by Judith M. Davis, oblate class of 2003
Every few months, certainly at least twice a year, I make a 275-mile pilgrimage from Goshen, Indiana to Holy Wisdom. It’s always a trip home, back to my roots as a Benedictine oblate, a privilege that becomes more precious as the years go by. Why do I love being an oblate? Let me count the ways.
The love of learning and the desire for God are aspects of Benedictine life that characterized medieval monasteries and that call to me most strongly; Holy Wisdom has nurtured that love and desire in many, many ways. The Rule of Benedict resonates through my life and my work, challenging and enriching both.
The monastery has given me new perspectives on community and spiritual companionship in the profound peace of singing and praying with the sisters and friends; the amazing connections of integration groups; regional oblate meetings with accountability to self and others.
In the hospitality of Holy Wisdom, I have been renewed and gained strength for the journey; resources for growth abound in the retreats, books, ideas, liturgies, and discussions here in the heart of the prairie. Through this community I have developed a new appreciation for stability: staying still, rooted in the Ground of Being, spiritually and psychologically as well as physically.
Because of wisdom gained through Holy Wisdom, I am learning to listen with the ear of the heart and to realize that, in the words of Joan Chittister, “the spiritual life is a process, not an event.”
Learn more online about Oblates of Holy Wisdom Monastery.
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Read the entire May 2015 Benedictine Bridge here.