I've read enough Brother Cadfael mysteries to comprehend that monasteries aren't always chanting pools of spiritual and fraternal placidity. Monks are, after all, people with all the complexities, emotions and frailties that designation implies. Still, I was surprised by the small news notice that appeared in the waning days of Advent titled "Rebel monks hole up at chapel after clash at Orthodox sanctuary." The short paragraph went on to describe the conflict in Thessaloniki, Greece between "rival groups of monks" -- a description that already seemed jarring -- "carrying crowbars and sledgehammers" that had to be subdued by police after seven people were injured. And what, you might ask, is the rub between these two prayerful fellowships? A "long-standing dispute between legally recognized monks and a rebel monastery that opposes Orthodox Church efforts to improve relations with the Vatican" (The Des Moines Register, Friday, December 22, 2006).
God knows we can't tolerate any improved relations -- especially between church bodies! Next thing you know we could find ourselves engaged in something ominous, like real dialogue; then -- and this gets really scary -- maybe even genuine understanding. Before you know it, we could find ourselves mired in an inextricable morass of tolerance, respect and -- perish the thought! -- peace. Better for those with their prayerful ears to the ground to nip such an ominous eventuality in the bud with their crowbars and sledgehammers. After all, if such a tectonic shift in global affairs and human interactions were to actually materialize, what would be next? Wolves living with lambs? Calves and lions and fatlings together? Cows and bears grazing side by side? Lions eating straw alongside the ox?
What would the church -- and its monastic constituents -- have left to pray for, hope for, work for? It's as though we would be out of job.
Now there is an Advent prayer, made even more vivid in the bright light of Christmastide.
God knows we can't tolerate any improved relations -- especially between church bodies! Next thing you know we could find ourselves engaged in something ominous, like real dialogue; then -- and this gets really scary -- maybe even genuine understanding. Before you know it, we could find ourselves mired in an inextricable morass of tolerance, respect and -- perish the thought! -- peace. Better for those with their prayerful ears to the ground to nip such an ominous eventuality in the bud with their crowbars and sledgehammers. After all, if such a tectonic shift in global affairs and human interactions were to actually materialize, what would be next? Wolves living with lambs? Calves and lions and fatlings together? Cows and bears grazing side by side? Lions eating straw alongside the ox?
What would the church -- and its monastic constituents -- have left to pray for, hope for, work for? It's as though we would be out of job.
Now there is an Advent prayer, made even more vivid in the bright light of Christmastide.
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