My article for Imaginative Conservative this week is a review of my visit to Norcia and the monks’ marvelous new CD
In June, I was blessed to visit Italy for a week. As we made our way from the rough and tumble of Rome down the winding roads of Umbria, the peace of the Italian countryside began to sink in. We were headed to Norcia to visit a former student who is a novice at the newly re-established monastery there. The birthplace of St. Benedict is an ancient walled city set in the rolling hills of a national park. Led by Dom Cassian Folsom, the monks have restored buildings, established a brewery and gift shop and have now recorded an award winning CD of Gregorian chant.
The monastic life is good for you—even in small doses, and to listen to the monks while you drive not only alleviates road rage, but also it clears your mind, helps put things in perspective, and clarifies your thoughts and feelings. You may not be able to literally understand the Latin texts, but you know they are singing the psalms. You know they are praising God. You know they are orienting their whole lives to the Lord and if you open your heart and mind as you open your ears, you worship with them and the truth, beauty, and goodness soaks in with its calming and healing effect.
Go here to read the whole article
