By Brother Craig Daugherty, OSC
Paths diverge in crazy world, as people hustle
On their way to work, to home, a busy-ness
That threatens to overwhelm the soul. The noise
Of world drowns out the quiet, powerful
Whisper of God, profound, soul-deep, in lives
Consecrated, to be set apart for Trinitarian
Worship, relationship-bound, to Creator God.
A calling mysterious, resonates through spirit, through
Body and mind, to walk a trail laid out in
World, yet imbued with Holy Spirit power
Of incarnate God-presence of Life-giver. Brothers
Spread across the realm, responding to that
Gentle nudge, live a life beyond the physical
Restraints of temporal time.
A clarion call of prayer, intimate communion with Alpha
And Omega presence, revealing heart of God
To love a world so fallen, completely broken
By selfish sin of man. Lives of men, to follow
Example of a Saint, what once was despair, now
Sweetly broken by the Redemptive Cross of
Savior sweet, so divine.
At foot of cross, eternal reminder of Sacrificial praise,
As disciplined call turns into joyous duty of
God-drenched contemplation, prayer, to lay,
Prostrate, before the throne. Prayers imbued with
Incense complete, an offering of our very soul,
Bringing forth pain, doubt, of world, into
The presence of His name.
What a joy, calling divine, to start, to end, each day
Dripping, immersed in holy prayer, with
Others across the globe. Individual brothers,
Different calls, united in a purpose one, to
Lay bare souls through Common Prayer, each
Petitioning, praising the Eternal God, the lover
Of each Brother’s soul.
A cry to fast, to self-deny, approach the Throne, to
Come to recognition, blissful life, of the One
Who gives all blessings to the full, Sustainer
Of each life. Deny the daily bread to focus on
The Bread of Life, to drink full the water which
Cures thirst once, for all time. Give us today, our
Daily bread, to eat the flesh of Christ.
Physical fast, leads to Spiritual thirst, for the Water of
Life, the precious blood of Christ. A hunger for
The Word, the very presence of God, to transform,
Redeem those called to be His own. Brothers join
In, to call forth praise, the richness of every spiritual
Blessing, as physical hunger replaced by such
A presence of elysian bread.
Focus on the body of Christ, to remind, his broken body
Given for all. Lindisfarne calls forth, a hermit,
Saint to model a life of ascetism, self-denial, an
Indulgence only in the presence of Christ; reliance
Upon the breath of God, Holy Spirit fire, to fill
The soul, to satisfy the hunger of the world which
Leads only to a belly-full of emptiness in time.
Drenched in sin, each life, eternally broken from our
Heavenly home. We wallow in the grime, the filth
Of this world, covered by the shame of trespasses
Against man, against our God. Brothers, humbled
Bow, express sorrow of their death filled hearts, lives
Separated from a love come down, content, without
Him, to live in spiritual slums of world.
Brothers bowed in penitent pose, unable to rise
On their own, above the waste of wallowed
Lives, sins laid bare upon their souls. Only
In obedience to Christ, a humbled heart that
Leads to life, a soul oriented to the only Wise,
That lifts the soul, the joy of humble adoration
A new residence in heavenly realm.
St. Cuthbert calls forth, Brothers scattered, united
In the love of Christ; to remember day by day,
As hours go, the healing compassion of a
Father, to give His one and only Son, to die
Upon the cross, covered in my sin (and yours)
That we might live in penitent repose, united in
The presence of Christ, a heavenly home.
Each soul, alone, spread throughout created world,
United in a passion, a bond, held together by
Cords of love. An easy yoke is placed upon
Brothers called into a community of this
Domain, a heavenly domicile awaits as paths
Are journeyed alone, together bound. Spiritual
Brothers, souls cloistered together.
Lives unified, as along life’s path time is redeemed
Through common call, through a community
Through common call, through a community
Of life; a monastery of hearts sent out into
The globe, held together by life of Saint
Redeemed, revealed Holy man of God. A
Voyage shared, of lives renewed, each day,
Through Book of Common Prayer.
Encouragement abounds, as Brothers lift each other
Up in life, and sorrow, and ultimate joy.
Sacrificial intentionality is the call, that leads
Each forth, that calls each soul into a connection
Across the miles; each path unique, alone, yet
Relationally united through life, through path of
Common-Saint, ordained by God.
Holy work, such a joy, even in midst of tedious times,
To raise forth His Holy vocation of calling to
Sin-soaked lost souls. A life of common, secular
Occupation, made Holy and whole, when imbued
By Holy Spirit wind—a presence of the Living
God in each. Just a spark of the divine, to be called
Forth to eternal paradise.
Now a joy, to carve a plank, to throw a line into the
Sea, or plow a field and plant a seed. Work,
Mundane, turned into joy, when presence of His
Spirit dwells deep within each task, each preordained
Chore. Joy fills the heart of Brothers all, whether
Preaching His Word, or fixing a car. The banal
Routine, now Holy Divinity.
Paths lead out into this world, each moments’ tasks, a
Preordained, a holy duty. An act of worship, even
In the common place, the monotonous hum drum
Of this day. Joy exudes from Brother’s heart, to
Serve His God, to serve each humanity encounter
Endured. To His glory is the cry, it leads to life, to
Eternity of service to Creator God.
His Word, such a gift, love letter written with such care
A study of God’s gift to men. A beginning Genesis
To Revelation end. Church Father’s, Saints, devotions
Abound, to draw together God’s chosen men—a life
Of study, of knowledge gained, to wisdom practiced
Each day. A strength of men when knowledge shared,
To praise the God of brotherhood.
Each day a gain, as God’s Word revealed, never
Void. This world changes, each day, each
Year, but Word of God will never change, it
Glues together each life of service, each life
Ordained, each life to live forth the call of
God modeled after His Saint of Northumbria,
Of life beyond both time and place.
Such holy call each day, to devote time to understand
His song, to praise. Study, holy, for all time,
As Brothers one, and Brothers all, they share
A life of common cause, each way their own,
But each trail to benefit them all. Holy Spirit
Wisdom builds each life, each soul, that edification
Will complete, encourage each call.
Paths converge in crazy world, as people hustle
On their way to worship God, cathedral
home. The peace of God calms the soul,
as powerful Whisper of God, profound,
soul-deep, in lives consecrated, to be set apart
for Trinitarian worship, relationship-bound,
to each other, to Creator God.
