Chapter 4 of the Rule of St. Benedict admonishes us to “First of all love the Lord God with your whole heart, your whole soul and all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt 22:37-39, Mark 12:30-31; Luke 10:27) Later in ch4; verses 10-19, Renounce yourself in order to follow Christ; Discipline your body, do not pamper yourself, but love fasting. You must relieve the lot of the poor, clothe the naked, visit the sick and bury the dead. Go to help the troubled and console the sorrowing. It is based on my understanding of this part of the rule that I go to Costa Rico.
On January 15 I will leave with 10 others to fly to San Jose in the Central Valley of Costa Rico. After landing, we will be taken by bus to the community of Concepcion. There we will be quartered at Mt. Sanai Methodist Church by Pastor Alex Sanchez. Our quarters consist of 2 inch thick mattresses laid out on a concrete floor; our clothes remain in the suitcases as there is no other place to store them. We have chairs that we borrow from the dining table and need to carry them back and forth. Showers are some 50 to 75 feet across the courtyard. Hot water is questionable because of the strain on the electric breakers. We are going to pour the concrete floors of classrooms; we erected the walls last January. We will also be building and placing the bond beams for the second floor. All this work is done in concrete as termites never hibernate in Costa Rico and wood structures have a very short lifespan, there is also the earthquake factor. All work is done by hand for two reasons; one, equipment is too expensive, secondly most equipment cannot be brought into the courtyard. We will eat meals prepared by local women of the church, a large portion of which will be rice. All materials and food are purchased by the team so as not to be a burden on the local church. Complaining is not allowed or tolerated. The work day is 7AM untill around 5:30 PM. The church is used seven days a week for education and worship.
Every day starts with devotions and prayer. There are services three times during the week. Quiet time is provided for Bible reading and daily reflections. After 13 days, such a short time, we return to the states and our normal daily lives, having gained just a small idea of what it would be like to actually be a monk living in a monastery where if it gets done you do it. God asked Moses, “What is it that you have in your hand?” My answer is a shovel, a trowel, a hammer; all to use for the glory of God. Your answer?
Richard J Gould, OblSB
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