The Monastery

The experience at Holy Cross Monastery was lovely! The pictures I took can be seen on facebook.

It seemed to me most of the “events” I would write about were internal, and I’ll talk about them in a different post (it’ll be long—I connected with some deeper parts of my enneagram type in powerful ways).  Instead of writing a travelogue, I’d rather give a quick list of what I found meaningful.

·         The junior class shared themselves and their thoughts in some wonderful ways.

·         Relatedly, I got to know some awesome people in ways I never had before.  It was powerful to share many of our stories in informal settings.

·         Learning about Benedictine spirituality in a monastic setting does add to the experience.  The simplicity of the way of life makes for a great antithesis to the larger world. 

·         Antithesis is not too strong a word either.  If one sees the pervasiveness of power, sex, and greed as operative in the world (and I certainly do), the Benedictine call to stability, chastity, obedience, and conversion of life offer an antidote to many of the world’s ills.

·         Much to Laura’s relief, it is clear that I do not have a monastic vocation.  My vocation is to be a secular priest, but find ways to infuse a Benedictine spirituality into life outside of the monastery.

·         The brothers opened up and were truthful in ways that impressed me.  As a group they modeled health—not perfection and certainly not a facade—in ways that were honest and forthright.  And by their honesty, the brothers did not allow us to keep our idealized vision of “the holy monk.”  For that, I’m grateful.

·         I’m now convinced that Compline (prayers before bedtime) is my favorite office.  Particularly in the order’s breviary, the prayers hold an authenticity in its reminders of our human condition and dependence on God.  The liturgy also includes a striking confession of sin, remembrance of those absent, and a reminder of baptism in the form of asperges. 

·         Silence is both scary and glorious.  The monastery observes a “Great Silence” from 9pm-9am.  That doesn’t sound so bad since we sleep through part of it, but it is all the more striking when the first thing one hears in the morning is the peal of a bell and the chanted phrase “Lord, open our lips.”  In the meantime, you wait to hear the Spirit; She never ceases to speak.  

Oh yeah...I'm going back when I can.  Good thing it's only two hours away.