The Correrie Museum

A museum? The word is inappropriate. For there is no orderly display of works of art here, nor historical souvenirs regarding the Order of the Carthusians, but rather an evocation of Carthusian life. And this, on the very site on which, in 1084, André and Guérin set up their Brothers' cells, their oratory, their workshops, and their modest sheepfold. The buildings have undergone many transformations since then, but "the walls", so to speak, are authentic: tourists can walk around today in the place where Carthusian monks, especially the Brothers, lived, prayed and worked. All around stands the wonderful circle of mountains, forests and fields, the motionless and inviolable witnesses of nine long centuries of history. How vast it is, this museum!

An interesting point in the story of the Correrie is that in becoming a museum in July 1957, it was restored to its original purpose of 1084, which was to welcome tourists and pilgrims, and to protect the silence and solitude of the monks from outside noise. Today too it limits the access of coaches and cars, just as it did in times past, for the carriages of visitors and priors coming to the General Chapter.

The first thing we see if we look inside the Museum is the church: on the walls are Le Sueur's paintings of the life of Saint Bruno (1645), or, more precisely, copies of them, which the famous painter himself worked on. There are also some outstanding 15th century stalls, carved for the Charterhouse of Currière. We go from there along the cloister, still intact in its Carthusian simplicity. The other rooms present information on the history of the Order, a map of the Grande Chartreuse, and various aspects of the life of a monk. The opportunity for the visitor to go through the different rooms of a monk's cell, with the furniture and objects arranged as in any Carthusian cell, is no doubt the moment which leaves the deepest impression. In the words of the author of a brochure on the Correrie: "The Correrie has remained a monastery where the tourist, in his own way, can share in the life of the solitaries."

- Saint Bruno and the Carthusians -

The Way to Find God

You should in no way be disturbed by the ups and downs in your spiritual life. We could never love seriously and solidly if our love depended on these inevitable fluctuations in our feelings. You should pay no more attention to them than our Lord does; He does not take offence, keep that firmly in mind.

Do not be afraid, believe simply and firmly that God is perfection in His handling of the souls who have put their trust in Him — that is to say, in His dealings with you. Abandon yourself in loving confidence to God Who loves you. Be brave enough to hold on firmly to the fact that God's care for you is a masterpiece of His loving choice — rest always in this unalterable conviction.

Say to yourself, God loves me beyond all I can imagine or put into words. Let this be at the heart of your being and become the whole of your devotion and never let go of it. You will soon find that this is the way to find God.

- Abbé Henri de Tourville -

A Pilgrimage to the Original Chartreuse

What benefit, what divine delight, solitude and the silence of the hermitage bring to those who love them, only those who have experienced them can tell. Here is experienced that eye by whose serene gaze the Spouse is wounded with love; that eye pure and clean, by which God is seen. . (Saint Bruno, Letter to Raoul le Verd)

Anyone who wants to experience something of the Carthusian vocation in its original purity and force, must go past the actual Grande Chartreuse, a good mile further up in the valley, to the edge of the Desert: there he will have reached the place where the first hermitage stood. Let him wander around there freely, let him "sit alone and keep silence." There in the midst of these piles of fallen rock and the wild luxuriance of vegetation, he too will experience a detachment from "the fleeting shadows of this world," and a sense of "the things of eternity," flowing into his soul. All the values of his life will fall into place. His eyes and his heart will be purified, and he will be able to see God, and human beings, and objects, in the light of truth.

In this desert place, he will discover four memorials, which will help him to visualize the first Chartreuse: Saint Bruno's Chapel, the Chapel of Our Lady of Casalibus, Saint Bruno's Spring, the Cross of the first cemetery.

- Saint Bruno and the Carthusians -

Sancta Anna, ora pro nobis

The figure of Saint Anne reminds us of the paternal home of Mary, the Mother of Christ. Mary was born there, bearing in her that extraordinary mystery of the Immaculate Conception. There she was surrounded by the love and solicitude of her parents: Joachim and Anne. There she learned from her mother, from Saint Anne, how to be a Mother. And although, from the human point of view, she had renounced motherhood, the Heavenly Father, accepting her total donation, gratified her with the most perfect and holy Motherhood. Christ, from the Cross, transferred in a certain sense His Mother's maternity to His favourite disciple, and likewise He extended it to the whole Church, to all men. When, therefore, as "children of (divine) promise" (cf. Gal 4:28, 31), we find ourselves in the range of this Motherhood, and when we feel its holy depth and fullness, let us think then that it was Saint Anne herself who was the first to teach Mary, her daughter, how to be a Mother.

"Anne" in Hebrew means "God has given grace". Reflecting on this meaning of Saint Anne's name, Saint John of Damascus exclaimed: "Since it was to happen that the Virgin Mother of God should be born from Anne, nature did not dare to precede the seed of grace; but it remained without its fruit in order that grace might produce its own. In fact, there was to be born that first-born who would give birth to the first-born of every creature" (Serm. VI, De nativ. B.V.M., 2; PG 96, 663).

- Blessed John Paul II -

Feast of the Apostle James the Greater

Are you able to drink of the cup that I drink of? (Saint Matthew 20:22).

But let no man be troubled at the apostles being in such an imperfect state. For the Cross was not yet accomplished, nor the grace of the Spirit yet given. But if you would learn their virtue, notice them after these things, and you will see them superior to every passion. For with this object He reveals their deficiencies, that after these things you might know what manner of men they became by grace.

That then they were asking, in fact, for nothing spiritual, neither had a thought of the Kingdom above been manifested. But let us see also, how they come to Him, and what they say. We desire that whatsoever we shall desire of You, You would do it for us (Saint Mark 10:35).

And Christ says to them, What would you want Me to do for you? (Saint Mark 10:36), not being ignorant, but that He may compel them to answer, and lay open the wound, and so apply the medicine.

- Saint John Chrysostom -

Dominica Septimadecima Per Annum

First Reading, 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12
Solomon’s unselfish and humble prayer is unique because it is not the norm of other ancient kings. Solomon was about twenty years of age at this time and his prayer shows a level of maturity far beyond what he calls “a mere youth”. In the Hebrew text, an “understanding heart” really means a willingness to hear God and obey God. God promises Solomon a heart that is wise and understanding; so much so, that there has never been anyone like him nor will there ever be anyone like him. Solomon’s governance indeed far excelled any of the kings of Israel. Moses and the apostles of Jesus, however, did have a more extensive understanding of the mysteries of God. As far as any future leader never being as wise as Solomon, prompts the question: What about Jesus? Certainly Christ is wiser than Solomon but we have to exclude Him because Jesus is God in Whom all the gifts of wisdom are contained and He is the Word Who made these promises to Solomon. Many of us at some point in our lives will be in positions of authority: pastor, committee chairperson, CEO, supervisor, teacher, principal, student body president, mom or dad, etc. Solomon’s prayer for an understanding heart is surely appropriate for any one serving our Lord in authoritative professions or vocations.

Second Reading, Romans 8:28-30
For all the trials that are faced in this life, how important it is to keep the opening verse of this Reading etched in our hearts. The Latin Vulgate translates a bit differently and perhaps gives a slightly better understanding of the fruits of loving God: “We know that all things work for good for those who love God,” -- “iis qui secundum propositum vocati sunt sancti -- to such as according to [His] purpose are called to be saints.” Sainthood or taking up permanent residency in heaven is our hope. We are predestined to conform to Christ by following His example, His teachings, and by our patient endurance in suffering. Saint Augustine explains God’s foreknowledge: “This foreknowledge of God is not merely a foreseeing of what men will do by the assistances and graces of God’s ordinary Providence, much less a foreseeing of what they will do by their own natural strength; but it is a foreknowledge including an act of the divine will and of His love towards His elect servants; God therefore has foreseen that these elect, by the help of His special graces and by the cooperation of their free will, should be conformable to the Image of His Son, that so His Son, even as Man, might be the first-born, the Chief, and the Head of all that shall be saved.”

Gospel, Matthew 13:44-52
Unlike the past couple of weekends, Saint Matthew, in this weekend’s Gospel, does not record the meaning of these parables. The meaning, however, is clear. They teach that the Kingdom of heaven is far more valuable than worldly possessions and is worth the sacrifice of all material riches. The morality of the characters in these parables is irrelevant to the point of these parables and thus need not be reflected upon. The teachings and example of Jesus Christ is the buried treasure. Our own free will determines exactly how valuable that treasure is to each of us. Studying the Gospels, responding to the call of evangelization, daily prayer, and regular Mass attendance speaks volumes of how important that treasure is to us. Evangelization is a hot topic in today’s Church and the reason is simple: As God’s created humanity, we have eternal value. Our souls will not perish with the gifts of this world. And if the Gospel of Christ is our hidden treasure, then that has to mean that you getting into heaven is as important as me getting into heaven. In other words, I must be as concerned for your soul as I am for my own soul. And how clearly was this truth acted out by our Lord when He became the sacrificial Lamb! To close, let us reflect on these words from Saint Teresa of Avila: “Hope, O my soul, hope. You know neither the day nor the hour. Watch carefully, for everything passes quickly, even though your impatience makes doubtful what is certain, and turns a very short time into a long one. Dream that the more you struggle, the more you prove the love that you bear your God, and the more you will rejoice one day with your Beloved, in a happiness and rapture that can never end.”

The Carthusian Mass

The Chartreuse has always had its own rite, different from the Roman rite, and most of its songs have been borrowed from the 11th century Church of Grenoble. Following Vatican II, the Carthusian Order, whilst modifying some of its ceremonies in order to return to a greater simplicity, has retained some of the particularities of its ancient rite: for example, the formula and gesture of offering the bread and wine at the offertory, the celebrant extending his arms in the form of a cross during the Eucharistic prayer, and the absence of a blessing at the end of Mass.

Mass can only be concelebrated on days which are marked by a communal character: Sundays, important feasts, special events in the life of the monastery. On other days, according to ancient custom, in conformity with the eremitical life, one priest celebrates the conventual Mass in which the community participates by singing and interior prayer; the other priests celebrate the Eucharist in their solitary chapels.

-Saint Bruno and the Carthusians-