April 2024 eNews: From Bishop Monnot
I had the good fortune to be able to take two days of retreat time recently, and I stayed at the Abbey Guesthouse at St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota. I arrived late in the afternoon, and had enough time to take a quick walk to the lake just behind the guesthouse. I could see a trail leading off along the shore of the lake, winding its way through trees and then disappearing beyond a small rise. Back in my room, I looked up the trail on Google Maps, and I could see that it continued a short distance around the lake before ending. I decided to take that short walk in the morning.
Shoes laced up and ready to go, the next morning after breakfast I started along the trail. It began next to the small beach behind the Abbey Guesthouse, and continued along the side of the lake through the trees. As I followed, the words of the Jesus prayer came into my mind, in time with my steps: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.” Praying the Jesus prayer is an established contemplative spiritual practice that I have used many times over the years, and I allowed the words to well up within me as I repeated them over and over.
I kept expecting that the trail would end around the next bend, or at the top of the next small hill, and so I kept walking and praying. I passed other trails branching off and the occasional bench set so that someone could sit and look out over the water, although it was a cold and windy day and I chose to keep moving.
The trail continued around the lake, with two bridges across boggy patches, up and down small hills, through the trees. Finally I noticed that my feet were beginning to be a little sore: the shoes that I was wearing were okay, but I had walked much further than I had originally intended. I decided to turn around at the top of a rise coming up on the trail.
When I got to the top of the rise, I could see that, not only did the trail continue, but it led to another little bridge, this time leading across to a small island near the shore. On the island, in a grove of trees, was a small wooden chapel.
I had no idea that this chapel was there, and no idea whether it would be open, but I continued up the trail, over the bridge, and up to the chapel door. There were no signs or any other indication of what the chapel was or whether it would be open, but when I tried the door it swung open easily. Inside were two chairs, a statue of a very pregnant Virgin Mary, and a large plaque with the words of the Magnificat:
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lived up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel,
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.
I sat in contemplation and thanksgiving, and then moved back to the door and out onto the trail, taking myself and my tired feet back around the lake to the Abbey Guesthouse.
I suppose that it is easier to be aware of the prompting of the Holy Spirit during times of retreat, and to notice God’s actions around us. That walk seems to me to be a metaphor for the spiritual journey: we may consult a map and set off with some provisions and expectations for where we are going, and then find that the path is different than we expected. If we keep going, though, continuing in prayer and following the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we may stumble upon a treasure that we had no idea was there, something that enriches us and strengthens us to continue along the journey.
I have always admired the Virgin Mary for her courage and her authenticity. She bravely said “yes” to being the Mother of God, knowing perfectly well what assumptions her family, friends, and community would make as soon as her pregnancy was obvious. She stayed true to herself and true to her promise, and in the Magnificat she celebrated God’s work through her and her place in God’s plan of redemption. She did all that without focusing on herself, and throughout Jesus’ ministry she supported him. That is the invitation I’ll take from this experience, and I invite you along as well: to be courageous and say “yes” to what God asks of us, even when it is hard, and to recognize and celebrate God’s work in and through us without becoming self-centered. Blessings on the journey!
Yours in the abundant life of Christ,
+Betsey
The Rt. Rev. Betsey Monnot, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa