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| Clonmacnoise monastery (544-1552) |
For the last two week I was in Ireland catching up with family and some friends. I am always struck by the religious history that is there and I have a reason for telling you this. Two places in particular are worth mentioning. The first is the remains of a monastery called Clonmacnoise on the River Shannon. What is particularly striking about this monastery is that it was active for over 1,000 years! (544-1552). Even though it was attacked and burned many times, each time it was rebuilt and the monks continued. It was eventually wiped out with religious persecution, but the idea that there were monks there for over 1,000 years is amazing. Their faith was not deterred by persecution. That kind of determination comes from God, because there definitely were easier ways to live.
The other place I wanted to mention is called Skellig Michael. It has recently become famous because they filmed part of one of the last Star Wars movies there. Skellig Michael is a small island, or giant rock, 7 miles into the Atlantic off the southwest coast of Ireland. Over 1,200 years ago some monks built a small monastery on the top of this rock. It is 715 feet high. It is hard to imagine what the conditions there must have been like in winter. Today, even in summer, unless the weather is very good, they cannot land the boats there. I can’t imagine what it would be like to live there.
Why do I mention these places? It’s not just to tell you about my vacation. I always find it very inspiring to visit monasteries like that, because it is a reminder to me of the thousands of men and women throughout the ages who have dedicated their lives to God, not just in Ireland, but everywhere. That people would do that tells us that God’s Spirit is and always has been at work, inspiring people, giving people extraordinary courage to dedicate their whole lives to him, even in very difficult conditions. Whenever I find myself in places like that I always say a prayer to the people who lived and prayed there, asking for their intercession. They too struggled as we do, had questions about their faith just as we do and probably wondered sometimes if they were crazy, just as we do. But God inspired them enough that they were willing to sacrifice everything, in order to live for him. What God promises us is worth every sacrifice and difficulty we have to go through here.
That kind of thing is all in the past, right? Certainly not. There are numerous monasteries and convents throughout Ireland which are active today and there are hundreds of them here in the US and all over the world, but we seldom hear about places like that. I have two good friends in the Poor Clares in Galway, which is an enclosed convent. They were both professional accountants before they entered. They dedicate their lives to prayer and they are continually getting vocations. Most of the people who come to them are not just out of school, but are already working in different professions and they are usually already well educated. So you can't say, 'They are just simple people who don't know any better.'
Most people are not called to religious life. In fact, only a tiny percentage of people are. But all of us are called by God, inspired by God and spoken to by God, all the time. Our response to God is just as important as the monks and nuns throughout the ages. We live out that same calling in different ways. For most people it will be in married or single life. You will not be able to give the same amount of time to prayer and studying the Scriptures as those of us in religious life, but you are not expected to. Each of us lives out our relationship with God according to our circumstances, but it is always possible and can be just as alive for parents trying to raise a family as it is for a monk in a monastery, even 7 miles out to sea off the west coast of Ireland. In fact I am often astonished at how dedicated people are to their faith, even with all the demands of work and families. As a priest, people's faith always inspires me and you will hear most priests say the same.
Our relationship with the Lord is real, but like any relationship we also have to work at it, or it ceases to exist. No relationship with someone you love will grow if you completely ignore, or hardly acknowledge the other person. A relationship needs our time and energy if it is to be alive. Our relationship with God is exactly the same.
I think we often underestimate how much we influence the world around us. We tend to think, ‘What difference could my faith possibly make to the world?’ But this is exactly what Jesus is talking about in the Gospel. The kingdom of God is like seeds planted in the ground. Seeds are tiny, but when they grow they affect the world around them.
Think for a minute of people you have worked with. If someone is obnoxious, we notice. If someone is very kind and helpful, we notice. And if someone has faith we also notice, even though we may never say anything, but we always affect the world around us, for good or bad.
When I was in the seminary they did a survey about influences on our faith. One question asked was, ‘Who was the biggest influence on your faith?’ The majority of people said their grandparents.
We all want to make our world a better place and that starts with me and how I choose to live on a daily basis. We tend to think that the world will improve as soon as other people begin to amend their ways, but in fact it starts with how I live. St. Teresa of Calcutta said, ‘If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.’
When we die, so many of the earthly things we give so much of our time to, will disappear into insignificance. The only thing that will matter then, is our relationship with God and how we loved and served the people around us. That is more important than anything else we can do.
All the monks who were in those monasteries I visited, are now gone to God. They struggled just as we do and now it is our turn, until we too are called home to be with God.
‘Then kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, that when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown it springs up and becomes the largest of plants, so that the birds in the sky can dwell in its shade.’
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