More and more often these days, I think I should just go join a monastery someplace. Of course there’s no guarantee that they’d take me, especially in the state of mind that makes me think I should go.

The BBC did a series, the first one being ten minutes long The Monastery 2005 where the monastery took five out of hundreds of men who volunteered, and sought to see if these men from all different backgrounds could live in a Benedictine Monastery for six weeks. The one thing the experiment demonstrated more than anything else in my opinion is that you can’t escape from yourself in a monastery.

The experiment also shows the many great take-a-ways one can gain from such an experience. One fact that I hadn’t thought of before is that you cannot be spiritual by yourself, you must do that in community. The Abbot in the series points this out saying that St. Benedict taught this 1,500 years ago. Another interesting thing I learned is that the gateway to the mystical is mystique. Wow!

Now, I thought I was spiritual and somewhat mystical. Guess I have a lot to learn. Thank you BBC, Abbot, Fr. Christopher and the monks of Worth Abbey, West Sussex, England for a very enlightening series.

Dan O’Donnell, a layman has covenanted with the Chicago Community. In addition to the standard covenant, Dan promises to work at connecting all partners known and unknown, to a conscious following the the way of Jesus, the way of the cross which Dan believes transforms all failure, democratizing the human journey

CPP

We are a community of laymen and laywomen who, with vowed Passionists, seek to share in the charism of St. Paul of the Cross through prayer, ongoing spiritual formation, and proclamation of the message of Christ Crucified.