The Breaking of Bread

From a twelfth century author, name unknown:

"Their eyes were opened

   and they knew him  when he broke the bread."

By breaking understand the virtue of humility, by which Jesus

 -- even he who is the bread of life--

broke diminished, and emptied himself.

And by emptying himself he gave us knowledge of himself.

If you want to know him,

break yourself as he did.

because anyone who claims to abide in Christ ought to live as he lived.

Break yourself, then, by the labor of obedience,

        by the humiliation of repentance.

Bear in your body the marks of Jesus Christ

         by accepting the condition of a servant, not as someone superior.

And when you have emptied yourself,

         you too will know the Lord through the breaking of bread."

Sr. Joan Gripshover, OSB

On Struggling

        

         Recently, I acquired a job for which I feel unqualified. It isn't something that I CAN'T DO.It just takes much effort. So it's a challenge. No, it's a struggle.So where does that leave me?Struggling.Asking friends for a lot of help.    

        The struggle is not so much the point as the insight it's given me.

        All of my adult life I've been a teacher. I love teaching. I love being with young people of all ages.It has always been a thrill to see the expression on a student's face when he/she got the concept of the lesson. Some of course, got the point right away. Others struggled, perhaps even for a long time.

        My experience now is similar to the students who struggled.They, too, felt unqualified for the job. Looking back I question my patience as a teacher; my respect for each student. Just as I am relying on others' help to complete my job, I hope that I helped each student in his/her struggle. I'd like to think that I had patience with each child.I 'd like to think that I respected each child as a unique person.I'd like to think that I treated each student kindly. And, I'd like to think that I nurtured a confidence in each student  that assured that child that he/she could do the job.I hope "struggling" paid off for these young people.This is what I hope they remember.This is what I need to remember as I now struggle.

Sr. Kathleen Ryan, OSB 

May and Big Changes

   

May is always a fun and interesting month for me. Having been in education for 43 years, I've always enjoyed wrapping up the year and seeing the seniors graduate and move on to college and their future lives.      This year has been somewhat different because I'll be leaving teaching for the job of treasurer of our Benedictine community. I've been working with our current treasurer, Sister Rose, for several years to prepare for this new position. It will be very different for me but I'm hoping to do a good job and learn even more as the year progresses.      Yesterday the staff and students at Villa Madonna Academy surprised me with gifts and a brief program. I was totally shocked and touched by their generosity and creativity. I've spent 40 of the 43 years in education at Villa. Even though I'll be in a new position I plan to stay in close contact with the alumni and the Villa community. They have enriched my life for so many years; I can't imagine my life without them.      For those of you who are experiencing big changes in your life, I now know what that's like. All I can say is that God is good and will always be with us. While we don't know what the changes will mean we know that we are not alone. Our friends, family, community and the Lord Jesus sustain us each day.      God bless you summer and every day of your lives.

Running the Race with St. Benedict

Last Saturday was the 140^th 

running of the Kentucky Derby. Nowhere does St. Benedict

mention the Derby  in the Benedictine Rule.

Of course not!

He wrote his Rule many centuries before the first running of the Kentucky Derby.

But on second thought, he did have some sense of an important race taking place.

He may not have had the “The Run for the Roses” in mind, but he surely wrote plenty

 about running a race and crossing the finish line.

Right In the very beginning of the Rule, in the Prologue, he has his monks at the starting gate

 biting at the bit.

He instructs them:

run -- while you have the light of life;

run  -- by doing good deeds;

 run -- and do now what will profit you forever;

 run --  with your hearts overflowing with

             the inexpressible delight of love.

Then he enlightens them on some of the tricks of the trade:

how to be aware of others in the race

            how to set the pace

how to avoid trouble spots

how to stay focused

how to stay in the race

Benedict doesn’t seem to care about who crosses the finish line first.

He just wants everyone to give their very best.

The only competition he really supports is found in

 Chapter 72 of the Rule:

Earnestly competing in obedience to one another

they should each try to be the first

 to show respect to the other.

Benedict awards no wreath of roses or claim to fame at the end of the race.

But he does promise that those who cross the finish line will know the

 inexpressible delight of love and will receive everlasting life.

       

      Sr. Betty Cahill, OSB

Climbing to Mount Easter

     As Lent begins each year, our monastery librarian displays a table of choices for our Lenten reading—a menu to suit everyone’s taste. Many are short reflections on the day’s liturgical readings; others  are more topical This year by some special inspiration I selected The Ascent of the Mountain of God: Daily Reflections for the Journey of Lent, a 1994 publication by Edward M. Hays. This choice enabled me, too old for a physical climb, to follow in an imaginative and reflective way the rugged terrain from base camp to Mt. Diablo, up and down various biblical and mythical mountains until the summit of Mt. Easter was reached.

     Hays sees Lent as a pilgrimage to a mystic holy mountain—Mount Easter. The directions for the scaling or descending of each terrain flowed from the daily Lenten readings. To me these explanations were challenging, informative, surprising, new and often—to me—difficult and amazing. A short ending reflection summarized and directed my thoughts for the day. One familiar with mountain climbing would appreciate better than I the vocabulary used. I just tried to follow instructions—to make a list of two or three allies which would assist me in the climb. My Lenten practices would be my allies.

     Symbols were frequently used—the color blue warded off evil; holy water to be kept near, a staff close by helped progress and kept off animals. The compass, the Cross of Christ, was necessary to set direction in fog and rain. Many anecdotes, surprising story endings, examples, truths that I had never heard before illustrated the day’s readings. Each selection gave a practical suggestion for application in today’s world.

     As one would expect, the climb to Mt. Easter became much more difficult as the Lenten season progressed. Some of the ideas, suggestions, practices I would never have thought of. Some were not for me but gave me deeper appreciation of ideas prevalent in today’s world, of human problems and how others look at them.

     During this Easter season as I look back to my mountain adventure, I appreciate those 47 days of reflection. Christ spent 40 days of preparation in the desert; my Lent climb included a few days in base camp and Sunday reflection. The Triduum days were hard labor as we neared Mt. Easter from Mt. Calvary but I persevered somewhat and somehow. Perhaps, if God wishes, I may try that mountain climb again next year.

     Sr. Andrea Collopy, OSB

Challenges and Grace of the Easter Season

Easter has been my favorite holiday since I was a child. Initially Easter was about the pretty dresses and Easter baskets. As I moved through high school and into adulthood it is not only Easter that I loved, but the whole journey of Holy Week. My emotions run the gamut including awe, sadness, anger, emptiness, excitement, gratitude and joy. In the days of Holy Week the paschal mystery unfolds in the washing of feet, the Passion, veneration of the cross, the stories we hear at the vigil of God’s continued love and patience with us throughout history, the people received into the Church and the Alleluias of Easter.   

As the paschal mystery unfolded these past few days I find myself challenged to respond with love, obedience and humility as Christ did. I am challenged to respond with faith, strength and hope.We are a people who live the paschal mystery.We experience both the agony of the cross and the joy of Easter.  Maybe this year more than most, I am aware of how closely agony and joy live with one another and in these holy days I have found solace and hope.I am grateful for both the challenge and the solace of these past few days.

     I pray that we each may be open to the graces and challenges of this Easter season. 

Sr. Kimberly Porter, OSB  

The Triduum and the Exsultet

      Over and over and over we read through scripture the exhortation for us to "Sing to the Lord" or to tell God: "I will sing of your salvation."  The very common word Alleluia, which means "Praise God" is a frequent expression of the same thing. 

     Why so much emphasis on praising God? I think the feast we are about to celebrate, Easter, is the answer to this. After all, St. Paul says, in writing to the Romans: God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all; how can he fail to lavish every other gift upon us?(8:32) What an amazing statement! 

     To celebrate God's infinite generosity and boundless love takes all of the Church's creativity, energy, and reverence. Over the centuries she has produced the 3-day event we call the Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter with its Sat. night vigil). This is the pinnacle of the Church's liturgical year.  With music, reading and prayer, she walks us through the story of how often God has reached out to humanity again and again, finally with the ultimate gift of Jesus the Son.              

     From the beginning, humans have used music and poetry to elevate praise to a higher level of solemnity and beauty. We can see how the Church has done this in celebrating our salvation during the Triduum. The jewel in this liturgical crown of the arts is given to us on Holy Saturday in the Exsultet.  Again and again the poetry of this ancient song tries to express our awe of what God has done and continues to do for us through Jesus Christ.  Here are a few of my favorite passages :

            … to ransom a slave, you gave away your Son!

            … O happy fault that earned so great … a Redeemer!

            … Jesus Christ…for our sake paid Adam's debt…and wiped clean… our ancient sinfulness

            … O truly blessed night, when things of heaven are wed to those of earth…

     The entire Exsultet is a triumphal song of the Church as it praises God for the amazing gift of salvation. For anyone who would like to deepen his/her insight into the significance of the Easter mystery, the text of this musical prayer could be a rich place to continue the journey most of us began with our baptism. 

      May the prayers, ritual, music and poetry of the Triduum and the 50 days of Easter (The Easter season ends only with Pentecost on June 8) bring deeper faith and understanding of what God has done. May all the alleluias of this season and beyond bring realization of how God continues to give us love and forgiveness daily, and every time they are sung, may they lift our spirit in gratitude and awe.

     Sr. Colleen Winston, OSB