Dominican Life on Lotus Lane

This verse resounds throughout the readings for today. We call to mind the courageous woman and her sons in 2 Maccabees who faced death itself and became, instead, indelible witnesses to the power of the living God through the gift of their lives. We see this with clarity on the lips of the fourth son, when he says, \”It is my choice to die at the hands of men with the hope God gives of being raised up by him…\” (2 Maccabees 7:13)

We can see this concept even more deeply in the Gospel, where Luke presents to us the story of the Sadducees who pose a question to Jesus about an eternal life they themselves do not believe in. Jesus responds with a declaration from the dialogue of Moses and the burning bush in the book of Exodus. He says, \”Lord, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.\” 

But what does this mean for us? Today\’s readings challenge us to grow in the virtue of hope. Hope is the \”theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ\’s promises and  relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.\” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1817) The primary way to grow in hope is through prayer. \”The prayer of the Church and personal prayer nourish hope in us.\” (CCC 2657) Hope leads us through the rocky crags that make up our life on earth. Hope strengthens us to stand upright in trial, because here we have no lasting city. Yes, God is the God of the living and has promised to be with us for good and for ill as we walk the path of faith. Our God is a living God who indeed loves us and will be there for us always.

Fr. Michael Demkovich, OP recently made a brief visit to our monastery as he drives around the United States trying to raise awareness (and financial support) for the International Dominican Foundation.

 Fr. Michael Demkovich, President of the International Dominican Foundation

The International Dominican Foundation was created to promote and support three great Dominican institutions of learning: the Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem, the Angelicum in Rome, and the Dominican Institute of Oriental Studies in Cairo. Father was delighted to learn that we have a graduate of the Angelicum in our midst–Sr. Mary Jeremiah!

Father explains the International Dominican Foundation and his ideas for the future

The International Dominican Foundation furthers Biblical research, advances theological study, and helps promote inter-religious dialogue, among other things! We encourage you to check out their website and maybe start to receive their great online newsletter here.

We are so grateful to Fr. Michael for including us in his busy itinerary. It\’s always a pleasure to see you, Father, and we are praying hard for the success of your work here and abroad!

Fr. Demkovich (behind the gate) with Sr. Mary Christine, Sr. Mary Rose, Sr. Bernadette Marie, Sr. Mary John, Sr. Mary Margaret, Sr. Mary Gabriel, Sr. Mary Lucy, and Sr. Mary Jeremiah 

    I see that we will be hearing your story again this Sunday, how you wanted to see Jesus and so climbed a tree when he passed by and how he told everyone there that salvation was coming to your house that day. Did you know that the salvation he was talking about was he himself and that the house he meant was not your dwelling place but you yourself? What a day that was–himself coming to yourself!

    I wonder if you remember all the others who had the same desire as you did that day?–to see Jesus, and not just with their bodily eyes, but with their hearts and understanding? 

    Remember the Magi and the shepherds who also desired to see Jesus, though they did not know his name then? But seeing him brought them joy and they went on their way glorifying and praising God for what they had seen. 

    John the Baptist saw him too at his baptism and saw the Spirit come upon him in the form of a dove. Later Jesus would confirm John\’s witness when he told John\’s disciples to tell him all they had seen and heard Jesus do as proof of Jesus\’ mission.

    And then John encouraged some of his own disciples to follow Jesus, and when they asked him where he was staying, he told them, \”Come, and you will see.\” (John 1:39)

    Later in Jesus\’ ministry, some Greeks came to Philip asking to see Jesus. Philip himself would one day ask Jesus to show him the Father and Jesus would tell him that seeing Jesus was to see the Father, that he and the Father were one. What a powerful revelation that was for Philip to absorb!

    You know Mary Magdalene saw Jesus after his resurrection but did not recognize him at first. But when she did, he told her to \”Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.\”

     Of course, we can\’t forget St. Stephen who, as he was being stoned to death, looked up to heaven and saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 

    There are other occasions which I could mention, but these are enough to see what great company you have kept!

    As for us, we pray that when we hear your story again Sunday, our own desire to really see Jesus will be greatly increased, so that salvation might come to our house, for when we see him as he is we shall then be like him. 

     Signed: A fellow seeker

We\’d like to offer you some thoughts from St. Catherine of Genoa on this All Souls Day, when we remember our beloved dead:

\”There is no joy save that in Paradise

to be compared with the joy of the souls in Purgatory.

As the rust of sin is consumed

the soul is more and more open to God\’s love.

Just as a covered object left out in the sun

cannot be penetrated by the sun\’s rays, 

in the same way,

once the covering of the soul is removed,

the soul opens itself fully to the rays of the sun.

Having become one with God\’s will,

these souls, to the extent that he grants it to them, 

see into God.

Joy in God, oneness with Him, is the end of these souls,

an instinct planted in them at their creation…

The overwhelming love of God 

gives the soul a joy beyond words.

In Purgatory great joy and great suffering

do not exclude one another.\”

 Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord
and let perpetual light shine upon them!

What do you think heaven will be like? Some of us may have a rather static notion of heaven–a place where you sit still forever, \”being good\”. Pretty boring! In this picture Fra Angelico (a Dominican blessed, in addition to being a great artist!) depicts heaven as a kind of dance, where saints and angels join in both movement and conversation, always inviting the newcomers to come along and enjoy themselves. Heaven is perhaps more dynamic, what the Fathers of the Church referred to often as \”our true homeland\”, the place where we can most be ourselves because we will be perfectly attuned to the will of God. Today we celebrate all the saints–that is, all our beloved departed who have reached heaven, the ones we remember in Church and the ones known only to ourselves, like family and friends, and the ones known only to God. May they all intercede for us today, so that we will eventually join them in the great dance of heaven!

 Q: You all seem to have a lot of speakers and people giving talks at the monastery. Is that usual? 

A: Well, we actually have had more than we usually do in a short span of time. Our Association of Monasteries of Nuns of the Order of Preachers in the United States sponsors two programs we\’ve been participating in: the Monastic Theological Studies Program (which was held here at our monastery in late July-early August) and the Ongoing Formation program, which brings speakers on various topics to the monasteries. We have had two Ongoing Formation speakers this year, one in August and one just recently in October. We also had our annual retreat in October (guest retreat master for that) and we are expecting another person to come and give us some classes in November.  It just happened that way. But we do go through stretches without all this excitement!

A: Absolutely. We might have to make some small adjustments in the schedule, but we don\’t omit anything.  

You can leave a question for us in the comments box, or use either contact form (website or blog), or just email us. Our email address is on our website. 

 Fr. Daley lecturing in the community room

Fr. Daley answering some of our questions

Fr. Daley with Sr. Mary Rose, Sr. Mary Thomas, and Sr. Mary Jeremiah during our recreation time in the Gate Parlor