Hello. Novices and friends. In July, 2023, I spent a wonderful week in a hermitage at St. Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph, Minnesota. This was my fifth retreat with the wonderful sisters.
I would like to share what I discovered about living in the present moment with God. I hope that it will provide spiritual guidance for both you and your dear human.
A Call to the Present Moment
Words from a prayer for beginning a stay in the hermitage captured my attention.
“Help me, Lord, to leave outside this hermitage my plans
for tomorrow, my memories of yesterday,
as I live fully and completely in the wonder
of your present moment.”
Hello. Novices and friends. In July, 2023, I spent a wonderful week in a hermitage at St. Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph, Minnesota. This was my fifth retreat with the wonderful sisters.
I would like to share what I discovered about living in the present moment with God. I hope that it will provide spiritual guidance for both you and your dear human.
A Call to the Present Moment
Words from a prayer for beginning a stay in the hermitage captured my attention.
“Help me, Lord, to leave outside this hermitage my plans
for tomorrow, my memories of yesterday,
as I live fully and completely in the wonder
of your present moment.”
The Spiritual Practice of Living in the Present Moment
Being in the present moment, the here, the now, became the focus and challenge of retreat. And to trust that God was leading me away from those gremlins that perch on my shoulder, whispering doubts like, “Are you using this time right?” And, as the days passed, “You only have three days left. Then what?”
Do you ever have distracting thoughts like these? Trusting God and turning to the present moment can quiet this distracting noise.
Whether we are on a retreat or immersed in a busy day, being in the present moment helps us navigate the often turbulent waters of daily life. As Worldwide Novices and Benedictine-loving humans we can follow St. Benedict in this spiritual practice.
A Hermitage at St. Ben’s
The monastery has two.identical “homes” for spiritual travelers.
Three Ways to be in the Present Moment from the Rule of St. Benedict
Living in the present moment is an important part of The Rule of St. Benedict. Check out these three examples.
Listen
The very first word in the Rule is “Listen.” In order to really listen we need to be in the present moment, attuned to the speaker or the situation around us.
Br. Carwyn, OSB-C
(Order of St. Benedict – Canine)
Br.. Ricky’s Welsh friend and model for listening
Be Fully Right Where We Are
In Chapter19, “The Discipline of Psalmody,” Benedict emphasizes being present in the Divine Office.
“Let us consider, then, how we ought to behave in the presence of God and God’s angels,and let us stand to sing the psalms in such a way that our minds are in harmony with our voices.” RB 19.6-7
Singing morning and evening prayer with the sisters of the monastery I needed to be very present so that I could breathe with them and sing in unity with them. This takes concentration! No wandering of the mind!
Practice Stability
Finally, let’s not forget Stability, the Benedictine vow or promise to remain faithful to people/felines and place. Stability asks us to be faithful in God and to seek “a heart that rests in God.” (From St. Benedict’s Toolbox, p. 60) The best way to this is to be fully right where we are in body, mind and spirit.
A Spiritual Practice for Present Moment Living
So how do we live in the present moment? Here’s a wonderful image that I found while at St. Benedict’s. I offer it as a way to return to God’s present moment – Drop Anchor!
Drop Anchor!
“Too long have I sailed where’ere
the winds have blown!
Drop anchor!
O, Heart of all hearts, set a
clear course,
that I might follow.”
Nan Merrill in
Psalms for Praying, Psalm 137
Drop anchor in the present moment, right where you are
Drop anchor in God. Drop anchor in Jesus. Drop anchor in the Holy Spirit. Drop anchor in what brings you closest to the Holy. Feel the solid tethering right down to your paws (or feet).
This is something that we can do anytime, not just on a retreat. In the midst of our doubts and struggles we can drop anchor. In the rush of a busy day or the tiredness we often experience, drop anchor.
We turn from whatever is pulling us from the here and now.
We turn back to God.
Everytime we recall dropping anchor in God we strengthen this spiritual practice of turning back to the present moment and to the presence of God.
To Nan Merrill’s anchor image I offer a second step. Here it is!
Open your Heart!
Drop anchor and open your heart to God. You can also open your heart to whomever you are with or in whatever situation you find yourself.
When I open my heart I envision an expansiveness in my chest, growing from the heart. Whatever way works for you, open your heart.
A Closing Word
Try the Spiritual Practices that I discovered at St. Benedict’s Monastery. Drop anchor nad open your heart! These are to practices to help us return to God’s Presence with us.
Blessings to you.
Amma Jane
Drop Anchor!
Open your Heart
Hope these ideas are helpful to you. A few photos of the Hermitage follow.
If you would like to stay in this blessed place, please tap your paw on the link below for information.
The main living space in the hermitage
The kitchen. Amma cooked most of her meals here. And, yes, there is
an indoor bathroom!
The view from the comfortable “prayer chair.” The hermitage is on the border of a corn field.