Had a good sleep and should be at St Benedicts by early afternoon. From there it's another two days to Sudbury, and probably another two or three days to Toronto. The time seems to fly by so quickly. The mornings are quite chilly, which of course I remember, is what makes the beautiful Fall colours I'm going to enjoy!

Evening:

Driving through Manitoba the land is quietly changing from "flat" to "flat with tree line". The Land is so precious; there is no other place like our planet. I keep "blessing" it as I go along - praying we will learn how to live in harmony and cooperation with all of creation instead of trying to dominate and control this gift of God.

The Monastery of St Benedict in Winnipeg is a branch of the ancient tree planted by Benedict and Scholastica. The total relaxation of my body in quiet places reminds me of how stressful the noise and rush of our society can be. I delight in the Benedictine Rules' combination of idealism and practicality. For instance, "guests are to be received as Christ", is balanced by the appointment of a "larger brother" (and maybe a sister for the women's communities!) to deal with guests who become "troublesome"!

This is so different from the "chapel" at one of the gas stations. It was a small camper with a sign telling the truckers that God loved them, and some Scripture quotations to prove it. They were invited to enter the chapel to pray, and presumably, be converted.

Next to these affirmations of God's love for truckers was another sign: "Hitch-hikers - this is NOT a motel or hostel. Do not phone me, I will not come" Obviously, God loves truckers more than hitch-hikers....at least as far as this person is concerned. I was tempted to leave a note with: "Please read Matt. 25: 31ff".

The difference, it seems to me, is that Benedict and Schlastica welcomed everyone as Christ, and if we don't behave, we will be corrected. The person who created the "truckers' chapel" only welcomes certain people so "undesireables" don't have an opportunity to misbehave! This is not the God Jesus reveals to us. That One, Compassionate and Gracious, is, as Catherine of Siena says: "Crazy with love for us". And judging from the stories Jesus tells about that, not very rational about it either.