SEEK
A senior chosen for his skill in winning souls should be appointed to look after them with careful attention. The concern must be whether the novice truly seeks God and whether he shows eagerness for the Work of God, for obedience and for trials. The novice should be clearly told all the hardships and difficulties that will lead him to God. (The Procedure for Receiving Brothers, Ch 58)
A person can have a desire to enter a monastery for many different reasons. This desire might have grown since childhood; a quiet, insistent voice that won’t go away. Or sometimes this desire can be prompted by a particular set of circumstances; a chance meeting, a retreat, a book, or a person. Many different experiences can lead a person to enter a monastery, but once there ‘the concern is whether or not the person truly seeks God.’
The Benedictine path offers the opportunity to search for God and to follow the deepest longings of our hearts. This search for meaning in life is something which binds all of humanity, whether they express it in formal religion or not.
Seeking God in a monastic context means being open to God in the Scriptures and liturgy, the Rule of St Benedict, the teaching of your Prioress and the example of your sisters. The monastic path is a particular way of shaping your search for God. For the monastic the search is ‘in this place, with these people.’
St Benedict understands the search for God in a monastic context to involve ‘eagerness for the Work of God, for obedience and for trials.’ Do you have any experience of praying the Divine Office? Praying the Office alone isn’t always easy. Is there anything that you have found helpful over the years?
When St Benedict speaks of ‘eagerness for obedience’ how does this strike you? Can you bring to mind experiences in your life where obedience seems straight forward? Can you bring to mind experiences in your life where obedience is a challenge?
‘eagerness for trials’ can seem a rather difficult idea. St Benedict wants to be quite sure that a person is serious about their desire for monastic life. How do you hear St Benedict’s words? How do you respond when trials come? Is there anything that you learnt about yourself during the pandemic?
Reflect on your own search for God. What are your hopes and dreams?