After a round of introductions and expectations as well as a brief introduction to the content and organisation of the seminar, the next morning we looked at the history and life of the Benedictines. The monastery's guest priest, Sebastian Haas-Siegel OSB, was on hand to answer our questions. As well as taking part in the Benedictine monks' daily prayers (four times a day), our group also meditated to quiet music. They all considered questions such as ‘Where do I stand?’ ‘What am I looking forward to in the future?’ and ’What scares me during coronavirus?’ In addition to a tree of hope and worry, personal life curves were also created, which we then discussed in pairs.
The next day was marked by a Bible discussion on the story of Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), our hike along the Danube to the Maurus Chapel, where we celebrated a group mass, and a film evening during which ‘Half Staircase’ by Andreas Dresen was shown.
At the end of the Spiritual Days, the participants reflected on their personal progress and wrote a letter to themselves, which will be sent to them two weeks later by the two leaders, Fr Professor Thomas Eggensperger OP and Fr Professor Ulrich Engel OP. An evaluation in the ‘Café Pelikan’ concluded our days.
They were wonderful experiences: Spending time with ourselves and other people from different lifestyles, cultures and faith traditions, contemplating our own lives, enjoying the beautiful scenery, growing closer to God and taking a break from the often turbulent student life.
Weerawut Sintupattanapun (KAAD scholar in Jena)
