Day 5 and 6 Final Ireland by Ken
Following our time on the Aran Island of Inisheer, we arrived at Esker - a Monastery that welcomes groups of travelers and pilgrims. Here we will explore what a monastic community can teach us about how to deepen our own spiritual life. The monastery is located near the town of Athenry, a Norman city founded in the thirteenth century.
We stopped to explore the Athenry Castle which is one of the oldest castles in all of Ireland. Castle raiding can be a great time of discovery. That evening we spent time together walking and praying through the Stations of the Cross. The Monastery has a beautiful outdoor path lined with the fourteen stations. The pilgrims prayed and led this powerful time together and found this to be an intimate spiritual time of wonder. The weight of this spiritual experience was palatable and left us in silence as we all walked back to our beds for an evening of rest.
The next day we went to visit the ancient Monastic Community of Clonmacnoise, a 5th century development founded by Saint Claram. This was a great historic place to explore and discover what monastic life was like in the ancient monastic way and what can be learned to help us improve our own spiritual life. These pilgrim travelers are beginning to discover what God can do when we yield our life to him and follow in his footsteps. The rhythm of spiritual prayer work and community life has begun to awaken a new reality of the disciplines required to live the authentic life in God.