Seeking God
We have visited the main centers of the monastery: the church where the liturgy is celebrated, the chapter house, where the community gathers for deliberation and teaching, the refectory, the dormitory, the library....Now we want to describe what the monk is searching for, what his "vocation" means; what a monastic day looks like; what the main activities are.
The grace of baptism makes us sons of God, in imitation of Christ. And by the action of the Holy Spirit who dwells in each baptised person, faith and love progressively transform our natural life. Our view of God and the world are renewed and gradually resemble that of Christ, the only Son of God.
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MATTHEW 13,45-46
The kingdom of heaven is also like a merchant of beautiful pearls. He finds a priceless pearl and he goes off to sell all he has and he buys it.
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He whom God calls to the monastic life feels attracted by this mysterious discovery of God, and he understands the supreme value of the priceless pearl. To acquire it, everything else must be subordinated to it because only it gives him the plenitude of life and wisdom.
Saint Benedict resumes this program with the expression, "seeking God", and he wants us to verify carefully if this is indeed the intention of a candidate to the monastic life. This is what he writes in the Prologue of his Rule:
«The voice of God calls out to us each day: 'Run as long as you have the light of life, for fear that darkness cover you over!' And the Lord, seeking his worker in the crowd whom he speaks to, says, 'Who is the man who wants life and desires to see blessed days?' If, having heard him, you answer, 'Me!' God answers you,'Do you want true life, eternal life? Then keep your tongue from evil and do good, seek peace and keep to it.' See with what tenderness the Lord shows us the way of life!»
«God seeks man, comments Dom Delatte,
and in turn man must seek God. We do nothing else in the monastic life.»
