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Gospel: Lk. 11: 5-13
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,’
and he says in reply from within,
‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.’
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Saint Bruno, whose feast day we celebrate today, was the founder of the Carthusian order in the 11th century.
The Carthusians follow the strictest rule of life in the Church.
They live in one of twenty-five monasteries peppered throughout the world, mostly tucked away in the mountains. Each monk is given a cell set apart from their other religious brothers or sisters, living out their life in near total silence.
The monks only gather as a community on three occasions: to pray Morning and Evening Prayer, and to share a meal on great liturgical feasts, such as Christmas and Easter.
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Why do the Carthusians insist upon living in such prolonged silence? And what might their spirituality teach us?
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That learning how to be a Christian often boils down to what happens inside our own mind and heart.
Alone in the silence, we begin mastering the art of prayer; we discern God’s voice; we contemplate life’s great mysteries; we learn how to control our thoughts and emotions; and how to resist temptation.
As Jesus says, “from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.”
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In honor of St. Bruno, perhaps we can spend a few moments in silence today, trusting that whenever we pause and pray, God is at work.
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