One of my favorite places in the universe is the Abbey of Gethsemani in Nelson County. It is prayerful, peaceful and beautiful. I get my batteries recharged there every time I visit, whether for an hour, a day, or a whole week. I have accompanied many groups there for tours of the monastery and hiking trails. I especially like to watch and hear the reaction of the visitors on their awakening to the fruits of Gethsemani.
I remember one group of girl scouts I took there one day on a trip through our Catholic Holy Land. The 10-11 year old girls seemed to be enthralled by spending time in peaceful silence, praying the liturgy of the hours with the monks, walking around the holy grounds, and watching a video, meeting a monk, and learning about the history and the day to day activities of these men who have been chosen to live the stark and prayerful life of a Cistercian monk. However, there was one mother/ girl scout leader who could not understand it at all. This woman was and is a very active Catholic. She is in Church regularly, is involved in some very important ministries in her parish, and is prayerful and insightful in the matters of the faith. She lives her faith very well. But, she could not understand the value of why a grown man would want to leave "the world" and live a life of prayer in a monastery. I remember on the bus ride home talking with her. She was totally shaken by the reality of people choosing to live in prayer, study, common work, and community together. She thought that their willingness to pray for us and the world as a life time vocation was a waste. She argued that these men (and men and women around the globe who were similarly called) should be in the cities and churches, not hidden away in some cloister. She could not make sense of the possibility that they and their monastery stood as a visible sign of the importance (or necessity) of prayer and sacrifice in our world. God has chosen them to be a witness for our Church and world. They stand as a beacon for us that God is the reason and the answer for everything in the world. The life of a monk or cloistered nun is only for those whom God calls. But so is the married, single, religious and ordained life. All are valuable and necessary in the Kingdom of God.
Jesus' parables in this weekend's Gospel from St. Matthew talk about a merchant and a land prospector who sell everything they own to buy a pearl of enormous value and a treasure buried in a field. Most of the time I hear these readings I question if I am fully committed to God and the mission of God on this Earth. And, I should question my commitment regularly, so that I can make the needed changes to put God and His priorities as the center of my life. I need to soul search often to see if money, ego, sports, my own selfish motives, or many other things are trying to steal God's purposes from me.
But this week another thought struck me while reflecting upon the pearl of great price and the treasure hidden in the field. Rather than thinking about how I can do better as a motivation to practice this parable, I thought of what God has already done to live this parable. Hasn't God already sacrificed all He has for us. The Father gave His only begotten Son. His Son gave His life. Why? God gave us His all so that we could have life, be forgiven, be loved and to love as He loves. Are we the treasure in the field that God sold everything for? Are we the pearl that God has sacrificed all for?
My new motivation is that if the God of the universe is willing to lay it all down for me and you, then I can work on sacrificing a little more of my paltry concerns and selfishness for His sake. I hope I can bite my tongue when I'm tempted to complain about some driver that is driving too slowly in front of me. I hope I can say yes to someone's request for a little of my "precious" time. I hope He and thee become increasingly more important than me.
peace and blessings,
Fr. Chuck Walker
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