Taking Scripture to Heart

       This week we are having our annual community retreat here at St. Walburg Monastery. Our Retreat Master, Benedictine Father Gregory Mohrman is leading us in reflecting on various scripture stories from the Garden of Eden to the Garden of Resurrection. It’s been great. No matter how often I hear the stories, there is always more to the message that is especially significant for what’s happening now. I’m sure that Holy Scripture is one of God’s ways of communicating. We all believe that the bible is God’s Word. But I sometimes benefit from being reminded that THIS MEANS ME, NOW. 

       I am also grateful that, as a monastic, I have the privilege and duty of praying the Divine Office. The Liturgy of the Hours puts the Word of God, i.e. psalms and other scriptures, on our lips and hopefully in our hearts, daily. In the past two years a few of us sisters have lead the semi-annual weekend retreat for women entitled Encountering Christ in the Psalms. The title captures what we aspire to do as we invite our retreatants to pray the Divine Office with us during the weekend and use Lectio Divina format to reflect on the meaning for ourselves of what we have just prayed in community. 

      While it may be true that many Christians find the Psalms hard to understand and not that helpful as a prayer form, we hope that through this experience people will discover that psalm-prayer is beyond the personal format we may be used to; instead it is a channel for our voices to join those of all Christians and our ancestor Israelites throughout all time and place. Our prayer is the prayer of the Mystical Body of Christ. Through psalms we praise God; we beg forgiveness; recall God’s saving actions; join in the sorrows, poverty, rejection, pain and loneliness of all God’s children, just at Jesus did in his life, passion, death and resurrection.

       Our next Encountering Christ in the Psalms retreat will be October 23-25, 2015 at the St. Walburg Monastery Guest House. If you would like more information, please contact Sr. Dorothy at dorothysosb@gmail.com or 859-739-7520. So far we have only held this retreat for women, but are open to providing one for men if there is an interest. So let us know. Thank you

                 .   Sr. Dorothy Schuette, OSB

CirclingTthoughts from Lectio and Spiritual Reading

                 As I “move on in years” I find it more and more difficult to give recognition to the source of my thoughts—hopefully it s God! Each Lent/Easter season our faithful librarian places in convenient spots books, pamphlets, short articles to sign out or read in place. Unable to give particulars, the following are some rambling and unconnected thoughts which came to me from these materials and a few others during the Holy season leading to Pentecost and Trinity Sunday.

                With Bible readings in my daily lectio, particularly the Old Testament, I was very conscious of the One God as seen by the Jewish people and the prophets—the One God with the pervading promise of a Messiah, not clearly the Son. The birth of Jesus, son of Mary through the Holy Spirit, was the beginning of the concept of Trinity—mystery as it is—shown throughout the New Testament in the words and acts of Jesus from birth to death, resurrection and ascension and in the letters of the Apostles.

                Then after the crucifixion, death and burial of Jesus we know that his body remained in the grave for three days. What was going on in those three days? I thought much about this after reading somewhere that Jesus doesn’t return to life but breaks through to a life nobody ever lived before, so different that it’s hard to describe or imaged. What happened in those three days? Jesus went to wherever those prophets, Jewish people, believers had gone awaiting salvation He opened the gates of heaven to these and to all of us who would follow hi. When I die, will all this become clear and open, all that happened before?

                I read that St. Faustina, a Polish saint, was favored by God with visions. In one she was told to have a picture of Jesus painted with the words, “Jesus, I trust in You.” After reading that, I then understood a picture I look at each morning. It is a picture of the wounded, glorified Jesus, bright rays flowing from the heart and the words “Jesus, I trust in you.”

                At our learning session about Islam I heard that Islamic history begins is Ishmael, the son of Hagar, the “sent away” wife of Abraham, marking the relationship between Muslims, Christians, and Jews. Much food for thought in this relationship.

                God has created me for some special service. This I know that John Henry Newman said. It’s my mission—stick to it whatever and I will please God. Dismiss all anxiety from your mind. In prayer and thanksgiving present your petitions to God who will never forsake you.

               Circling thoughts cling to me from the blessed days of this past liturgical season. I appreciate Robert Wicks, Nathan Mitchell, J. H. Newman, Pope Francis, Michael Casey and the reflections in Word Among Us. Each day’s readings from these writers have helped me and many others in their journey of faith.

                                                Sr. Andrea Collopy, OSB

Living the Eucharistic Readings, May through August

       I have become accustomed to using the Scripture readings for Eucharist as lectio divina. Although booklets are available, easily handled and most helpful, I prefer to start with my ancient well-used Bible. Often in the Eucharist readings, selected verses are joined with some large sections understandably omitted. But the reading is very clear and coherent. By first using my old Bible, I can get a bigger picture.

      With the Easter season ended and feast days having special readings, the Old Testament readings from June 28 until August 25 traveled through Genesis (13 readings), Exodus (13), Leviticus (2), Numbers (3), Joshua (20, Judges (3) and Ruth (1). They took me from Abraham’s sojourn in Egypt until Ruth’s movement with Naomi back to the land of promise. This year’s readings made a great tour of ancient places at ancient times to think about.

      The Gospel readings for these same days were from Matthew. Tightly adhering from day to day with few skipped passages, I could travel on a short time segment of Jesus’ earthly journey. Some days the first and second readings had a relatively common theme such as feeding the people. On August 3 St. Walburg Monastery celebrate golden and diamond jubilees—Srs. Sharon Portwood and Joan Gripshover (50), Sr. Mary Carol Hellmann (60). It was a true coincidence that the reading for that day was a description of the Jewish Jubilee Year with its almost unbelievable restoration of property, freedom and identity. During this time period I also had the opportunity to attend a performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. A delightful experience with song and dance—and a bit of omission!

      Benedictines pray Liturgy of the Hours four times each day. Although this has been a part of my life for many years, lots of the psalms spoke to me a bit more loudly each day as they recalled the blessings, trials, struggles, sins of God’s people that had been proclaimed in the daily readings.

      On Monday of this we began the letters of St. Paul in the Eucharistic readings, continuing with the Gospel of Matthew. My reflection on the first reading will necessitate a bit of reorientation.

     Sr. Andrea Collopy, OSB

Lectio Divina

       “Lectio Divina” or Holy Reading is a very early monastic practice. When I entered St. Walburg monastery in 1952, Lectio Divina was called “spiritual reading” and referred to a particular part of the daily schedule i.e., a half-hour in late afternoon. During that time an older Sister read from a spiritual book aloud in the community room/library to the whole community. Meantime, the hearers darned socks or embroidered or just listened. (At the time I thought the hand sewing was advocated so we wouldn’t fall asleep.) 

       Communal morning meditation was another daily spiritual exercise at 5:00 a.m. in chapel. It consisted of a Sister’s reading aloud from a spiritual book after which each Sister would meditate in silence for a half-hour. Quite a challenge for postulants! During my later years in community my perception and experiences of these two separate activities changed. As I studied and worked in various ministries I tried to integrate reading and meditation because both had the same goal, namely, love. 

       Recently I read a quote attributed to Dom Columba Marmion, 1858-1923, an eminent spiritual guide, author and the third Abbot of Maredsous Abbey, Belgium. The quote is: “Read under the eye of God until the heart is touched, then give yourself up to love.” These words really resonate with my daily exercise of lectio/meditation to open my mind and heart to the Word of God in scripture, liturgy, life experiences and conversation with Christ. It is indeed the prayer of holy reading under the eye of God which makes all the difference in my life of love. Sr. Martha Walther, OSB