Author: Texas OP Nuns

Knowing that his hour had come, when he would make the solemn sacrifice of his life for us, Jesus asked for a donkey on which to ride into the city of Jerusalem. 

In ancient times donkeys were used in battle, but later, when the horse took over this function, the donkey was used only in peaceful pursuits; hence, the symbolism of a king mounted on a donkey as a prince of peace. The rich possessed herds of donkeys, but every Israelite farmer was presumed to have at least one (cf. Ex. 20:17). 

Many of the crowd that greeted Jesus had witnessed the miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead after being in the tomb four days: \”Only a man of God could do such a thing!\” Songs of joy rang out as the people sang: \”Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!\”–the King of Israel, the Messiah King!

Recognizing Jesus as King means accepting him as the one sent from God who shows us the way; the one in whom we can trust and follow. It means accepting him day after day as a valid criterion for living life, the one to whom we could submit because his authority is one of truth. 

The procession of the palms is primarily an expression of joy. Today, as in the time of Jesus, it gives us an opportunity to acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Messiah King and to say \”Yes\” to him who invites us to follow him. Let us ask for the grace to follow Jesus. It will mean taking up our cross each day and laying down our life for the glory of God and the good of our neighbor–that is, forgetting myself, that I might give of myself in love. I can do this because he has first loved me. 

If you come to visit the monastery in the near future, you will see this lovely sight (or maybe it will be even prettier as the bluebonnets continue to bloom): 

Front yard: Mary with bluebonnets

Also in the front yard. Need we say more? 

The fig trees are beginning to produce those early figs that actually never amount to anything. They fall off before they ripen. St. Bernard of Clairvaux discusses this phenomenon in one of his homilies on the Song of Songs so possibly they have fig trees in France. (Or he just read about them somewhere?) The real crop of figs comes later, in the summer!

And just for fun–Sr. Bernadette Marie made us some delicious corn tortillas recently–from scratch. You can see her working here with the tortilla press in the foreground. In the interest of cultural diversity we should state that we also sometimes eat homemade egg rolls and other treats! (We\’ll try to get a picture sometime…)

Today\’s Mass readings are all about life and resurrection–a preparation for the celebration of Easter which is coming so quickly. It is a comforting theme in the midst of Lent, but Jesus\’ words and actions in the first part of the Gospel are unsettling. When Jesus hears of Lazarus\’ illness, he doesn\’t immediately go to him; he doesn\’t tell the messenger, \”He will live\”, as he had done on previous occasions; he simply says, \”This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.\” And Lazarus did die, and was in the grave four days before Jesus came to see what was happening.

Often, we are in situations similar to that of Lazarus, where everything seems lost–spiritually dead–and we ask ourselves, \”Where is God when I need him? He helped other people, why doesn\’t he help me?\” This was the question Martha and Mary asked, indirectly, saying, \”Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.\” It seems that Jesus is doing several things here. First, he is leading us to a deeper faith. It is one thing to heal a blind man or multiply bread and fish for the multitude; raising the dead is the clincher, so to speak. When the Jews saw this miracle, many more believed in him. Second, he is reminding us that God does not necessarily give the answer we are hoping for in our prayers. God knows better than we do what we need and when we need it, and what will give him the greater glory. This is a hard concept to accept! Finally, the raising of Lazarus is a sign of what Jesus himself will do in a short time–but it is only a shadow of the reality. While Lazarus eventually died again, Jesus rises from the dead in order to live forever.

When we have seen our cherished plans, our hopes and dreams buried in the tomb, Jesus stands with us and shares our sorrow. But at the same time he reminds us that there must be a painful death in order to bring forth a new and resurrected life. It won\’t be the same as the old life–it will be different, and perhaps hard to get used to. But in the end we will be able to give God the glory, and say with Martha, \”I have come to believe that you are the Christ.\” As the Lord tells us in the book of Revelation, \”Behold, I make all things new.\”

You know spring has come to Lufkin when the dogwood trees bloom! It\’s also a reminder that Easter isn\’t far away. The beautiful weather and the loveliness of the scenery drew many sisters out into the woods–for a photo op!

The dogwood tree in all its solitary splendor

Sr. Mary Giuse, Sr. Mary Gabriel, Sr. Mary Jeremiah, and Sr. Irma

Sr. Mary Margaret, Sr. Mary Gabriel, Sr. Mary Jeremiah and Sr. Mary Giuse

You may have noticed–on our website Community page or elsewhere in this blog–that we have two new faces here at the Monastery! 

 …our postulant Mary Catherine…

…and Sr. Irma, who comes to us from a Dominican monastery in Puebla, Mexico. We are so happy to have them both with us!

This Sunday marks a turning point in Lent–we only have about three weeks to go–and the liturgy today encourages us to \”hasten toward the solemn celebrations to come\”. Today the usual Lenten violet vestments may be replaced with rose colored ones–if your pastor is so inclined! 

In the letter to the Ephesians, Paul exhorts us, \”Live as children of light…Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.\” Lent is the time to throw off the works of darkness. In the darkness and sleepiness of sin, it is impossible to see clearly. We are called to expose our sinful ways to the light, for \”light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.\” By acknowledging sin, it loses its power over us, and we are free.

In the Gospel reading, Jesus tells his disciples (and us) that \”we have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day…while I am in the world, I am the light of the world.\” To prove his point, he heals the man born blind. This man becomes a disciple of Jesus. He boldly proclaims that Jesus has come from God to the Pharisees who question him relentlessly. However the Pharisees are themselves blinded by their preconceived notions of what God is, and they refuse to accept the miracle. Let us allow ourselves to be healed by Jesus, and, as Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI once said, \”Let us confess our blindness, our shortsightedness, and especially what the Bible calls the \”great transgression\”: pride.\” The Pharisees could not do this; let us be humble enough to do it today. Let us be \”light in the Lord\”!

At Solemn Chapter yesterday morning, we heard a beautiful sermon on the Annunciation, and we share some excerpts from it here:

Once upon a time, over 2000 years ago, living quietly in a town called Nazareth was a lovely young Jewish virgin named Mary. She was a faithful descendant of Abraham, who belonged to the \”humble and lowly\” people of Israel and who waited fervently to welcome the Messiah with all her heart and mind. 

Mary had a plan for her life…she was betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David (Lk 1:26). Had God not found favor in Mary, it appears that she would have lived the very normal life of a Jewish woman with her beloved husband. Looking at it from a human standpoint, Mary\’s life plan was concrete, practical and simple. However, God had a different plan for Mary. He sent the angel Gabriel to reveal his divine plan for her life. This plan was mysterious and greatly complex, changing her world, putting her faith to a big test, and challenging her to remain faithful to the Lord. How could Mary not be afraid? Did she have concerns? On the other hand, Mary was a true believer and her poor in spirit nature intensified her inward life with a trusting heart, with humility, with a dependence on and obedience to God. Unlike Eve, who in desiring to gain wisdom became disobedience and fell, Mary\’s consciousness of her lowliness formed within her a strong sense of trust in God, a need for God. She had a spirit of total surrender, perfect conviction, and passionate love for the Lord. She accepted God\’s plan for her life and said to the angel, \”Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, may it be done to me according to your word.\” (Lk 1:38)

Pope Francis said, \”The Virgin Mary teaches us what it means to live in the Holy Spirit and what it means to accept the news of God in our life. Each one of us is called to accept the Word of God, to accept Jesus inside of us, and then to bring him to everyone.\” Our Dominican way of life emphasizes contemplating and then sharing with others the fruits of contemplation. As we celebrate the mysteries of the Annunciation, of God\’s love and mercy for us, of Mary herself, may we also contemplate the mysteries of our divine vocation as Christians and Dominicans. As we journey through this Lenten season, may we be inspired by Mary to learn from her and to imitate her virtues; may we make every effort with a strong conviction to fulfill God\’s will in our daily life; may we all meet God and hear his voice in our contemplation, and may we then share the fruits of our contemplation with each other and with all those whom we hold dear in our hearts!