Knocking at the Door

The Rule of St. Benedict says, “Do not grant newcomers to the monastic life an easy entry”; rather, Benedict instructs that they must knock at the door for four or five days before being admitted. Today, “knocking at the door” could be translated as “writing a letter asking permission to enter,” which I have done twice thus far at the Mount: once when I asked to become a postulant and most recently when I asked to enter the novitiate. This week, the community granted my latest request, and I will become a novice on June 24.

Voicing and persisting in our prayer instills patience, helps us practice discernment, and reminds us to examine how our desires affect others in the body of Christ. We should be bold rather than timid in our requests, for God wants us to have life to the full—and we can trust that if our own desires won’t lead to fullness of life, God will lead us down another path.

I know that the restrictions of the novitiate will be challenging, but at the same time, I am grateful for the gift of the canonical novice year to focus on prayer, study, immersion in the community, and time with God. As the Mount saw fit to grant my request, I now pray that the coming year will lead to fullness of life for all of us!