Jesus tells his followers today, “In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”
The good monks at Gethsemani in central Kentucky are counting on that as they earnestly pray for the world, while seldom, if ever, leaving the walls of their monastery … a monastery made famous by Thomas Merton who lived and is now buried there.
“Praise to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit … from now, until the end of the ages. The God who is who was and is to come … both now and forever.”
That’s what the monks sing, before every Psalm they chant. And they chant seven times a day, beginning with the Daily Office at 3:15 a.m.
For the past decade, my good friends Steve, Brian, Glen and many others from our Indiana parish have ventured to Bardstown, KY, where this little slice of heaven, this monastery of some five dozen monks, sits nestled in the hills of central Kentucky, about a half hour south of Louisville.
Thomas Merton is the man who led me here. Many years ago, I participated in a “spiritual classics” book club reading of Seven Story Mountain. During this time, both our parish priest and I read Merton’s classic novel of spiritual awakening for the first time. It was life changing.
I highly recommend this book. Merton’s never-ending quest for a spiritual connection to God mirrors what I have been seeking all my life. And no doubt it mirrors what you are seeking too.
Of course Gethsemani was more than just Merton … which we found out each time we ventured down for a four-day retreat with at least 2 or 3 new guys every year. They have a guesthouse, like a hotel. But we stay in the monastery wing. Each room has a bed, a desk and a closet for clothes. Nothing else. No air conditioning and the bathroom is down the hall.
We pray with the monks. We chant. We go to Mass, Confession. We spend time in the library. We eat monk food (lots of veggies and oats). And we do a lot of walking in the woods. Lots of woods. Lots of walking. Beautiful. Peaceful. A weekend of renewal … each and every time.
But then I come back to reality.
I can’t become a monk. That’s not my calling. But I can borrow some of their practices.
The Liturgy of the Hours – known as the Prayer of the Church – this is what the monks chant when they gather in their white robes and stand opposite each other in the church. Just imagine their deep chants bouncing back and forth – left and right – not just senseless song, but the words of the Psalms. The poetry of the Psalm writers. The very words that Christ himself memorized as a little boy … singing them along with his family as they walked to the Temple.
The Psalms contain within them our entire faith, our entire history. They were meant to be sung so that the song of God would continually echo in our hearts as we made our way through each day, each week, each month, each year.
So today, I leave you with some advice …
- Start or maintain a daily prayer life, a holy hour, Rosary, Eucharist Adoration – or a mix of all. You need that balance – like the monks say: work, pray, study.
- Expect to fail … often. There will be days. Maybe weeks, when keeping up with your prayer life will be impossible. The key here is to never lose the desire, always yearn to pray, even when you know you can’t. It will come back.
- Do a retreat. Many parishes have Christ Renews or Cursillo. Or pay a visit to a monastery. How about a 40-day silent retreat in the desert? Yeah, they have those, too. Do something once a year to recharge your batteries.
- And finally, never stop learning about the faith. Take a class. Watch EWTN. Watch reruns of Archbishop Fulton Sheen. Read a book. Read another book. And then … read another. And don’t forget about the Internet. There are so many great Catholic websites, publications and blogs that offer more than you can handle on a daily basis. Find a few that you like and keep an eye on them.
The more we know Jesus in our hearts and minds, the easier it will become to be with Him always.
