We rejoice with
our Brother John Kim as he makes his Solemn Profession this morning in the
Abbey church. Faithful and most generous at work, gifted with many practical
skills and artistic gifts, John cares well for his brothers in community as he
seeks to honor the Lord Jesus in all things.
By monastic profession a brother is consecrated to God and joined with the monastic community that receives him. At this time the consecration received in the sacraments of baptism and confirmation is renewed and given vitality. The brother binds himself in faithful stability to a sincere conversion of life through ready obedience until death.
By the vow of
stability within his community a brother obliges himself to make constant use
of the means of the spiritual craft there, trusting in the providence of God
who has called him to this place and to this group of brothers.
By the vow of conversatio
morum or fidelity to monastic life a brother who, in the simplicity of his
heart, seeks God by the following of the Gospel, binds himself to the practice
of Cistercian discipline. He retains nothing at all for himself, not even
authority over his own body. He renounces the capacity of acquiring and
possessing goods for himself. For the sake of the Kingdom of heaven, he makes
profession of perfect continence and celibacy.
By the vow of
obedience a brother desiring to live under a rule and an abbot promises to
fulfill all that lawful superiors command in accordance with these
Constitutions. In thus renouncing his own will he follows the example of Christ
who was obedient until death, and commits himself to the school of the Lord's
service.
Photograph by Brother Brian. Lines from The Constitutions of the Monks.
