Archives for December 2017

Ahhh… The creches are in place, the dinner rolls are baked, the hymns are rehearsed, the church is adorned with the beauty of Christmas decor. Today, the anticipation of Advent has given way to a whole new joy—the joy of a heavenly child.

A visitor once described the monastery as “the eye of the storm”, a place where people can take refuge from the hurricanes of daily life. Well, we have had our own flurry of activity here too, that’s for sure! “It always gets worse before it gets better,” we’ve heard it said. The monastery turns upside down for a few days until the preparations are complete, and our dog Chaeli sheepishly makes off with all sorts of things while the sisters aren’t looking!

But now, an other-worldly peace descends as the long-awaited day of Christmas. Somehow the amazement and relief of the Incarnation becomes all the more tangible when contrasted with the more chaotic prelude… So now we rest in Jesus, just as he rests, nestled in the arms of his mother.

Merry Christmas, from all of us at the Priory!

 

Every year before the liturgical camera zooms in on the manger at Bethlehem, we enjoy a panorama of images of Christ from the Old Testament prophesies which appear in the Divine Office at Vespers. These images are given to us one by one for seven days before Christmas in the Magnificat “O Antiphons”. In English, we know them as: O Wisdom, O Lord, O Root of Jesse, O Key of David, O Morning Star, O King of the Nations, O Emmanuel.

The new “O” revealed each day is like another step in a winding stairway to heaven—the Heaven revealed to us in a tiny baby, asleep in his mother’s arms. Jesus comes down to us in order to draw us up to himself! In the midst of the busyness of the season, these powerful descriptors draw our attention to the Savior—who, in the end, is the true and everlasting joy.

 

 

Not long ago, the sisters and brothers here in Petersham watched a powerful documentary on Our Lady of Guadalupe. It was an incredible overview of the history, spirituality and science of the phenomenon that took place on Tepeyac Hill, Mexico City in 1531. The film revealed the way in which the appearances of Mary to Juan Diego and the tilma which bore her image were catalysts for the conversion of an entire nation!

One of the most impressive aspects of this movie was its thorough investigation of the now famous image of Our Lady. It described the scientific marvel that this picture is, proving that it defies nature and is not of earthly origin. What’s more, the portrayal of Our Lady as an Aztec virgin, with all the symbolism known only to that culture, shows the tenderness of a mother who conforms herself to the likeness of her children, “speaking” a language that only they would understand!

As we thank God for the miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe, we pray for all the Americas who happily claim her as their patroness. Speaking to Juan Diego, she said: “Am I not your Mother? Are you not in the crossing of my arms?” With that, come what may, we can indeed rest peacefully in the crossing of her arms.

The first week of Advent is here! If you didn’t know it was happening, you might even miss it; the signs of the new liturgical year are subtle. A change of hymn here, a purple color there, a modest wreath, and all is done with a quiet simplicity that makes one think, “Is there something going on here?”

The quiet of Advent mirrors the understated beauty of the Incarnation: a little boy born without fanfare, out of sight in a humble country barn. God comes to earth in human form, with only a few shepherds to form the welcoming committee! And yet, these are the divine ways, so different from our own.

In these weeks of preparation before Christmas, the Church invites us to be watchful and alert. In the midst of our own quietude, we can be all the more ready—with spiritual ears perked—to hear the first sound of the angels’ announcing trumpet!

“For while gentle silence enveloped all things, and night in its swift course was now half gone, thy all-powerful word leaped from heaven…” (Wis 18:14).