Yearning for Everlasting Life

Yearn for everlasting life with holy desire. RB80.4.46

I LOVE life. I thoroughly enjoy the experience of awakening every morning to all the new opportunities available. To me, every new day is filled with a myriad of new experiences, adventures and ways to discover God in our world.

That being said...I need to examine whether I truly yearn for everlasting life with holy desire. Is it the fullness of life that I love or is it a life which is basically more of the life I live now? I would like to say that I seek the fullness of life...afterall, who would settle for anything less?

But what does this life look like? What is this fullness to which we are called through our baptism?

We are taught that the essential vocation of all baptized Christians is a life of holiness, modeled after Jesus. We are called to be "saints-in-progress." We are called to a life of love of God and others. We are invited to serve others within our respective communities and to be witnesses to the life,death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

If I am truly seeking to life the fullness of life daily, I need to ask myself: What face of Christ am I showing today to those I encounter?

Sr. Catherine, OSB

What Do You Seek?

What do you seek?

This question which is taken from the ceremony for entrance into our monastic community is a life long question. Chapter 58 of the Rule which addresses the reception of new members into community touches on the central question for monastic life.

What do you seek?

• It is that seeking and yearning for God which sustained me through the hard days of initial formation.
• That desire is what has seen me through times of doubt and pain when I've wondered why I came in the first place.
• It is that relationship with God (and with my Sisters) which is nourished daily through our common prayer and lectio.
• It is that feeling of open welcome that first drew me to this community.

Ultimately, seeking God daily is what makes this life viable. It is the distinctive element that sets this life apart for me.

Sr. Catherine, OSB

My Will vs God's Will

The second step of humility is that a man loves not his own will nor takes pleasure in the satisfaction of his desires; rather he shall imitate by his actions that saying of the Lord: I have come not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me (John 6:38). Similarly we read, "Consent merits punishment; constraint wins a crown." (RB80.7.31-33)

Tenacity, determination, single-mindedness, driven, willful--these are just a few of the terms that can be used as synonyms for STUBBORNNESS. Stubborn is a word that has been used to describe me probably since infancy. I have always known what I wanted things, how I wanted them to be and when I wanted them. When I have my mind and my heart set on a goal or a prize, everyone better stand back because I am determined.

Now how does this will of mine relate to God's will in my life? There are times when my idea of how things should play out and God's will are at odds. What do I do then?

I have slowly learned (and am still learning on a daily basis) to listen for God's voice in my desires. Rather than rush ahead as soon as I think of something, I try to take it to prayer at least a few times before I act on things. This practice allows me to listen to God's will and see where that is leading in relation to my original plan. I do not have it down to a science yet and may not for a long time but there is progress. I also try running my plans by some trusted friends who can often help me see God's plan when I can't.

Sr. Catherine, OSB

Being Roused From Sleep

Let us get up then, at long last, for the Scriptures rouse us when they say: It is high time for us to arise from sleep (Rom 13:11). (RB80. Prologue.8)

I am definitely a morning person....but not a hyper morning person. There are some who jump out of bed as soon as their eyes open and they meet the day at a run. There are some of us who despise mornings entirely. Some, like me, prefer to ease into the morning. It is generally best that no one see me for the first hour or so after I wake up or, at least, until I have plenty of coffee in my system. I love to take my time in the morning--shaking off sleep and easing into the day; before I jump into the day.

This verse from the Prologue resonates with me because I am familiar with the time just after waking when it takes me a few minutes to understand that someone is speaking to me. I wake up in a fog of sorts that requires some time to disolve. In a sense, Benedict is saying that we all live in that foggy stage of half-sleep when we are searching for God in all the wrong places...or just searching for meaning in our lives. The Prologue calls us to shake off the last bit of sleep and turn to face God and the sun/Son today and everyday.

May I always be awake to God's presence in my life.

Sr. Catherine, OSB

On Having a Passion for LIFE

I am a person who approaches everything in life whole-heartedly. Whatever I am involved in, you have all of me (sometimes a little too much of me, since I can be hyper at times).

Today, Benedict talks to us about good & bad zeal. Benedict tells us that while good zeal can be healthy and enlivening; evil zeal can deaden the spirit of a community. Benedict invites us to treasure the drive and desire to create a strong bond within groups that can be characterized with love and passion.

May I always bring good zeal to all of my encounters.

Sr. Catherine, OSB

Sent to the Desert

Theologians seem to concur that there are three major metaphors of life—the garden, the river and the desert. All three are important in the life of Jesus and our lives. Before Jesus began his public life, he went to the desert for 40 days to fast, to pray and to discern. It is in this barren land that Jesus struggles with the demons that confront him to discern who he is and how he is to carry out the mission God has given him.

Benedict seems to be aware of the fact that “the desert” is one place where the monk can truly confront herself with her less serious violations against the community. She is not to share the common table nor lead a psalm or recite a reading in the oratory until she makes satisfaction. In the desert she comes face to face with the freedom she enjoys and her true identity as a member of a Benedictine community.

Why not “spend a day in the desert” one day this week!

Sr. Veronica, OSB

God is Everywhere

One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 139. This is a psalm which talks about God being present everywhere and in every circumstance. The psalmist asks God at one point "where can I run from your presence,..if I fly to heaven you are there if I travel to the netherworld you are also there..."

I have loved this image of the all-knowing, all-present God from my childhood. It just always made me feel secure to know that no matter where I was or what I was doing God was still very alive and present with me through my good times and protecting during the bad. I also meant that even if my parents or grandparents were not always physically there to protect me God was. That was comforting to me.

Even today, I can look around me and see evidence of God's providential love and care for me. How has God been present in life today?

Sr. Catherine, OSB

On Truth and Deceit

In this section from the Tools of Good Works (RB 4), there seems to be some preoccupation with truth and deceit. We are admonished not to give a false peace, to speak the truth from the heart and not to perjure. All of this advice seems pretty common sense at first, after all, weren't we all taught not to lie and to try to be honest?

On closer inspection the emphasis is not so much on the truth and the deceit as on the heart (the person) that would consider this behavior acceptable. Benedict is calling us to be our best selves, to surround ourselves with models of good behavior and to follow the lead. He seems to emphasize that no matter who I was or what I did yesterday today is a new day and it can be different...radically different if I but remember to be true to my best self.

How are we being called to be our best selves today?

Sr. Catherine

Care of Goods

“…regard all utensils and goods of the monastery as sacred vessels of the altar.” RB 31

Benedict directs this statement to the monastic in charge of the community’s temporal goods, however, it is a practice the entire community embraces. The kind of stewardship Benedict expects is far beyond our present-day “throwaway” mindset.

Throughout the Rule, Benedict expects his followers to do even the smallest deed well and mindfully. Special care is to be taken with material goods, utensils and tools are to be inventoried regularly and amends are to be made if something is broken through carelessness or neglect.

If Benedict expects this kind of care for worldly goods, how much more he must expect us to care for one another!

Sr. Christine, OSB

Short Prayer

We must know that God regards our purity of heart and tears of compunction, not our many words. (RB 20.3)

Most people don't need to know me long to realize that I am a talker. I firmly believe that if few words are good then a multitude of words must be much more meaningful.

When it comes to prayer, though, I have always been fascinated by silence and stillness. Even as a child, prayer was one of the few times when I could just be still and not need to do anything. Benedict reminds us in Chapter 20 of the Rule that God already knows what is in our hearts and what our needs are. God does not need us to explain in detail what we need. God just wants us to be still and be open to his love and will for us.

Sr. Catherine, OSB

Ceaseless Prayer

How can I pray without ceasing?

This question has been with me since my youth. The concept intrigued me but I could never figure out how that could be translated into a real, lived experience. How does this work?

About a year ago some of us who had this question made a commitment to study our monastic tradition together and to begin the practice of living in the presence of God. We were not quite sure how it would work or how long it would take but we felt that we had to do something to begin living intentionally in God's Presence.

Through our mutual support and commitment, we are beginning to experience some of the fruit of our study and can see God's hand touching our daily lives. Now at the end of the day I can ask myself--How have I experienced God's presence today?

Sr. Catherine, OSB

Prayer--Our Ministry

I am often asked what monastics do (what our main ministry is). Monastics are basically professional pray-ers, who often also happen to be professionals in other fields. Our main ministry is prayer. It is out of our prayer (common and private) that we discern our ministries, our outreach projects and other aspects of our community life.

We invite all who visit us at our monastery and also those who are associated with us through our various external ministries to bring us their prayer intentions or to contact us at sisters@stjosephmonastery.org with prayer requests.

Sr. Catherine, OSB

Who is God?

…It is a blessing that you have humbled me so that I can learn your commandments (Ps 118[119].71, 73) (RB 7.54)

Sometimes I forget that God’s name is not Sr. Catherine, Catherine, Cath, SCath, Katrina or any of the other versions of my name to which I respond. To say that I am a little bossy and dominating would be an understatement—although I blame that on being the oldest in my family growing up.

At these times, I need to be reminded that God is God and I am created by God. This passage from Psalm 118 reminds me to keep my focus on God and on God’s law. It is truly a blessing to keep in mind God’s presence and to realize that no matter what happens in the world God is truly in charge.

And all is secure because thankfully I am not God.

Sr. Catherine, OSB

Seeking God

…the Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see whether any understand and seek God (Ps 13{14}.2)…(RB 7.27)

Hide and go seek is a favorite game of my nieces and nephews. They never seem to tire of playing it nor do they tire of changing the rules or adding new rules in the middle of the game. I think this is what we do with God sometimes—we play hide and go seek and when He gets too close we change the rules. There are times that we may or may not want to be found. But we are only fooling ourselves.

God says: “If you truly seek me, I will find you.” Seeking God is a long process of discovery but being discovered by God is truly amazing.

Sr. Veronica, OSB