To enter the grounds of St. Meinrad Monastery deep in the hills of Southern Indiana is to enter a different world.  Early one evening after a hectic day at the office, I drove out to St. Meinrad for a quiet retreat.  It had recently rained.  On the path from the outer parking lot to my room, I became acutely aware of the stillness and the scent of lush greenery.  I had almost forgotten the wonderful quiet of an evening in the country. A few yards away, a solitary robin pecked at a tiny insect.  Only one person met me on the path.  She graciously changed direction to escort me to my room.  That night I opened my windows to soak in the fresh air and quickly fell asleep.

Dreams of making this my permanent home were interrupted by a clamor of bells announcing to the countryside the beginning of a new day.  I chuckled to myself as I remembered that St. Meinrad has a sunrise service every morning, not just at Easter.  The monks gathered for morning prayer as the first rays of the summer sun peeked over the fields and lit up the very tops of the stained glass windows.  St. Meinrad is on God’s time.  Morning is a time for praise.

The pace was slow compared to my average “work” day, but I never felt bored.  God’s time is full of the real business of life.  We had much spiritual food to reflect upon and ample time to pray.  With the absence of the distractions so common in the business world, I found myself more in tune with the rhythm of faith.

Ann has likened St. Meinrad to a wellspring where one finds fresh water, the kind that renews our strength and our spirit.  Thirsty people have always sought out deep wells.  Once, by a well, Jesus met a woman who was thirsty, more in spirit than body.  The spiritual water she found at the well so delighted her she hurried to share it with others.

A wellspring is a special place where hope is renewed and Easter happens every day.  We are blessed to have such deep springs close at hand.  Sometimes, we forget that we are all connected in Christ, the true source of our living water.  The retreat poured water into the dry channels of my spirit and helped me rediscover my own springs of faith.