It is now the middle part of the month of April and I am writing for our next issue of the newsletter, which will reach you several weeks from now. I always get mixed up as to when you will get this. But everything always works out. My last letter must have been written in about January. Since that time many things have happened.

In February we always have the meeting of the American Benedictine abbots. Every three years, the women superiors of American Benedictine communities join us for the meeting. There are about 40 abbots and about 50 prioresses, so we need a big place to have this meeting. This year we had the meeting at Tepeyac, Mexico. It is hard to have this meeting in the United States because we don't have monasteries of men or women who can house 90 extra people during the school year. Perhaps we should change the meeting to the summer months when school is generally not in session.

There has been a men's monastery at Tepeyac since 1946. It was founded from St. John's Abbey in Collegeville, MN. This monastery is in northern Mexico City, about an hour from the center of the city. As you may know, Mexico City is the largest city in the world now. The population of the city is about 20 million. Abbot Placido Reitmeier, O.S.B. has been abbot of Tepeyac since 1971 and he is the first abbot there. They have about 33 monks, plus their novices.

As I mentioned, we had our meeting there because we needed a large place, and some years ago Tepeyac Abbey gave some land to the Mexican bishops who built a conference center very close to the monastery - and it is big! They can house 90 plus people in that center. It is very nice, with many resident rooms, many meeting rooms and several large halls. They also have a large church, but we had all our liturgical services with the monks of Tepeyac, a little trek of about l/8th of a mile up the hill.

We had presentations, meals, prayers and social events together for several days. It was a good experience.

Two presenters gave us papers for our consideration: two by Abbot Jerome Kodell, O.S.B. from Subiaco Abbey in Arkansas and two by Sr. Irene Dabulas from the Philippines. The only problem with Sister and her papers was that she never got to the meeting. Unfortunately, she was held up with visa problems in Korea where she had been giving another paper. Her papers were read to us, however, so we were able to share in her wisdom.

Since space doesn't allow me to tell you everything that was said, I would like to tell you about Abbot Jerome Kodell's remarks. His papers were very interesting and good. Abbot Jerome is an able and articulate man. He is fairly young - compared to me anyway (age is relative!). He is 60, and is a very talented abbot. He is well formed in the monastic way and well informed intellectually. Incidentally, he has a delightful little southern drawl.

The main theme of our conference was Benedictinism, past and present. Abbot Jerome's thesis was that since the enlightenment (eighteenth century) the knowledge and the mental activity that is necessary to multiply knowledge has been important (the present importance of science is based on this). But human beings are more than cerebral creatures. We need the enlightenment of the heart, of the spirit. There is more to life than the mind. The corollary of this is that love and the nobler emotions are an activity of the heart. If, then, the enlightenment was the catalyst for the knowledge revolution, the challenge for today is to re-introduce the importance of the heart and the spirit. He sees the 21st century as perhaps the time for this to happen.

2000 years ago Jesus talked mostly about the importance of love - something we human beings have a difficult time doing consistently well. But we need to do that if we are to begin to bring about the kingdom of God in our world. Abbot Jerome saw Benedictinism as having a part in this new revolution. Benedictinism stands behind the importance of religious experience, and he sees religious experience as a really vital part of "call" to follow the Lord. Formerly religious orders used the story of the rich young man and the call to poverty as the primary motive for following the Lord's call. Abbot Jerome says that today we are going to the story of the Transfiguration as the new icon representing "call." The Transfiguration of Jesus was that event in which Jesus took his disciples up on a mountain and let them see his glory. He gave them an "experience." We all need to experience Jesus' glory. That is for everyone, while poverty is not for everyone. What is more important in this regard is that the rich and "those getting along nicely" need to "share." Jesus taught that. Sharing is, of course, motivated by "religious experience." That sounds right on to me.

God does provide us with religious experiences, if we spend enough time with God. We need to "waste time" with God - that is what the imperative to prayer is all about. God has given me a few "religious experiences" - not voices or visions, but perceptions, times of perception. We all need to be willing to "waste time " with God to have those perceptions. God really wants our attention.

We all live in a very busy world - a world in which we need to make our way and do those economic things that help us to make our way. Monasteries are certainly not excluded from this experience of life in the world today. Even so, we, as monks, need to spend attentive time with God, and so do those who associate themselves with the Benedictine monastic way. Only we can make the choice to do that. God will not force us. Sometimes it seems that we wait until bad things happen to us and then we are more willing to give a little attention to God for help. But really, it should be more than our need that draws us to God. Our giving time and attention to God should be gratuitous on our part. God is sovereign and He deserves our free praise.

I've carried on long enough here. Thank you for your attention, and thank you for your friendship and for your support of our monastic community and Seminary. Let us continue to prayer for each other.

Love and prayers,