The Benedictine ritual is very expressive. During the profession of vows, the abbot asks the new brother: “What do you ask?” The brother replies: “God's mercy and the order.” The monk learns not only to receive God's mercy but also the living and concretely felt mercy of the religious community. We are entrusted with one significant task; we bear responsibility for one thing that is important for God's kingdom. It is not a small responsibility; on the contrary – it is demanding, and we bear it together. Together we are responsible for ensuring that mercy has among us the place it deserves.
(Dom Samuel Lauras OCSO /*1954/, foreword to the book Mary David, Joy from God)
