A Willing Spirit Sustain
It has been some time since I have reflected with you and for you, and I feel moved to write because of the recent passing of Fr. Tom Francis, OCSO, and my visit to the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, GA to commemorate his life, praying with the monks at noonday prayer, reflecting, walking, reading, and writing before I head into a new year of teaching. Fr Tom Francis left me an indelible gift of joy that allows me to see some things in graphic relief, among them sources of inspiration toward restoration of the spirit. When life gets difficult, we seek some way forward (and admittedly sometimes go backward to find it, but that’s only human!). Even though the way forward seems insurmountable, or perplexing, the Psalmist had it right to ask: “a willing spirit sustain in me” ( Ps.51). There’s much to do to create space for that level of willingness, but we all have the capacity to ask for simply the sustaining part of it. It’s in sustaining our willingness that we might more