Let us have hope

As everyone knows, a blog should be updated regularly. Yet, here I am, back again only after a sixth month lull. What gives?

We have here another example of how monastic life is different from the secular culture. The world “outside” places great value on “noise”—news, opinions, speculation, images, all delivered immediately, with the click of a mouse—while the world “inside” the monastery fosters time for prayer and reflection, that in the silence of the cloister one might be quick to hear, but slow to speak.

What does one say, anyway, in the face of so many troubles? A novel pandemic. Lock-downs. Loss of livelihood. Depression. Uncertain future. Deprivation of holy Mass and the Sacraments. Political scandals. Worse still, Church scandals. A crucial presidential election. Wildfires in the West and hurricanes in the South. The thought here turns to the story of Job, that classic example of a lot of bad things happening to a very good person. Why so many troubles? Job’s three friends who come to console him are not quick to give an answer, but silently wait by his side for a whole week before daring to give any advice.

So know, dear people, that even though this blogger has been silent for some months, she and her sisters are well aware of the many troubles facing the Church and the world. And we have been praying for you, and for our country, and especially for the Church. Which brings me to the picture I chose for this blog entry. It is just an ordinary shot, it would seem, of some flowers on one of our windowsills. An intrepid sister with a green thumb brought these plants inside before the fall weather turned cold, to see if they might continue to bloom inside. To me they are a sign of hope, for they are indeed blooming and brighten up these gloomy autumn days! (In case you don’t know, hope is the theological virtue by which we trust in God’s goodness, which means we count on Him to help us, for He has both the power and the desire to do so.) Let our hearts reach out then to God in hope, just as these flowers instinctively reach out towards the sun. Have hope. Things may be difficult for all concerned, but God is good, and He will answer our prayers as He knows best. May God bless you!