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Epiphany Celebration 2014

Having seen the star in the heavens, the Magi made an interesting journey around the monastery grounds this year seeking the Holy Family. We have a lovely creche set which can be put outside, and this year the novitiate used Mary, Joseph and the child Jesus in their decorations for the Chapter Hall (as you can see in an earlier post). The Magi (which go with the set) were spotted as 2014 began, traveling toward the Chapter Hall. One was seen starting from the gate that leads into our monastery; another was seen in Sr. Mary Jeremiah\’s garden; a third was discovered on our trail in the woods. We eagerly watched each day to see where the Magi would travel next. One day they stopped to converse in the middle of the cloister; one day they were peeking inside the novitiate; one day we found them peering into the refectory. At last, they found what they were looking for!

\”…on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.\” (Matthew 2:11)
We had a delightful morning program on the Solemnity of the Epiphany complete with games and prizes. Then, in the evening, we had a visit from–well, two magi (hint: the third is coming soon, we think)!
To continue our celebration of Epiphany, we decided to play that venerable game–Kingo!
 Being serious Bingo–that is, Kingo–players, we have our own little set for calling numbers! The two magi took turns playing and calling numbers.

 We had a great time playing. The sisters were very intent on the game as you can see in this picture! For several (including Sr. Mary Lucy, who can just be seen at far left) this meant a win and a very nice prize!

The evening concluded with more little gifts from our generous friends and benefactors, as well as from the loving hands of our sisters. Epiphany, as many of you probably know, is a traditional gift-giving day in many countries so it\’s appropriate to give little gifts on this day in honor of the Magi and the Christ Child they came to worship! May God bless all who are so good to us and help make our celebrations so beautiful and memorable!

Solemnity of the Epiphany, 2014

Liturgically, this celebration focuses on the arrival of the Magi, first at the court of King Herod and then at the dwelling place of the Holy Family. Religious art almost always depicts the Magi arriving at the stable where Jesus was born, but the Gospel says only that the star led them to the place where the child was. It is equally uncertain whether Jesus was still a baby or perhaps a small child–at least two years old or older!

The early Church Fathers identified two other events as Epiphanies: Christ\’s baptism by John the Baptist and Christ\’s self-revelation at the wedding at Cana. Much has been written and preached about regarding these events, but there are other epiphanies in the course of Christ\’s life–his appearance to Mary and Joseph at his birth, to the shepherds who came in obedience to the angel\’s command, to Nathaniel whom Jesus saw under the fig tree, to Nicodemus to whom the working of the Spirit was revealed, to the blind, the lame, the deaf, the leper, the sinner, all of whom were given new life. And then there was Peter, to whom the Father revealed the truth of Jesus\’ Divine Sonship, and Peter with James and John who saw Jesus transfigured. There was Mary Magdalene, who first saw the risen Lord, and the disciples on the road to Emmaus who recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread.

In all these \”epiphanies\” there is always an element of surprise, of unexpectedness, that captures and holds the attention of the recipient so that Jesus is able to act in his or her life. The opening antiphon at the Liturgy of the Hours for today declares: \”Christ has appeared to us…\” It does not say: \”Christ will appear…\” He has appeared to us–to you and me, not once, but often–even daily. Have you noticed? If you do, you will see what he has done for you.

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

Desiring in his supreme wisdom and love to effect the redemption of the world, \”when the fullness of time came, God sent his son, born of a woman…that we might receive the adoption of sons\” (Gal. 4:4)

Mary, the Mother of God! This is a title which we would have thought impossible for any creature to possess. How could a creature become the mother of her Creator? By becoming man in the womb of the Virgin Mary God lost nothing of his Godhead. Instead, he took on human nature while retaining his divine nature. Being born, then, of the Virgin Mary, she became the Mother of God.

\”The Virgin Mary, who at the message of the angel received the Word of God in her heart and in her body and gave life to the world, is acknowledged and honored as being truly the Mother of God and of the redeemer. Redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son and united to him by a close and indissoluble tie, she is endowed with the high office and dignity of the Mother of the Son of God, and therefore she is also the beloved daughter of the Father and the temple of the Holy Spirit…\” (Lumen Gentium 53)

How awesome it is that God should take on our human nature so that we could become his sons and daughters, and live with him forever in Heaven! Yet we know from sacred Scripture that this was not without great love and sacrifice. Thanks to Mary\’s \”yes\” to take on this role as Mother of God, Mother of the Redeemer, and our mother; to Joseph\’s \”yes\” to provide for the Child and his mother; and especially Christ\’s \”yes\” to the will of his Father, we know that through Christ all humankind is redeemed. Now it is our turn to say, \”Yes, here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.\”

As Mother of God, Mary is not God; she remains a handmaid and an intercessor for all who call upon her. \”Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.\”

Christmas Throughout The Monastery

It\’s been very busy here at the Monastery, but we wanted to bring you some images of our decorations before we leap into 2014! Remember, the Christmas season lasts until the Baptism of the Lord (which is on January 12). So don\’t take that Christmas tree and creche down too soon!

The sisters show off their cupcake baskets for the Knights of Columbus. Our faithful Knights have been cooking Christmas dinner for us for 31 years! We are so grateful to them for all their kindness to us–in so many ways! 
The refectory creche. The novitiate really did a fantastic job this year!
The library creche
Our beautiful statue of Mary and Jesus, decorated!
The creche in the Guild office
The community room…
The chapter hall…
…and the Chapel!
As you can see, we have all  kinds of creches and decorations which each in their own way express the mystery of the Incarnation–Emmanuel, God with us! We hope you had a very Merry Christmas and we pray that 2014 will be blessed and joyful for you all!

The Holy Family

Today we are invited to reflect on the family called holy. 
What is the definition of family? In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we read, \”A man and a woman, united in marriage, together with their children, form a family\” (2102). What exactly does being a \”holy family\” mean? 
In the second reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Colossians, we read, \”Put on, as God\’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.\” (Col. 3:12-14) Love is understood as an essential name of the Holy Spirit, who is the bond of love and unity of the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is God who absolutely wills to make families be united in peace and love and to lead them to true happiness. From him, they obtain a spirit of poverty willing to accept all things with patience and tranquility of mind, so that they might experience the joy and beauty of sanctified marriage, for God made man and woman in his own image and likeness.
The reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew draws particular attention to St. Joseph and leads us deeply into the beautiful mystery of him who is the humble man, the foster father and heroic guardian of the Son of God and his Mother, who is now the Guardian of the Universal Church. Joseph and Mary stand out among the poor, meek and suffering of the Lord who confidently hope for, receive salvation from, and are deeply grateful to the most merciful Father, who protects his Son from Herod. 
Through the intercession of the Holy Family, may God bless and protect families so that parents and children may imitate the simplicity and trust of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in the home at Nazareth.

Christmas Peace

As is our custom, we had Solemn Chapter this morning. Sr. Mary Thomas sang the Announcement of Christmas and then Sr. Bernadette Marie gave this sermon for us to meditate on. We would like to share it with you! 
So often now the festivities of Christmas are a far cry from the simple celebrations the early Christians must have celebrated when it was truly and only a religious holy day, and not the secularized version we see celebrated today by the world. Christ is hardly mentioned. 
As individuals, the world yearns for peace–peace of mind, peace of soul. They look for peace by accumulating wealth so as not to worry about their future needs. They look for peace by taking care of their bodies, so that they won\’t get sick and have long lives. They look for peace by indulging in drugs and alcohol so as to forget their past and present problems. Christ came to give us that peace, but when he came, \”the world did not know him\” (John 1:10) and they still do not know him.
What the world thinks important and necessary is not necessarily so for Christ. Our soul is what is important to Christ, because the soul is eternal. More than anything he wants us to live in everlasting peace with him in the next life. 
Christ gave us a key in order to have this peace when he said, \”For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.\” It is not always easy to do God\’s will. It is not until we let go and surrender our will to God that we find peace. We can never have peace as long as our will is at war with God\’s will.
We here in the monastery are not immune to the cares of the world, but we have no excuse for losing our peace, because we know Jesus and we know he is with us to help us through difficulties and trials. If ever we lose that peace through sin, then we can thank God for giving us the sacrament of penance to be reconciled, once again, to God and one another. 
Although tomorrow is certainly a joyous occasion for us all, I cannot help but feel some sadness because so many are not reaping the fruits of his coming. They don\’t know his love, and therefore they don\’t have his peace. 
Our prayers and the faithfulness with which we live our consecration are of paramount importance for the conversion of the world. Christ could only feel compassion for such souls and so must we. So I would like to end with a prayer written by the soon-to-be-canonized Pope John XXIII:
O sweet Child of Bethlehem,
grant that we may share with all our hearts 
in this profound mystery of Christmas.
Put into the hearts of men and women this peace
for which they sometimes seek so desperately
and which you alone can give to them. 
Help them to know one another better, 
and to live as brothers and sisters,
children of the same Father. 
Reveal to them also your beauty, holiness and purity.
Awaken in their hearts
love and gratitude for your infinite goodness.
Join them all together in your love,
and give us your heavenly peace. Amen.

4th Sunday of Advent, 2013

\”The virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.\” (Is 7:14) In today\’s readings we see a contrast between two \”sons of David\”, Ahaz and Joseph (who according to Matthew is Ahaz\’s great-times-15 grandson) in their response to this promised sign from God. Ahaz does not want to listen, nor does he care about God\’s sign; Joseph hears and recognizes it. Scripture scholars as far back as Erasmus have pointed out that the Hebrew word translated here as \”virgin\” is \”almah\”, which means a young girl of marriageable age. The immediate fulfillment of Isaiah\’s sign was probably the birth of Hezekiah, Ahaz\’s son, who proved to be a just king. But as with other prophecies such as Balaam\’s star (which originally pointed to King David), the immediate fulfillment fails to satisfy the human heart. A just earthly king ensures peace and prosperity, but he cannot bring peace to our hearts. He cannot deliver us from our compulsions, our addictions, our weaknesses, our broken relationships, our petty rivalries, our egoism. We need a spiritual king, one who will deliver us from our sins. The angel reveals to Joseph in his dream that this type of king is coming. The old sign takes on new meaning. The Hebrew \”almah\” becomes the Greek \”parthenos\”, \”virgin\”. \”The virgin will conceive and bring forth,\” showing that God is doing something new in history. He is directly intervening. He, himself, is coming. The sign given to Ahaz did not affect him much personally, but the one given to Joseph touches his very heart. It destroys and remakes his world. Out of love and concern for Mary he determined his course. Having proved his trustworthiness, the mystery is revealed to him.