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Before Breakfast
In the early morning, the monks gather in the Church
for Vigils, our first time of prayer. The first
bell rings at 5.40 a.m.; Vigils starts at 6.00.
For a lot of the year it is still dark and rather
cold. It can be a time to make a special effort
to put God first. Vigils is a time for God to speak
in the Bible readings before the noise of daily
life dulls our ears. The psalms we sing at Vigils
often express our need for God, as well as meditate
on the work of God in history.
After Vigils the
monks spend a half hour in silent prayer, a time
to let God sink in more deeply.
At 7.00 a.m., the
Abbey bell rings the Angelus. This is a reminder,
morning, noon and evening of the birth of Jesus,
and of God’s invitation to human beings like Mary
to work with Jesus for the salvation of all. Ten
minutes later, the monks return to the Choir for
Lauds. This is the morning office of praise, traditionally
at the hour of daybreak. In the light of the risen
Christ, we celebrate his gift of new life and pray
for the day ahead.
Breakfast follows, and
a time for sorting things (and ourselves) out for
the work of the day.
First Things First
The first and most important work of the day is the
celebration of Mass at 8.35 a.m.. We celebrate
it with solemnity and continue to use the traditional
Gregorian plainchant as the music. Everything we
do flows from what we celebrate at Mass, and it
is the time each day when we particularly bring
our whole lives as an offering to God, and find
in Jesus’ gift of himself in Holy Communion the
renewal of heart and soul to give ourselves more
fully to the monastic life of our community.
After
Mass, the monks leave the Church to go to their
work. St Benedict attaches great importance to
monks having suitable work, given to each monk
by the Abbot. Some monks are teachers in the School,
others are parish priests, whilst others work in
the monastery itself. The Downside timetable allows
monks a lot of freedom to meet a variety of commitments.
It is a busy life, but it also allows time for fellowship,
time to relax and share with each other. At noon,
the Angelus bell rings again, and this is always
a good time, in the middle of our tasks, to remember
what we are really about.
Midday prayer is actually
just after 1.00 p.m.. It is a much shorter service,
reminding us that the praise of God is central to
our lives, but also praying for spiritual strength
for the rest of the day.
A Late Lunch
From church, the monks make their way to the refectory
for lunch. Meals are in silence, usually with a
reading. As we gather at the table we hear again
the scripture that we heard at Mass, and give thanks
to God who feeds our bodies as well as our souls.
This is followed by reading from an ordinary book.
Sometimes it is has a religious interest, but we
also read books of general interest to help broaden
our minds with other subjects.
Work, Rest and Play
In the afternoon, there may be time for a short rest,
or some exercise, but otherwise there will be more
work to be done, whatever form it may take. Some
may do gardening or other practical work in the
afternoon. A good monk tries to find a balance.
Probably the afternoon will be when many monks
find time for lectio divina, personal study and
spiritual reading.
We also have time for
tea! At 4.15 p.m., anyone who wishes to may gather
in the Refectory (dining room) for tea, an informal
occasion and an opportunity to catch up with the
day’s news and chat with the brethren and guests.
With
Gratitude to God
To end the working day, the Angelus rings again.
This is the sign for the monks to return to the
Church for Vespers, our evening prayer, which is
sung at 5.45 p.m.. This is a time of thanksgiving
for the day to Jesus who has given us so much,
as well as a time for intercession for the world.
Between
Vespers and supper we have another time of silence
like that after Vigils. At Downside monks try to
devote these two times to silent prayer, but it is
also a good time for lectio
divina.
At 6.45 p.m.,
we are back in the Refectory. Supper is again eaten
in silence while listening to a reading. Monks take
it in turns to serve the community, and afterwards
we clear the Refectory for breakfast and do the washing
up.
To end of the day after
supper, there is a gathering of the whole community
in the Calefactory (common room). This is a relaxed
time, with coffee, a time to be together and catch
up with events. This is a good opportunity for the
Abbot to make any announcements, or to introduce
a discussion of something.
But we end the day as
we began, at prayer in the Church. At 8.00 p.m. we
sing Compline, the Night Prayer of the Church. It
starts with a reading from the Rule of St Benedict,
and a short time to look back over the day, with
its sins and failures. St Benedict advises us not
to let the sun go down on our anger! So it is a time
to make peace in our hearts. We pray for God’s peace,
his blessing and protection. It is sung in semi-darkness,
and ends with a song to Mary, seeking her prayers
on our behalf.
Summum Silentium
After Compline the Abbot blesses monks and guests
with holy water and we retire in complete silence,
which is kept until after Lauds next morning. The
night is a privileged time to pray and reflect
on the events of the day. Some may have pastoral
duties in the school or parishes, but the monastery
is a place of peace and quiet till the next day.
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