The Christ, the Messiah in all of us
Fr Anselm Grün, a Benedictine monk, tells the story of a failing religious community that may well have resonances for any church or religious group of friends that needs to find a renewed sense of their vocation to be God’s people. It’s the story of a monastery that is failing to attract new members.
The Abbot went to take advice from a wise hermit. The hermit suggested he say to his monks ‘One of you is the Messiah’. The Abbot goes back to his monks and tells them this. And from that moment on the atmosphere in the community changes. Everybody began to ask themselves whether this or that brother might not be the Messiah.
And in this way a deep respect was awakened for the mystery present in each member of the community. There was no more nasty gossip, no more talking about the failures of individuals behind people’s backs. The people who came to visit noticed a distinct change in the feel of the community, and in a short space of time new members expressed an interest in joining.
Bernhard Schunemann
17 June 2018
