Abbey of Gethsemani

Last weekend I went on a spiritual retreat. I spent the weekend in silence with God at the Abbey of Gethsemani, a Trappist monastery outside of Bardstown, Kentucky. It was great. I'd been wanting to do this for a long time, but I finally made the arrangements and did it.

I had first read about this monastery when I discovered Thomas Merton and read about his story. Merton is a great Christian thinker, and I was blessed by his writings. When I first drove out to Asbury to visit, I remember passing near the Abbey of Gethsemani and recalling that this is where Merton was a monk. I thought it would be great to visit someday.

It was only 75 miles away. I made reservations months in advance, and I drove down Friday after school let out. My goals were just to spend time with the Lord, reconnecting. I felt as if my prayer life was really weak, and I just needed to rekindle my relationship with God. As I drove down to the monastery, I felt giddy.

The monks pray 7 times a day: Vigils (3:15 AM), Lauds (5:45 AM--Communion follows), Terce (7:30 AM), Sext (12:15 PM), None (2:15 PM), Vespers (5:30 PM), and Compline (7:30 PM). The only time we spoke was to pray. When we weren't praying (by we I mean the other retreatants and I), we were free to do whatever we wanted. I read a lot, rested a bit, walked the surrounding grounds, sat and thought, and prayed. The silence wasn't uncomfortable at all. It became like a friend, and the unspoken friendship between the retreatants grew perceptibly as the hours passed. Gestures, looks, and smiles spoke volumes. We knew that we were there for a common purpose: to seek the LORD.

I loved the times of prayer. The phrase that is repeated most often is "Praise the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit, both now and forever, the God who was, who is, and who is to come at the end of the ages." Repeat that 60 times in a weekend and it really sinks down into your heart. That's what these monks do. For over 160 years they have been praying and singing praises to God. Each night, while we sleep, they continue to pour forth adoration to God with steadfastness and faithfulness. I respected monks before. Now I know what a great service they perform for the world.

The time that meant the most to me was Saturday night after Vespers. I remained in the chapel, prostrate in the quiet darkness, and turned my heart toward the Lord. It was so sweet. The time flew. I felt as if I could have stayed forever. Such peace.

I hadn't connected like that with God in years. And it wasn't some big spiritual experience that happened. If you had asked me Saturday morning, I would say nothing had happened. But by Saturday afternoon, I realized that I had been with God the whole time. It was just the act of purposefully spending time together that did it. I loved Him, and He loved me.

I haven't blogged in a long time, and I hope to share more about what I learned on this trip. For now, though, it's just good to be writing again.

Praise the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit, both now and forever...