The “lesson,” reading, on July 13 decades ago was from first Peter, 1 Pet. 5:1-4; 5:10-11: where Peter sent a message to his successors.

1 The ancients . . . that are among you, I beseech, who am also an ancient, and witness of the sufferings of Christ: as also a partaker of that glory which is to be revealed . . . :

2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking care of it, not by constraint, but willingly, according to God: not for filthy lucre’s sake, but voluntarily

3 Neither as lording it over the clergy, but from the heart.

4 And when the prince of shepherds shall appear, you shall receive a never fading crown of glory.

Moreover . . .

10 . . . the God of all grace, who has called us unto his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little, will himself perfect you, confirm you, and establish you.

11 To him be glory . . . for ever and ever. Amen.

Well. Such a goal he announced for successors, who are to look forward to the coming of “the prince of pastors.”

Then of course, the Gospel reading of this day so many decades ago, Matthew 16:13-19 . . .

13 Jesus . . . asked his disciples, What do men say of the Son of Man? Who they thought he was?

14 Some said John the Baptist . . . others Elias, others . . . Jeremiah or one of the prophets.

15 Jesus: . . . And you? Who do you say that I am?

16 Peter: . . . You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

17 Jesus: . . . Blessed are you, Simon. . . It is not flesh and blood, it is my Father in heaven that has revealed this to you.

18 And I tell you, Peter, He continued, it is on you, the rock, that I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it,

19 and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

The Savior spoke, it was settled.

And we? What do we think of all this?

Start with Ecclesiasticus 24:14-16 with which most of us are not familiar, Wisdom speaking:

14 From the beginning of time, before the worlds as people know them, God made me [Wisdom], unfailing to all eternity; in his . . . dwelling-place I waited on His presence;

15 and now, no less faithfully, I made Sion (Zion) my stronghold, the holy city my resting-place, Jerusalem my throne.

16 My roots spread out among the people that enjoy his favor, my God has granted me a share in his own domain; where his faithful servants are gathered I love to linger.

Thus spoke Wisdom.

Linger? We can call it meditation: Dear God, sweet God, I believe You, I trust You, I respectYou, etc. etc., fill in the gaps with short calls to faith, trust, love sweet love . . .

Same day’s liturgy, something from Luke, 11:27-28, who made the best of not having known the God-man Jesus by interviewing those who had known Him.

As Jesus spoke to the multitudes, a woman . . . lifted up her voice and said, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts that nursed You.”

But He said, “Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.”

A line to remember, to say the least . . .

And then . . .

Isaiah 6:1-8

In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filling the temple. Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings: with two they veiled their faces, with two they veiled their feet,
and with two they hovered aloft. They cried one to the other, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts! All the earth is filled with his glory!”

At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook and the house was filled with smoke. Then I said, “Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember that he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with it and said, “See, now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.”

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” “Here I am,” I said; “send me!”

Great story here. Isaiah, the most willing of the prophets and co-author of the biggest of profits’ books, did not have to be talked into the prophet’s role, but was ready to go, confident in his leader’s help. Others were faithful to the Lord, but dreaded taking on the prophet’s role. “Here I am, send me,” Isaiah said.

Benedict, the world’s and history’s greatest when it comes to monasteries, said the same centuries later with fewer dramatics. He didn’t invent monasteries but immensely expanded them, giving monks a task that saved Western Europe, having them copy — by hand, my friend — the works of the Fathers of centuries past, literary giants of the East.

Saint Benedict, pray for us.