It’s been awhile since my last post. I’ve been away enjoying the peace and solitude of Mt. Saviour Monastery near Elmira, New York. There are no words to describe what I’ve experienced in these past few days except to say incredible peace and beauty. The daily routine which was hardly routine for me was very settling and therapeutic. I didn’t want to leave today, but I had to. I will return again. Mt. Saviour grew on me.
When I first arrived I wasn’t sure I had made the right choice of a place for my retreat. My reaction was somewhat like the action of similar poles of a magnet. At first something within me repelled but then as I sat reading in my cell I could hear the music within me from the chants of the psalms. “O God to my assistance..”, over and over from Vigils, Lauds, Mass, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline were like waves lapping on a sea shore. The rhythmic repetition of the psalms prayed together created a healing presence that really cannot be described. It can really only be experienced.
More to follow. Peace.
Country Contemplative 