February 12 - A Little Something for the Lord

The heartbeat of monasticism, whether cloistered and sanctified by the Church, “sealed” unto liturgical holiness, or “marketplace,” such as ours in Cor Unum, is the making sure that we give to God more than the dregs of the day . . . which sometimes is more than He has received.


Our monasticism is putting Him first, doing things His way, listening, attending, obeying, watching, waiting . . . and none of us have time for that in these days.



So . . . we pencil Him in. We ink Him into every day; we plan our mornings around Him, and we consign our leisure to Him – not that we would not have lunch with a friend, and certainly not that we would leave a spouse to occupy a lonely marriage while we go in search of the monastical Jesus – we set out to find Him where we live and to live with Him where we find ourselves.



Fasting is not meant to interrupt our married, marketplace lives, but to enhance them, and fasting will do just that. We might have to begin by fasting criticism or ingratitude or judgment, and we all hope to go on to the fullness of the Lord’s fast, the denial that delights Him. Is it possible that we would seek to know how to proceed and be denied the wisdom and grace to follow in paths of righteous SELF denial?



One might fast forty days in the most strenuous manner and fail to find the heart of God, but anyone who seeks to delight in the Lord for forty days and applies self-denial in the process will find that Cor Unum Abbey is as real a monastery as the soul could ever require.



Remember, beloved . . . slow and steady steps, choosing what we will do and doing what we choose . . . no turning back, even if we stumble . . .