Journey Back to Eden.pdf - St Mark Coptic Orthodox Church Chicago

A TIME OF CONSECRATION 151Just as in the monasteries of the West, the novices leaving theNovitiate and the new ones coming in have overlapping identitiesfor one day, so there’s a special kinship ascribed to them as thoughthey were all one class. They are even photographed as a class. Itreminds me vividly of the same phenomenon which occurs in myown monastery at St. Vincent: the photographing of two classes togetherbecause, for one day, they are all novices together. The newones get to imagine what they soon will be; the old ones get toreminisce about what they once were. The aspiration for themonastic life is reinforced for each class, because, at this time, theiridentities coincide.This evening, some of the ingredients for the Holy Myronwere mixed. In particular, a kind of wood pulp was left to soak fortwelve hours. The cells of the wood will expand in the water inwhich it was placed, and that substance will be added to boiling oiltomorrow. Then the ritual will properly commence.Monastic ConsecrationAPRIL 2, THURSDAYAt 7:30 this morning, I witnessed the rite of monastic consecrationfor the six old novices. At the beginning of the rite, they weresimply told to lie down on their backs while pillows were placedunder their heads. Then they were covered with the shroud whichordinarily covers the relics of their founder, St. Bishoi. The dirgesof Holy Week, especially those of Good Friday, were sung, as wellas the litanies of the saints from their funerals. Passages from theOld Testament were read: the call of Abraham; the second chapterof the Book of Sirach which talks about how one must be preparedfor trials if he comes to serve the Lord, as well as other texts.From time to time, Pope Shenouda lifted up the large shroudwhich covered the novices to let a little air ventilate the placewhere they were resting. The monks whispered to me that this isan uncommon act of kindness from His Holiness, inasmuch as it isthought to be part of the ritual of monastic consecration to letthose who are about to be consecrated “simmer,” on the dark, hot,shroud-covered floor of the church. Indeed, according to some ofthe monks, in the more remote past, it sometimes happened thatmonks died of heat prostration during the many hours of the cere-