On Breaking New Ground

     When a series of anything begins, something has to come first. This St. Walburg blog will be a series of reflections, and I was asked to initiate it. 

 Having been around more than 70 years and in community more than 50, I’ve experienced many firsts, sometimes by chance, other times by choice, mine or someone else’s. For me, being first usually brings at least a touch of fear. What do I fear? Risk? Responsibility? Success? Failure?  I found a clue in something Pablo Picasso observed: “Every act of creation is first an act of destruction.” Going first or taking a chance is a creative act, so something has to die. 

     Life itself can be seen as an act of continuous creating and re-creating, of dying and rising; in this regard, monastic life is no different. There’s a saying that in order for something to stay true to itself, it has to change. This is because its context, the world and the societies in it, is always changing. For example, over the past 1500 years Benedict and his thousands of followers have continually recreated the monastic journey, re-shaping the familiar and time-worn to fit into each  new environment, each  new age. 

     When the world we know is beset with one crisis piled on another, as seems to happen often in our time, the pressure to hold on to the familiar in the face of drastic change is huge. To remain in a comfort zone, however, is frequently not an option; stepping out into something new has to be faced. In doing this, some kind of risk is usually unavoidable. The challenge can be daunting, but if we let it, hope is its companion. 

     Not all re-creation is drastic or even dramatic, but each day brings opportunity, even demand for dealing with something in a way we hadn’t planned. As we mature we try to learn how to adjust our vision and expectations when life changes around us. My hope is that the series of reflections readers find in this blog will shed light on some of today’s joys and challenges. One writer’s thoughts might give bit of hope in a tough time; another might reveal ways to experience hidden delights easily missed in the daily rush. At any rate, may the words found in this space help readers more easily know the loving God who is our companion with every step, whether the path is well worn or one needing to be newly broken. 

                                                                                                                        Colleen Winston, OSB