In most Catholic monasteries all the monks have white hair (if they have hair!), nobody is young, everybody is over 70 and yes, when one dies then that’s one less in the monastery and they are just waiting until the day will come that the last two will be there and then one will die and then there will be one left, and then that one will die and then there will be no more monastery! There are many such Catholic monasteries. We sometimes buy them and make them into temples. Anyway, so this monastery was like that and they were kind of getting depressed about it. So one day there was a Rabbai that visited the monastery and all the monks were taking into confidence and were saying, “Yes, we have this problem; we are afraid that very soon we will be extinct and there will be no monastery left! Would you have any advice for us? What can we do?” the Rabbai said, “I know what you’re going through and we have similar problems in our synagogue and what can I say…it’s a problem of the time; it’s not easy to solve that. Many empty buildings- what can we do! I don’t really know, I don’t really know what can I do to help you…” he said, “but one thing I do know, and that I must tell you, I think that just like the Jews, I think that the Catholics are also believing in a second coming of Christ.”“Yes, yes, yes,” they said, “we believe in that!” he said, “Well, we have serious information; that there in your monastery, the messiah is living right now!” that was news! That was news! They were talking about that for a few days- “the messiah living in our monastery? Can you imagine the messiah living in our temple!” so they were thinking about it and then they thought, “Well, one thing I know for sure- that it’s not me! But one of the others must be the one! And well, I better get on his right side…! I mean, when he reveals himself and I step on his toes he may ignore me and may not become one of the principles apostles you know! And I may not get my name in the new Bible! So it may be better that I’m very
careful in my dealings with everyone.” And thus from that day on, everyone in that monastery began to treat each other as if they were messiah! They would treat them so nice! And the atmosphere in the whole monastery went up and up and up…and then one day, a school bus came with many students that came to see the monastery- that happens sometimes. And the students were so impressed with the atmosphere in the monastery that after some time, some of the students came back and joined the monastery! And after a few years, they had 20 new young monks! The whole thing was like a happening place! That was a nice story, I thought…how a positive atmosphere, how powerful it is and how it can turn everything around!(Excerpt from Pietermaritzburg class, September '08, HH Kadamba Kanana Maharaja)
