68 - Once arrived in the cloister, my guide suggests, “Before going on with our daily work, after None, I and my brothers usually go to rest a bit in our rooms. You know, we get up at 5.15 a.m. every morning! Today, however, I want to make an exception for you! I want to show you the zone reserved for our guests. Just wait and see how many different people you will encounter there.”
At the back of the house occupied by the brothers, from under a beautiful bower of wisteria leaves, two doors can be seen. One is that of the Saint Norbert hall, and the other that of the Saint Augustine hall. The hall of Saint Norbert consists in a little hall with a kitchen in one corner, and a nice wooden table with benches, where one can sit to eat or speak. Next to the table there is a fireplace. The other hall is much bigger and brighter. It is used for group meetings, for singing practice, for reunions and lectures, lunch, and large receptions. The guests of the community, all varying in age, men and women, in groups, in couples, or alone, are spread about – some within, some without. Some of them are standing: some are sitting on the benches outside, as they seek shelter from the sun.
69 – As brother Giovanni arrives, a little group approaches him with a hearty welcome. He presents me to them, saying, “This is Francesco, a new friend! He came to Sant’Antimo as a tourist, but his journey has taken on another aspect - more profound, more deep and complete! He came here in search of artistic beauty, but another world of beauty, faith, and peace, was here to meet him.”
Quite disconcerted, I blush a bit. This brother is ransacking my heart!
The group around us smile as if in agreement. Perhaps they too, had been caught up in a similar experience. A lady pulls me aside, and says, “You did very well to come here! There are many things to learn and to do here! One learns how to value silence, how to free oneself from the excess of personal needs, how to give a meaning to one’s life, how to enjoy solitude, and at the same time, how to be more charitable towards others. One learns how to pray with one’s heart. And then, the brothers are always present! If you need to speak to someone, or want to examine yourself, or need help on a personal or spiritual level, they are constantly at your disposal.”
70 – In the meantime, two youngsters who are listening with interest, draw near, and one says, “With regard to ‘doing’ – it is very nice to stay here, because you can also make yourself useful by working, or doing some manual labour. This helps one to understand the value of free service in favour of others. In other words, here it is like a school, where you can learn how to live, while the opportunity to help the brothers presents itself as a very satisfying experience.”
“And we are very grateful to you, for all your help,” says brother Giovanni, “but we must not forget that this place, first and foremost, is a place dedicated to the praise of God, where prayer is at the centre of everything and precedes every kind of work. For this reason it is important to work together and to help each other, but it is still more important that one collects one’s thoughts in silence, so as to ‘hear’ and ‘welcome’ His Presence. Our prayer and our liturgy are undoubtedly an incitement to ‘listen’ to His voice.” We all remain silent for a moment.
One of the girls called Arianna, says, “On account of the friendship between my parents and one of the brothers, I got to know this place when I was still a little child.”
Jacopo, a friend of Arianna says, “Since May 2001, I frequent Sant’Antimo.
Arianna goes on to say, “I come here to scan my inner life – that which is more important – because many are the unessential factors that obscure us by their dark shadows. Here on the contrary, we recover what is essential, that which we can fully claim as belonging to us.”
Jacopo interrupts, “Here I’ve found a simple way of life, with a warm and fraternal atmosphere. For me, this is the best place for reflecting and for living an authentic spiritual experience. We also amuse ourselves here, by singing, taking walks, and spending the evenings together, while reunions are held, where we can learn more about real spiritual searching.”
Then the brother asks me, “What shall we do now?”