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Understanding Death
By Peace | August 25, 2007
I have been keen on writing this but there were more important tasks which I need to be done first. Today, I have the time to write about this, a notecard which was given to me sometime ago, on 16 August by Francois Jacques. I do not know who is he but I want to thank him.
Francois Jacques had given me a notecard in Second Life — ‘A Monk’s Understanding of Death’.
This is what it says:
A Monk’s Understanding of Death
“And you shall
know that I am
the Lord when I
open your graves
and bring you up from
your graves. I will put my Spirit
within you, and you shall live…”
–Ezekiel 37:13-14
As written in The Rule of Benedict, monks are to “keep death always before their eyes.” A “resurrection joy” consequence of their vow of stability means that they pass each day at the place where they will lay after their life on Earth ends. Simple Celtic crosses are most often used to mark the grave (Eva has taken more fantastical license to rendering the cemetery at St. Benedict’s), which is emblazoned with only the monk’s status “Br.” or “Fr.” and his monastic first name (for example, Thomas Merton’s grave is marked “Fr. Louis”). For more about “Death and Dying in the Cistercian Tradition” visit: http://trappistcaskets.com/dying/index.html.
Trappist monks strive to “prefer nothing to Christ.” In devoting their lives to a search for God, they follow a lifestyle marked by simplicity and prayer, as well as a concern for the environment. Visitors to Cistercian monasteries often notice a strong sense of relatedness that links the abbeys themselves to their physical surroundings. Here at St. Benedict’s Monastery, the beauty of the earth is reflected in the abbey church’s handmade, dark-stained pews and intricately carved choir stalls, doors, pulpit, altar piece, and the plain but forceful altar. The church is filled with light that streams through tall stone arched windows of clear glass and sinks into shadow as night approaches.
This same uncomplicated and reverent regard for the beauty of God’s created world is reflected in the way Trappist monks approach death. This is why the monastery is a kind of prophetic place, an anticipation of the world to come, a permanent declaration of a universe re-made in God, a universe whose poles are charity and the praise of God. (Andre Louf, The Cistercian Way, p. 60.)
For Trappists, there is beauty in death because it is treated as a natural part of life. That is why Trappists do not try to hide what happens to the body at death or interfere with the natural process of returning it to the earth. The reason Trappists are able to see death in this light is because they believe something much greater is taking place. It is the final step along a path they have been following all along—the path to God.
“I do not know, except by Christian faith, what lies beyond this life. In death I lose everything without knowing for sure that there is anything to follow. Faith, however, assures me that there is a God who is like a loving father or mother. The ultimate reality is not death and extinction. But God.” (Charles Cummings, Monastic Practice, p. 192.)
After I had received this notecard, I went to the link provided, http://trappistcaskets.com/dying/index.html, and that night, I spent some time exploring the few pages there and clicking here and there to explore more. The topic at the website “The church and death and dying” and “Simplicity in living and dying” interest me.
Other links which I got to know through this link given is Trappist Caskets and New Melleray Abbey.
Upon arrival at Trappist Caskets, I am surprised to see a coffin there. But I should be prepared for that as that is what the title has already meant to be. Who are these people? The about me says this: Trappist Caskets is a work of the monks of New Melleray Abbey. We are monks of the Roman Catholic Church who belong to the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, known as Trappist. Founded in 1849, New Melleray Abbey was established at the time of the great famine by the monks of Mt. Melleray Abbey in Ireland. As Cistercians, we follow the ancient monastic Rule of St. Benedict. Consistent with that rule, our vocation is expressed in a life of contemplative prayer, community liturgy, and manual labor. Simple living is one of the hallmarks of our life.
At their homepage: Trappist Caskets is a work of the monks at New Melleray Abbey. Along with prayer and study, casket-making is an extension of our sacred work. Each Trappist Casket reflects the values of the men who made it; integrity, simplicity, and reverence for nature.
Our caskets and urns are understated in design, showing a preference for vintage, old-world joinery. Wood for the caskets comes in part from our own forests. It is our hope that the work of our hands will help nourish a return to a dignified spirituality of death.
This is so inspirational. After that I went on to New Melleray Abbey. As quoted from their site:
New Melleray is a Cistercian (Trappist) monastery located in the rolling farmland south of Dubuque, Iowa. We support ourselves by farming and making wooden caskets (visit us at Trappist Caskets). Currently, about 30 monks live, work and pray at the Abbey. We hope that you will find one of Cistercians’ best-filled missions is providing hospitality to guests. The monks of New Melleray are Catholics, professing the Rule of St. Benedict in the spirit of the founders of Citeaux, as handed on in the tradition of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, within a community wholly orientated to a contemplative life of prayer.
I know nothing about Trappist or Cistercian at all. This is indeed something new that I know. At New Melleray Abbey, I was interested to view their photo album. They were so nice. I have taken their pictures and saved it in my slides as shown here below. I hope they will not mind sharing it.
I must say this is not a paid or sponsored post by anybody. But the links that are used are merely what I want to link to them out of my own free will. I have written so many paid post and not long ago, some posts were not paid by ReviewMe and recently PayU2Blog also had payments delayed. What I want to say is that for posts that were meant to be paid, it has to be paid. Work is work and personal is personal. Though all is lumped into the same blog. But I know where to stand, but you readers do not. So I just want to let you know. I think any good sites are worth our recommendation and it is not everything MONEY.
Frankly speaking, I have not see any online casket shops before. I have seen coffins, but I do not know how much it really costs. All I know was an estimate as I had to tell people about estate planning and life insurance during my working years. So you can see that death is not free also. Coffin can cost as much as more than $2000! Luckily there are cheaper urns available.
Life and death really puzzled me. I really want to thank Francois Jacques for giving me the notecard. I have not logged in to Second Life for some time. Too busy. To Francois Jacques, I want to say “Thank you so much. Thank you so much for giving me the card, and most important of all, for taking your time and it is your thoughts that I am really grateful.”
Topics: Personal, Second Life, View All, spiritual |
