I felt like I was in a movie. My monastic IQ was pretty low as I drove on the grounds at Mepkin Abbey. A few things from church history class at Milligan College came back to mind. The name St. Benedict rung a bell. So, I wanted to get the back story here. I wanted to see up under the hood of monastic life.On day 2 I hit that monastic jackpot. I was prowling, wait no, I was enjoying the chapel during non-prayer meeting hours. I started opening doors. You know, no harm intended. I walked into a side room off from the main chapel. I saw an easel pushed away in the corner of what looked like a classroom. Page after page of notes were scribbled on the easel pad. Private notes.
Looks like the abbot (head monk) needed to have a "come to Jesus" meeting with the monks. You mean, Baptist churches are not the only places that have those kind of meetings? What I found on the pages of the pad, on the easel, was gold to me.
The issue seemed to be that some of the monks were struggling with keeping their mouth shut. Okay, now it was starting to feel creepy Baptist. My struggle with keeping my mouth shut is one thing. My tribe's well documented talking issues are another. But . . . these guys . . . those who had given their lives to silence and solitude?
What I read on the proceeding 10-12 large, ruled pages, scribbled with a marker, was in a word, revolutionary. So revolutionary that I have decided to do my first cliff hanger blog in history.
See you Monday. In the mean time . . . keep your mouth shut.
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