No More Complaining About 2 Year Missions

We went to a monasterio today to see the place where El Cid was once buried. It is about 15 km. from town. His body was taken a couple hundred years ago from the monastery and buried in the Burgos Cathedral. I don't get this moving the bodies around thing. They get moved so many times it wouldn't surprise me if no one really knows where the bodies are. The other thing is being buried in the floor of a place where people go to church. I thought one of the advantages of dying is you don't have to hear boring sermons anymore. and since the Catholic services are mostly ritual how boring would that be for several hundred years.

Back to the monastery we were given a tour by one of the 16 Monks that live their. Once a monk goes to the monastery it is a life long calling. The man that gave us the tour was 62 years old and had been there since he was 30. He has never left. He works in the grape fields and in the work shop (he did say what was done there) and once in a while he gives tours. His English was very clear. He was humble and kind. We decided that his english was so good because he was so motivated to interact with someone other than the other 15 monks that he studied hard to qualify to guide people through the property. The next time I hear a young man complain about taking 2 years to go on a mission, I'm not going to have any sympathy. One of the Monks at this monastery is 98 and has been there since he was 20-30.

It's amazing to think about. It seems like a candle that has been put under a bushel. It may even be an easy way out. But I could not imagine the courage and devotion it would take to spend your whole life this way.