FEATURE : FRIAR BARTOLO MARIA OCD | LUMEN
and wash up , I would have only an hour or two to spend with my family and to winddown before needing to go to bed . The next day I would have to go to work and then take the same train back . The cycle would repeat . I asked myself : “ why do I want to trade hours for dollars ?” I knew then that whatever path I took , it had to be something meaningful . In hindsight , I suppose there was also a very subtle recognition that what gives time its value is not a monetary hourly rate .
During those years ( from polytechnic - university ), there was the very normal draw towards planning my life : dreams of what academic degree I would achieve , what job I would have , what car I would drive , what kind of house I would own … But I also slowly grew to see how material things could only satisfy so much before they lose their novelty . To be constantly satisfied , I would have to be ultra-rich . And even if I were , what kind of life would it be , flitting from one temporarily satisfying thing to another ? By God ’ s grace , I saw then the wisdom of the truths of the Catholic faith : our
true home is in heaven and our eternal good is God Himself . Our life here is still very much a “ valley of tears ” as we pray in the Salve Regina . Only He can satisfy the infinite longings of the human heart . There were motives both of the reason and of the heart that inclined me towards the religious life , so I made a decision that I would at least give it a try .
What do you like best about being a Brother ?
The best thing is of course having dedicated time for prayer . There is an illusion that the religious skip with joy to the chapel when it is prayer time . This is not quite true . We still have our human struggles and prayer can be dry and difficult . We still experience distractions . But the discipline of the community timetable ( called an horarium ) and seeing the brothers be faithful to it encourages me to put in my best , grow in my love for God and be present to Him .
While living in community has its challenges , for the most part it is great .
27