Ordinary Time

       I am teaching a class on spiritual disciplines at a local university.  I am looking forward to journeying with 13 young women and men as they learn more about prayer and what it means to grow closer to God.  I am so thankful for the gift of being part of our community that has taught me the importance of faithfulness to prayer.   My life has been changed by all the opportunities I have been given to grow closer to the One I love.  I have also learned that it is in the ordinariness of daily life that change and transformation happens.  Sure there are mountaintop moments but these usually don't last.  It is in the ordinariness of daily life that extraordinary things happen.  Don't miss these ordinary moments.  Live into them and offer thanks to God!

HOLY VISITATIONS

Fourth Sunday of Advent – December 23, 2012

            Today we have the beautiful story of the Visitation.  The word visitation has a variety of meanings and can have positive or negative connotations. And yet, when we look at the word Visitation in light of this Gospel passage, our understanding of the experience of visitation takes on a particular shape.  This encounter between Mary and Elizabeth can teach us a lot about how our visitations, our encounters with others should be.

           

            Let us reflect for a moment on this special visitation.  Mary sets out to visit Elizabeth so that she can share the good news of Jesus.  Looking at it in another way we can say that Mary literally took Jesus to Elizabeth.  Elizabeth, paying attention to the movement within and recognizing the Presence in Mary responds with praise and thanksgiving.  In this experience of visitation we have a giving and receiving of the good news of Christ, a recognition, and a response of praise and thanksgiving.

            How would the visitations in our life look if they took on the shape of this holy visitation?  What would it be like if when we encounter another we try to bring to the other and receive from them the good news of Jesus Christ?  What if we let go of the obstacles that stop us from recognizing the presence of Christ in another?  And how would we be changed if we gave praise and thanksgiving for the many people who bring the good news of Jesus Christ to us.

            Last Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary there was a visitation of an evil kind and great tragedy ensued.  The ripple effects of this tragedy will be felt forever.  For some it is very close because they lost someone near to their very heart. For all of us though it was the realization of how one person can visit such evil and change the course of life forever.  As I listen to the stories that keep flowing out of the little town of Newtown, I have been touched by the beautiful visitations that have happened even in the midst of such evil. 

            The teacher who put her students in a closet and before she closed the             closet to hide them from the gunman told them how much she loved them.              Later she said that if they were to have died she wanted “I love you” to be             the last words they heard. 

            Or the retired psychologist who took care of students who had fled from             the school in horror.   He just sat with them and listened to them as they             waited for their parents. 

            The pastor of St. Rose of Lima parish who wept with his parishioners as

            they received the news of the loss of so many of their loved ones.

            The same pastor who said to his parishioners on the following Sunday that             “we have to             let all the world see the faith of the parish of St. Rose of Lima.              For this faith, that has been so apparent to many during these last few             heart-            wrenching days, is not something new for the people of this church

             . . . it is not something made up …  or recently put on.  Your Catholic faith is             who             you are; your faith defines you. I can attest to this personally,” he             said,             “because of             the profound way your faith has transformed my own             life.”

            These stories of visitation in our day echo the beautiful visitation story of the Gospel we just heard.  The teacher brought Jesus to those children in the form of her words of love.  The retired psychologist received the presence of Christ in the form of those frightened children.  And the pastor of St. Rose of Lima parish responded to his people’s faith with praise and thanksgiving.

            The powerful story of the Visitation we celebrate in the Gospel this Fourth Sunday of Advent is celebrated in our lives and in the lives of those people in Newtown who are experiencing such grief.  Maybe we can commit ourselves this Christmas to being a little more attentive to the many opportunities we have for visitations in our life and may they help us bring the good news of Christ to others.  And, when someone reaches out to us, may we recognize the Christ in them and respond with praise and thanksgiving.  Just as Mary had to set out and travel to the hill country, we might have to climb the hill of our prejudices and struggles with other people and ask God to help us make space for all people.  This Christmas let us make this powerful story of the Visitation come alive and may we all be changed because of it.

O Antiphons

Starting on December 17 we sing the O Antiphons before we chant the magnificat at Evening Prayer.  Each of the O Antiphons is a name for Christ, one of his attributes in Scripture. They are over a thousand years old. If they seem familiar to you, it is probably because you  have sung them before in "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel."

When viewed from Christmas Eve backward, the first letters of the Latin texts (Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapentia) spell out the phrase "eros cras" ("I come tomorrow.) 

We invite you to pray them with us each day:

December 17

O Wisdom of our God Most High, guiding creation with power and love:
come to teach us the path of knowledge!

December 18

O Leader of the House of Israel, giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai:
come to rescue us with your mighty power!

December 19

O Root of Jesse’s stem, sign of God’s love for all his people:
come to save us without delay!

December 20

O Key of David, opening the gates of God’s eternal Kingdom:
come and free the prisoners of darkness!

December 21

O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice:
come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death.

December 22

O King of all nations and keystone of the Church:
come and save us, whom you formed from the dust!

December 23

O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law: come to save us, Lord our God!

. . . arriving from around the country!

It is a beautiful fall day in Beech Grove, Indiana.  The temps are in the 60's - just perfect for a brisk walk.  It is quiet around the monastery as everyone goes about their Monday duties.  Soon, however, there will be lots of activity as sisters from around the country come connect and learn from one another as they spend a week at the Benedict Inn, our retreat center.

The sisters that are coming are sub-prioresses.  The term prioress is the name for the superior of a Benedictine women's community.  A sub-prioress is an assistant to the prioress.  They have the big job of making sure that life in the monastery runs smoothly.  I am sure that they will enjoy spending time with one another and learning from the sisters who will be giving presentations.

We are blessed to be able to host this group and share our hospitality with them.  We LOVE having Benedictine groups join us.  It is like having extended family visit.

Please keep them and us in  your prayers during this week of connecting and learning.  Blessings!

Entrance Ceremony - Postulants Susan Reuber and Gayla Aspromonte

Becoming Holy One Day at a Time

     Lent!  A time of change, a time of transformation.   Through our baptism we are called to put on Christ, to grow in holiness.  It is through making the changes we need to make in our lives that we slowly put on Christ.  We commit to do this during the forty days of Lent.   As the ashes were placed on our forehead we began this process of change with all the fervor we could muster.

           

     It is now a week or so since those ashes marked our brow and it might be that the fervor we had on Ash Wednesday has begun to fade.  We realize that putting on Christ, becoming holy is not an easy task or one that is done once and for all.  It is a daily and sometimes tedious task that demands attention, intention and sacrifice.  Maybe that is why St. Benedict reminds us that we must “not aspire to be called holy before we really are, but first be holy so that we may truly be called so.”  Daily we must pay attention to our lives and with deep intention choose the way that leads to holiness.  Of course the path of holiness demands sacrifice but this sacrifice leads to fullness of life.             

     The Lenten journey we have started still has weeks to go and it is easy to be overwhelmed by the expanse of the journey. Yet, as we move forward, we move forward with Christ who teaches us what it means to grow in holiness.  Becoming holy happens one day at a time.  Let us continue on the Lenten journey that will take us more deeply into the love of Christ.

Epiphany

Thought I'd share an Epiphany poem.   It is written by Sr. Mary Margaret Funk


Epiphany shows a sleepy world that Christmas
is not stillborn
or a crib feast to remain in gift shops
and cultural miniatures.


Epiphany is a bold eastern feast of
symbol and connectedness
to Christ's ongoing life of preaching and healing.


Though gifts were brought, the favor sought was peace
before nations began to dominate.


We kneel today; homage is fitting.
One star more than galaxies enlightens us:
Born is the Christ.