Recently, one of our local TV stations came out and did a story about our monastery for their weekly feature, “The Power of Prayer”. This is a great way to hear about all the ways people in East Texas are praying and praising God–and the director of the segment, Lane Luckie, doesn’t limit himself to Christianity. He reaches out to all people of good faith. While we don\’t believe in relativism (you have your truth and I have mine) we do believe there are many ways we can come together on the serious issues facing our time. Hope you will enjoy this! We will also post it on our new website (coming soon!) and if you find it interesting or uplifting or whatever, please “like” it. Thanks and God bless!
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Sister Mary Veronica is 90!
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| Sr. Mary Veronica with her cake. Note the delicious Blue Bell ice cream, a treat from a generous donor! |
We have a tradition in our monastery of making a nun’s eightieth birthday special–with ice cream, cake, and other delights in the community room. And when you turn ninety…that is really a celebration! Especially when you are still in good shape, taking a turn cooking meals, cultivating a garden, and sweeping the breezeways. This sounds like a cliche, but Sr. Mary Veronica truly is one of a kind. Her excellent memory, abundant kindness, and generosity to all she encounters has made her a legend here. And it goes without saying–she is a prayer warrior! We are so happy to have Sister among us and hope God will grant her many years of continued good health and vitality. God bless you, Sister Mary Veronica!
Are You Out There?
Have you had some trouble lately contacting us by email?
We are in the process of switching to a new system. We will keep our current domain name (nuns@lufkintxnuns.com) so you won\’t have to worry about bookmarking a new one. We hope to have this done very soon, and will let you know when the process is complete. Thanks for your patience! You are always welcome to contact us the old-fashioned way, too, by phone or letter.
And…as some readers of our blog and newsletter may recall, we promised a while back that a new website was on the way. We’re happy to announce that this dream will soon be a reality! Keep checking back with us for updates. And–just like our email–the address will remain the same: http://www.lufkintxnuns.org.
Stay posted!
A Rainy Day in Lufkin…
There\’s an old saying: “You can\’t see the forest for the trees” — suggesting that we are looking at an issue from the wrong perspective, focusing on of all the trivial problems we have instead of remembering the the much greater good we also have. And sometimes, the situation is reversed. Everything looks so gray and dismal, so cold and hopeless, that if we are not mindful of our surroundings, we will miss the beauty waiting right at our feet.
May we all keep our eyes open for these little signs from God today!
A St. Valentine’s Couple Visits Our Monastery
A very good friend of our community got married on Valentine’s Day! Although we were invited to the ceremony, we were of course unable to go, but Judy asked us to sing two of her favorite songs for use in the ceremony. A professional came out to record our singing one morning, and so our presence was felt on many levels. And between the wedding and the banquet, the happy newlyweds came to visit us!
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| Our dear friend Judy and her husband Earl on our front porch |
They generously brought us each a wedding favor, and the second tier of their wedding cake. And we were able to wish them much joy in their life to come.
They are planning a honeymoon in Holland in the spring, when the tulips will be blooming! Sounds wonderful to us!
We pray that they will have many happy years together. May God bless you and keep you both!
Happy Trails!
We are truly blessed to live here in Lufkin, where we have all the conveniences of modern life mingled with the beauty of the east Texas piney woods. And since our monastery was founded almost 75 years ago, we were fortunate enough to buy a lot of land. Most of it serves as a kind of “buffer zone” which helps provide further enclosure, but we have enough land within the walls for a long paved trail that circles the outskirts of the main monastery buildings, which joins to a second paved trail that goes down to the cemetery. Many of us love to walk, run, ride bicycles and even skate on these trails. Well…we did, when the roads first got a good pavement set down, about ten years ago. Since then, nature has been gradually reclaiming the trail, as you see:
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| Many sisters were concerned about tripping on the uneven asphalt… |
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| …and when we had funeral processions and had to walk carrying music, candles, and such, we all prayed hard no one would miss a step! |
But now our trails have been re-paved, through the goodness of Alexander Concrete and Asphalt Paving here in Lufkin!
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| The only thing to worry about now is pine needles on the way… |
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| Wow–what a difference! |
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| This small roadway into Sr. Marie Augustine’s garden has never been paved–but now it is! |
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| And the road to the cemetery…smooth all the way |
We are always so grateful to the many people of Lufkin–and east Texas in general–who are incredibly generous to us in so many ways–and we pray for you all every day! God bless you!
The Presentation of the Lord
Like almost all the events of Jesus\’ earthly life, there are any number of paintings, mosaics, statues, and other portrayals of the Presentation of the Lord in the temple. We usually think of it as a peaceful, tranquil thing; in part because of the artistic conventions surrounding the Holy Family, and perhaps because we prefer to keep this family in a safe place, where no one ever gets upset, no one is ever confused, no one is ever sad. This image offers a different point of view:
This South American illustration seems to capture more of what the reality may have been. Mothers–if a weird old man suddenly came up to you, grabbed your baby away, and began saying all kinds of crazy things, how would you react? Fathers–what about you? The only calm person in this picture in Jesus, Who understands everything and knows that it has to be this way to fulfill all that has been told about Him.
The Holy Family was not a trio of people who saw the future coming and accepted everything without surprise. Mary was conceived without sin, but she was still troubled to hear that a sword would pierce her heart. Joseph was a just man, but he could not understand everything his foster Son did. Like us, they had to take one day at a time, learning and growing as they remained firmly in touch with God. Instead of thinking, “Well, they were the Holy Family–of course they had no problems!” let’s remember that, well, they did have problems. Their Son was lost a second time when he was twelve, and they were upset and confused about that. He was lost a third and apparently final time, and then appeared gloriously triumphant over death on Easter morning. But before that Mary became the Mother of Sorrows. She did not understand, but instead pondered everything in her heart, and so she prepared herself for that final great realization foretold so long before by Simeon in the temple.Let us, too, ponder the events of our lives in our hearts, allowing time for God to share His understanding with us, remembering that in His plan everything works for good.
Dominican Life on Lotus Lane 