Thoughts from the Monastery

 

Sanctuary at the Abbey of the Genesee 

Dear Parishioners,

I recently returned from my retreat at the Trappist monastery, the Abbey of the Genesee, in western New York State. I spent the week with two of my priest-friends in an atmosphere of prayer and peaceful silence. I now share with you some of my personal observations and thoughts after this time away from the parish routine.

Temporarily leaving the world and entering the spiritual desert, you first begin to slow down from the pace of life with which we have become too familiar. The traffic, the lines in the grocery store, the crowds at sporting events, the constant need to do something, all cease when you enter a place of solitude like a monastery.

You experience silence. You can begin to hear yourself think. Even more importantly, you can hear God speak. The silence can sometimes be deafening, especially in the middle of the night. You stop hearing all of the man-made noise and begin to hear the birds and the crickets chirp, the bees buzzing, the wind blowing and acorns falling to the ground. You experience the night sky and the stars in a darkness away from the city lights.

God speaks to you. Whether it be in thought or imagination, in reading of the Scriptures or a spiritual book, in praying the rosary, in a moment of Eucharistic adoration or during the daily Mass, God is speaking ever-more loudly and clearly. He speaks particularly when the psalms are chanted by the monks throughout the day and night.

You begin a process of introspection. You examine your conscience. You think about what I have done and what I have failed to do. You prepare to meet God someday face to face. Sometimes the events of your life pass before you again and you get to see the mistakes you made and/or your proper decisions.

You think of and pray for those you promised to pray for, those who have asked for your prayers, those you should be praying for and even those who have no desire to pray. You pray for the living and the dead. You pray for your parishioners, past and present. You sometimes even may pray for your enemies and those who persecute you, have betrayed you, lied about you and hurt you. And you beg forgiveness from God if you have done such things to anyone else.

You confront your demons. Just as Jesus was tempted by the devil three times when He went into the desert, so temptations and the demons behind them may rear their ugly heads. It is at these times you realize that the spiritual battle continues and that the final victory in your life is far from achieved.

You may experience some dryness in prayer or moments when God seems extremely close and real. You may hear God urging the heart to something more or hear nothing at all.

Each time I have visited the monastery, God is there waiting and watching. Some may think that such a retreat is a waste of time and this time can be better spent in some other manner.

I beg to differ.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Exterior of the Abbey of the Genesee