My wife and I returned from our weekend oblate retreat at St. Leo Abbey in the state of Florida, USA, about two weeks ago. We had spent about a month at home preparing for the retreat by spending more time in contemplation and I focused on beauty as well.
Since returning home from the weekend retreat at the monastery we have had a cloak of spiritual peace.
From the time we arrived at the retreat on the Friday and began seeing the other oblates, we felt a closeness and unity with them. The 30+ oblates who attended are far more diverse than most church groups I know. But those differences are not barriers. The oblates were all of one spirit. A remarkable event in our lives.
It’s at times like this that I wonder how many other people are like my wife and I were in 2006 — just one monastery visit away from the deepest spirituality and peace we have known — and we had practiced silence, contemplation, and what we now know is lectio divina for many years.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Our Retreat, Part 4. A Benedictine Oblate blog
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Aye, indeed, the Rule of St. Benedict is a compass to the balanced life. Tis why we find it so grand. Peace is a sense of complete abandonment and trust in God's Holy Will; St. Benedict knew of the world's notion of peace and knew of Jesus' admonition of the kind of peace He represented.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned Brother Patrick in your note to me and Br. Paul. You have helped the old memory here. If I am not mistaken, Br. Pat as we called him was a Merchant Marine before he was monk. May he rest in God's heart.
Am glad you were able to visit the Abbey. Many good and dear monks there.
Thank you PlainCatholic, I liked your comment about the "complete abandonment and trust in God's Holy Will." Amen.
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