mouths, just so our breath smells like Him when we speak. He will become less than us, so that we may become more than us.

We deser ve none of it. When you are at Mass, when you read Scripture in the silence of your home, when you

wake to the purple sunrises of deep winter and feel your heart stir, remember this God who has made us and offers us every moment as gift.

May this Year of Mercy awaken us to the mystery of our redemption.

b y S h a n e R a p p , B C ‘ 0 8

EVERYONE

SAYS

FORGIVENESS

IS

A

LOVELY

IDEA,

UNTIL

THEY

HAVE

SOMETHING

TO

FORGIVE.

- C . S . L E W I S

In 2012 St . B enedict ’s Abbe y began the Share O ur Mission C apital C ampaig n – we are excited to announce the complet ion of this campaign with the replacement of our 640 standard windows! Work to replace the windows began in Septem-ber 2015 and is scheduled to be completed by late Februar y 2016. We would l ike to extend our s incere thanks to a l l those who helped us in complet ing this project .

Our windows were instal led in 1929 with the construct ion of our current monaster y and have been in dire need of replacement . The replace-ment of these windows wi l l pre vent draf t s and s ignif icantly decrease the Abbe y ’s energ y bi l l s , sav ing us mone y and enabl ing us to fol low Pope Francis ’ direct ive – to be better ste wards of the environment . The windows are the or ig inal color as wel l , restor ing our home to i t s or ig inal 1929 appearance.

Continuing our tradit ion of B enedict ine hospita l-i ty our Guest House i s a lso receiv ing some much needed renovation, replac ing the or ig inal 1957 windows . For more information about this excit-ing project see our website , kansasmonks .org , or contact our Advancement Off ice at 913.360.7908.


A New Viewthe completion of the

share our mission capital campaign

Thank you to all who have been generous on this campaign. We are so grateful for the completion of this project that will help sustain our community for years to come – thank you!

- Br. Leven Harton

I love my new window! It’s visually attractive and very effective in conserving energy. In fact, it’s so good at retaining heat that I’ve had to open it this winter because my room was getting too warm! Thank you for your gift to us.

- Fr. Simon Baker

Thank you for your support. Our new windows are not only more energy efficient but they are quite beautiful. I hope you will have a chance to visit after the project is complete to see the impact they make, especially when viewed from the “look out.”

- Br. Timothy McMillan


Each day, we witness the installation of more new windows in the monastery. They are a tremendous addition to our home both in appearance and energy savings. Thanks to all who made this possible. Please be assured of our gratitude and prayers.

- Fr. Maurice Haefling

I love our new windows! They allow us to witness the beauty of God without having to brave the elements. Thank you so much!

- Br. Placidus Lee

Thank you for the gift of new windows – my new favorite place, looking out at the sunrise on the horizon – and staying warm!

- Br. Luke Turner

1020 N. 2nd Street, Atchison, KS 66002Kansas Monks USPS 290-760

Abbey Advancement Office913.360.7908k a n s a s m o n k s . o r g

Non-profit Org.U.S. Postage

P A I DOmaha, NE

Permit No. 579

St. Benedict’s AbbeyAtchison, Kansas

Winter 2015 | Volume 10 | Number 3

24 K a n s a s M o n k skansasmonks.org facebook.com/kansasmonks twitter.com/kansasmonks

F o r S p o n s o r s h i p O p t i o n s & E v e n t I n f o :M a t t K e m n i t z - 9 1 3 . 3 6 0 . 7 8 9 7

kansas monks winter 2015-16

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