When the Homily is about Immunology

Great Article on St. John the Forerunner Monastery

Main Article Here

Make sure to note the companion articles under the picture to the right - especially the slide show And the intriguing article sharing the non-Orthodox reporter's experiences in spending time there.

Funny how some of the reporter's feelings are comparable to mine when I visited:

It's strange to not start my mornings listening to the radio. It's different to not know if another American was killed in Iraq last night or if another pop starlet has unlocked the secrets of reproduction.

But somehow, the world keeps turning...

... Several weeks later, I am in front of my computer in the newsroom, stressed and on deadline. I place a call to the monastery to check a couple more facts. One of the sisters answers the phone, she sounds so calm and peaceful, asks how I am doing and seems genuinely interested in the answer.

It makes me wonder who is really living in the real world.

But really...leaving Pascha left me with a similar impression and sensation. And indeed to a lesser extent, leaving the Divine Liturgy does as well. Furthermore, there is a realm where we can choose to exist on a day to day basis and when we "deal" with the outside world it will be like our very own monastery coffee/gift shop. The Kingdom within...where the pure really do see God and the meek really do inherit the earth. It's not just in Monasteries and during the Liturgy, it is the normal way of life. But God knows we need those things to remind us of how that normal life ought to be.

Someone once said that Monasteries are like laboratories of the heart, and it sounds like this reporter took part in a beneficial experiment.

Now, if we could just get them to do the services in English.
:)