It challenged us to live the core kerygrna of our faith. When people are too tired and fragmented, they no longer have the energy or the desire to celebrate and give thanks. The ABA convention challenged us to listen to the needs of each other and evaluate the direction we are traveling. It reminded us to return to seek those values and ways that enable us to give thanks and celebrate. These values are inherent in monasticism.
Monasticism is a living reminder to the world as to what is really important and lasting.
It does not have all the answers but it leads us to the well of living water that is inside each one of us. It keeps us on the path of the creature longing for the creator. Only on this path do we find true peace, happiness, and meaning to our very existence. The good news of the ABA convention for me was the values, tools, faith, wisdom, and the ongoing attentive listening to God's presence in the world monasticism embraces. The good news of monasticism is that it has a way of discerning in a complicated world that one thing that is really necessary.