Mark Dohle
Well-Known Member
A fragment of our October 2021 Newsletter for the Monastery Retreat House
Hello everyone, I am not in the best of moods as I write our October Newsletter. It almost seems like we are back at square one in the ongoing saga of the present pandemic. The reality of the times is becoming more real every day as many of us learn about the death of family members, friends, classmates, and just the rising numbers of deaths not only in the United States but worldwide. I would be lying if I said that my level of anxiety is not going up a bit. What with the weather, the volcanoes, and yes earthquakes it would seem like we are in an end of the world movie. Of course, it is not the end, but our situation is grave on many levels. Then the seeming ever-widening rift between opposing political persuasions only adds to the tension.
Yet, we are told to ‘Trust’.
I harp all the time on how trust is a choice, and now I am seeing how difficult that can be. The Lord is calling all of us to keep growing in trust, to seek in the midst of the chaos, turmoil, and cultural agitation, to be centers of peace, compassion, and hope. It is a time of deep reflection, of facing our fears knowing that we need the grace of the Lord to do so. Our false conceits are being stripped away. We are seeing more than ever the corruption of almost all of our establishments on many levels. The Church has not been spared, and all we can do is to hold on in faith, and actually see the good that can come out of this. I guess the church is always in need of healing since it is made up of people just like us.
I will not allow the failures of men to deflect me from my faith in Jesus Christ, nor in the reality of the Church, which at its center sits the Lord of Hosts, as revealed to us in Christ Jesus. In order to truly trust, one’s fears must be faced. Even with the many different failures that can come into our lives, we must still continue on our journey, conversion is a lifelong process.
At this time, I believe that the process has been speeded up for most of us. For now, it is hard to simply float, but to be ever more conscious of our fragility, as well as our dignity that comes from our being children of God. For all that, the community is doing well. It is a big disappointment that we have to postpone our opening of the retreat-house, as well as our store. Some of our friends are upset about this, for they feel that we are failing in our responsibility towards those we know and love, and simply for those who come here for a retreat. Yet I feel that if we had stayed open, our numbers would have greatly decreased. Not to mention the safety for those who would stay in our retreat house. I believe that our abbot is very wise in the measures that he wishes to be implemented. We are all called, I believe, to become more conscious of what we believe, and why, and to bring it more deeply into how we live our lives and treat those around us. We are all called as followers of Christ Jesus to be centers of faith, hope, love, and yes healing in a world that sorely needs it. Pray and don’t worry—Br.MD
