Saturday, April 09, 2011

Of Gods and Men



Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace. - Antiphon for the Nunc Dimittis

I saw the film Of Gods and Men tonight. It left me almost speechless in its simplicity, beauty and difficulty.

I wrote about the Trappist monks of Tibhirine two years ago in a column for the Standard & Times. I'd learned of them through a poem written by Marilyn Nelson, The Contemplative Life, which quotes the letter left by the prior of the monastery, Christian de Cherge, OCSO. The last lines have stuck with me:
And you too, my last minute friend, who will not know what you are doing, Yes, for you too I say this THANK YOU AND THIS “A-DIEU”-—to commend you to this God in whose face I see yours. And may we find each other, happy “good thieves” in Paradise, if it please God, the Father of us both. . . AMEN!

I've been pondering divisiveness lately, the intercession that appears at Morning Prayer on occasion: Forgive us for failing to Christ in the poor, the distressed and the troublesome, and for our failure to reverence your Son in these persons.

It's a strong statement, it's not about seeing Christ, or serving Christ, but to reverence Him. As you might in the Eucharist. I'm trying to keep my mind on this statement as I read comments and blog posts. Can I reverence those I find most difficult, most troublesome? Not tolerate, not dismiss, reverence. And I'm fascinated that the Office assumes this is where we all run aground!

The movie: is extraordinary (as any number of other people have said). But what moved me particularly were the scenes of the monks praying the Office. Just eight monks, facing each other in a small chapel, looking not so different from the community I pray with each morning (the Augustinians wear different habits). There was same antiphon I say each night, the Salve Regina that I pray (in Latin), the psalms. I realized at one point that the Office was telling me the time and the day of the week (Psalm 143, Tuesday, Night Prayer); something perhaps no one else in the theater was seeing. It somehow made it far more potent an experience. That and the realization that as this was happening, I was pregnant with Chris, praying that same Office balancing my breviary on my burgeoning belly, with the whole Church — including those men. In some way through this common prayer, I was present to those monks, a part of what happened there. United, not divided.




4 comments:

  1. Thank you for the strength to come home and write about it immediately.

    You are an amazing woman.

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  2. How wonderful to read this piece from someone who understood and participates in what she saw and heard.

    I read a (positive) review on an evangelical site in which the reviewer referred to the appropriateness of the psalms the monks chose to the circumstances of each prayer time.

    "Chose?" I wondered. "Well, who knows, maybe they did?"

    But you confirm here the appropriateness of whatever comes 'round to the circumstances at hand.

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  3. Sometimes I really feel like I live in a bubble, but hey, you can't know about everything that is happening in the world. Will look into this. Thanks.

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  4. Beautiful description of your personal reaction to this wonderful film.
    I just got my copy from Amazon and I watched the first 20 minutes or so but I was not in the right place of mind for it, so I stopped it and want to watch it again when I have settled my mind. That may seem a strange thing to say but the pace at the beginning is so very slow and gentle and that alone is a precious message from the film - how we need to slow down ! I do agree so much with what you say about reverence too- I could see that so clearly even in the part I watched at the beginning.
    Blessings ( and many thanks for your good wishes re the blogging conference - much appreciated. I just booked the flight and accommodation today - got a loan from my wonderful priest !!

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