Grace of the Present Moment

Today at Mount St.Bernard we had our first truly Bona Fide sunrise during Lauds. As we turned to the east to sing the Sub Tuum the windows were golden and the statue of the Madonna and Child was silhouetted. It was quite beautiful. Right after Lauds we meet briefly for Chapter and then we have roughly a half-hour until Mass.

So I went out for a brief stroll after Chapter. The Sun was bright, the sky was clear and very blue. It was a bit chilly and there was a light frosty dew on the lawn. The flowers are beginning to poke their shoots above the soil and there are velvety buds on the trees.

This lovely scene gave me pause for thought. I am quite focused on my upcoming "clothing". God Willing it is 21 days away, not that I'm counting (right!) The thought of being clothed, of canonically becoming part of the community, of having a role in the community besides manual labour and washing up after dinner every other week, occupies a lot of my time. Even prayer time.

One of the priest here warned me that I should be looking for the grace of the present moment because there is always another thing to look forward to. After clothing, there is simple profession two years later. Then solemn profession three years after that. Then maybe ordination to the diaconate, the priesthood, etc. etc.

Trying to be aware of the grace that God gives us every day, is not as fun as looking forward to milestones, but it is still quite important. I find it easiest, if that is the right way to phrase it, after I receive Holy Communion. For me that is always a quiet and often intense time for me. So I invite you to look for the grace of the present moment too.

May God's grace and peace be with you always.