What Are We Waiting for? Simply Jesus!

View of the Abbey from the bridge.

Normally everything is pretty much done in silence here at the monastery.  Everything unless you have an excuse.

When I mentioned who was here at Solesmes in a earlier blog this week I omitted someone.  Firstly, he is not staying at the retreat house.  He is staying in the abbey proper.  Secondly, I just wanted to respect his space.  But we just had coffee together.  Making his episcopal retreat is Msgr. Eamon Martin, the coadjutor Archbishop-elect of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland.  Before any ordination the Church requires a retreat by the candidate.  One of the American deacons is making his priesthood retreat here before he is ordained a priest in Oakland on May 18.  My diaconate retreat was in Naim, Italy.  My priesthood retreat was done at Rocca Sant'Angelo, a house of prayer that was originally founded by St. Francis himself just an hour's walk outside of Assisi.

Today, the archbishop-elect joined us for coffee after the main meal in the guest refectory.  You know those Irish can be chatty.  When the brother came in to quiet us down.  He saw Msgr. Martin and turned right around.  I guess we all got a "Talking Pass" for the rest of the coffee hour.

Besides talking to the archbishop-elect about our new Holy Father, his time at the monastery, and his moving once he gets home, I had a chance to talk with the deacon from Oakland.  We chatted about Rome and his excitement both at at being at S. Pierre and his upcoming ordination as a priest.  We knew some common friends and of course there was Easter that begins with the vigil tonight.  It was truly enjoyable and there was no need to worry about our conversation.  We had our "Talking Pass."

As we were chatting a college student approached us.  Thibaut is from St. Etienne, not to far from Lyon on the south of France.  He is finishing up a degree in physics from a university in Paris and decided to spend his break at a monastery.  He was very interested in questions about the seminary and the priesthood.  We talked about a half hour.  I would not be surprised if Thibaut entered the seminary one day.

An archbishop-elect, a priest, a deacon, an university student.  We all came to Solesmes for different reasons but all for the same end.  We are waiting for Jesus.  With the Church Universal and Christians everywhere it's Jesus we seek as we approach the Empty Tomb.  We look to Him to help prepare us for all we endeavor.  We follow Him on all our life's journeys.  We ask of Him the answers to all of the questions that well up in our hearts.

Abbey church:  Chapel of the Entombment of Jesus. 

In the States we have mastered making things complicated and that can effect our religious expressions of faith.  If you can this Holy Saturday in the midst of all you have going on, remember . . .

What are we waiting for?  Simply Jesus!