Dear Friends, greetings in the Lord Jesus who is our hope as the vigil of Easter proclaims: "Yesterday, today now and forever." Later July and early August are sometimes called: "the lazy days of summer." In the past life seemed to go more slowly as vacations, warm weather and travel all converged to ease our lives in this hemisphere. Yet this has been a rather intense summer when events appear to race ahead of the "lazy days" for which many of us yearn. One truth which helps me through this rather busy and intense summer is the "monastery of everyday life." More and more my heart and soul hunger to live in the "monastery of the everyday."

The monastery of the everyday is a metaphor based in the reality of my home monastery as an oblate: Holy Trinity Monastery in St. David, Arizona. Going back to the roots of St. Benedict I rejoice in his definition of the monastery as: "A school of the Lord's service". For St. Benedict all spiritual ways have their foundation in Jesus Christ. All ways and roads lead to Jesus. Holy Trinity Monastery like all Benedictine monasteries is focused in the joy of prayer, community and work, all in the Lord. Being an oblate of the Holy Trinity allows me to be part of each graced day of prayer, work and community. In fact the at the core of being an oblate is living in the monastery of everyday life, making room for God and others in a life awash in prayer, service and community. Kindness and compassion in the Lord are the foundation of Holy Trinity Monastery and the little monasteries of everyday life that you and I are called to live in and inhabit. May God give us the gift and courage to live in and build our little monastery in the context of our lives. Dear friends prayer for me as I do you!

A little note also each week on Hand of Help. The mission of Hand of Help is to mentor young adults through a collaborative network for lives of committed service in the Gospel of Jesus. Our mission is accomplished by a renewed structure of a legal and advisory board. A wider voluntary network of advisors and supporters nationally and internationally assist in our mission. Holy Trinity Monastery is the spiritual base of all our efforts. Holy Trinity is the life blood of Hand of Help. The Spirit is defining and calling us more and more each day to be a bridge of formation for young adults in the Gospel of Jesus. Friends each week I will offer another short word picture about Hand of Help. Blessings till next week. Our prayers and thoughts to all of your from the community of Hand of Help at Holy Trinity Monastery.