iCrucified

I’ve got a little break that I can pop in to provide a brief update on what’s been happening as of late. For those of you who do not know, I’ve been on retreat at the Pecos Benedictine Monastery this past week for a follow-up session in the School for Spiritual Direction which I attended last year.

 So far, the session has exceeded my expectations (and I was sure it was going to be grand, so this is saying a lot!). I arrived a day early and was able to get very rested as I adjusted to “monastery time” moving into the rhythms of the Daily Office and the contemplative atmosphere of this oasis in the high desert. My cohorts began to arrive, trickling in throughout the day and night until we convened for our reunion meeting Sunday evening. Oh, what a joy it has been to catch up with these dear friends and hear their individual stories from the past year!

 Our classes convened this week and have been wonderfully informative, evocative, and inspiring. The line-up of lecturers and subject material for the remainder of this week and next continues to promise spiritual and intellectual excitement; I am looking forward to each session with gleeful anticipation.

 While the school itself is wonderful enough in its own right, I cannot help but say how life-giving the welcoming charism of this monastery is to me. The space to navigate the grace of the Holy Spirit abounds… the noises and rushing of the world outside these walls have been buffered from my soul and I can breathe deeply…my soul stretches and spiritual tension oozes from my pores. I am so grateful for my time here and I promise to share more in the coming days.