11 July 2009

pax benedictus, pax christi

Today, the 11th of July, is the feast of St. Benedict. Banu and I have learned about Benedict from a number of sources, but the single greatest factor has been as oblates at Mount St. Benedict in Erie. We now live at a three-plus hour drive from Erie, but we don't forget, "The corporate commitment of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie is: To model the Benedictine charism of peace, PAX, by working for disarmament, ecological stewardship, and social justice in solidarity with the poor and oppressed, especially women."

The Pax Christi is "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding" (Ph 4:7). It even surpasses political understanding! We take as our model Jesus, who chose among his disciples, Matthew the tax collector, a collaborator with the Romans. He also chose Simon the Zealot, a revolutionary who wanted to overthrow the Romans. And he chose some fishermen, who (likely) had no particular political allegiances!

The peace of Christ breaks all boundaries.

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