The Day
The Day at Jesus Abbey
A day that begins with prayer and ends with prayer. This rhythm is the same now as it was sixty years ago.
Before Dawn
Before Dawn
The bell awakens the darkness.
Only footsteps heading to the prayer room
fill the silence.
Lauds — Morning Prayer
Lauds — Morning Prayer
A single candle is lit in the dark prayer room.
We read the Psalms, sing hymns, and pray in silence.
The day begins in the name of God.
Breakfast
Breakfast
The first spoonful after a prayer of thanks.
Even without words, we know we are together.
Labor
Labor — Ora et Labora
We work the fields, carry hay, and chop wood.
We break the frozen water buckets and water the cows.
Hands covered in dirt are the same hands that pray.
Sext — Midday Prayer
Sext — Midday Prayer
We set down the shovel and go to the prayer room.
With dirt-covered hands we open the Bible.
We pause and stand before God.
Lunch
Lunch
Gathered at the table together.
Grace spread upon the table in the wilderness.
Reading and Silence
Lectio Divina
Read. Repeat. Meditate. Pray.
Until the four steps become one breath.
Sacred reading is not a technique — it is an encounter.
Free Time
Free Time
Walking the forest paths of Mt. Deokhang.
A time when no words need to be spoken.
The wind and birdsong are enough.
Dinner
Dinner
After the day's labor, we gather at the table.
A prayer of thanks. Bread shared together.
Compline — Evening Prayer
Compline — Evening Prayer
We offer the day.
Tomorrow will begin again with the sound of the bell.
Let my prayer be set before You as incense.
The Great Silence
The Great Silence
God abides in the silence.
Be still, and know that I am God.