CONTENTMENT The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage. (Psalm 16:5-6) One of the tests of a true monastic vocation is reaching the state of simple contentment. I have been asked on more than one occasion if I am truly happy. In reply, I say that I dont sort out what happiness is or what others mean by it. It is not part and parcel of my own life in the way others understand it. I find the worldly conception of happiness to be ephemeral, fleeting, and transitory. I would rather talk about serenity or steady contentment. They offer some real possibilities, and something that all of us can apprehend. Contentment and serenity go hand-in-hand to make us feel as if time has disappeared. This is a paradox, for in one way we are rooted and grounded in time, yet as we begin to experience something of the eternal, we sense that time and all Earthly realities have been transcended. Contentment is basically a state of being as harmonious as a Bach fugue. There may be much turmoil all around us, but nothing can intrude into our inner sanctuary and destroy its integrity. Nada te turbe, nada te espante, todo se pasa, Dios no se muda, Saint Teresa would say. Contentment grants us the freedom to be totally absorbed in whatever we are involved at that moment, be it prayer, work, reading, eating, cleaning, making music, writing, gardening, cooking, or any other creative activity. This absorption renders us unaware of the hours, days, or months. It transcends time and finds its rest in eternity. (Brother Victor-Antoine dAvila-Latourrette/Blessings of the Daily)
Posted on: Tue, 29 Jul 2014 23:20:43 +0000
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