SOMETIMES STABILITY IS A ROAD


I continue to work my way through my candidate year as a Benedictine Oblate of St. John's Abbey [Collegeville, MN]. While in the Rule of St. Benedict prayer is considered work the work I'm refering to is the more elusive work of discernment.

One conclusion I've reached in my discernment process is that its a good thing at 56 years old to still be able to ask the parallel questions: "What do I want to do?" and "Who do I want to be?" when I grow up. That's preferable rather than slugging away for 20 or 30 or 40 years at a job or vocation one loathes (or even worse, the lukewarmness of what one will tolerate).

This work of discernment asks us to look at our lives using criteria uncommon in the 21st century culture of America. Presently, I'm employing the lens of the Benedictine vow of stabilty.

Should Benedict have meant by stability for his followers to dig a hole and stand in it... I would fail his criteria miserably. I now live more than 1200 miles away from the place of my birth and formative years. I've had at least three clearly distinguishable career paths. I've lived in three states and enjoy jumping on a plane at some regular interval for a brief change of scenery. If stability means not moving from this spot, my Oblate candidacy is doomed.

However I believe that the stability of life and vocation Benedict set as a standard is more than "location, location, location." And I can honestly say that each change of career path, each move to another place, each difficult personal decision was made with a single, stable intention of heart; that my choice, my way ahead, would please God and be worthy of His blessing. So even if and when my choices did not yield all that I hoped they might, my spirit was somehow bouyed beyond my ability to make it so. Stability of heart is under-rated, don't you think?

What are the multitude of things we cling to that provide false stability? A job, a car, a relationship, a house we've outgrown or that has outgrown our needs? There are many trappings and creature comforts that mask true stability that comes only from hearts genuinely dependent upon God.

"God Alone" it says over the metal gate into the cloistered area of the Abbey of Gethesemane. My stability and yours is found in those two little words. And because Christ chose to self-identify Himself as the Way...sometimes practicing stability means moving. BLESSINGS OF PEACE AND JOY, THE CELTIC MONK

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