A Journey Impossible to Accomplish Alone

One of the truths understood by St. Benedict is that living in community is necessary because it enables us to encounter the presence of God in each other and have companionship on life’s journey. Community also serves to wear down our rough edges, but at least when it comes to the friendships we form, the poet David Whyte suggests that learning to amend our faults is not the primary purpose of these relationships:

“The ultimate touchstone of friendship is not improvement, neither of the other nor of the self. The ultimate touchstone is witness, the privilege of having been seen by someone and the equal privilege of being granted the sight of the essence of another, to have walked with them and to have believed in them, and sometimes just to have accompanied them for however brief a span, on a journey impossible to accomplish alone.” (From the book Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment, and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words)

In community life, more opportunities exist to have our essence seen by the people with whom we share housing and ministries. As I prepare to move to the monastery and live with a different group of sisters, I am thankful for the gracious accompaniment of the sisters who have lived in the Marywood house with me these past two years. I am aware that living together, although sometimes challenging, is a privilege and a sacred activity on this journey that is impossible to accomplish alone. The companions God gives us, whether we walk together for long stretches or for just a short time, are a blessing.