I went to Mass this morning at Mt. Irenaeus as is my habit on Sundays. It was a beautiful clear blue chilly morning. I enjoyed my drive down Route 16 and then onto Route 446 which would lead to the road to Friendship, New York then south on Route 275 to the bustling hamlet of Nile. Leaving Nile on Route 1 and then onto Hydetown Road and up to the Mountain. Listening to a Bill Douglas album and drinking in the sights and sounds of winter. On the way up Hydetown road I spied a beautiful little creek bubbling along in the chill morning air. I stopped the car, rolled down the window and got a picture take home with me.
Right turn followed right turn as up the hill my little PT Cruiser chugged. It was apparent from looking at the tracks that I was the first car up this morning. I wondered, “do I have the traction to make the hill?’ The little car made it and soon I was disembarking with a bag of groceries to be shared later at brunch. It’s always a relief to be at the Mountain and to share some quiet moments in the chapel with lots of other worshippers who have made the trip from all over.
The quiet beauty of the chapel against the picture perfect blue sky is breathtaking. Once inside I share the space with other members of the community today. We’ve come to this chapel at the end of a long road because we’re all looking for something that we can’t find easily elsewhere. We come here because we love the peace and hospitality which are so freely offered. We come because we are Gospel people hoping to hear a prophetic message, a message which challenges us to live the week differently and to join with Jesus Christ in making all things new.
Under the chapel in the library is a framed print that spoke volumes to me when I first made this trip six years ago. “If you are wondering what God may be, looking for a purpose in life, craving company, or seeking solitude, come to our meeting for worship. We shall not ask you to speak or sing, we shall not ask you what you believe, we shall simply offer you our friendship, and a chance to sit quietly and think, and perhaps somebody will speak, and perhaps somebody will read, and perhaps somebody will pray, and perhaps you will find here that which you are seeking. We are not saints, we are not cranks, we are not different –Except that we believe that God’s light is in everyone waiting to be discovered.”
Peace,