St. Dunstan and Our "Ordinary" Lives

During our usual Wednesday mass at St. Paul’s in Albany, our priest delivered a homily on St. Dunstan, who served as Archbishop of Canterbury in 960. Among his many accomplishments, Dunstan apparently reformed the monastic culture of his day and engaged fully in the details of everyday life, from politics to metalworking. Why? Because all life belonged to God, not just time spent in prayer or worship or “Christian service.”

For me, this had a familiar and comforting ring. The Rule for Associates at Holy Cross Monastery, where I have made my spiritual home, includes a section on balance as a monastic value. The section begins with “Our ordinary life is our spiritual life.” Another passage refers to the fact that “all life is holy.”

Of course, it’s easy to say this. But what joy, and freedom, come in those occasional times when I can get myself to live it. There is a freedom to relax, to be present to whatever crosses my path, to accept the now as God’s gift and respond to it accordingly. At the end of the day, I can look back and see that my activities—while often insufficient for my silly standards—harmonize well with God’s.

It’s life as pull. Our culture, by contrast, drives us into life as push: we plan out everything to the second, feel compelled to accomplish more than one day can possibly hold, ignore what’s in front of us because we’re on our way to the next thing.

It does cost to get off the merry-go-round. Maybe we’re not as efficient, or we get less done. But if we don’t get off, we lose something of the richness of God. And that richness is surely worth savoring.