Today is my last full day as a novice before I make my first
profession as a Benedictine sister. It is a threshold time. What should I do?
Go to morning prayer and mass…. Eat breakfast…. Go for a
walk…. Do a load of laundry…. Finish some editing work….
God is found in the ordinary even at times of transition, although
our awareness of God’s presence is often heightened at such times. The other
day when I was picking tomatoes, a honey bee buzzed around me repeatedly and
landed on my forearm several times. Ted Andrews notes in his book Animal Speak, “The bee is the reminder
to extract the honey of life…and that no matter how great the dream there is
the promise of fulfillment if we pursue it.” St. Benedict would translate that
as “What can be sweeter to us than the voice of the Lord inviting us? See how
the Lord in his love shows us the way of life.”
I also was aware of God’s presence yesterday in the form of a
hawk that landed on a tree not far from where I was walking. Hawks are usually
permanent residents in an area, reflecting the vow of stability I will be
making. They have keen vision, which I will need to see God in my life and in the
community and world. In their flight, hawks teach us balance, which is also a
lesson of the vow of fidelity to the monastic way of life.
The day is yet young; perhaps before I go to bed tonight I
will also be given a sign of my call to obedience, the third vow I will take
tomorrow. If that happens, I’m sure it will occur in an extraordinarily
ordinary way!
No comments:
Post a Comment