This was an interesting day. The post tonight will be retively short. It is already 10:27PM here and I am ready to sleep. However I do want to share a few things about today.
It was a cold windy day, The clouds were blowing furiously over the crest of the cliff from the south, and then suddenly changed direction blowing from the north. It was cold and I decided stay in the warmth of my room. For some reason my room is warmer than most places in this building. I have actually had to shut off two of the three radiators.
Dinner last night brought four hikers to the table. They were here for the night, not for any participation in the spiritual events of the place. They are some of the many people who take rooms here overnight because of the extensive system of hiking trails and the magnificent nature in this region. In our conversation at table it was clear to me that they have a real love of nature, and while not particularly religious, they had a real desire to seek the inner peace that the beautiful nature in the place can provide. I can understand that perfectly well. My first inklings of faith were in beautiful natural settings as well as the church's rites.
They asked about my vocation and how I came to be a priest. But the best part of the discussion for me came with the discussion about celibacy and marriage. It seemed a bit of a revelation to them that I am not married to God, as one of the men put it (and I think as half the Catholic world thinks). "Je suis epousee aux peuple de Dieu". (Literally, I am espoused to the people of God). And so my life of ministry brings me into the lives of people I serve. We are a family and the rites of the church are our family's rituals. Just like every human family has its own rituals for celebrating events and holydays and holidays, our church family celebrates life and death and everything in between." As I was sharing with them, I was getting the impression that no one had ever said these things to them before. And there was amazement again when they asked about attendance and activities of the church in USA. I told them I won't speak for the whole country but this is what happens at my parish.
By this time the sisters had come in to clear the table and we sat for at least another half-hour. I was glad we didn't have to leave the dining room because I felt that there was real evangelization happening there. They were hearing good news about their church, even though there is marginal association with it. They were fascinated with the idea of a priest off on sabatical and even more about my parish having a website and my blog. They reacted to the retreat time, study time in Rome, the music program, the cooking school, and few weeks of personal travel time with the statement, "You have a good life."
"I have a blessed life."
We left the table and they asked if I was here for petit dejeuner. They asked for contact information so they could follow the blog. I hope they are reading. They mentioned they want to travel to the US to hike next year. "You have to start in New England" I said.
We'll see.
After lunch today, Frere Henri-Dominique stopped me and said that these hikers had shared with him the great time they had and the great discussion at table. Frere Henri wanted me to know that I had made an impression. He said that this is the spirit of the salle de pelerins.
Un message pour mes 4 amis randonneurs nouvelle, si vous trouvez et que vous lisez ce blog: Une derniere chose a vous dire. Ma vocation est d'être un disciple de Jésus-Christ. C'était une joie de partager cela avec vous. Bonne randonnee.
Bonne nuit a tous.
Good night everyone.
