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Sister Aelred's Silver Jubilee

On April 12 Sr. Aelred Erwin joined with her community, friends and family to celebrate 25 years of monastic life at Minster Abbey.

The following is taken from the homily by Fr. David Standley at the Silver Jubilee Celebration of Sister Aelred.

Of all the detail in the gospel we have just heard - the futile night's fishing, the stranger on the shore, the sudden overwhelming catch (153 fish..., many of the early Fathers had fun figuring out the symbolism of that!), the unbroken nets, the pathos in English of 'come and have breakfast' -there is one phrase that stays with me most: 'It is the Lord'.

The words are on the lips of 'the disciple Jesus loved'. At the empty tomb it was he who was the first to begin to understand that Jesus had risen from the dead. It was he who stood at the foot of the Cross until the end. The disciple Jesus loved. It was the love of Jesus that opened his eyes. 'It is the Lord ' The more we are aware of Jesus' love for us, the more our eyes are opened. Sister Aelred, the story of these 25 years could be told as your growing awareness of Jesus' love for you.

We first met through L'Arche, around 1978. L'Arche has been one of the loves of your life, and remains so. Jean Vanier's insight about how much we need the gifts of healing an reconciliation hidden in those the world often despises or ignores, continues to shape your life. Daily life with Bill, Geraldine, Yvonne, John Borman and others, opened your eyes. Your future religious vocation was nurtured there. 'It is the Lord.'

Even before that, your vocation to the monastic life was being prepared in those years at home with your family. It is good to see so many of them here today. The rough and tumble, the laughter and the tears of family life plough the soul. Only looking back can we see it. God was active in all of that, and looking further ahead than you were. 'It is the Lord '

Monastic life, in your own Benedictine tradition, is a school of prayer. What that has meant for you cannot be easily plotted. It embraces the liturgy, the rhythm of the hours, the seasons, the silence, and the interruptions ! This prayer of the Church, the prayer of Christ, goes on. It is a work you undertake on behalf of the Church, and on behalf of the world. It has its public face, it has its hidden roots in each of your hearts, in the unique way Christ knows each of you. You, Sister Aelred, have made your own contribution. This shaking, shifting, becalmed, stormy awareness of God doesn't always feel like growth, but it is. 'It is the Lord '

You have chosen to hear Isaiah:

I have sent you to bring Good News to the poor,
To loose the chains of injustice,
To share your food with the hungry,
To shelter the -wounded and the lost,
And do not turn away from your own flesh and blood.

I have noticed that this 'enclosed, contemplative' community of Minster is more involved in hospitality and social justice than many parishes. And there is a cost in that, both to your own community life, and in the resistance that you have sometimes found. It is the cost of discipleship. You have played your part in this work: the Guest House (and now the Bethany Wing), the Parents' Retreat which I have been so happy to share with you, the welcome of many diverse groups, the spiritual counselling to individuals, and much more. It can be demanding, rewarding, infuriating, and mysterious. 'It is the Lord.'

Above all, you have lived these years in this very particular community, committed to these Sisters, and they to you. Over 25 years of course some have died, their graves nearby, awaiting resurrection; they have been part of your journey. Some have been here longer than you, some much longer... Others have come since. Each of you is unique, together you are a community. You are also part of the wider Benedictine world, your larger Benedictine family, through history one of the threads, or arteries, of the Body of Christ, With them, local and worldwide, you have lived the usual joys, strains, surprises, hiccups and richness of family life. 'It is the Lord.'

Sister Aelred, thank you for following your call. We all thank you, we rejoice with you today. For myself, your life here has deeply supported and nourished me. Your welcome, your music, your hospitality, your cooking, honesty, joy, bounce, sensitivity, your friendship, your struggles, your prayer - all in the context of the whole Minster community. I am glad you are here. 'It is the Lord.'

I give you words of St Teresa of Avila: