Thursday in the Fifteenth Week of Ordinary Time

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mat. 11:28). These words of Jesus struck me in the heart. As I look out from this ambo, I see a community of monks striving to be faithful to their consecration. The demands of fidelity are tiresome and the challenges of aging are burdensome. Responding to the Lord’s invitation is our path to peace of mind and heart. During the darkest hours of the night let us focus on the dawning of a new day. I find this message brought home in the song from the Taizé Community that we sing at Sunday Vigils, “Within our darkest night [, Lord], you kindle a fire that never dies away, that never dies away.”

 “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness” (Desmond Tutu). Our life as monks is a continuous search for the Light of the world who calls us out of our darkness. The flame that lights our path is the Fire of Divine Love. The Psalmist captures the sentiment when he writes, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony and peace” (Ps.133:1). Preferring nothing to the love of Christ, we can become a resting place and a shield for one another. Let us be willing to have our hearts expanded by the unspeakable sweetness of love. When the Beloved Son returns in glory, may he bring us into everlasting life.