The Celtic Monk

Arrived yesterday at the Humphries Terminaal, MSP airport. Friend/colleague John was on the ground and had rented a car... Peggy and John V would soon be landing then we'd together make our way the 75 miles west to St. Johns Abbey/University/ Guest House. It's a once a year reunion for us (the week after Easter) when sometimes up to nine of us gather to share the continuing stories of our lives and ministries since being ordained ('93-'94) This year it's a double-reunion for me as I'm able to make an extra trip up to St. John's-- where in early July I'll take my final vows as a Benedictine Oblate. But today, for the first time it feels as though my two communities...are merging. Gathered with these folks in this location - I'm able to talk about being "Presby-dictine" a called, ordained Presbyterian clergywoman and a Benedictine Oblate learning to incorporate the Rule of Benedict into my everyday life. I am sharing the ways in which this pl...

"Real holiness doesn’t feel like holiness; it just feels like you’re dying. It feels like you’re losing it. And you are! You are losing the false self, which you foolishly thought was permanent, important, and you! You know God is doing it in you and with you, when you can even smile, and trust that what you lost is something you did not finally need anyway." - Richard Rohr I ran across the above quote from the Jesuit, Richard Rohr recently.  It was one of those moments when my whole body heaved a sigh of agreement and relief. My experience on this journey of faith is dotted with those moments he described. But its not only my experience.  My mind and heart are full of significant conversations with people on this path who some of the time feel like I'm losing it. I've been party to many conversations that begin: "I really need to tell you something" and end with: "thanks, because I really thought I was losing my mind." Over the years I'v...

For the past year-and-a-half, I've led a meditation group each Tuesday evening at Peace River Spirituality Center. We gather and listen to a short homily received electronically from the World Community of Christian Meditation. Next we spend 30 minutes together in silence. We close each evening with Compline,the same order of service prayed each night at The Abbey of Gethsemani. Our whole evening is just over an hour -- my favorite hour of the week. In the fall, I was able to offer a six week class on meditation at First Presbyterian Church of Naples. Because folks there had a wide-spread of experience in meditation, we began with half an hour of teaching which I prepared to bring us to some common understandings of meditation as Christian prayer. It was there, in the give and take of the teaching time, that someone first asked me if I ever use words to pray. A very fair question. Surely I write prayers for liturgy most weeks -- the prayer of adoration to begin the service, a p...