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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. |
