Reflection

By Brother John

Often we say, “I can’t hear myself think!”

Noise seems to have taken over. The sounds of nature often go unrecognized, and when peace and quiet come, they are met with difficulty. In these moments, we struggle to fill the void the silence brings, and we feel a pull to busy ourselves with noise—be it chatter, television, or social media.

We resist the call to listen: to others, ourselves, even God. It is as though we don't know where to begin.

It shows in how we deal with others. Just look at the current political process as we seek the next president for 2017. The people running for office seem to act more like spoiled children bickering with one another than civil servants asking for our vote. Have we gone wrong? What can we do to change? We can start in our approach to one another. We can start to bring our lives into real prayer, meditation: just sitting in the presence of God.

Then we clear our heads of all junk and chaos, and in 2016, we find ourselves in the same situation as the desert mothers and fathers did in the fourth century. They entered the barren wilderness to leave all distractions, and in the seeming quiet, they lived and centered their thoughts on God. It's in our many brief, still moments that the “desert” is present for us, and we are reminded of our presence with the Divine.

This reminds me of our own beginning here at New Skete fifty years ago. We came here to live as brothers and sisters in work, prayer, and worship, and to find God for ourselves, with the hope of helping others do the same. When people come to visit, we simply invite them to participate in what we share with one another: our space, the quiet, the various ways in which we have sought God in our own lives. So when they depart, they leave with their spiritual lives stirred by good food and conversation, and with a home for their next retreat.

However, I continue to be saddened over these past fifty years in the decline of vocations. It seems that noise and busyness have prevailed. People see our life, they have a profound respect for the way we live, but they do not feel the same pull that brought us here in 1966, or perhaps the pull is being felt differently today. Being a nun or a monk is hard work, and it is rewarding to see people come, be themselves, leave happy and with God until the next visit. Seeing this effect on retreatants, and knowing that we have a part in their renewed lives, makes all these fifty years worth while.

This way of life has its difficulties, but if it is taken seriously, the result is growth: personal, spiritual, and in community as we all find God together.

My wish for the next fifty years is that New Skete will continue to be a place of refuge for all people, to aid them in finding rest and peace, to be reminded of God, and perhaps become interested in this way of life.

Please help us to make 2016 a year of grace in any way you can, as we seek to improve our aging physical structures and prepare for the next fifty years.