Like A Tree Planted Beside The Flowing Waters

Testimonies of Faith

Four Benedictine Oblates took to the podium this afternoon telling their personal stories of what brought them to their monasteries and to the Benedictine journey. They came from the United States, Brazil, Vietnam and Nigeria. They were breathtaking and humbling stories, journeys through challenge and pain into community and joy and faith. One person summed up her journey with these words: "God saved my life, gave me life, renewed my life". We heard of the challenges politics and violence created for fledgling monasteries in Vietnam, and the strength and joy of those living in and affiliated with four thriving monasteries now. In his reflections on these witnesses to Benedictine faith, Dom Henry O'Shea commented on the "chink in the armour" of their and our lives through which grace and love can flow to identify and heal our personal and community wounds and needs. The Rule of Benedict is a vehicle through which comes grace, service, healing, openness to other people and ideas, all carried on a wave of prayer and community experience. It gives birth to humility, prayer, purification of our motives in the ground of our prayer, which is Christ.

Day 2--A word about our daily rhythm.
Our days begin with breakfast from 7:30, followed by lauds and Eucharist, talks a break with time to chat with others, perhaps another meeting and finally lunch at 1:00 (feasts as per Mary Fran's Photo --plus wine on every table!) More talks in the afternoon with time for a breif siesta, group meetings, Vespers at 7:15 and dinner at 8:00 (anotheer hardship feast). We then carry on with various other activities during the evening and for the very hardy ones, Compline at 10:45. At the moment Mary Fran is doing her stretching and I of course am working! The weather is beautiful and we are surrounded by rising green lawns and groves of trees, blue skies by day and clear stars of heaven by night. The time, the place and the people we will cherish for a long time to come. Deo Gratias!