… I have not posted in some time. Lots of things have been happening – finalising some things, I preached last Sunday, and I have simply struggled with life.

Last week, while on a search of YouTube, I found this story about the Carmelite Monastery of Christ the King:

In a modern context, the life these nuns live is extraordinary. Apart from the Carmelites I read, I have had no contact with their spirituality. A life of silence in community is a particular challenge!

But the part of the story that struck me was in the second part when the nuns speak about what they have left behind. I like the honesty and the insight that these things do not disappear because they are part of being human. Part of the life that God gives is the desire for ordered intimacy. And part of the monastic vocation is to surrender that possibility for the actuality of Jesus’ presence.

We all surrender possibility for actuality in our life. The surrender is the choice I make. That choice is marked by religious vows for some. These vows are no better nor worse than any other choice people make in following Jesus. It is a particular voice that calls each individual. And it calls each individual as a human being!

Anyway, today I rest! I have a week of online meetings and an end-of-term event.