The Seasons of Life

By Fr. Bjorn, OES

I like to think of life as having seasons, just as a year has seasons. We as monastics undergo constant change and growth, and this is reflected as we grow in wisdom and dedication to our monastic practices. This growth happens in spurts at times, with some taking longer than others.

For example, I have been married for nearly four years. Throughout that time, both I and my spouse have changed in many ways. As it turns out, the ways we have changed have made us incompatible, and so a season of my life is now drawing to a close.

Now a new season is beginning, and to welcome it, I will be taking on a new vow, the vow of celibacy. I will be moving my hermitage to my home town, and from there I will be continuing my ministries to the homeless and to the OES.

Another new season of my life is beginning; I have been elected to the episcopate of the Progressive Celtic Church, and will be consecrated the day before my birthday, in September. I like to think that my Creator has new lessons for me where I am going, and that I will continue to grow and change into the person that my Creator intended me to be.

These new seasons of my life will allow me to focus more on my ministry and my duties to the OES, which I am very grateful for.

I would encourage all of you to look at your own lives as having seasons. It is my hope that each of you might embrace the changes in your life with a joyful heart, and with humility so that you may learn and grow as these changes happen. Remember that the unexamined life is wasted, so take time to take and inventory of your life experiences and what you may have learned from them.

Lastly, I encourage you to be gentle with yourselves and others. Change and growth can be painful, and everyone learns differently and at different paces.