CHRISTMAS IS PREFERRING THE SILENT VOICE OF GOD

Your all-powerful word leaped from heaven,
from the royal throne,
into the midst of the land that was doomed,
a stern warrior leapt (Wis 18:14).

I am writing this month’s message from the hallowed grounds of Southern Star Abbey, the home of Cistercian monks on Kopua Rd, about 25km’s north of Dannevirke. The Monastery sits well back from the road on vast green farmland. Hospitality is offered to all visitors who would like to stay a few days in order to reflect and pray.  The country silence is punctuated with the Angelus Bell and the various hours calling the monks to pray the Divine Office.

Because Kopua[i] is a place of prayer, the silence somehow seems to have a unique attraction. It is as though the constant prayer of the monks radiates out to all nearby, something akin to what I think we all imagine would be the silence around the crib where Jesus was born. In one of his Christmas homilies, Pope Francis points out that Christmas is preferring the silent voice of God to the turmoil of consumerism.  At Kopua, it is always Christmas, if silence is anything to go by. I often wonder how many people have been touched by this silence. Just being here gives God a fair chance of leaping into the doomed land of our hearts.  

After a few days, one might wonder what drives these monks who return to pray the Divine Office, around 8 times a day. This is their work, their calling. Is it effective? To these questions, all that can be said is: For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who do not, no proof is possible.[ii]  

The same applies at Christmas time. We can reduce the season to consumerism, or, we can devote it to listening to the voice of God. And if we do not hear this voice calling us to prioritise the poor, the lonely, the lost, when others are rejoicing so much, a visit to Kopua might be well worth it!

Thank you Vincentians for the constant work you do. I know I’m preaching to the converted, so while I am here at Kopua[iii], I will pray for you all, firstly in gratitude for all I have witnessed through you, and secondly that your work may be richly blessed. 

Ngā mihi o te wa. 

Fr Alan.  

[i] The monastery is generally known as Kopua, as if it were in the area of Kopua. It is the name of the road where the Monastery is located. The Cistercian monks were invited to establish a monastery there in the 1950’s, after land was donated to the Church by the owners. 

[ii] Stuart Chase

[iii] The Abbot of the Monastery is away for two months. He is the only priest in the community, and kindly invited me to fill in for him so that the brothers could have a daily Eucharist.