The Gift of Elders

Greetings,

Yesterday, I had an epiphany moment in the midst of a very busy Mass.  Sister Roommate and I have joined one of the local parishes to attend while we live away from the Monastery.  Our parish is known for its growing number of young families which leads to pews filled with little ones.  There is a joy and energy that comes from the busyness and noise that comes with the young, but it wasn't the runaway toddler that held my attention in midst of the service.

There was an elderly couple that sat just in front of us.  She held his elbow to support him rising from the kneeler, and he waited until she had sat down after the Gospel to be seated next to her.  Then quietly, he laid his hand over hers on the pew between them while they listened to the homily together.  In the pew just across the aisle from us, three little-old-church-ladies were ensconced side by side.  Their joy in greeting each other and the families around them at the Sign of Peace shown in their faces.  Then at the communion procession, one opened the walker for the next, who handed the cane balancing on the end of the pew back to her.  This is the steady, quiet heartbeat of the parish.

One of the gifts in our community is the gift of our elders.  Our community is blessed to be able to care for all of our fragile elders as well as those young at heart within the Monastery.  This allows for a quite the multi-generational experience among the sisters.  And Benedict prepares for this in his Rule, as he calls on the sisters to treat their elders with respect and the elders to love their juniors.

"The juniors, therefore, should honor their seniors, and the seniors love their juniors...And wherever the brethren meet one another the junior shall ask the senior for his blessing." RB 63.

The role of those experienced in our Benedictine life is quite varied and, like those in the parish, they become the steady heartbeat of a Monastic Home.  The sisters are called upon to continue to use their gifts for leadership, problem-solving, and yes, the many little needs that come up in a Monastery.  They share the lived tradition of our House; the celebrations and ceremonies and concerns that have cycled through religious life are ever old and ever new, and their advice and reflection is without price.  In Benedict's time, he called on the elders to guide those struggling in his monasteries.  Today, we have the gift of also turning to those who have 'been there' before to seek support.

Let him send senpectae, that is, brethren of mature years and wisdom, who may as it were secretly console the wavering brother and induce him to make humble satisfaction; comforting him that he may not "be overwhelmed by excessive grief" (2 Cor. 2:7)..." RB 27.

To be quite honest, it is the little ways of care that share the most meaning.  One of our 90+ year-old-sisters is always the first to notice that I'm home for a visit.  She takes me by the hand, reminds me of her constant prayers, and often places a gentle touch to my cheek before she continues her way down the hall. Another vibrant sister in her late 70's, after scooting down the hall to find the sister home for visit, won't let you by until she has given at least one hug and the promise of prayer.  These are our gifts, our elders who share their wisdom with grace, their experience with stories, and their love with such freedom. 

Blessings,