“Oh blessed perseverance of the donkey that turns the waterwheel! Always the same pace. Always around the same circle. One day after another, every day the same. Without that, there would be no ripeness in the fruit, nor blossom in the orchard, nor scent of flowers in the garden.” (The Way, #998)
If you really wish to understand the lay spirituality behind Opus Dei, there’s no better way than to read stories about its founder, St Josemaria Escriva. And there are few more brief, entertaining, and insightful stories than “The Donkey At The Waterwheel” by Malcolm M. Kennedy. The Donkey At The Waterwheel is the text of an address by Malcolm Kennedy to the Fires of Hope Colloquium on 20th Century Spiritual Authors held at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. on March 1, 1986. It is as relevant today as when it was written in 1986.