Archives for November 2017

Well, it’s the final week of the liturgical year, and before we leap into the Advent and Christmas seasons we have one more stop to make: Judgment Day! Here in the monastery, we sing the medieval hymn, Dies Irae (Day of Wrath), throughout the week. While it may sound a bit frightening, here’s a little anecdote to put it into perspective.

One of our sisters tells a story of her 3rd grade class singing the Dies Irae for a parish funeral Mass back in the 1950’s, and what she remembers most is the way the children sang it: with a fast, snappy beat. Of course, at age eight none of them had any idea what the hymn meant, but they knew the words and tune, singing it with confident voices and cheerful smiles.

“Out of the mouth of children and infants, Lord, you have called forth your praise” (Mt 21:16). These young students had it right: they were living with childlike, carefree joy, even in the face of the Dies Irae. They were blissfully ignorant of the impending doom in store for the enemies of God at the Last Judgment. Perhaps we too can live in the “learned ignorance” of the friends of God who lift up their heads without fear and say, “Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!”

When you think of Thanksgiving, what comes to mind? Turkey? Pumpkin pie? Friends and family? Well, yes, all of the above!

Thanksgiving Day is, to be sure, a high point in American culture. While a handful of other countries have a similar day of giving thanks, it seems that this holiday is one of those hallmarks that makes our nation what it is. Through the wisdom and virtue of Abraham Lincoln, we now have an official day of reflection on the many blessings that God has bestowed on us personally and collectively, which encourages us to develop an “attitude of gratitude.”  When we are grateful, we humbly acknowledge our dependence on our Creator and give him the glory that is his due.

Here at St. Scholastica Priory we celebrate with our Benedictine brothers from St. Mary’s, beginning the day with a Mass of Thanksgiving. This helps us to recall the One who gives us turkeys, pies and family, turning our gaze to him with a grateful heart. Then we can rejoice with every scoop of stuffing and cranberry sauce, “for everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving (1 Tim 4:4)”!

 

It’s true that a picture speaks a thousand words. One of our postulants has a great knack for drawing, and here she’s conveyed how the grace of God works in community life!

There’s a torrential downpour going on outside, and the dark clouds seem to be rolling on endlessly. And there are those days when it’s pretty rainy on the inside too! Suffering is a fact of life on earth, and it’s up to us, with God’s grace, to figure out what to make of it.

The immediate, reflex response to suffering is anger, defensiveness, rejection. But as Christians who take the cross as the model to live by, we know there is another, more noble way. Simply put, this way gives a “yes” response instead of a “no”. We can say yes to the difficult things in life because we know there is value in them, that we experience them for a purpose according to God’s will. Patient acceptance is the way of showing love, and love for God in particular; by suffering with Christ we are transformed into true sons and daughters of God!

“By your patient endurance, you will gain life” (Lk 21:19).

 

All Saints Day has always seemed to be a particularly light-filled feast day of the Church. Perhaps because it follows the dark night of Halloween, this solemnity gives us a desire to seek the things of heaven as opposed to the frightening things of Hades! Thoughts of our celestial homeland inevitably leave us feeling happy, hopeful and full of excitement for all that is yet to come.

The best part? We, as members of the body of Christ, are intimately connected to the saints! They are our mothers, brothers and dearest friends who ardently desire our eternal well-being. Pray for us, dear citizens of heaven, that we may one day be among your ranks!