I finished watching the Monastery series on YouTube last night. Excellent. There is some language in it (just a warning), but it's not gratuitous at all. I was so touched at watching the 5 men gradually be softened by the atmosphere of the monastery and the behavior of the monks themselves. Very comforting. And in a day where we're surrounded by modern churches with their loud praise music and lack of silence, I think this sort of series is well thought out. I ordered 2 books last night to go with the Finding Sanctuary that the abbot of the monastery wrote (still waiting for that one to arrive). The men regularly carry around a book on the Benedictines called, The Rule of St. Benedict in English by Timothy Fry. I also got Humble Pie: St. Benedict's Ladder of Humility by Carole Bonomo, which is a book one of the men was reading, and the title stuck in my mind. Humility---a good trait to search out, but one we rarely feel we lack.
Must be I'm in the right place being that the Anglicans so appeal to me. I realize it's not Roman Catholic, but some of the trimmings are the same. The church I go to is considered, I think, High Church with most of the bells and whistles represented. They don't do incense except at Christmas (which I missed, and have never experienced), but all the other rituals are pretty similar to the fanciest of the fancy. And the thing is---I'm tired of moving around, church-wise, and realize that it's impossible to find the perfect fit. Most church-goers would probably agree with that.
Well, enough chatter. I need to make inroads on the shelves in the kitchen and tidy the living room a bit. The black dogs are shedding to beat the band, and we need to vacuum. SIB will be here later on with oldest daughter. Must make a good impression---and sometimes it's a effort!
(clickable pinterest photo)
