Jesus is no longer in their midst. They can no longer reach out and touch him. They can no longer see his expressions of love, concern, patience, or mercy. His body is no longer on earth. Oh, but his spirit remains. They can remember the fun they had, the mysteries…
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Good zeal, like beauty and love, is manifested in a multitude of ways. For St. Benedict it is summed up in this: “preferring nothing whatever to Christ” (RB 72.11). In each member of the monastery good zeal is demonstrated with particular uniqueness because she (or he) is an utterly unique…
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A casual visitor to our monastery chapel might not notice the “Good Shepherd” stained glass window among the side aisle windows. It always has been one of my favorites, depicting Jesus as deeply compassionate, always willing to take the lost sheep upon his shoulders, always ready to lay down his…
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It has been almost three months since I wrote my first blog, and as I sit down to write I am overcome by how much our world and our lives have changed in such a short time. We have been challenged to live out the passion and death of our…
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“Disasters teach us humility.” No, that quote didn’t originate with the outbreak of this current pandemic. Rather, it is from over nine-hundred years ago by Saint Anselm of Canterbury. We celebrate the memorial of his death in 1109 on April 21. The disasters that Saint Anselm confronted are quite different…
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ANASTASIA! HE IS RISEN! The Easter greeting used in the Eastern Churches is, “Christ is risen.” To which the response is, “He is risen indeed!” Our Sister Maurus, who studied at the École Biblique in Jerusalem, would joyfully and enthusiastically, greet us after the Easter Vigil with, “Anastasia!”* To which we…
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The other day I read this familiar passage from Isaiah 42:1-4: “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased. Upon him I have put my Spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry out, nor shout, nor make…
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It is hard for many of us to believe that we are already in the fifth week of Lent and on the threshold of our Holy Week pilgrimage. As we began our Lenten journey on Ash Wednesday, we had no idea that our usual Lenten routine would be overshadowed by…
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“My soul is thirsting for you, O God, thirsting for you, my God,” was the poignant refrain to Responsorial Psalm 63 sung at the funeral of Our Lady of the Valley teacher, Judi Hobbs, several weeks ago. Judi was a 58 year old new grandmother whom I have known for…
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Many people are familiar with the frequently quoted phrase “all shall be well” but do not know the source or context of the quote. The phrase dates back to 14th century Norwich, England. A female anchorite (a permanently enclosed hermit) attached to the church of St. Julian wrote these words…
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