Feast Day in a Frat House!

The Annunciation by Fra Angelico.

Buona Festa!

Today (a little late) the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Annunciation of Lord.  An event so important that when it falls during Holy or Easter Weeks it does not get forgotten but moved so it can be celebrated properly.

Let me tell you the only place I would rather be today instead of at Solesmes is at Incarnation as it is one of our Parish Feast Days celebrating the Incarnation of Jesus in the virgin womb of Our Blessed Mother.  Everything was so prayerful and special this day as the abbey pulled out all the stops for so awesome a feast.  The only damper were a few showers but ironically the offertory chant today was:  Rorate coeli desuper et nubes pluant justum (Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the Just One).  Aperiatur terra et germinet salvatorem"
(Let the earth be opened and send forth a Saviour").  Taken from the prophet Isaiah what a poetic way of speaking of the Messiah, the One whose conception we recall today and whose birth we celebrate at Christmas.  Yes, indeed, while we think of it as our feast, of course it's the feast of the entire Church - all humanity.

I have been asked about the food.  Well we had so much to eat today that we were late getting back to the abbey church for the Office of None.  The menu:  Salisbury steak and Fries.  I was being teased that it was American fare to celebrate our feast.  No one was complaining as we all vied for seconds.  That along with special deserts and appetizers you can understand why both guest and monk was happy.

I will admit that I am a little "Incarnation-Sick."  I was telling the American monk here about all that we do:  the gala dinner-dance, the special prayer service with our school children and, of course, our evening feast day Mass with the participation of so many, especially our gifted choirs.

A few of the monks who know I am from Incarnation wished me "Bon Fete."  Interestingly, they mentioned that they would pray for my people.  Not for me, but my people.  While I wonder if they think I am beyond prayer, I am excited they are remembering the same people as I do this day.

Now this all sounds far from a "Frat House."  But let me tell you who I have been living with these past days.  On Friday sixteen high school seniors arrived for retreat.  Really nice guys.  But still they are 17/18 years old.  Solesmes has lost some of its peace and quiet.  Nevertheless, these kids are all here on their free time.  Remember, it's holiday time here and they have been joining the monks in Latin, mind you, for prayer six times each day.  Then they are going for additional conferences as well.  As noisy as they have been they are inspiring me (when they are not wrestling outside my room).  Their reverence for the "holy place, things and people" is a tribute to them.  I am very much impressed.

The real "Frat" guys are actually in the library- like almost all day.  There are eight guys from university who are here studying.  I don't think they are overly religious.  But they are very respectful and just fun guys (a few times they almost had the whole table laughing at the silent meals), they are staying here because it is cheap and quite to help them prepare for exams.  It's a great deal the room and board a relatively quiet.  For different reasons than their high school "housemates" I am inspired by how hard they are working each day (or at least the amount of time they are spending with books open before them each day).  Without generalizing, it seems they are taking their studies a little more serious than some other college kids I know back home.

The Meditation sung before the Blessed Sacrament during the Celebration of Solemn Vespers.

Celebration, Prayer and Study happening under his roof would make St. Benedict very proud.  Celebration, Prayer and Study are all human endeavors which were raised to new heights in the Incarnation of God's only Begotten Son.

What a day!  What a Feast Day!