I drove with Jim, Jack, Matt, Travis, and SCOTT!. We left late on Friday because the president of Asbury, Jeff Greenway, appears to have resigned (not due to moral failure). I suspect we will find out more about that as the year goes along. The drive there was great fun. We talked all we wanted!
The weather was beautiful and so was the scenery. I enjoyed the silence. Most of us had a good time, though we came away with typical non-Roman Catholic concerns. The gate below says, "God Alone." It's a good statement ...depending on how one defines God.
This is a statue of Mary with a snake at her feet. That's part of the problem really. I have no problem with revering Mary--but these monks worship her. My Catholic cousin, Richard, wanted me to make sure to let you know that all Catholics do not worship Mary. That he, and others like him, simply have a high regard for her and unique role as the mother of Jesus. On this, Richard and I are in complete agreement. I think the monks would think we don't go far enough in our appreciation of that unique role. 
Here is a Eucharist service on Saturday. The monks worship seven times a day. It truly is a part of the rhythm of life. My friend from my Emmanuel School of Religion days, Bob Parsley, said that when he visited a monastery he noticed that life sort of interrupts worship there (instead of the other way around). I noticed that as well, and was glad to get a better sense of what he meant.
The statue of the Epiphany of Jesus is a nice one.
It's a beautiful building. The Abbey of Gethsemani was established in 1848.
We met on the lawn to celebrate Jim's birthday.
The sign says, "Silence Is Spoken Here." That's a table in the eating area. It's a great place to read and to think--especially when everybody actually observes the silence!
I had a good room. They really make it easy to visit.
We went for a walk in the woods. The weather felt like the first day of Autumn.
A small lake along the way toward the trail of the statues.
Meditation spot next to the building.
The disciples asleep in the garden.
Scott coming down from the hill with the cross on it.
The monastery from the adjacent hill.
A great thinking spot. It happened to be four years to the day since my mother died. The mood and the weather fit the occasion nicely as I turned some good memories over in my thoughts.
The view from my bedroom window.
Jason reading on the abbey steps.
Getting ready to leave. You might notice that I went "Garry Smith" for the occasion. I've never completely shaved my head before. It was okay, but I think I'll let it grow back (what there is to grow back, that is).
The last worship service we attended was a Sunday Eucharist service. It reminded me of how nice it is to be a part of a tradition with open communion. The closed communion option seems designed to protect God from us. I suspect that's backwards!The monks have gone to great lengths to escape noise, but they are gracious to outsiders who wish to visit. Amazing, really. While we were in this service, which is attended by many outsiders, a cell phone went off. Digital shards piercing the solemn occasion. The monks didn't even flench. I flenched. I wonder if monks have meetings where they discuss the wisdom of allowing non-monks to join them in worship.
I suppose I should write more thoughts. There were a lot of people doing a lot of journaling. I wrote some things down, but nothing profound. I just enjoyed the unhurried silence. I suspect the key to the monks' worship is that it is not something they do on the way to something else. Worship is why they are here. It doesn't take long to understand that the reason they aren't rushed is that they have arrived (in many ways) at the end of their journeys.
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