Estella

It is very quiet here at the Monastario San Benito. An occasional sound of the nuns singing,  echoing footsteps or doors closing is all that is heard.

My room is at the end of the long hallway of guest rooms.  The floors are marble and the walls are seemingly freshly painted white. When I walked into my room I gasped!  A single bed with starched sheets.  They smelled so good!  A small nightstand, chair and desk with  a lamp. A throw rug in the floor. A  huge window that opened to the view of the city. A small closet on the right and a small bathroom on the left with a sparkling white toilet, sink and shower bath.

There is no one else here this first night.  The sisters are very good to me. They feed me and make me comfortable.   

I join them in the second prayer of the morning,  Laudes, at 8:30.   Then breakfast.  At 2 pm is lunch and at  7 pm is vespers and mass.  Dinner is t 8:30 pm.

Through  a lot of discussion with an African sister, Hermana Augustine who speaks a little English and Hermana Marie Theresa who speaks even littler English I learn the work of this monastery

These cloistered nuns devote their entire life to prayer. Every day all day they are praying for all of us who are struggling in this world. They pray for the sick, the well, the youth, the old, families, parents, prisoners soldiers, Christians, non Christians, Germans, Koreans, pilgrims and police. They pray for the sanctification of the whole world.

There is a bit of comfort there, knowing we are being prayed for. There is such love and joy in these sister's hearts. They are not of this world, yet pray for the world.

After talking non-stop the last 4 weeks, this silence strikes me.  I feel alone, yet very full.