I saw this servant who had been a labourer long enough that his clothes were worn smooth, yet inside him there was no old man at all. He was fresh as if born today, ready to dig and turn the earth again. I thought of a monk who spends hours polishing his shoes until they shine like glass, while his heart remains muddy and cold. He calls this worship, but it is only vanity, for he has not once turned to the Lord in love. We often polish our outer selves so we may look good to men, forgetting that the Lord sees what is within.

What I ask you is that you stop polishing your shoes and start turning the earth. Find the deep places where nothing grows and labour there until sweet water runs and fruit springs up. Do not wait for another day to begin this work, for the Lord sits still waiting for you to bring him food prepared with sweat. Run at his sending, even if your hands are rough and your back is bent, for this new beginning is yours alone to make.