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Thursday of the 4th Week of Lent

From the Gospel:

“The works that the Father gave me to do, and that I perform, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me.” (John 5)

The work of Our Lord for which the Father sent Him is the salvation of souls.

Pray the Our Father for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, while meditating on the gift of eternal life.

Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Lent

From the Gospel:

“… whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 5:19)

It is important to respect the Ten Commandments, because they are the basic “law” given by God to the Jewish people through Moses, and passed on to Christianity through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

And yet, the Ten Commandments are not a property of any religion. They are part of the natural law written into the human heart by our creator, God almighty.

Consider each of the Ten Commandments and make a firm amendment to change a habit in your life that leads you to sin.

A Musical Visit

As the Sisters from the Association Council were leaving us, we welcomed another Nun from a Dominican Monastery in Guadalajara, Mexico. Sister Leticia, OP, was in Albuquerque, New Mexico, visiting her mother who recently had surgery. She wanted to stop by for a visit since we are the closest Dominican monastery to them. She brought with her a lovely statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe with vigil lights. You can see it on the TV tray in front of Sister Leticia and our prioress, Sister Maria Guadalupe.

Sister had previously spent three years in the United States, so her English was fairly good. All the Sisters could understand her. The past few years she has been studying music. The evening before her return to Mexico Sister wanted to serenade us. She played a few solos on the violin and piano, but also played with the two others Sisters from “South of the Border”.

Tet — the Year of the Dog

We celebrated the Lunar New Year on the evening of the First Sunday of Lent. Normally Lent is not a celebratory time for us with treats. But in the Liturgical calendar, the Sundays of Lent are not strictly considered Lent. This is because every Sunday is a “little Easter” commemorating the Resurrection.

First step is to pick up some snacks of Vietnamese treats: young coconut (we had some home made this year), jack fruit, lotus seeds, sesame seed cakes, ginger candy, nuts (peanuts or cashews), and good old American popcorn. Then we take a “lucky envelope” off of our special yellow Vietnamese tree.

Sr. Mary Therese reads us the character traits of “dog” people.
You can see our Vietnamese tree and the red envelopes behind her

We then enjoy a beautiful dance, usually performed by the Sisters in the Novitiate. This year they carried candles in each hand and it was very beautiful. Sometimes they use umbrellas or hats or other objects.

The envelope contains real money given us by friends and relatives. With the money we were able to “buy” tickets to play the various games. Each year the games are different because they are made up to fit the theme of the New Year. But the last game is always the same, and the most difficult.

We have a large (6 inch square) “die” with animals on the 6 sides. After the cube is thrown up in the air and crashes, if our tickets match the animal on top, we win. Finally, with our accumulated tickets we redeem them for prizes.

Association Council Meeting

We had the joy and privilege of hosting the annual Council meeting of our North American Association of Dominican Monasteries on February 19-23. They members came from all points of the USA and Canada–New Jersey and New York, California, Vancouver, Canada.

left to right: Sr. Mary Jeremiah (TX); Sr. Mary Catharine (NJ); Sr. Maria Christine (CA); Fr. Walter Wagner (NY); Sr. Marie Tersidis (Van, BC); Sr. Mary Rose (TX)

Monday of the First Week Of Lent

From the Gospel:

“Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers or sisters of mine, you did for Me.” (Mt 25:40)

Every human being is a special creation and gift of God, no matter their size, ability or circumstances. When the most vulnerable and defenseless are harmed, no one is safe. Do we want to know why there are school shootings and heinous crimes?

We need only look into our hearts. Is there any resentment or anger, even a little impatience with others. Look at our society — violence and using other people as objects/things are rampant. Lent is the time to root these out.

Offer a Hail Mary for the safety and protection of all human life and those most vulnerable in our society.

“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, prayer for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”

Friday after Ash Wednesday

From today\’s Gospel:

“The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” (Mt 9:15)

Jesus is the Bridegroom of every soul. How do we treat him? Fasting is not about punishing ourselves, but opening ourselves up to the needs of others. Fasting need not be a 30-day marathon on bread and water. Depending upon your circumstances, it can be as simple as eating 1 piece of candy instead of 3, or 1/2 a piece of pie rather than the entire piece. These are little things everyone can do without attracting much notice.

Consider fasting today in some way or abstaining from a favorite activity, and pray that you will always be obedient to God\’s will.