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August 15, 2012
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Happy Feast Day! Below you'll find Fr. Cassian's homily from last Sunday. Moreover, last Saturday, Fr. Cassian and the monks of Norcia permanently welcomed Br. Evagrius into the monastic community. Ad multos annos, Br. Evagrius!
And finally, today was a great day in the history of the monastery: our brewery was blessed by His Excellency, Bishop Renato Boccardo, which concluded today's inauguration and grand opening. Then, the party began, and many friends and citizens of Norcia sampled our beer, "Nursia". Here is a translated article which appeared in an Italian newspaper, La Nazione Umbria, and here, we present to you our new website for the brewery! Ut laetificet cor!
Above, from the Via Anicia in front of the brewery, friends gather for the inauguration and blessing.
Following the inauguration, friends and tourists sample some of the Birra Nursia in front of Trattoria Dal Francese.
Following the inauguration, friends and tourists sample some of the Birra Nursia in front of Trattoria Dal Francese.
An Analysis of the Ephpheta
by Fr. Cassian Folsom, O.S.B.
Monastery of San Benedetto, Norcia, Italy
by Fr. Cassian Folsom, O.S.B.
Monastery of San Benedetto, Norcia, Italy
In the historical and cultural context of the New Testament, being deaf and mute was considered as an effect of an evil influence. The remedy, therefore, could not be a medical treatment, but an exorcism. In his ministry of mercy, Jesus healed the deaf, using the methods of his time.
It’s interesting to note how the Church, in the Rite of Baptism, from the earliest of times, uses these same gestures and words. In fact, just before the baptismal washing—in the extraordinary form—as a final preparation for the sacrament, there is a final exorcism. At that time, the priest, wets his thumb with saliva from his own mouth, and touches the ears and the nostrils of the candidate, saying: “Ephpheta”, which means “Be opened!” In the ordinary form, the rite of Ephpheta comes after the Baptism. In any event, with these gestures and these words, the Church wants to communicate an important truth, namely, on our own, we are unable not only to hear the Gospel nor profess our faith without the initiative which comes only from God. In fact, it is he who opens our ears to listen to his word; it is he who opens our mouths to proclaim his praise. In other words, faith doesn’t come from inside us, but is given to us from God through the Church.
Let’s consider today’s Gospel as if we were spiritually deaf and mute. What does it mean? We don’t hear the voice of the Lord because we’re deaf; and we don’t pray, or rather, express our prayer in words, because we’re mute. In other words, we’re hindered. What are the modern demons which make us deaf? Exterior physical noises are certainly an element to take into consideration. We are afraid of silence. Our world is saturated with constant noise: television, radio, music, gossip, infinite words. And for this reason, we become deaf. But there’s more. If we are able to remain silent, even for the shortest period of time, one can immediately perceive some interior noise: our thoughts jump and bounce in our minds like monkeys in tress with their incessant cries.
Many guests who come to the monastery for the first time are frightened when they experience the exterior silence of the cloister and the interior noise of their thoughts. Indeed, we are deaf, and we can’t hear the voice of the Lord.
But, we’re also mute. How? Well, we don’t know the language of prayer; we don’t know the vocabulary, the grammar, the syntax of the prayer. We’re not able to formulate with our tongue the appropriate sounds and correct pronunciation. We are mute before God! Who can loosen our tongue? – the Church (!), who is our mother and who teaches us to speak. Who teaches us to say “Our Father” if not the Church? Who teaches us to chant the psalms, if not the liturgy of the Church? Who can instruct us in the ways of contemplative and mystical prayer, if not the masters and saints who have gone before us? But, on the whole, we’re mostly mute, not knowing how to pray.
So, how can we be healed? What does the Lord do in the Gospel?
According to St. Gregory the Great, the fingers of the Lord represent the gifts of the Holy Spirit—the Holy Spirit removes obstacles from our hearing. Saliva from the Lord’s mouth signifies Divine Wisdom; the Wisdom of Christ is substituted for the wisdom of the world. The Lord plants seeds, to teach us to do the same thing because we don’t know how to pray as we ought, “but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with signs too deep for words” (Rm 8:26). Finally, the Lord gives the order: “Ephpheta”, and we feel the power which flows from him, a power which cleanses all.
We can be healed only by God, by the Divine Doctor and his therapeutic remedies. Therefore, let us ask the Lord for this grace today: that he may place his fingers in our ears to give us ability to hear; that he may touch our mouths to untie our muted tongue, which then gives us the capacity to pray. (The Monks Of Norcia: here)
It’s interesting to note how the Church, in the Rite of Baptism, from the earliest of times, uses these same gestures and words. In fact, just before the baptismal washing—in the extraordinary form—as a final preparation for the sacrament, there is a final exorcism. At that time, the priest, wets his thumb with saliva from his own mouth, and touches the ears and the nostrils of the candidate, saying: “Ephpheta”, which means “Be opened!” In the ordinary form, the rite of Ephpheta comes after the Baptism. In any event, with these gestures and these words, the Church wants to communicate an important truth, namely, on our own, we are unable not only to hear the Gospel nor profess our faith without the initiative which comes only from God. In fact, it is he who opens our ears to listen to his word; it is he who opens our mouths to proclaim his praise. In other words, faith doesn’t come from inside us, but is given to us from God through the Church.
Let’s consider today’s Gospel as if we were spiritually deaf and mute. What does it mean? We don’t hear the voice of the Lord because we’re deaf; and we don’t pray, or rather, express our prayer in words, because we’re mute. In other words, we’re hindered. What are the modern demons which make us deaf? Exterior physical noises are certainly an element to take into consideration. We are afraid of silence. Our world is saturated with constant noise: television, radio, music, gossip, infinite words. And for this reason, we become deaf. But there’s more. If we are able to remain silent, even for the shortest period of time, one can immediately perceive some interior noise: our thoughts jump and bounce in our minds like monkeys in tress with their incessant cries.
Many guests who come to the monastery for the first time are frightened when they experience the exterior silence of the cloister and the interior noise of their thoughts. Indeed, we are deaf, and we can’t hear the voice of the Lord.
But, we’re also mute. How? Well, we don’t know the language of prayer; we don’t know the vocabulary, the grammar, the syntax of the prayer. We’re not able to formulate with our tongue the appropriate sounds and correct pronunciation. We are mute before God! Who can loosen our tongue? – the Church (!), who is our mother and who teaches us to speak. Who teaches us to say “Our Father” if not the Church? Who teaches us to chant the psalms, if not the liturgy of the Church? Who can instruct us in the ways of contemplative and mystical prayer, if not the masters and saints who have gone before us? But, on the whole, we’re mostly mute, not knowing how to pray.
So, how can we be healed? What does the Lord do in the Gospel?
+ He places his fingers in our ears.
+ With his saliva, he touches our tongue.
+ He breathes and says: Ephpheta.
+ With his saliva, he touches our tongue.
+ He breathes and says: Ephpheta.
According to St. Gregory the Great, the fingers of the Lord represent the gifts of the Holy Spirit—the Holy Spirit removes obstacles from our hearing. Saliva from the Lord’s mouth signifies Divine Wisdom; the Wisdom of Christ is substituted for the wisdom of the world. The Lord plants seeds, to teach us to do the same thing because we don’t know how to pray as we ought, “but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with signs too deep for words” (Rm 8:26). Finally, the Lord gives the order: “Ephpheta”, and we feel the power which flows from him, a power which cleanses all.
We can be healed only by God, by the Divine Doctor and his therapeutic remedies. Therefore, let us ask the Lord for this grace today: that he may place his fingers in our ears to give us ability to hear; that he may touch our mouths to untie our muted tongue, which then gives us the capacity to pray. (The Monks Of Norcia: here)
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