Conception Abbey

Eulogy for Abbot James Jones, OSB
Wake Service, August 7, 2009 (Reading Romans 8:14-23)
by Fr. Daniel Petsche, OSB

Whenever the Church gathers in prayer the Holy Spirit provides a wonderful bridge arching from the past, though the present, and into the future. We can’t look to the future without remembering the past which has shaped and molded us.

At this time when we gather to pray for and remember the life of Abbot James we have the opportunity to let his life show us what it meant for him to walk in the Spirit of the Risen Lord in the past and how we might be encouraged to walk in the same Spirit into the future.

This walking in the Spirit is a key to understanding the words we’ve just heard from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans about the difference between the spirit of slavery and the spirit of adoption but its also the key to appreciating so much about the life of Abbot James.

• when you think of Abbot James and his experience of life, there are some special adjectives which easily come to mind – words like enthusiasm, compassion, humility, optimism, and abiding faith and prayer in the Lord Jesus Christ.
• no doubt each of us here tonight has his or her own special memory of Abbot James’ hearty laughter and his Louis Armstrong gravely voice telling a joke or loudly greeting someone across the room with a big smile which would always make that person feel included and very special
• with his engaging personality, marvelous ability to remember names, as well as  commitment to lasting friendship he was able to reach out not only across the room but across any and all barriers and levels--it made no difference whether you were a cardinal, a bishop, or a Supreme Court judge or a legislator, or a banker or scholar or hospital patient, or prisoner, or an alcoholic homeless person, you would get a smile, a warm welcome, a word of kindness, a word of comfort.

For Abbot James, walking in the Spirit was his answer to knowing the difference between what St. Paul described as the state of slavery and the state of freedom and adoption as the Sons of God. That freedom in the Spirit of God not only allowed him to rejoice and reciprocate in the gift of friendship he shared with so many people, but it also allowed him to follow his heart and to experience and express great compassion for anyone who was hurting. Sometimes that was shown in his genuine pastoral approach to his much appreciated work in marriage tribunals in various dioceses. Certainly it was shown in his pastoral ministry to people in prison and patients of all ages in hospitals.

Those of us who lived closely with him can testify that as a confrere and as our abbot he would frequently ask you how a particular family member was doing who had been ill or who had been going through a tough time. He was free enough in his mind and heart to be compassionate, he was not afraid to be vulnerable, he was not pretentious, he was not out to impress anyone. Furthermore, one of the reasons he could relate to people with genuine compassion was because of his own personal struggle to find hope in times of darkness and depression. He knew all about tough times and he used his personal experience humbly, honestly, and effectively to reach out to others. Walking in the Spirit for Abbot James was above all living with the conviction and enthusiasm that Christ the Risen Lord was at the center of our human life, the center of our spiritual life, the center of our monastic life, and the center of the Christian mission given to everyone through baptism. Those of us who heard his homilies and conferences to the community through the years remember his consistent theme that Christ must always be at the center and source for good liturgy, and Christ must be at the center if social action is going to lead to peace and justice, and Christ must be the center and source of monastic life if it is going to be productive and survive.

Abbot James leaves many legacies with us, some in the form of programs and construction projects such as the actual physical beginning of the basilica renewal project, but his most important legacy is not able to be measured by programs and construction projects. It is the legacy of an example of a person free enough and faithful enough to show us what it means to walk in the Spirit of God. He showed us that whatever talents we might have, whether they be great or small, can be used to make a difference through charity and compassion.

Abbot James responded to the call of service to the community by accepting the burden and the responsibility of being called Abbot, a title based on the original word for Father, “Abba.”  He could not have done that in the spirit of acceptance and service, had he not long before come to the conviction that we are all children of God gifted with the freedom to call upon our Heavenly Father as “Abba”.

Our greatest tribute to the memory of Abbot James will be to imitate his readiness  to walking in the Spirit with a joyful, humble, and compassionate heart, being of willing service in prayer and love for one another, and looking forward with eager longing for the day when our mission is completed and  the Lord will call us home.

Mass of Christian Burial, Abbot James Jones, OSB
Homily, August 8, 2009 (Readings Lamentations 3:17-26; 2 Corinthians 5:1, 6-10; Matthew 5:1-12a)
by Abbot Gregory Polan, OSB

Reflecting on the life of Abbot James Jones conjures up quite a variety of descriptions of this man: com­pas­sionate, dedicated, welcoming, generous, good-humored, respon­sive, and spontane­ous. Yet in all these laudable qualities, what we must do today is consider how they were en­livened in him to teach us something of the greatness that was so natur­al, so sim­ple, so un­pre­tentious in him. I believe our key to unlocking this treasure is found in the beatitudes. The beati­tudes show us the plan of Jesus to establish God’s king­dom on earth. But the beati­tudes are only inspiring words unless they come to life in us. And when they do, they witness to an ener­gy, a power, a force, a liveliness, and a vigor that is both infectious and life-altering, that touches lives and changes hearts. And in that way, the kingdom of God unfolds in our world today. That is something of what we experi­enced in the ways that Abbot James loved us and walked among us. 

Consider what Jesus asks of us in the beatitudes: To be poor in spirit, to mourn, to be meek, merciful, pure of heart; to hunger and thirst for righteousness; to be a peacemak­er; to endure persecution. To bring any one of these beatitudes to life in us requires remark­able trust in God, and the way we trust in God is what makes the difference. What is at stake here for us, as it was for Abbot James, is taking hold of the grace God gives us, and having it lead us for­ward into the un­folding plan of God, a plan which is always paschal in character. This means that when sorrow and disappointment, when failure and discour­age­­­­ment enter our lives, we trust that grace is there in the middle of it all, inviting us to step into the mystery of the real struggle at hand, so that through bearing it, we then can accompany and help others in their passage through similar spiritual labors. This is where Abbot James was a pro. His life had more than its share of disappointments, failures, and strug­gles. But these very things became his strength in bringing compassion, understand­ing, encour­­agement, and hope to oth­ers when it was needed most. 

Let’s take a few examples. Regardless of how serious or how insignificant something was, Abbot James always saw it with both gravity and humor. When you made a mistake and apologized to him, he’d ask, “Did you do your best? What more could be asked?” He had made his share of mistakes, big and small, and yet saw them for what they were: not to minimize them, but not to exaggerate them either. And when you tried too hard and yet missed the mark, he’d warn you, “Beware of being a semi-Pela­gi­an,” meaning you can’t earn your salvation; it’s God’s gift. When you shared an accomplishment with him, he congratulat­ed you and then promptly re­mind­ed you that you were supposed to be downstairs helping scrub the refectory floors.  The monastic life had taught him the dang­ers of pride and the blessings of humility. For him, all of life was the place where you opened yourself up to the grace of God that was offered you – in both blessing and in disap­pointment, in both failure and in success. And in all these situations, there was a spon­tan­eity and responsiveness in Abbot James that left you abundantly aware that this man saw life for what it was: at one and the same time, a gift and a sacred place to hear the voice of God. 

We would smile when he would say something like this to us, “Ok, we’re all set for leav­ing tomorrow morning; I’ll met you at the garage at 8:28 AM.” There was some­thing much more in it than trying to be funny. It had to do with him making a deci­sion, and then believing that God would fill it out, make it work, bring it to its conclu­sion. That was the manner of trust that distinguished Abbot James with a faith that kept us smiling, and focused on where we were going – always toward God, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. 

The last three years of his life were so powerfully marked by the diminishment of both his physical and mental capacities. He wanted to say things, but could not get the words out; and how that frustrated him. He who loved to visit with friends, now could only bear a few min­utes with the people who wanted to cheer him up but who only add­ed to his frus­tration and depres­sion by their kindness. Through all of this poverty of spirit, he strove to be faithful and bore the humilia­tions of his weakened and fading abi­li­ties. His willing­ness to struggle, his hope to be faithful, his desire for prayer (how­ev­er distracted it was at times) were all the fruit of a lifetime of believing in and living-out the paschal myste­ry with a trust that was both solid and fragile. 

Whether we recall the many years of his vibrant and compassionate spirit, or his frustrat­ed at­tempts to live with faith this more recent season of struggle, today must be a celebration of joy and hope. In Abbot James, God has given us an icon of lively enthusiasm for liv­ing-out the plan of God in those ever-so-challenging beatitudes, so that we too might con­tribute to the building up of God’s kingdom among us. As we lift up our hearts in this sacred cele­bra­tion, let there be rich gratitude for the life and example of Abbot James, and a prayer that we too might be strength­ened by the grace given each of us in following Christ Jesus to glory.