Little by Little

Recently, I have been reading The Monks of Tibhirine by John Kiser, the story of seven Trappist monks killed by terrorists in Algeria in 1996. It is a story of love and open heartedness in the midst of a time of unspeakable horrors. Parts of the book are difficult to read. But, one monk, mentioned briefly on one page, caught my attention. He was Brother Pierre, an African monk from Cameroon. He died from cancer in 1992, but before he died, he described his cancer as “his last blessed calling”. It is what Pierre said next that really spoke to me. He went on:

for life is given to us so that,
little by little,
we can get accustomed to God,
and at the end feel ourselves at home,
​immersed in God.

I love the sense of “little by little” becoming “accustomed to God”. What a wonderful framework and lens to have on our fragmented lives. God’s ways are so different from ours, and all the ups and downs of our lives help us “little by little” to become “accustomed to God”, until, finally, at the end we feel at home immersed in the ocean of God. My prayer is that, this week in the midst of our uncertain lives and turbulent world, “little by little” we may become more “accustomed to God” and have a growing sense of being more fully at home and deeply immersed in the ocean of God.
​
Brian Holliday