What if!
A woman was talking to me one day and she was on a bit of a rant. She had a lot of anger about the church etc. One thing she said was there are so many "thou shalt not',
it is just a guilt trip or a way to control people.So I responded in this fashion: "Well think about it, what if everyone in the country, no matter their faith, decided to live
out the ten commandments say for six months, what do you think that would do. Co
Advent Peace
Waiting is what Advent is about,
in times of stress to focus on what is important,
to choose to not lose hope,
or to become bitter,
which is not difficult to do,
to sink takes no effort,
but to hope, to love, to continue to do what is right,
to see Christ Jesus in those around us is a deeper choice,
dying to old ways and allowing Christ Jesus in.
Do not fear, all are loved, treasured by our Heavenly Father,
Jesus took flesh to tell us, and to show us that love-Br.MD
The feast of the Holy Innocents
(Free from moral wrong; without sin; pure: innocent children.)
As an historical event the killing of the innocent children by Herod in order to find and destroy the Christ Child was of minor importance. All through history the innocent have been killed, enslaved, and abused without any recourse to justice. In fact, in this world, justice is an ideal, one that is seldom or in fact never reached. There is something in the world and in the hearts of me
Leadership and service
In community life, be it marriage, or a monastery, or even in the workforce, it is service that we are called to. To serve, freely, without compulsion can lead
to a sense of purpose, and even of love for those one lives with, or who is a workmate. Those in charge, in fact, if they do a good job, are the greatest servants.
I have found that men and women of power, who do care for those they are responsible for, get back one hundred and one percent. It is that ‘one per
Letting others see us
The puzzle slowly gets put together as life moves on, but this can cause the inner struggle, and awareness, to become sharper, and more painful since the opposing elements in the psyche become more apparent. So growth can often seem to be losing ground, when in fact, the simple ability to see one's self truthfully is all that is happening. This can be freeing since self-knowledge, while not leading to more peace, the opposite really can slowly turn a life around to somet
Letting go allows more life
When we die to something, something comes alive in us.
If we die to self, charity comes alive; if we die to pride, service comes alive;
if we die to lust, reverence for personality comes alive; if we die to anger, love comes alive.—Fulton Sheen
In Monastic Life, in the Cistercian order, we take a vow of ‘Conversion of Manners’. Vows can be life-affirming if used as a compass on how to traverse the many situations we meet up with on a daily basis.
I sup
MARCH NEWSLETTER FOR MONASTERY RETREAT HOUSE
Life at the Monastery (March Newsletter for the Retreat House)
Hello, my friends,
All is well here at the Monastery. It is hard to believe we have had this virus with us for almost a year now. The time has just flown by, yet it also seems to me that this virus has been with us forever. I find it strange how it can feel like both things at once.
We all received the first vaccines on the 11th of January, and the second on the 12th of February.
A sign of openness
The inner struggle is a sign of openness to change and growth. When there is none, then it could mean deep healing after a long inner journey, or simply not caring.... or a lack of insight that is necessary for any kind of life that leads somewhere. Anywhere that is not filled with the will to power, of trying to fix and control those who are around.... be it family or the workplace in the vain attempt to find some peace.-Br.MD
The human journey and Holy Week
The human journey is often a difficult one. With stops along the way, of true joy and hopefully, of love, that rejuvenates us. In the last week of Jesus’ life, he knew what was coming, was distressed, but still believed in his Father's loving presence in his life. His humanity had to deal with all the anxiety that went along with this journey. He did not try to escape but went forward in faith.
All of us will have our 'Holy Week' as well, as our Gethseman
Easter 2021
We have our Easter Vigil at 4:20 AM. Before the pandemic, we would have around 150 people come for our Vigil service at that time. For the last two Easter’s, we have done it without guest. The experience is two-sided. We miss the guest and will be glad when we can have them back. It is also nice to be by ourselves for the first time, well, ever. Next year, the chances are that we will have friends, our very good friends, back with us.
The lighting of the ‘fire’ is a hig
Human Relationships
I believe that one reason that human relationships can be so frustrating is because we
unconsciously seek a finite relationship to satisfy the need for the Infinite.
The human journey is a difficult one. The further we go from the center,
I believe the more chaotic it gets. This is not about ‘religion’,
but about a deep spirituality that allows one to live out of one's tradition
in a life-giving way for oneself as well as for others.--Br.MD
MERCY SUNDAY
The receiving and giving love and mercy
We love always to our fullest capacity. Though at first, it may be hesitant and fearful, to open up to love takes courage. We also love out of need and of course instinct. However, as we mature and our ability to have an open heart develops, we can slowly learn to love others for themselves alone; as rare as that may be.
This week in the Catholic liturgy we celebrate ‘Mercy Sunday’. A feast that focuses on the depth of God’s love for us
