Being a Good Patient

Let the sick on their part bear in mind that they are served out of honor for God, and let them not by their excessive demands distress their brothers who serve them. RB80.36.4

I am fortunate to have been blessed with very good health. My health is a blessing to me and also to those who live with me because I am not sure how good a patient I would be if I was ever really ill.

First, I am not a fan of pain in any form. As soon as I feel a headache, a toothache or itch coming on, I know that whining and complaining is probably not far behind. I can stand pain or discomfort about 30 seconds, then it's time to look for a way out.

Second, patience is not a hallmark of my personality. I am definitely a person who wants everything right now--as soon as I think of it. Unfortunately, relief from pain is usually not quite so automatic. I can not will my pain away, although I might be tempted to try.

Third, I am not one to suffer quietly, if something is wrong, I really believe that everyone around needs to know about it and share my misery.

That being said, how does today's reading about Care for the Sick help me to grow in this aspect of my life?

Benedict reminds the one who is ill that the care and respect offered are out of love of Christ. The person in need is to be humble in all their needs not demanding and overbearing. The sick are to remember that for that particular instance they are taking the place of the weak Christ in the community.

When I can recall these things, I am less likely to be demanding, impatient, and disagreeable and to be humble in my requests.

Sr. Catherine, OSB

Lent Throughout the Year

Chapter 49 of the Rule of Benedict invites me to live daily life with Lent in mind. For someone who has never found anything terribly positive about the season of Lent, this can be a real downer. I am sure that Benedict is not expecting life to be a somber drudgery...so what could he possibly be trying to say?

The great feast that signifies the end of the lenten season is Easter--the feast not only when we get to celebrate by stuffing ourselves with chocolates, desserts and all that we deprived ourselves of for 40 days but the day that celebrates God's victory over death and the outpouring of God's love for us. It is that love which needs to be the driving force behind my daily life. I need to strive to live out the reality of God's love and to share that with everyone I meet daily.

Sr. Catherine, OSB

The Love of Christ

...the love of Christ must come before all else. (RB80.4.21)

Love is the essential element in all of our relationships.

• It is love that helps us forgive the wrongs done to us.
• I find myself going well beyond myself for the sake of love.
• The largest burdens are soon forgotten.
• Love impels us to try again and again when hope can seem dim.

Love is a gift. The love of God first touched us at creation when God created everything freely out of the abundance of his love. God sent his Son, Jesus, out of love for us. Jesus freely laid down his life for us out of love for God the Father and love for us.

It is this love which pushes us forward daily to proclaim God's saving love to the world.

How am I reflecting God's love today?

Sr. Catherine, OSB

Acting Differently

Your way of acting should be different from the world's way; the love of Christ must come before all else. (RB 4:20-21)

Part of me longs to be separated from the world or to be able to proclaim that I am a Christian by my very being. People should be able to tell that there is something intrinsically different about me just in the way I am naturally. I am realistic enough to know, however, that the chance of that happening in daily life is sometimes minimal at best.

It is not easy to act like a Christian at all times--but why should it be difficult? Isn't that who I really am? Isn't that what we are called to be--to be our best selves?

When I look at the second part of this passage I am reminded of the source and inspiration of all that makes me who I am--the love relationship with Christ. God's love for me and my attempts at love back to God. It is the love--that is the essential factor in making my way of behaving radically different from the world's way.

Although I will probably continue to struggle with this throughout my life, it is the love of God which continues to urge me forward.

Sr. Catherine, OSB

Be Prepared

RB 53: “The guest quarters (in the monastery) are to be entrusted to a God-fearing brother. Adequate bedding should be available there.”

One activity I enjoy is cooking and making a special meal for the Sisters in the community. I secretly admire women like Martha Stewart who can see what is available in her surroundings and make it into a simple yet welcoming and inviting setting for her family and friends.

We are all called to use our talents where they are needed. Details do matter in making others comfortable, in meeting their needs, whether it is being attentive to the neighbor who always seems to show up right in the middle of making dinner or accommodating the relatives who need a firm mattress and are allergic to feather pillows and wool blankets.

Be prepared. Jesus talked about the servant who was ready to serve the master on his arrival. As my mother would say, always have an angel food cake in the freezer that you can thaw out to serve to unexpected company.

Wisdom resides in the ordinary.

Sr. Marie Therese, OSB

Be Alert

RB 53: “All are to be welcomed as Christ……all humility is to be shown on arrival and departure…”

Last week, I walked into a local sandwich shop for lunch. The young woman behind the counter looked at me and said in a cheerful voice, “Welcome. Can I take your order?” As she prepared the sandwich to my wishes, she looked at me with a smile and said, “Have a blessed day.” This young woman understands the welcome and gift of hospitality by her words and her attitude. The food service industry aims to make people feel welcome. They train their employees to have the attitudes and behavior that convey the message: “We are at your service.” While their motivations may be different, we are followers of the Gospel of Christ as called to no less, but to have the same attitudes and behaviors that welcome the Christ present among us. St. Benedict points out the motivation for us Christians – to seek Christ in all who present themselves to us in our daily lives. We who give our lives in service of our brothers and sisters for the sake of the Gospel are called to welcome unconditionally the greatest and least, rich and poor, the expected and unexpected.

Be alert today as Christ comes to your door. Who will he look like today?

Sr. Marie Therese, OSB

Caring for the Sick

We had the privilege of caring for my mother at home for five years before she died at age 92. Home health nurses took care of her during the day while my brothers and I worked at our jobs. In the evening and on weekends we were in charge. We fed her, bathed her, dressed her, did her therapy with her, and put her to bed. In the morning we did the same, then put her in her wheelchair or her lounge chair for the day. These were such enjoyable times for us. Mom had such a great sense of humor and every day she had new stories to share about her childhood, and the colorful characters she took care of in nursing homes where she worked for more than 20 years. At least 3 or 4 times each day she had us praying the Rosary with her.

Caring for the sick can teach us so much about how to live and how to die. Perhaps this is why St. Benedict says: “Care of the sick must rank above and before all else, so that they may truly be served as Christ, for he said, I was sick and you visited me, and What you did for one of these…you did for me.”

Sr. Veronica, OSB

Counter-Cultural Being

Your way of acting should be different from the world’s way; the love of Christ must come before all else. (RB 4.20-21)

How is my way of being different from the world’s/society’s way? I ask myself this question daily.

We teach our youth to stand up to peer pressure and to stick by their beliefs yet sometimes I feel as though I was much more successful at facing peer pressure as a teen than I am now as an adult. Maybe it’s that adult peer pressure is much more subtle…after all isn’t it normal to be competitive, to aim higher than the rest and to desire to achieve success? What’s wrong with wanting to be noticed and acknowledged (all the time)?

The second part of today’s quote gives me some insight. It is the love of Christ which needs to be before all else not my will and my desires.

Sr. Catherine, OSB