Holy Longing
A cure for what ails us
“Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.” St. Augustine may not have got everything right, but he is right here. We have lots of stories in our culture about people trying to ease this restlessness by acquiring power or wealth, and discovering that they do not satisfy.
There are other directions people go as well. The only one that works even a little is love., as your own experience may have taught you. When a baby is born, new parents feel a torrent of love flowing out from them to the child. They do not will to love the baby; their will becomes the servant of their love. That is what gets them up in the middle of the night.
Are you aware of the restlessness in your heart? Have you already discovered in your own way that power and wealth do not satisfy? What we hope to offer you here is some help to find a way for your holy longing to be strengthened. Increased, until a torrent of longing and love flow from you to the Heart of all. And then. . . well, you will find out!
There are a lot of spiritual traditions that can help with this. Our advice is to pick one, and stick to it. We are Benedictines, so our spiritual growth is shaped by that tradition. After decades of experience, St. Benedict created a rule of life to help people avoid the pursuit of distraction and commit to the pursuit of holiness. Over the first series of posts here, we will offer a look at this Rule that may be useful for modern people.
St. Benedict doesn’t ask you to do this alone. We are all in this together, on the train bound for Glory. You are invited to explore the Center for Benedictine Life at the Monastery of St. Gertrude, which offers in-person retreats and online programs. In the weeks to come, we hope that those with restless hearts, filled with holy longing, will begin to talk to each other here. We can share our spiritual journeys, discuss the material, befriend each other.
All aboard!