Friday in the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time

Monday will be the 28th anniversary of the death of Fr. Pius Hanley.  He was a monk of New Melleray for 67 years and proprietor of our Gift Shop for almost that long.  Fr. Pius was always intrigued by marriage as a Christian vocation. One day he asked me, “Stephen, have you ever considered holy matrimony?”  I said, You know, Fr. Pius, since I first came to the monastery I haven’t thought of holy matrimony more than three or four times a day.”  With a twinkle in his eye he asked, “Have you made up your mind yet?” “No,” I said, “I’m waiting to see what you will do.”

Sometimes it’s hard to be married, and sometimes it’s also hard not to be married.  As Fr. Pius expressed it, he was very happy to have persevered for so many years, but he wouldn’t want to do it all over again.

Let us all be of good courage as we walk with Christ along our way of the cross because in the end we will share Christ’s resurrection and discover what it means to be a spouse of Christ living with him in eternal happiness.