Truth and Reality

       I am reading a book by M. Basil Pennington entitled The True Self/The False Self.  The book has very good insights into our true self being our identity in God, being made in God's image and likeness.  For most of us this discovery takes a life time and is aided by prayer and contemplation.

       I think also that Jesus gives us a prescription for finding our "true self" in the Gospels. For an example, if we look at the Beatitudes, we can see this prescription.  The Gospel of Matthew tells us
     "Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are they
      who mourn,
      blessed are the meek, blessed are they who hunger and thirst
      for righteousness, blessed are the clean of heart, blessed are
      the peacemakers and blessed are the persecuted." (Mt. 5:1-12).

       I think these beatitudes are all attributes of Jesus, of God who became one of us.  Jesus is calling us to be like God in whose image we are made.  Can we identify with any one of them? Perhaps we are called to strive for them and to recognize ourselves in each of them because they are a sharing in God's image and likeness.

           Sr. Barbara Woeste, OSB

What would St. Benedict Find?

A reflection given on the July 11^th Feast of St. Benedict

       Have you ever thought about Benedict as in St. Benedict coming to visit here? Well the thought came to me in a dream. What would he find at St. Walburg Monastery? What would Benedict experience? I think he would be gratified at how central to our lives is “the work of God” praying the Liturgy of the Hours and lectio. This community takes our prayer life seriously that we are to prefer nothing to the love of God as expressed in our communal prayer and in community life.

       I believe Benedict would be humbled by the way the community cares for one another – seeing that even those infirmed are quite solicitous of the other. He would observe countless small ways in which we try to lighten the burden of each other. He probably would be amazed at all our rollators! And at the same time be impressed at the desire of each sister to stay involved (the best she can) in doing the work of the community. We are rather unique in our self-sufficiency despite the fact that we have a significant number of lay helpers. Perhaps Benedict would even give a positive remark about the longevity of our lay staff: “your community must not be excessively demanding ! or your lay staff must really love you!”

       Through Benedict’s teachings and example a love for learning has been handed down for over 1500 years. We do come from a long line of educated women and have continued that tradition. Whatever our professions are now or have been in the past, a love for learning, is one we share, have shared and is central to this community.

       We are not a perfect community – Benedict might hear a bit of murmuring. However, since he commented on it so often in the Rule hearing a bit of murmuring might even make him feel at home!

        And, what might he say to each of us personally? He might ask; how much do we practice and use the tools of good works? Where are we on the climb of the ladder of humility? Do we practice the good zeal that monastics ought to live? And so on.

       I think that perhaps Benedict would give me a “pass – for now” as prioress – as I have only just begun. But I know I would have to answer as a community member. Benedict would likely take the opportunity to counsel me “to daily read over and put into practice Chapters 2 and 64 of the Holy Rule describing the qualities of an abbot or prioress. By the way, both chapters seem daunting and impossible!  I do have hope and take consolation in words from Joan Chittister regarding chapter 2 “Once chosen, it is their weakness itself that becomes the anchor, the insight, the humility and the gift of an abbot or prioress. . .but only if they themselves embrace it” knowing and realizing that it is in the acknowledgement and acceptance of my weakness that I am strong. It is with vision and understanding I can see myself strive to undertake the role.

       At the end of the visit I believe Benedict would encourage us to: continue our community quest for God, be attuned and disposed to God’s will and presence and through our mutual love and support journey together onward to God.

Joan Chittister, The Rule of Benedict: Insight for the Ages, New York, Crossroad Publishing Company. 1992

       Sr. Aileen Bankemper, OSB

Socks and Our Times

I began knitting socks 4 years ago after a year in which I lost my mother and a very good friend. This new project required concentration which provided a needed distraction from my grief.  The rhythm of the stitches brought me a sense of comfort. I delighted in my emerging sock and in the women with whom I connected during lessons.  I learned patience as redid some parts and laughed out loud when I tried on my first sock only to have it slide down my ankle. 

            After a long hiatus I picked up my sock knitting this past weekend. In the quiet, with only the gentle sound of my wooden needles and the feel of the yarn I remembered my ea

rly days of sock knitting. My thoughts then moved to today and what lessons my sock knitting offers in light of our current times of violence, separation and unpredictability. 

·                                 Just as stitch after stitch forms a sock so do our actions, prayers and meditations make a difference in our world as we practice daily.

·                                 Focus is necessary in navigating the anatomy of the sock. We are created by love for love…our task is to remove the barriers to love and to hold our focus amidst the changing world.  (Sometimes have to circle back and repair when things don’t go as planned.)

·                                We need company. We are wired from birth for relationships which nurture and help us learn the lessons of life (or in knitting). We are also often spurred into action by our compassion for another.

            May we each one stitch/step at a time persevere in our prayer, hold our focus on the call we have received, and seek to take actions which foster connection and compassion.

          Sr. Kimberly Porter, OSB

Jubilee and Gratitude

       Is it too early for Jubilee?

       This year I celebrate my 50^th jubilee at St. Walburg’s. The actual ceremony will be on August 25 but I’m already in the jubilee spirit. After all, it is a “year of jubilee” or so I’ve always been told. I choose to believe it and celebrate as much as possible.

       In preparing for the ceremony itself and what I hope it will express is really just one word—GRATITUDE.

       I’ve envisioned myself giving a few remarks to my family, community members and friends who will be gathered that evening. It reminds me of speeches by the winners at the Oscars or the Emmy awards. They are basically a listing of all the things and people for which the winner is grateful. That’s what I hope to convey then and now.

       The first line of one of my favorite poems by e.e. cummings is “i thank You God for most this amazing day”. That begins my list—God and Jesus Christ, my Benedictine community, my family (both living and deceased), my friends both old and new, my colleagues from years in education, and all those people who have influenced my life. For fear of excluding anyone I think that last group covers just about anyone I’ve ever met or whose books or talks or sermons have made a difference to me. While some of my relationships have extended beyond 50 years and others have lasted for much shorter periods, each of them has made me the person I am today. For each of these I am truly grateful.

       I celebrate the light and dark, the dull and bright, the sacred and mundane. Thank you, God, for every person and event, every day and night, for your gift of unfailing love through it all.

       As John write in chapter 1, verse 16: Of God’s fullness we have all received our share—love and more love. His mercy is ours through Jesus Christ.

        Sr. Nancy Kordenbrock, OSB

Living in Hope

            It’s hard to read the paper or watch the news with so much oppressive suffering in our world, and growing divisiveness and violence in our own land. I understood when a friend mourned:  “This is not the country I know.”  What are we becoming?  What can we do?

With the psalmist, we can cry out with and for our brothers and sisters:  “Awake!  Why do you sleep, O Lord?  Rise up!  Do not reject us forever. Why do you hide your face, why forget our pain and misery?  We are bowed down to the ground; our bodies are pressed to the ground.  Rise up, help us!  Redeem us as your love demands.*(Ps. 44)   Let not the oppressed turn back in shame; may the poor and needy praise your name. (Ps. 74)  (from the New American Bible c. 1981)

We can address these words to ourselves:  Do not hide in your comfort.  Rise up!  Open your eyes. Listen with the ears of your heart.  Remember, the pain and misery of others - the oppressed, the poor. Do something for which others will praise God.  Remember, love is the only thing that lasts.

            What are we becoming?  Only God knows, but if you believe there is much, much more good than evil in our world, and I’m convinced there is, we live in hope.

              P.S.    Recently I saw the film, “Pope Francis: A Man of His Word.”  It is well worth seeing, a vision-expanding experience.  Pope Francis is urging us, through word and example, to enlarge our hearts, to widen our view, to heed the cry of the poor, to work for peace, to seek justice, to bless and care for the earth, and to reach out to others in love, acceptance and reverence.  He radiates the love of God.

            Sr. Sharon Portwood, OSB

Installation of Sr. Aileen Bankemper as Prioress

“Now as evening falls around us,

We shall raise our songs to you,

God of daybreak, God of shadows,

Come and light our hearts anew….”

“Make us shine with gentle justice...

   Lead us on to endless day.”

Joyous Light of Heavenly Glory by Marty Haugen

And so began the celebration of the installation of Sister Aileen Bankemper as our new prioress.  Family, friends and community members gathered for Evening Prayer for the ceremony on June 9.

            Some of the verses of Psalm 138 could have come from us and Sister Aileen as we begin a new era:

                        I thank you, O God with my whole heart

                        For your faithfulness and steadfast love.

                        You answered me on the day I called;

                        You increased my strength of soul…

                                    You stretch out your hand and save me

                                    You will fulfill your purpose for me.

            Sister Lynn McKenzie, President of the Federation of St. Scholastica, reflected with Sister Aileen on the task that she has been called by the Spirit to undertake.  A task of service to this community.  Listening “with the ear of the heart” will be one of the most important parts of her new ministry.

            Continuing the ceremony, the cantors called on all types of saints, from those in the Gospel, to preachers, monastics, Benedictines, women mystics and American saints to be with us and, we responded:

            “Saints of God in glory be with us, rejoice with us, sing praise with us, and pray with us now.”

            Sister Lynn and our two former prioresses asked Sister Aileen if she were ready for this task, to which she responded, “I am.”  We, the community stood and with hands outstretched blessed our new prioress.

            The ceremony ended but the celebration continued with a festive meal, many words of hope and encouragement, and many hugs.

          Sr. Kathleen Ryan, OSB

Some Thoughts on Expectations and Truth in Today's Society

      You’re dead tired. Would you choose a 2-legged chair in which to collapse? Hardly! You’d know what to expect; you’d wind up on the floor! You assume the laws of nature will hold true, so you save yourself a tumble.

      Have you ever thought about how much we take for granted every day, how important it is that what we trust to happen actually does? Think about your reactions when your morning alarm doesn’t go off, your car won’t start, traffic lights malfunction, or your computer breaks down.

      It’s one thing when electronics disappoint us, but what about when a human does? A co-worker misses an important deadline on your project and doesn’t take it seriously. You look forward to meeting a friend for lunch and she cancels at the last minute with no apology. What if it happens a 2^nd time? After the 1^st time a little trust leaks out of the relationship. Happens again? The leak turns into a flow that can resist attempts at repair. As Louisiana author Mahogany SilverRain says, “Peace and trust take years to build and seconds to shatter.”

       Truth is intimately connected with trust, and society runs on this blend. We expect machines to do what the advertising says they’ll do. We expect shop & grocery clerks to know their craft and be helpful to customers. Public officials are supposed to serve the public. News outlets are supposed to tell us the truth about what is happening in our local and broader world.

                       

      This delicate fabric of truth and trust is facing major stresses today. The role of multiple sources, exaggeration, individual truth, fake news, plus an overall skepticism in the general public are combining to fray this relationship. It's hard to decipher what is true; the interconnected age we live in is so highly complex that answers to questions and solutions to problems are not simple. Add to this the fact the world is changing so rapidly that things true even a few years ago are not so straightforward now. No wonder there are pockets of people who only agree with things they think they already know, accepting nothing that contradicts their current belief system so often rooted in the past..

      All this raises for me a question as old as humankind, but made famous by Pontius Pilate: “What is truth?” It’s quite relevant in today’s social climate and raises a number of deeper questions:

·         Is truth black and white or can it be varied shades of grey?

·         Is truth absolute, the same in all times and places? If so, why do people so often disagree with each other?

·          Can truth be defined clearly?

·         How do you tell when something is true or a lie? Is there something in between?

      Because people build their lives on what they think is true, the ambiguity of truth in today’s climate makes it difficult to know whom or what to trust. Businessman and keynote speaker Stephen Covey says, “Trust is the glue of life…the foundational principle that holds all relationships.” If this is as true as it seems, what are the implications for Christians and other people of good will?

      Here are some bits of wisdom I ran across that I find helpful:

            The one who trusts in his own heart is a fool… (Prov. 28:26)

            Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none. (William Shakespeare, “All’s Well that Ends Well”

            A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.

                                    (English preacher Charles Spurgeon)

            Trust but verify. (American president Ronald Reagan)

            Trust not in ourselves but God. (2 Cor. 1:9)

      I conclude from all this that individuals of good will can help society recover from its current chaos by not taking a single source’s “truth” at face value.  Instead, each of us should tap into the wisdom of multiple sources, including tradition and a group larger than a handful of people. This process should include comparing this new “truth” with the universal truths from faith and morality that have endured for thousands of years. This is not easy because it takes work, but trying to be people of faith and hope has always been a challenge. I love this quote for its hopefulness:  “The deep roots never doubt spring will come.” (writer Marty Rubin)

Sr. Colleen Winston, OSB