Opening My Eyes and Ears

Let us open our eyes to the light that comes from God, and our ears to the voice from heaven that every day calls out this charge: If you hear his voice today, do not harden your hearts (Ps 94[95]:8). RB80.Prol.9-10

Today's invitation is to open my eyes and my ears to God and God's grace in my life. It is an call to be alert and aware of what is happening both around me and within me.

Since I am an extreme extrovert, I find it easy to focus on what is going on in my environment. I get energized and engaged looking at all the pretty shiny things that are occurring around me--sights, sounds, movement, swirls of activity quickly grab my attention...until the next distraction comes by.

Part of today's proposal is to pay attention to the stirrings within me. That is something that I can easily ignore since I am busy with all the activity outside. It is in looking within, though, that I find God speaking in the depths of my heart. It is by going within rather that outward that I discover who I am called to be and where my strength and value lies.

This journey within does not seem as glamourous and exciting. Actually, it seems terrifying, at times, since I don't really know what I will find or if I will like who I am after the experience. That is where the challenge and the adventure are. When I can see this scary exploration as a new adventure I can focus on the new information that is unearthed and see it as growth both as a person and in my relationships. This reframing of the experience makes it more palatable to me since I am always looking for new experiences in life.

Psalm 95 invites me to open my ears and my heart to the voice of God within my life. What new adventure is God calling me to at this moment? May I have the courage to accept the challenge offered to me today.

Sr. Catherine, OSB

Revealing Secret Sins

When the cause of the sin lies hidden in his conscience, he is to reveal it only to the abbot or to one of the spiritual elders, who know how to heal their own wounds as well as those of others, without exposing them and making them public. RB80.46.5--6

I would often like to believe that whatever I do when no one else is looking or aware really has no implications. In other words, if no one sees me swipe the cookie or break the dish, it really did not happen on some level. That ultimately is a nice lie that I can tell myself.

There is a piece of ancient wisdom that claims that what is not revealed cannot be healed. Even if I am the only one who knows that I did something or that I am having a problem with something, it is wise to talk it out with a trusted friend, journal about it, bring it to prayer, ask another's assistance. I find that just the act of sharing the issue opens me to the possibility to get new insights or greater clarity. Those things which seemed huge in the dark, can not be cut to size in the light of day. And usually, things are not as bad as they seemed.

I need to remind myself that even what happens in "secret" is not really unseen since God is with me at all times and in all places.

Sr. Catherine, OSB

It Is Good to Give Praise

I like mornings. Mornings are new beginnings to opportunities; new experiences await. The past can be forgotten or erased.

Mornings are the time in the day when I am most able to praise God for life, awareness, surprises...whatever the day might hold. It is my time to sing my thanks and praise to God within my heart and enjoy the beauty and freshness around me before I head out on my day's adventures.

Sr. Catherine, OSB

Light of Life

"Run while you have the light of life, that the darkness of death may not overtake you" (John 12:35). (RB Pro. 13)

I have been a huge fan of light all my life. To say that I was terrified of the dark as a young child would be a major understatement. I just never knew what might be hiding in dark corners and I was not the least interested in finding out.

Benedict placing light/life, darkness/death as parallels, we are given an interesting and graphic comparison. I long to run with the freedom which brightness and light seem to call forth, what are the places within me which still hold me in the bondage of darkness and fear? What new growth is being called forth within me?

Sr. Catherine, OSB