The Secret to Living Well

Found this is the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center Newsletter:

"I have begun to wonder if the secret to living well

          is not having all the answers

but in pursuing unanswerable questions in good company."
                                                            
                                                        Rachel Naomin Remen



This quote made me sigh...........wistfully.............

You see, its Monday night. Years ago during the consolidation years some of us started to meet informally at the Church on Monday evenings. The official unofficial start time was 7:00. Those who came were to silently pray until about 7:15. I always loved that if someone came in about 7:15, the others would not say a word to allow that person to pray for a little while. There was no hurry to  break the prayerful silence.

We eventually dubbed Monday Evenings "Neri Nights" after St. Philip of Neri, the 'Second Pope of Rome.'  He would frequently have informal sessions with his students where people could wander in and out as they had time and interest.  Neri Nights not only were opportunities to discuss what was going on in our church community, but also  gave us time to pray together and interact. Sometimes we sang from the hymnals, sometimes listened to Cd's or shared reading material, but mostly we shared what we knew was going on in the Catholic Church,  the Diocese or in our own new consolidation.

I can't really remember why we stopped meeting. I hate to think that we grew apathetic about our parish, maybe we just accepted that the faith community that nurtured us was gone? The small parish where many had ownership, has turned into a much larger parish where we have membership. Oh yes, our  new consolidation still has a Bible School, the Mission Fair, CCD and an early morning mass at the St. Mary's sight and for that I am thankful. But too many programs were either dismantled or quietly succombed to a quiet form of oppression. No real 'bad guys' for me to point a finger at and I sincerely do not wish to complain to the well- meaning people in charge. They sincerely want the consolidation to come together yet no one has convinced me yet that coming together does not mean closing the buildings at Kirby.

 I have been quite active in my ministry in the name of Transfiguration and have been in my simple terms, "A Good Soldier".  And I must also admit that I am quite peaceful lately. Is  being peaceful living well? I had assumed so. But that phrase "pursuing unanswerable questions in good company.", won't go away. I actually felt guilty writing in this blog when I have tons of preparation to do for the Confirmation retreat in two weeks for sixty+  confirmation candidates.

Oh well, it's Monday night. I can take a few minutes on Neri Night to pray and contemplate, even if , for  now, it's by myself.  I remember that secret to living well.