Vigils from the Office of the Dead

by Brother Bernard Seif, SMC, EdD, DNM

Openness to letting life unfold and, in a sense, dancing with it, usually resolves most mysteries sooner or later. It is the “later” part that is often the real challenge in life and Monastic life is no exception. The schedule of a monastery revolves around the communal prayer marking the various phases of the day and night. These liturgical celebrations, known as the Liturgy of the Hours, anchor the monastic with a certain spiritual stability as he or she lives the mystery. Death has no...