Br. Mark 
Writings of Br. Mark Dohle, OCSO, a monk of Holy Spirit Monastery in Conyers Georgia. Br. Mark is formerly Prior and is currently guestmaster for the Monastery, His writings relate to those he works with in his ministry, particularly the elderly and dying.
Today a special day showing us God’s true desire
Mercy Sunday 2020 I am reliving these moments with Our Lady. With great longing, I am waiting for the Lord’s coming. Great are my desires. I desire that all humankind come to know the Lord. I would like to prepare all nations for the coming of the Word Incarnate. O Jesus, make the fount of… Read More ›
Dealing with reality
I wonder how this experience that we in the United States are going through will change things. I guess on an unconscious level I always thought that we would always be beyond what much of the world goes through. Yet here we are. Even if more or less at peace, at least for me, there… Read More ›
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy
The Beatitude I want to speak on is the one that speaks of mercy. Or about the merciful. However, I want to start off with this quote from Matt: 7:1-5 Judging Others “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use… Read More ›
I will never fully understand God’s grace
“When you say to Me, ‘Beloved Jesus I give you my entire life,’ do you realize that at the same time I’ve given you more, since even what you are giving Me is what I’ve given you? Admit that everything you have comes from Me. It’s all a gift from Me, not to display My… Read More ›
A Muslim couple
between a rock and a hard place As a retreat/guest master here I get to meet some very interesting people. People come here who have no specific beliefs. We get Buddhist, Hindus, New Age, and Christians of just about every denomination, and atheists, and agnostics… Not many Muslims come through here, or if they do,… Read More ›
Anxiety and Morning Coffee
I love coffee. I enjoy the ritual of preparing it. Three scoops for a full pot, allowing the water to run, then getting that first taste of the bitter brew. Yes, I love the bitter taste of coffee. I guess I simply taught myself to enjoy dark, and bitter. It is a familiar place, a… Read More ›
What lies beneath
“You are worried about the passage from this life to the next? But since it is the greatest proof of love that you can give Me, be glad. Offer your death to Me now with complete detachment, ready even for heroism. Say, ‘Even if I didn’t have to suffer death, I would choose it in… Read More ›
My Friend Janet
Be ever ready to help others right to the very limit of your strength. You remember with what love I gave myself. In My public life, in the midst of so many people all crowding around through self-interest. Seldom did I meet with love. They came to Me through selfishness, yet My tenderness reached out… Read More ›
Learning to live with uncertainty and loss
Being young is truly wonderful. When I think of my youth, I often experience ‘that person’ as almost a stranger, yet someone I of course know. I also feel young inside, but there is a difference. I have learned, more or less, to deal with loss. Many people learn about loss early in life. Starting… Read More ›
A pleasant memory of my childhood in Panama
I find that when I am out in the woods, I can feel overwhelmed by all of the life surrounding me. I get overloaded and can’t take it in. I have always been that way. The same goes when I am in a large place with lots of people. If I do not shut down… Read More ›