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| Chapel |
At Easter Morning Prayer we always begin with the song "Light Breaks Forth." It is one of my favorites.
The words are by Sr. Dolores Dufner, OSB (St. Benedict's in St. Joseph, MN) and the music is by our Sr. Mary Sue Freiberger. It is absolutely beautiful.
"Brightness of beauty, gleaming of glory. Morning Star, rise in our hearts!
Lamp ever burning sun never setting, Star of the Universe shine!
Light breaks forth, empty the tomb. Jesus Christ with us living, giving.
Rise we from slumber to Easter splendor, Daystar dawning."
Each time we sing it, I feel such gratitude for the gift of salvation. Our God lives!
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| Chapel Podium |
Last night the chapel was full with our sisters and many guests as we celebrated the Vigil. Even though there had been the forecast of rain, we were able to all be outside for the lighting of the Easter fire. The procession into church and the singing of the Exultet is always glorious! God has gifted us with wonderful musicians with beautiful voices. As we sang together, I could certainly understand why St. Augustine said that "those who sing, pray twice." It is such a gift to be in community worshiping our God together. St. Benedict called us to live a life of deep prayer living each day reflecting on the Paschal Mystery. As we gathered for the Vigil, we celebrated the depth of this reality. After the Vigil, we always invite all of our guests to stay for breakfast (sweet breads and easter eggs). It is always to continue the celebration together.
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| Our Lady of Grace Easter Garden |
Today we had lots of guests for our Easter Sunday Mass and Easter meal. It is always fun to see family and friends and to invite them to share a meal with us. Most of all, it is a gift to know that we all seek God together. As we celebrated Christ's resurrection, joy and hope resonated around the monastery. What a gift it is that we have a God who loves us so much! My hope is that we will spend our lives sharing that love with everyone we meet. I hope that everyone who comes to Our Lady of Grace Monastery will know the joy, hope and peace of Christ.
