"The Spirit brings it about that a man grasps a truth which of himself he could not understand; that an attitude awakens within him which would otherwise be beyond his capacity; that he experiences a presence of God which he himself could not attain." -- Romano Guardini
St. Joseph's Trappist Abbey
Today I will have the privilege of attending Brother Brian Rooney's solemn profession of monastic vows at St. Joseph's Abbey down the road from my home. Though Liz and I long admired him from afar -- admiring monks from afar is how it works with Trappists, whose cenobitic life we respected by admiring them "from afar" -- I only actually met Br. Brian yesterday when he graciously invited me to be present at his solemn profession.
Please keep Br. Brian and all the monks at St. Joseph's Abbey in your prayers. It is an extraordinary community. Liz and I moved here in order to be close to the Abbey, and being able to attend morning Lauds and Mass there (when I'm in town) is a great privilege.
Last Tuesday Benedict XVI met with local priests in the Italian Alps where he was vacationing. In the course of his remarks, he quoted a proverb that comes to mind now as I think about the monks of St. Joseph's: "If a tree falls it makes a lot of noise, but if a forest grows no one hears a thing."
1 comment:
I wish there was something from Gil everday. I understand that there can't be. I think of the Trappists as a deep well that thankfully has not run dry and into which we can drop our buckets from time to time. With regard to the comment of the Holy Father--the Kingdom of God is indeed spreading like yeast through us, and that we don't hear anything is a good sign.
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