Brother Micheal showed me to my room and took me on a tour of the former stables of Astley Manor, showing me the chapel, the refectory for meals, the library and the gardens. He then left me to settle in.
It has to be said that stepping into the library brought back wonderful memories of the libraries at Redcliffe College. Maybe it was the sight of the tall shelves filled with books, maybe it was the remembrance of the similar kind of quirky library spaces dotted around the college or maybe it was the particular smell of the room (not easy to describe - but oh so familiar!) - either way, in that moment the delightful memories of many hours spent reading and studying came flooding back - such a precious time.
As it was a rather hot afternoon I spent a bit of time resting in my room before joining the brothers and three other guests for evening prayers. I was struck that one of the readings for today was Matthew 11:28-30 - which felt very apt!
And there was sweet remembrance of my times at midday prayer at the friary in Plaistow as the brothers sang the hymns acapella.
As the heat of the day had abated a little after prayers I then decided to explore the gardens. I chose a bench on the edge of a little valley inhabited by tall trees and sat in the late afternoon sunshine appreciating the birdsong and gentle breeze.
After a simple supper of vegetable quiche with tomato and mozzarella salad I gave the evening over to drawing some thoughts together about 'And now what...?' for YBC. The day closed with night prayer at which point the front door of the monastery is locked and the 'Greater Silence' began. Any fans of 'Call the midwife' might recognise this term, but for those unfamiliar this is a period of quiet and silence observed after the last prayer of the night until the first morning prayer. At this point I retired to my room and after some reading I headed to bed.
I brought a little book with me called 'Pocket prayers for Pilgrims' and read this just before turning out the light:
Lord, it is night.
The night is for stillness
Let us be still in the presence of God
It is night after a long day.
What has been done has been done;
what has not been done has not been done;
let it be.
The night is dark.
Let our fears of the darkness
of the world and of our own lives
rest in you.
The night is quiet.
Let the quietness of your peace enfold us,
all dear to us,
and all who have no peace.
The night heralds the dawn.
Let us look expectantly to a new day,
new joys
new possibilities.
In your name we pray.
Amen
Unfortunately I woke with a headache so didn't make morning prayer at 7am, but it seems to have abated after a bit of breakfast so I'm just about to head out on a walk to spend some time with God in His beautiful creation.
