Palm Sunday Procession

RISING FROM OUR TOMBS

This week we have the powerful Gospel of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.   This Gospel is laden with different images and themes.  We have Martha’s powerful profession of faith, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”   The image of Jesus weeping that shows us Jesus’ great love and deep humanity.  We have Lazarus in a tomb for four days and Jesus telling him, “Lazarus, come out!”  And, of course, we have Lazarus walking out of the tomb still all bound up, and Jesus telling those around him to take the burial cloths off Lazarus.  Too many to reflect on so let’s stay with Lazarus.

            Can you imagine being in a tomb for four days?  Can you imagine the stench that Martha spoke of when Jesus said to take the stone away?  Can you imagine what it must have felt like for Lazarus to rise and walk out of that tomb alive but still bound up?  And then imagine for a moment what it felt like for Lazarus to have those around him help to unbind him?  Initially, it might be easy for us to say no I can’t imagine any of that.  But, I think if we reflect on our lives more deeply, we could easily imagine it.

            How many tombs have each of us inhabited in our lives?  It might be the tomb of low self-esteem that keeps you from truly being who God calls you to be and so you find yourself trying to be like others instead of yourself.  It could be the tomb of being disconnected from another and using all your energy to avoid this person so that you don’t have to talk or heal the relationship.  Maybe you’re caught in the tomb of murmuring and find yourself grumbling to others in community. The tomb of unworthiness can be another we find ourselves in.  When we live in this tomb, we can find ourselves comparing ourselves to others and always coming up short or putting them down to feel better about ourselves.  Of course, when we live in these tombs for too long there is a horrible stench that pervades us and all of those around us.  This odor is not the beautiful odor of good zeal that Benedict talks about but bad zeal that does not lead us to God or others.

           

            Yes, we all inhabit tombs in our lives.  Maybe we inhabit them for a day, a week, a month, or a lifetime.  Maybe we inhabit more than one tomb at a time.  But Jesus tells us that we do not have to live in these tombs.  Yes, Jesus tells us that we will rise on the last day but we are also called to rise each day, in the here and now, to new life.  It is not an easy thing to do because even though our tombs aren’t fun, they are familiar.  And, yet, Jesus calls each of us to come out.  When we have the courage to walk out of these tombs, we will need a new courage.  We will need the courage to allow others to help unbind us from the burial cloths that have held us captive.  We will also need to look around community for others who are trying to rise from their tombs and we will need to go and help unbind them as well.

            We all have a tomb that we live in, at least one. Which tomb is the tomb that is hurting you the most?  (give a moment for them to think)  Do you have the courage to stand up and walk out of it?  As we journey closer to Easter, let us each stand up and rise from a tomb that we have inhabited so that we might more joyfully greet the risen Christ on Easter morn.

Reflection for the 2nd Sunday of Lent by Sr. Kathleen Yeadon, OSB

Matthew 17:1-9  Transfiguration

Rise and do not be afraid  Matthew 17

It is the second week of Lent and we have Resurrection language in the Gospel passage!  Yeah!  I think when you start off on any journey, you have to keep the goal in mind.  We have begun Lent not for the sake of Lent but for the sake of the Resurrection.  Rise and do not be afraid!  This line calls us to leave behind the fear of the struggle and walk bravely toward God’s call.

Mountain climbing is hard work.  We want the beautiful view but to get there requires rigorous effort.  It costs us to reach our goal.

Where do we want to be as a monastic group of women? As Christian people?

·      It will take hard work—giving up our own desires

·      showing up when we prefer something else

·      reaching out to someone who is not our favorite person

You can add your own one that is hard for you.

We know the mountain top view we want.  Let us keep our eyes on who is leading us up the mountain—Jesus

Let us listen for the voice of the Lord calling to us.  Do not be daunted immediately by fear and run away from the road that leads to salvation.   Rule of Benedict Prologue 19,48

The effort and view will be worth it.

Reflection for the 2nd Sunday of Lent by Sr. Kathleen Yeadon, OSB

Matthew 17:1-9  Transfiguration

Rise and do not be afraid  Matthew 17

It is the second week of Lent and we have Resurrection language in the Gospel passage!  Yeah!  I think when you start off on any journey, you have to keep the goal in mind.  We have begun Lent not for the sake of Lent but for the sake of the Resurrection.  Rise and do not be afraid!  This line calls us to leave behind the fear of the struggle and walk bravely toward God’s call.

Mountain climbing is hard work.  We want the beautiful view but to get there requires rigorous effort.  It costs us to reach our goal.

Where do we want to be as a monastic group of women? As Christian people?

·      It will take hard work—giving up our own desires

·      showing up when we prefer something else

·      reaching out to someone who is not our favorite person

You can add your own one that is hard for you.

We know the mountain top view we want.  Let us keep our eyes on who is leading us up the mountain—Jesus

Let us listen for the voice of the Lord calling to us.  Do not be daunted immediately by fear and run away from the road that leads to salvation.   Rule of Benedict Prologue 19,48

The effort and view will be worth it.

Reflection for the 2nd Sunday of Lent by Sr. Kathleen Yeadon, OSB

Matthew 17:1-9  Transfiguration

Rise and do not be afraid  Matthew 17

It is the second week of Lent and we have Resurrection language in the Gospel passage!  Yeah!  I think when you start off on any journey, you have to keep the goal in mind.  We have begun Lent not for the sake of Lent but for the sake of the Resurrection.  Rise and do not be afraid!  This line calls us to leave behind the fear of the struggle and walk bravely toward God’s call.

Mountain climbing is hard work.  We want the beautiful view but to get there requires rigorous effort.  It costs us to reach our goal.

Where do we want to be as a monastic group of women? As Christian people?

·      It will take hard work—giving up our own desires

·      showing up when we prefer something else

·      reaching out to someone who is not our favorite person

You can add your own one that is hard for you.

We know the mountain top view we want.  Let us keep our eyes on who is leading us up the mountain—Jesus

Let us listen for the voice of the Lord calling to us.  Do not be daunted immediately by fear and run away from the road that leads to salvation.   Rule of Benedict Prologue 19,48

The effort and view will be worth it.

Time For Spring Cleaning

            The Gospel for this Sunday connects deeply as we prepare to begin another season of Lent.  The word Lent comes from old English word meaning “Spring.”  Sometimes we hear Lent compared to a type of spring cleaning, a time to take an assessment of where we are so that we can clean out our lives.  Such a cleaning is needed so that we can grow closer to God.  Whenever I think of this comparison, I am immediately taken back to my childhood.  My sister, Kerry, and I shared a room for many years.  We loved to play and it wouldn’t take long before our room became quite a mess.  We were fine with a messy room.  The problem was that my mom wasn’t.  She didn’t only believe in a spring-cleaning but a monthly deep cleaning.  I can still remember her saying, “Girls, no playing today until that room is cleaned.”  This usually got us moving and we’d head into our rooms and rearrange the mess.  We’d shove things under the bed and into the closet until we had a clean looking room to show her.   My mom was not to be fooled, however.  She would walk in and go right to the core of our cover up.  She’d open the closet door or look under the bed and our scheme would be over.  She would always end by saying, “You’d think you would have learned the last time.”  Back to work we’d go except this time we’d get to the bottom of the mess and truly show here a clean room at the end.

            I share this story because I think it is way too easy to move around the mess in our lives and not get to the bottom of it.  And, yet, through the season of, we are called to go to the core of the things we need to change.  It is not enough to move around the furniture of our lives and call it good.  No, we have to get under things, look at the why of what we are about and begin to make serious changes, changes that are life-changing and life-giving. 

            In the Gospel  for this Sunday we read “Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of heaven but only the one who does the will of God.” In his Rule, Saint Benedict reminds us,  “Do not be daunted immediately by fear and run away from the road that leads to salvation.  It is bound to be narrow at the outset.  But as we progress in this way of life and in faith, we shall run on the path of God’s commandments, our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love.”  (Prol. 48-49).  Both of these readings remind us that it is not always easy to do the will of God and, yet, if we persevere our hearts will be changed and we will know the saving love of God.

            During this season of Lent we are being called to look not only at the surface of our life but at its very foundation.  Is our life built on rock that will stand or sand that will wash away when storms come?  Isn’t it a gift to have this time of Lent, to have the opportunity to look at our foundation from the inside out and the outside in.  In a sense, it is like receiving a spiritual check-up so that we can continue to build on solid rock.  May it indeed be a time of deep cleaning so that we when we arrive at Easter we will be filled with the joy that Benedict speaks of so powerfully when he speaks of the season of Lent.  

Welcome to Indianapolis Bishop Christopher Coyne

On Wednesday, March 2, Father Christopher Coyne was ordained a bishop at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in downtown Indianapolis. He will serve as Auxiliary Bishop to Archbishop Daniel Buechlein. Bishop Christopher Coyne is from the Boston Archdiocese.  When he spoke to the people at the end of the Mass, his personality shined through.  He showed himself to be a man of deep reflection as well as one with a great sense of humor.  We welcome him and look forward to working with him as we all continue to share the good news of the Gospel. (The picture of Bishop Christopher Coyne was taken as he spoke to the people at the end of Mass.)


We had a wonderful surprise this week when Bishop Paul Etienne, the Bishop of Cheyenne, WY, celebrated Mass with us on Monday evening.  How did Bishop Paul end up being at our monastery on a Monday evening, you might ask?  Well, he happens to be Sr. Nicolette's brother and a long time friend of our community.  He has been in town all week for Bishop Christopher's ordination.  It was wonderful to have him with us.  He is a great person and a humble and holy servant of God.  (The picture is of Bishop Paul and his sister, Sister Nicolette, at Bishop Paul's ordination.)