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It was unlike anything we had seen before–not an egret or a duck or a goose or anything like that–so we looked it up in the bird book. It\’s an anhinga! These birds are also called \”snakebirds\” or \”water turkeys\” and they are unusual because they swim with their whole bodies under water! Only their long necks and heads show as they paddle around on their webbed feet.

It entered the water gracefully. You can see why it\’s called a snakebird–its long neck looks very snake-like…

and swam around our lake, looking for fish. We read that it spears fish and other water creatures with its long beak. We have a lot of fish in the lake but we didn\’t see the anhinga catch one!

Back on the pier!

Here you can see the anhinga\’s large wings and tail.

We think this anhinga was just passing through, but we were glad to see it and have the opportunity to learn about it. What a wonderful diversity of creatures God has placed on His earth!

The desert, where Jesus withdrew to, is the place of silence, of poverty, where man is deprived of material support and is placed in front of the fundamental questions of life, where he is pushed towards the essentials in life. For this very reason it becomes easier for him to find God.  But the desert is also a place of death, because where there is no water there is no life, and it is a place of solitude where man feels temptation more intensely. Jesus…takes on our temptations and carries our misery, to conquer evil and open up the path to God, the path of conversion.

 

What is the core of the three temptations that Jesus is subjected to? It is the proposal to exploit God, to use Him for his own interests, for his own glory and success. So, in essence, to put himself in the place of God, removing Him from his own existence and making him seem superfluous. Everyone should then ask: what is the role of God in my life? Is He the Lord, or am I? Overcoming the temptation to place God in submission to oneself and one\’s own interests or to put him in a corner, and converting oneself to the proper order of priorities, giving God the first place, is a journey that every Christian must undergo.

 

In this Lenten season, Christ once again knocks at our door (cf. Rev. 3:20) and invites us to open our minds and hearts to his love and truth. May Jesus\’ example of overcoming temptation inspire us to embrace God\’s will and to see all things in the light of his saving truth.

Today, with the words \”Repent, and believe in the Gospel\” and a cross of ashes smeared on our foreheads, we begin the season of Lent. This promises to be an interesting Lent, marked as it is by the upcoming resignation of Pope Benedict XVI and the promise of a new Pope…by Easter, we hope. No matter what happens, today is a reminder that we all  need to turn around and change our ways, to soften our hearts and open them to contrition and compassion. Here at the Monastery, we mark the season of Lent with fasting, penances, communal Stations of the Cross, and other observances. Even the psalm tones and hymns we sing take on a penitential sound, and Compline (the last office of the day) is especially beautiful with traditional Dominican chants such as \”In media vita…\” (In the midst of life, we are in death) and \”In pace…\” (In peace, I will lie down and sleep). We will be praying in a special way for Pope Benedict XVI and his successor, and of course we will be praying for all of you as well. Please keep us in your prayers as well. May we all have a beautiful and Spirit-filled Lent that leads to a glorious new beginning at Easter!

 Last night we welcomed the Year of the Snake as we celebrated Tet!

We learned some interesting facts about the presence of snakes in Scripture, and then several of the sisters performed a dance set to music played and pre-recorded by Sr. Mary Christine (who also choreographed the dance!). 

There was the usual table with treats and the tree with lucky money envelopes…

…and after the treats and dance we played a rather intense game. We tried to throw beanbags through a wooden target (seen below). Sisters could also score points by landing their beanbags on one of the snakes. Several sisters proved to be quite good at both and scored numerous points. It was a simple game, but it definitely brought out the competitive spirit in many sisters!

The target!

Sisters throwing their beanbags with skill and dexterity! And of course there were prizes for the winners!

It was a delightful evening, and as always we are thankful to all who provided us with Vietnamese treats, lucky money envelopes and other goodies to make our evening so special and fun! Thank you, and God bless you!

We were shocked to hear the news about Pope Benedict XVI\’s decision to resign. However, we trust that he knows what he is doing, and we are praying for him very intensely. We trust also in our cardinals who will elect a new Pope, and in our holy Catholic Church, and in the promise, \”You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.\” (Matthew 16:18) Blessed be the Lord forever!

It\’s time for another issue of \”Monastery Bells\”! You can see it as a PDF by going to our website, HERE.

You can also participate in our 2013 Raffle, if you live in the United States! (Sorry, we can\’t send prizes overseas because of the expenses involved.) 

Just send your name and snail mail address to our email address, nuns@lufkintxnuns.com, and we will happily fill out your tickets and enter your name in our drawing to be held on Easter Sunday, March 31, 2013! No donations are required but any donation you would like to make will benefit our life of prayer. You can make donations (if you would like to) using PayPal–the link is conveniently located at the top right hand corner of this blog, or through our website on the Donate page HERE. 

We will not put you on our mailing list unless you request it.

There are six great prizes, five of which were handmade by the nuns–and one is a SURPRISE! (Maybe the nuns made it too!) You can see pictures of the five known prizes HERE.

We will post the winners after the drawing!