Encountering Christ in Others

By Br. Maximilian Mary Anderson, O.S.B.

A “Thank You” after SEEK

Photo courtesy of Benedictine College

Sometimes “good” isn’t good enough. I have been encountering this when asked the question, “How was it?” since returning from FOCUS’s annual SEEK Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah in January. “Good” would certainly be true of it, but not true enough. This isn’t because there were some not-so-enjoyable aspects of the trip, like me getting sick for almost the entire fourth day of the conference or our plans to return on January 5 getting torpedoed by Kansas City’s snowstorm. No, it’s primarily because it was too good to just be “good” in a single word. I’d like to share a little of my experience and express my gratitude to all who support us for my being able to be there along with Seth Galemore, our Director of Advancement.

There is a single word that catches together why SEEK ‘25 was so striking for me: encounter. It was an event filled with encounters with others and with Jesus. The first kind I’ll share about is reconnections. I was a FOCUS missionary before becoming a monk and this was my first time returning to a winter conference since entering the monastery, so there were many people that I hadn’t seen since I had left staff with FOCUS. I ran into old friends everywhere. “What a gift!” was the common refrain in those interactions; they were unplanned and unforeseen reunions filled with surprising joy. Amidst the excited exchanges of news, I got to share about my new role as vocations director, the beautiful things happening to renovate our monastery, and ask for their prayers for my work and our continued growth. I got to invite many people to come and visit us who had been students or missionaries at the college, friends of mine, or friends of St. Benedict’s Abbey. I hope they come; they’ll always know where to find us!

Photo courtesy of Benedictine College

In addition to bumping into many old friends, I encountered many other people there I had never met before. Some conversations were brief and stayed at surface level, but a few went deeper, to what was really happening in our lives. There were two first meetings that will stay with me for a long time.

One was with a young man who had only for about a month been really trying to take his faith seriously and learn more about it. His desire was to be able to enter into dating and journeying toward marriage with seriousness and maturity. I was struck by the goodness of his desire and his candor that he still had lots of questions about his faith, the Church, and God. I got to share with him that I knew people that were, on a natural level, inexplicably happy, good, and different. I was moved as a shared about the witness that my brother monks live in how they live their monastic vocation and how they are signs to me that God is real, really active, and really interested in me and my life. Please join me in praying for him and his journey, that he grows closer to God!

The second was a conversation that I got to have on the plane ride after the conference. Across the aisle from me were two young men; both of them had been raised Catholic, both had recently begun growing in their relationship with Jesus more intentionally, but one of them had his experience of going deeper through some Evangelical Protestant groups and friends. He had question after question about Mary, faith and works, grace, and the saints. I was grateful for the formation that I’d received as a student at Benedictine College, a missionary with FOCUS, and a monk of St. Benedict’s Abbey because I got to draw on all of that in trying to answer those questions. I was also grateful for the tone of the conversation; these were questions on matters greatly important to both of us, but there was an almost immediate trust that was founded on our desire to hear what the other was saying. I am most of all grateful that he decided to mail me back my Bible after I forgot it on the plane! Please join me in praying for him, that God bless him in his life and continue to shine through him!

Lastly and most importantly, I am grateful for the many encounters that I had with Christ in prayer. I walked away from this conference with graces that will need to be unpacked over the following weeks and months. To all of our readers and benefactors, thank you so much for making our life possible. I have been able to respond to God’s call for me and share his love with others because of it! Please pray for me and all my brother monks as we continue to seek God in our common life of prayer and work.

Pax,

Br. Maximilian Mary

Br. Maximilian Mary Anderson, O.S.B.

Br. Maximilian, O.S.B. is a former FOCUS missionary (and current monk). He recently became vocations director for the Abbey.