A wonderful autumn day again today. I took my recently widowed friend Ms A. from the city to the convent near Monmouth for Holy Eucharist. We met another friend of mine there and the three of us went to the daily communion service.
The convent is set in beautiful, extensive grounds where the nuns live a contemplative life of prayer. As we were early for the service and I had taken my friend for peace and reflection we wandered around the grounds in comparative silence. I watched as one of the nuns went about her daily duties outdoors and tried very hard to place myself within the lives of these people. I couldn't. They live their lives based on silence and solitude giving themselves totally to God. What inner strength they must have.
I watched later on as we were passing the Peace in the chapel and the look of joy on the faces of the nuns as they passed the peace with each other showed their love of God and their contentment within their own lives.
As Christians we endeavour to live as good a life as we can, but these people under monastic vows, are as pure in heart as any I am likely to see in my lifetime. What a privilege it has been to be introduced to this community.
The gardens there offer the own particular gifts of peace and beauty (see picture above) where to walk there offers solitude and gives a person time for reflection.
This is an elderly Order and when their time on earth is over these nuns will leave a huge void in the local communities and neighbourhoods in which they live; also to those who have been privileged to worship there and who they have touched in their simplicity.
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