The beatification of Abbot Columba Marmion (1858-1923) is yet another confirmation by the Church of the validity and richness of the benedictine path to holiness. Over many centuries the monastic life drawing vital sap from the Regula Benedicti has acquired a great variety of forms. Like a vigorous plant, its seeds have adapted to different "climates" and to a multitude of different circumstances without, however, ceasing to produce the flowers and fruits of sanctity (cf. Dante. A., par., 22, 48), under the constant action of the Holy Spirit.

Among the latest sons of St Benedict to have been raised to the honours of the altar by the Church we number before the throne of God the blessed Placidus Riccardi, priest and monk, chaplain to a community of nuns, and solitary rector of the historic abbey of Farfa; the Blessed Fortunata Viti, a humble lay sister; two Archbishops and Cardinals, Ildefonso Schuster and Giuseppe Benedetto Dusmet, who were moved from their responsibilities as abbots to the pastoral care of two large dioceses in particularly difficult times both for society and for the Church; and finally we recall the blessed Columba Gabriel whom Providence called to found a new family of benedictine nuns.

The Cistercian family has given the Church three beati. These serve to present a more variegated picture of monastic sanctity; the Blessed Gabriela Sagheddu devoted herself to the cause of reconciliation between the Churches; the Blessed Cyprian Iwene Tansi and the Blessed Rafael Arnaiz, an oblate brother.

The candelabrum now acquires another light in the form of an abbot totally immersed in the life of God and the search for Him, together with his brothers, in a benedictine community which was born of one of the most important monastic reforms of the nineteenth century. It is noteworthy that the official title describing his ecclesiastical office is that of abbot!

The new beatus presents a complete picture of the monk. His benedictine vocation matured during the early years of his priestly ministry and led him, at the age of thirty, to leave his Irish homeland and join the community at Maredsous in Belgium where he immersed himself in a demanding life of obedience, monastic discipline, community life and prayer. From the time of his solemn profession, the tasks entrusted to Marmion enabled him to develop those spiritual talents which would constitute his proper charism: the development of a spiritual doctrine solidly built on the Bible and the Liturgy which he propagated in his retreats, spiritual conferences and, above all, in his spiritual direction of a vast number of souls.

We are undeniably in the presence of an authentic charism of the Spirit. His teaching develops that attitude which is essential for the Christian soul once it comes into contact with God: the attitude of the Son towards the Father. It is the same as that of the Only Begotten who, according to St Paul and St John comes into us, prays in us and brings us to the Father.

The example and teaching of Columba Marmion constitute an important contribution to the history of modern Christian spirituality as well as to monastic spirituality, which he roots in the liturgical experience of the mystery of salvation.

This charism of spiritual teaching flowered and reached its brightest and most convincing embodiment in Columba Marmion's abbatial service which he was called to exercise in the community at Maredsous. But it also shines as rays of light in a much wider arena. Dom Marmion's influence as a spiritual father found an extraordinary vehicle when his conferences were published in book form. Translations and editions of these conferences multiplied in a very short time.

What characterises the spiritual teaching of the Blessed Columba Marmion, and what explains the incredible popularity of his writings among all walks of ecclesial life is the fact that he emphasised the biblical, liturgical and theological roots of experience in such a way that any Christian reading his works can find himself immediately at ease. According to Marmion, the monastic life is nothing other than the Christian life brought to its perfection. The liturgical piety of monks is that of the Church and nothing more.

It is this universal opening of the treasures of the monastic life which guarantees that the Blessed Columba Marmion's teaching will be received by future generations.

The solemn beatification of Dom Marmion is an invitation to all Christians, especially to the monks and nuns who are the sons and daughters of the Patriarch of Norcia, to see in this great Abbot a beacon of light radiating evangelical wisdom and illuminating the sure path that leads to life, and to God.

Bibliographical note on the latest editions of the works of Dom Marmion:

Columba Marmion, Oeuvres Spirituelles (containing Marmion's three principle works: Christ the Life of the Soul, Christ the Ideal of the Monk, and Christ in His Mysteries, together with a translation of his English correspondence), Paris, Éd. Lethielleux 1998.

M. Tierney. Columba Marmion, a biography, Dublin, Columba Press, 1995.

M. Tierney, French translation of this work to appear shortly.

F. Poswick et C. Soliamont, Dom Columba Marmion (1858-1923), Un guide spirituel pour notre temps, Namur, Éd. Fidélité 2000.

1Cor 2:10-16; Lk. 4:31-37

I know very well who you are: the Holy One, the Holy One of God! Apparently, Jesus did not appreciate this "canonisation", recognising his holiness which is the holiness of God. He silenced the one who spoke thus: Silence! Come out of the man. Must we be silent today? We are celebrating Blessed Columba Marmion, we rejoice that the Church has recognised in him the authentic sanctity which derives from God.

Surely Jesus does not mean us to be silent today. But he draws our attention to the quality of our acclamation. It is not enough to say: this is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord. It is not enough to say: you are the Holy One, you are the Holy One of God. It must be the Spirit who speaks within us. Whether we speak of Christ or whether we speak of those whom the Church proclaims blessed.

You are the Holy One, the Holy One of God! If we are not careful, this acclamation could only be a way of pleasing ourselves, a way to honour places where the blessed Columba Marmion lived. Using the same words, this language would only be that of a very human wisdom, it would only reflect our human strength, incapable of taking hold of that which comes from the Spirit of God, incapable of seeing the depths of the holiness of God.

When Jesus silenced the one who said: I know very well who you are, he did indeed silence him; but, even more, he sent him back, as he sends us back today, to the true roots of the language he uses. A heart possessed by the devil cannot express the holiness of God, even if he uses the right words in speaking. The man who only uses human strength cannot take hold of that which comes from the Spirit of God.

The authority of Jesus, like the power he exercises over evil spirits drags us down to the depths of evil. But, at the same time, it takes us into the depths of God, there where the Holy Spirit sees the depths of all things, where he contemplates the holiness of God, where he discloses the truth, where he makes us say: you are the Holy One, you are the Holy One of God! in such a way that our heart is in tune with our voice. There where the mind of Christ allows us to recognise in others, in all truth, the holiness which God has willed to share without limit.

The Gospel of today challenges us on the truth and the authenticity with which we wish to accept today the sanctity recognised in the person of Abbot Columba Marmion. The mind of Christ dwelt in him, without any doubt. He was familiar with it. We can say that he touched many people by his teaching, by his word full of authority leading one into the depths of the Spirit. The Church invites us to proclaim him in a loud voice, to shout from the rooftops what we have said in secret, whispered in the ear. The Gospel demands that this cry should be that of the Spirit.

Blessed Columba Marmion. Do not let us say that you are holy, without at the same time saying that Christ is holy in you, that the Spirit is Holy in you, that the Father is holy in you. Do not let us say that you are holy, without ourselves wishing to be holy as God is holy, to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. Obtain this grace for us today. Obtain this grace for all monastic communities. Obtain this grace for all those baptised into Christ Jesus. Obtain this grace for the whole Church. Amen.

Abbot Primate Marcel Rooney osb,

What a joy for us to hear this promise of Jesus as we gather for our Holy Year of Jubilee and millennial Congress of Abbots: He will remain with us always, through the presence of the Holy Spirit, who will instruct us and help us to make Memorial of Jesus' Word, of Jesus' Love.

It is the guidance of that Holy Spirit which will help us discern the many gifts among us Benedictines, will help us to know which gifts truly come from God and which are merely natural or human. This is how we discern vocations, no? This too is how we discern who should bear the burden of the office of Abbot Primate Ð not from merely human and earthly gifts, but from the gifts of God which come from the Holy Spirit.

How do we receive these gifts? Jesus says: "Anyone who love and is true to my word… in him the Father and I will make our dwelling place…" Loving God, and being true to the Word of God was the goal of St Benedict in setting up a monastery - it is merely a help to remaining in the truth, to continuing to love, without distraction, without the compromises so often necessary to live in the world.

May the Eucharist we celebrate today, at the opening of the Congress of Abbots 2000, renew us in our commitment to being true to God's Word and faithful to St Benedict's Rule. And may it renew us too in love - for the Father and the Son, whose presence is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit; - and love for our communities who are hungry for the Truth and the Love our rich tradition offers. And may it renew us in joy, the sure echo of divine life in us, the life of the Trinitarian God, to whom be glory and honour and all our love, now, and for ever and ever. Amen.

Holy Father, Very Dear Holy Father,

We the Benedictine abbots and priors of the whole world, have come here together with representatives of the nuns and sisters, and some guests. We have come to greet you, to listen to you and to beg your blessing for our communities and our ministry to our brethren.

Our Congress in this jubilee year began with the beatification of an Abbot, Dom Columba Marmion, who renewed two sources of our life: the Gospel meditated in lectio divina, and the celebration of the sacred liturgy. We thank you most warmly for this generous gesture of beatification. In this way you encourage us to grow each day in our spiritual service of our brothers and of the world. We thank you also for the letter which recalled the 200 anniversary of the election of Pope Pius VII, who was a Benedictine monk.

According to Saint Benedict, the essential criterion to discern a monastic vocation is si revera Deum quaerit. This search for God is continual; our first mission in the world today is to give first place to God in our lives. Although living in the world, we are not of the world.

In journeying with the people of God, we share too in the sufferings of our Church, our society and our culture. Gratia supponit naturam - it is difficult in a dechristianised world to find many vocations; however there are a few! Our monasteries situated in countries which are materially poor and in the young churches are our hope for the future. These monasteries are seriously seeking their own identity, in their religious and cultural context and the task is long and arduous. It is the same for western monasteries of an old tradition which seek an adequate style conformable to their vocation, in the midst of modern and post-modern societies. Per ducatum Evangelii, as Saint Benedict said, we will succeed: that is our most fervent hope.

Like a rainbow, the monasteries of the Benedictine Confederation reflect the rich and vast palette of the monastic vocation. I myself come from a Benedictine Missionary Congregation, brought into being by the fire of Saint Paul: "Caritas Christi urget nos". This speaks, under different forms, for the whole Benedictine Confederation. Every Congregation, every monastery has received a share of the mission to witness in its own way and to preach the presence of God in the world and the high Christian vocation.

One day, in Japan, some Buddhist monks asked me: "Why are Christian monks so full of joy?" After marvelling a moment at such a question, I answered: "Because we are loved by One above and within us and because our life is the response of our love". We hope to follow this kind of witness and so make our modest contribution to the life and mission of our Church, of which you are the honoured and beloved Pastor.

Now I humbly ask your benevolence and your blessing for the Benedictine Confederation and for the Benedictine nuns and sisters.

Rome, 8th September, on the feast of the Nativity of Mary, Mother of God and our Mother.

+Dom Notker Wolf osb, Abbot Primate