Good Shepherd
Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep...I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.
(John 10:11-15)
Fr. Martin’s homily this morning pointed out that Jesus is commonly depicted in art as a very clean person, which is difficult to believe with his lifestyle. Fr. Martin reminded us that to shepherd well, Jesus worked long hours to support others in their times of need and despair. He said Jesus probably smelled “ripe” after all his time traveling and working with those in need, especially amongst the outcasts.
Jesus often lived with outcasts, the ones who did the “dirty work” so that society could run smoothly. He dwelled with the working class, slaves, prostitutes, immigrants, sick, anyone cast out of circles society deemed acceptable. People naturally develop a worldly hierarchy of who is more important than whom. People widely display what is considered ideal by the world’s standards and hide the rest away. We all know that society is as multifaceted as individual humans.
We all have parts of our lives that seem untouchable, parts that we are not proud of but make up who we are. Those parts of ourselves and lives are just as important, if not more so, than the parts we show off to the outside world. Jesus as the “Good Shepherd” dwells with us there. Yes, maybe to sit and rest with us in that unpleasant time but as a shepherd, his role is to guide us out of that place.
Fr. Martin reminded us this morning that Jesus is also a healer, one that worked miracles for all people who believed. He fed the hungry by multiplying loaves and fishes. He led the thirsty to life giving-streams. He healed the dying, sick, even brought people back to life. As an Easter people, we believe that Jesus can do this in our lives today.
When we find ourselves in the dumps, in places we are not proud of, they will look dirty and maybe even smell “ripe.” Those are the moments we must open our eyes to the Good Shepherd because, as an Easter people, we believe that that Good Shepherd will lead us to the streams of life-giving water.
May the Good Shepherd be by your side and heal you. Amen.
Seeking Thomas
This week, the Priory school community celebrated Easter Mass together. Fr. Matthew’s homily recounted stories of Jesus’ disciple “Doubting Thomas.” He was unsure of Jesus’ rising until he actually saw Jesus’ wounds when he reappeared after death. Recounting various Gospel stories, Thomas wasn’t the only disciple who doubted throughout the faith journey yet they all continued to return to their community of faith. While seeking a deeper understanding, they asked questions, lots of questions. They were “seekers.” In conclusion, Fr. Matthew reminded the community that “Faith is not a noun. It’s a verb. It’s on-going. It’s a process. There is more to it than we can understand. There’s a power at work in our hearts and minds.”
Do you sense it? Is there a deeper knowing within yourself that you have tried to ignore? What tools can you use to seek a deeper understanding of a situation or person in your life? At what point, must we take a leap of faith? Who accompanies us on this faith journey?
A Prayer For Seekers of God Everywhere
By St. Anselm
O Lord my God,
Teach my heart this day where and how to see you,
Where and how to find you.
You have made me and remade me,
And you have bestowed on me
All the good things I possess,
And still I do not know you.
I have not yet done that
For which I was made.
Teach me to seek you,
For I cannot seek you
Unless you teach me,
Or find you
Unless you show yourself to me.
Let me seek you in my desire,
Let me desire you in my seeking.
Let me find you by loving you,
Let me love you when I find you.
Amen.
Sunday of Divine Mercy
Tomorrow we celebrate Sunday of Divine Mercy. Who doesn’t need Divine Mercy these days? It is a moment we celebrate Jesus’ eternal, unconditional love for each of us. Tomorrow John’s Gospel declares, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained (20:19 - 23).” These wise words follow us throughout life. They live in the grudges we hold against loved ones and in our defensive nature. They reside in our anger, inability to listen, and lack of understanding. When our thoughts spiral and frustration brews, we build our own walls not only between ourselves and others but between ourselves and the Holy Spirit. When we are able to forgive, we open our hearts to be forgiven and we offer God space to shine through.
Throughout these last moments of our Easter vacation, how can we continue to celebrate the Easter Season? What moments in our own lives need the Holy Spirit’s Divine Mercy? How can we offer this gift to ourselves and others?
Happy Easter!
Alleluia, He is Risen, He is with you!
Today we celebrate Love that endures forever. The power of Jesus’ infinite love, mercy transcends even death itself. This is the basis of our Christian faith. We are forever hopeful. Easter is a day we celebrate the mystery of faith. God’s love is beyond our comprehension, timeless, eternal.
May the blessings of Easter continue to live and thrive in you.
Palm Sunday
Today, Christians throughout the world celebrate Palm Sunday. It coincides with the Jewish Feast of Passover which began last night. Today, the gospel recounts Jesus entering Jerusalem to celebrate the feast day. As Jesus entered the city on a donkey, people laid palms in his path to welcome him as they did political leaders at the time. Palms represented joy and triumph. The people of Jerusalem had heard stories of Jesus’ teachings and miracles at this point and welcomed him as an honorable leader.
Palm Sunday is also known as Passion Sunday. Today’s Mass marked the beginning of Holy Week. We welcomed it as a moment of joy, reading about Jesus entering Jerusalem as a highly regarded leader but in the turn of events, we conclude the Liturgy of the Word with Jesus killed as a criminal, dead on the cross. This foreshadows our week to come.
Thursday, we remember the last supper when Jesus celebrates the Passover meal with his disciples in the upper room. He predicts events that will unfold throughout the next few days. He offers the bread and wine, noting that it’s his body and blood. In the midst of Jesus telling his friends that he will sacrifice himself for all of humanity, his dear friend and follower, Judas, turns Jesus over to the guards in exchange of thirty silver coins. He betrays his friend, mentor, Savior for his own worldly, monetary advancement.
Friday, Christians call “Good Friday.” As it’s the day we focus on the Passion of Christ, the steps recounted in the Stations of the Cross. Good Friday is a holy day. We do not have school that day because we are recounting the steps leading to Jesus’ death and his actual moment of death. There is extreme pain, suffering, neglect, denial. Then there is silence.
Holy Saturday we wait. Jesus lays in the tomb. Waiting after death, destruction, pain, waiting in darkness is something we all know too well. The darkest moment is before the dawn. Holy Saturday, we wait, we mourn. Yet as Christians, we are an “Easter people.” After the pain, suffering, neglect, denial, heavy silence, we mourn. We sit with what was, what is. We also know deep within our body, our souls, that there is something more, that life is more than meets the eye. We believe we are made of body and soul. We have faith that there will be a great Light. We believe that there will be a dawn. We have faith that Jesus will rise on Easter.
We wish you a blessed Holy Week.
St. Benedict's Feast Day
Tomorrow, March 22, 2021, we celebrate St. Benedict's Feast Day! Priory celebrates our beloved saint by welcoming the students back to campus this week! Throughout the week you'll see Benedictine reflections in the bulletin that invite and challenge us to dive a little deeper into what it means to live the Benedictine values. Today, we start the week with a Prayer of St. Benedict.
Heavenly Father,
In Your goodness grant me the intellect to comprehend You,
The perception to discern You,
And the reason to appreciate You.
In Your kindness endow me with the diligence to look for You,
The wisdom to discover You,
And the spirit to apprehend You.
In Your graciousness bestow on me a heart to contemplate You,
Ears to hear You,
Eyes to see You,
And a tongue to speak of You.
In Your mercy confer on me a conversation pleasing to You,
The patience to wait for You,
And the perseverance to long for You.
Amen.
Fourth Sunday of Lent
In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks us to bring our full selves to the light. Once we face the reality of what we have experienced or done, once we “bring it to the light” then we can figure out how to deal with it. Until we have laid all parts of ourselves and the experience out in the light, we have chosen darkness. We have chosen to bear our burdens on our own. That’s heavy, too heavy.
Whoever does not believe has already been condemned (John 3:18). When we do not trust that our harmful actions or experiences can be held in the light with unconditional love, redemption, and ultimately hope for new life beyond the experience, then we are stuck in darkness, paralyzed, blind until we have faith that the harmful things we have done can be forgiven by those who deeply love us and by God. Until we chose to believe that deep, unconditional love will prevail, we chose to live in darkness. We prefer darkness to light. We have already been condemned because we don’t believe our loved ones and God will respond in love and offer an opportunity to begin again.
There are two sides to this coin. Lately, the mass readings have emphasized the importance of forgiveness. We must forgive each other. This lesson rings loud and clear. It also reminds us that if we struggle to forgive others, we will probably also be held to that standard.
Bring everything, all you are, all you have done, out into the open. Offer all that has become too heavy to hide and too much to bear. It’s time to bring that into the light, to share it with loved ones and with God. Unconditional love is the type of love that understands we are all complex. We are human! When we take a step toward the light, God’s Grace will meet us there.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned...the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light...For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that their works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that their works may be clearly seen as done in God.
(John 3:18 - 21)
Third Sunday of Lent
Disrupt! While this is somewhat of a buzzword these days, Jesus was surely disruptive in his time, especially in one of today’s mass readings. Today, we read about Jesus entering a temple area that was used as a marketplace. Disruptive he was. He began flipping tables and scattering the coins of money-changers. People, sheep, and oxen dispersed. He urged, “Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace (John 2:13-25)!” I can imagine the scene. Confusion. Anger. Devastation. Business had been done that way for years. That was their daily routine, their livelihood. Who was this crazy man? What did he mean? He must have been mad. He just didn’t get it!
When met with a disruption in our way of doing things, it can be upsetting, frustrating, and we often dig our heels in the ground to keep things the way they have always been. It is more comfortable going about our business the same way than listening to a different point of view and opening to the possibility that we have something to learn. Change? Grow? We are doing just fine, thanks. When our tables are suddenly flipped, our coins scattered, and our community dispersed, all sorts of emotions emerge. Jesus continues to work in moments like these. Jesus continues to disrupt, even today, especially today.
Throughout the past year, traditional ways of doing things and traditional ways of seeing the world have been disrupted. Our economy, social structure, educational system, nearly every facet of life has been disrupted. In moments like these, it’s human nature to dig our heels into the ground and try to place the tables back where they were and welcome the livestock back into the temple, but maybe Jesus lives in this moment. Maybe we are called to stop, listen, and learn from what just happened and is still happening. Who are these people shaking up the norm? What do they mean? Are they mad? Maybe we are the ones that don’t get it.
Lord,
Help us to take time in thought and prayer. May we see ways that your Grace-Filled Light shines upon these toppled tables. Help us to ponder ways to reset our lives that will open pathways for a more just and equitable world where each person has an opportunity to grow in the Light and is surrounded by love.
Amen.
Second Sunday of Lent
Today, we see Jesus in a different light. Literally! Jesus’ friends Peter, John, and James hike to the top of a mountain. At the top, in a brief moment, the friends witness Jesus’ face shining like the sun and his clothing becomes “dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.” Not only is their friend standing illuminated at the top of the mountain, but he’s also seen conversing with prophets Elijah and Moses! Peter, John, and James are all said to have very different reactions to witnessing such a scene. Then, the clouds shifted and they heard the voice of God. And a moment later, everything was back to normal, and it was just the three friends and Jesus atop a mountain.
Now, it’s not often we literally hear the voice of God or witness a friend’s illumination, but today’s gospel reading (Mark 9:2-10) describes the Transfiguration of Jesus. “What does that mean to me today?” I ask after hearing the age-old story. The part that pops out to me today, is the imagery of friends hiking to the top of a mountain and seeing their friend in a different light. For a brief moment, they saw not only the physical world but for a brief moment, they encountered the spiritual world with their human senses.
Many people say they find their spirituality in nature. It is no wonder that Jesus spent forty days in the desert, St. Benedict lived in a cave for years, and that Jesus and their friends hiked to the top of a mountain in today’s gospel reading. In nature, we are able to separate bodies and minds from the hustle and bustle of the daily. In nature, we often ground ourselves, shift our perspective, and cultivate our relationship with God.
This is what Lent is about, preparing our minds, bodies, and hearts to recognize the Divine Light in the daily and to act upon it. Sometimes we must step away from routine, fast from habits that stand in the way of deep connections with God and others. When we do this, we are more likely to see people and situations in a different light, we may even witness the spiritual world. When we go out of our way to give our time and resources to those in need, we are also pushed to see our roles in this world differently. Maybe our purpose in life isn’t what we thought it was. Maybe there’s more to that person’s story than we saw at first. And throughout these experiences, we need prayer to help us accept the challenge to grow.
The Spirit is always present, it’s our responsibility to exercise our faith muscles as we do our bodies for athletics. It’s our responsibility to train our spirit muscles as we do our minds for academics. Throughout the Lenten season, we are challenged to focus on our faith-life so that we may recognize those mountaintop moments, the fleeting reminders that there is more than meets the eye, that God works in us through us and for us.
First Sunday of Lent
The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert,
and he remained in the desert for forty days,
tempted by Satan.
He was among wild beasts,
and the angels ministered to him.
(Mark 1:12 - 13)
This first Sunday in Lent, we are reminded that the Spirit is always with us and transformation is a process, an often challenging one. In the Gospel today, we read Mark’s account of Jesus’ time in the desert. It is very short, lacks detail but it is clear that Jesus was tempted and experienced difficulties with the dangerous animals of the desert. It is also clear that the Spirit drove Jesus to spend that time in the presence of the challenges and difficulties, living with them, sitting with them, being present to them, before deciding how to address them.
His strength, courage, and wisdom was not his alone, but came from the Spirit. In the desert, Jesus continually reminded himself of his purpose that this journey was not for his personal benefit and growth. He found meaning in the struggle because ultimately it cultivated his relationship with God and in turn prepared him for his public ministry. It ultimately prepared him to serve others and create a bit of heaven here on earth. “The Kingdom of God is at hand.”
Jesus began his public ministry upon his return from the desert. He healed the sick, welcomed the outcasts, spread the “Good News” or the Gospel that urged humans to love radically. His struggles with the wild beasts and his experience with Satan helped solidify his relationship with God and his purpose in this world. He was here to create a loving, just, equitable environment for all. He questioned societal norms and encouraged people to give up the “ways of the world” and clothe themselves in the Spirit. The Spirit offers us strength. The Spirit offers us courage. The Spirit offers us wisdom. The Spirit offers us hope.
Heavenly Father,
This first Sunday of Lent, we pray that the Spirit guides us throughout Lent, our time in the desert. We will be tempted. Help us to remember that the reason for this time of preparation is so that we may ultimately serve others and bring about the Kingdom of God here on this earth by loving all people radically. We pray for strength, courage, wisdom, and hope.
Amen.
Ash Wednesday
“You are dust and to dust you shall return.”
(Genesis 3:19)
How morbid? Yes, but what an opportunity? This phrase is often uttered by individuals distributing ashes on Ash Wednesday. This week we celebrate that blessed day that begins a season of renewal. We have an opportunity to remind ourselves that life is short.
This whole era of COVID has overwhelmed us with similar reminders. We have stripped our lives of perceived needs and whittled ourselves down to the basics. In this way, we have fasted. This has opened time and space to grow other parts of ourselves and focus time on that which is more important. There has been an unprecedented amount of giving. People have given their time, reached out to strangers, ran drives, cooked for neighbors, virtually connected with those sheltering-in-place alone and on and on. There has been an abundance of prayer in many forms. People have reached to God through their journals, artistic practices, meditation circles, and have even joined online faith communities. The past eleven months have been an opportunity to hand over the uncertainties, pain, sorrow, and heavy hearts to God. Religious and non-religious throughout the world have done so alone together.
Wednesday, is an opportunity to begin again. This time, on our own terms, with preparation and intention. This time, we begin our forty-day Lenten journey with a specific end in sight, Easter. Easter is the day when Jesus rises, when light overcomes darkness, when death turns to new life. That sounds really good right about now.
Now, before Wednesday arrives, we are invited to take time to prepare ourselves for the Season of Lent. This is one for which we have been primed. What are your intentions? How do you hope to prepare yourself for the dawning of a new day? How will you strive to strengthen your relationship with God and others? Will you fast from something that distracts you from a meaningful life? Will you give time or resources to someone or a group of people in need? Will you set aside time to pray, meditate, journal, create in order to deepen your relationship with God?
Oh, Siblings
Siblings have spent a lot of time together these last eleven months. Shelter-in-place can make families stir-crazy. Siblings naturally push each other’s buttons and force emotional and spiritual growth. Even sibling saints, St. Benedict and St. Scholastica struggled with each other at times. February 10th we celebrate St. Scholastica’s feast day. She and St. Benedict are sometimes referred to as “soul mates” as they were twins and both pursued spiritual life, founding monastic communities just five miles apart from each other. We know very little about St. Scholastica but the story that has been retold throughout the centuries is about her last meeting with St. Benedict.
It is said that each year St. Scholastica and her brother St. Benedict would leave their monastic communities to meet in a central location near Monte Cassino, Italy. The last year they met, they were sharing fruitful conversation and enjoying time together. As the day began to close, St. Benedict said they must part to return to their communities in time for evening prayer, as this was a strict rule within each community. St. Scholastica urged that they stay the night there and continue conversation in the morning. St. Benedict restated the necessity to follow the rule of the community. And again, St. Scholastica urged him to stay. As sometimes happens with siblings, they were set in their ways. St. Scholastica knew, in her soul, it was best that they stay together, so she bowed her head and began praying. At that moment, a storm filled the clear sky and rain began to pour. St. Benedict feared what would happen to them if they didn’t follow the rule of the monastery and asked for God to forgive his sister. They were unable to travel home that night. Instead, they enjoyed their evening together. It is said that three days later, St. Benedict was sitting in his room at his monastery, looking out the window and saw his sister’s soul ascend to heaven in the form of a dove. At that point, he knew their night together had been their last evening in human form.
At this point in our shelter-in-place year, special sibling time doesn’t sound so special as it did for St. Benedict and St. Scholastica in that moment. One of the great gifts of Benedictine life is that of contemplation. Contemplation when monks sit with the Word of God but also contemplation when they live in the presence of God in everyday life. We are challenged to find God in all things, see and hear God in all situations.
Monastic communities are made of many individuals who are called to live together as siblings. This isn’t always easy, yet each day, each moment, they are called to see God’s light within each other while still living the complexities of human nature and a chaotic world. Even St. Benedict and St. Scholastica struggled with this. St. Benedict chose the rules of the monastery that evening over the requests and needs of his sister and followed up by responding in frustration when she prayed for a storm.
Cultivating a contemplative life invites us to acknowledge the needs of our brothers and sisters, to truly hear them and see them. We are called to sacrifice our comforts and desires to care for others. In doing so, we grow emotionally and spiritually. Our siblings are souls that offer us opportunities to learn and become higher versions of ourselves. Contemplative life is about slowing down, looking at a brother or sister in a new light, maybe as a vulnerable child or as a blessed child of God. What are our brothers and sisters, chosen or given, teaching us? How can we grow in love, mercy, and compassion?
Lord, please grant us wisdom to see your light and your teachings in our brothers and sisters. Amen.
Benedictine Hospitality
January 30, 2021
Benedictines are well known for their hospitality. One would be hard-pressed to find a monastery without a guest house or a place that is reserved specifically for guests. Throughout history monasteries have served as safe places for travelers to seek refuge and where people in need could find food and shelter. Hospitality is a recurring theme in The Rule of St. Benedict. In the past, it was common for travelers or visitors to appear without warning and the monastic community had a specific welcoming procedure to receive the guests and “welcome them as Christ.”
The Rule of St. Benedict gives instructions for the role of the “Porter” or the monk who is given the room closest to the entrance of the monastery. Historically, that monk is the one who engages the world outside the monastery more than any other. Chapter 66 of the Rule says, “as soon as anyone knocks or a poor man hails him, let the Porter answer “Thanks be to God” or “A blessing!”
This week, David Lazo, Priory’s Admissions Director gave a chapel talk entitled “The Impression of Hello.” He is a Porter of sorts for our school. Oftentimes, the Admissions Office is the first encounter families have with the Priory community so it is fitting that Mr. Lazo spoke on Benedictine hospitality. He shared stories about first impressions, yearning to be part of a group and his struggle to develop confidence to reach out to others. Below he challenges us to create community.
“You are one of us.” The words we all want to hear. We all want to be a part of something greater than ourselves. Saying hello, accepting hands of friendships that may or may not work out. They are all the glue we need as individuals to have and give meaning to who we are....For me, this is why first impressions are exciting, why first impressions matter. Underneath an impression is a story of human connection. Whether it be long or short, these connections are vital to our survival as a school, a nation, and global community... As the light shines brighter for days post pandemic, I’d like us all to reflect on what we have taken for granted. The connections we have with each other have been given a new life. Reach out to someone new. Say “hello” or as we say in Danish, “hej”! Take every opportunity to forge a new connection and let go of the anxiety about the future. Some friendships will take years to cement, some will take immediately, and others won’t last. But, you will not know what it will take until you actually try. I think that is the muscle we’ve all allowed to wane, especially through social media. Yet here we have a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to find our true selves through each other.
Holy Creator,
We give thanks for the wisdom tradition on which our school community is founded and for the monks that have devoted their lives to the values. Help us practice welcoming each other. When someone surprises us with their presence, help us to respond like the Porter exclaiming, “A blessing!” Each person, each circumstance offers us an opportunity to encounter Christ and respond in love.
Amen.
Compassionate and Steady Engagement
January 23, 2021
As we close this historic week, we highlight Ms. Vanderpol’s words from Chapel. She shared profound and troubling questions posed by her daughters last summer then reflected on the moment. She wrote:
You see, they are all mixed-race Black, so they pay a lot of attention to what’s going on for Black folks in this country. They hear about it at Church, on the news, from friends at school, from their teachers, and in our circle of friends and family...When I was growing up in my White skin in my White world, I knew very little about racial violence in the US--I didn’t have to. I was sheltered from it...kept from the pain and anxiety that so many Black and Brown people live with on the daily.
The Black Lives Matter Movement has brought this to light for so many who have been sheltered from what privileged people could call an “undercurrent” of our country but for so many Americans it’s front and center and reality lived daily. Ms. Vanderpol goes on to acknowledge the situation now and offers wisdom and a way forward:
In the face of upheaval like we’re living in---a pandemic, a reckoning for racial justice, the fight for our Democracy...not to mention the griefs and losses we’re living in our close personal lives...in our Priory community this year we’ve lost family members, jobs, important traditions, rituals, and routines. It can all feel too overwhelming. What do we “DO” with all of this when it feels like too much? How do we live into the complexity of this moment?
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. offers some direction, here, in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” He is going to instruct us to engage these tensions. Hear his words again, “I am not afraid of the word “tension.” I have earnestly worked and preached against violent tension, but there is a type of constructive nonviolent tension that is necessary for growth.”
Dr. King was using the concept of “tension,” in regards to organizing principles. But he was also inviting us to consider a sort of “tension” as an emotional capacity- a way of proceeding. Living in tension means that we sit in instability...a sort of off-balance and shaky existence….Dr. King is urging for the spaciousness--the opportunity for deep wisdom that can come from a positive tension. We know that cognitive dissonance can lead to growth in a way that stagnancy or false security cannot…
Sometimes “engagement” means marching...or singing...or reading...or sleeping...or crying...engagement isn’t about 24-7 action, rather it’s a wave that goes out, but flows back in only when it has the undercurrent energy to do so. In this time of unprecedented exhaustion and emotional overload, we are invited to be committed, but gentle and responsive to our needs. This is what Dr. King was referring to when he talked about a life of justice as a marathon, not a sprint.
This compassionate and steady engagement builds trust and intimacy...St. Benedict was on Dr. King’s wavelength, here… I mean minus the cool Ray-Bans. The Rule of St. Benedict is basically a long invitation to stay in relationship with one another...grounded in love and hope...and to move forward living in community with all its frustration, disappointment, fear….but also its redemption and its joy.
Holy Creator,
We are grateful for this opportunity to live in community. Grant us strength and wisdom to hold healthy tension through compassionate and steady engagement. May we cultivate faith and devotion, as St. Benedict and Martin Luther King, Jr. God, lead us to redemption and ultimate joy.
Amen.
Say Something, Do Something
January 16, 2021
“Say something! Do something!” I pleaded with my brother to break the heavy silence that followed an intense sibling fight. That day I lost my cool with a brother I admired so deeply. We “got into it.” Then he let my sharp words hang in the air and we were stuck there in that moment. It was embarrassing and it hurt. I so desperately wanted to escape that place and time and felt he could have said or done anything to transport us and erase that moment, that pain. Looking back, I now know there’s nothing he could have said or done. There was no erasing.
During Priory’s Holding Loss in the Light ceremony this week, Fr. Matthew shared a talk highlighting cliches we often hear after someone dies. People are trained to “say something, do something” when we encounter a heavy situation. While it is comforting to know someone cares enough to say something, the words often fall short.
Paul’s letter to the Romans states, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption...(8:22-23).”
In moments of intense pain, faith struggle, and growth, we search for adoption. We search to be whole, loved, supported, comforted. This is a lifelong spiritual process unique to each individual. It’s understandable if someone doesn’t know exactly what to say or do because there may not be anything one can say or do in the moment. What’s most important about the cliches offered, meals delivered, cards shared, flowers presented, is that someone is showing their presence and accompanying a loved one.
When we are suffering, we wait eagerly for our adoption. Life doesn’t allow us to escape from loss and injustices but God invites us to accompany each other in our brokenness. We patiently hold space for the hurt, listen to the pain, honor the moment, remain present, and wait to be called to say or do something when the time is right.
Next week, we hold this country in our hearts. If we are at a loss of word or actions, we invite God to grant us courage to accompany each other in our brokenness, hold space for the hurt, honor the moment, remain present. We ask the Holy Spirit to guide our hearts in offering ourselves as friends, allies, brothers, and sisters to each other. In this way, we will be moved to speak and act when the moment is right.
School Prayer Following January 6th Events
God of Unity, Source of Love,
We live in a time of division. Sometimes it’s unclear which side is up, and what is true. Other times, we know in our hearts what is compassionate and just. In 2020, our world was rocked. Yesterday, our country was jarred. Today, we are a bit shaken.
Today, we are also reminded that we are part of a faith community founded on the idea that we are all created in God’s image. Today, we gather, not in the chapel but in Zoom classrooms. Today, our world becomes our chapel. We open the doors of our sacred space because the world so desperately needs that sacred space.
People in Jesus’ day believed that their Messiah would be a military leader, leading their people out of darkness. Instead, Jesus was a man who refused to lift a sword, inspired others through unconventional actions and radically loving words.
Many of us were in despair as we watched what happened in Washington DC. Yesterday, many who were afraid. The psalms say, “Do not be afraid, I am with you.”
God, you are the Way forward. Help us to remember the loving, non-violent ways Jesus responded to his adversaries. Give us the courage to let go of our deceitful desires — knowing that our ways are often destructive when we react out of rage. We are called to see the Image of God in others, everyone.
In this time of division, Lord, we are called to unity. In this time of division, Lord, we are called to respond the way Jesus did when faced with adversity. Help us to use our lives, our thoughts, our words, our actions, to work towards unity, justice, equity. Help us see your image in each person we meet, especially in those with whom we disagree. Help us to courageously respond in love.
You give us everything we need to love — to radically love in a way that the world will find perplexing. Let us love in such a way that confuses the world and its ways. May our radical love stop people in their tracks. In this way, help us to bring your peace and justice to this world.
Amen.
Benedictine Reflection: Second Sunday of Advent
December 20, 2020
Angels everywhere! Throughout Advent we’ve read many passages about angels appearing. What would that look or feel like today? Did each of these people actually see angels? Biblical angels appear in dreams, on mountain tops, in the privacy of one’s own home, everywhere it seems. Some people who see the angels feel an overwhelming sense of peace, presence, purpose. Some have a clear realization that there’s a specific path for them to follow. What does a visit from an angel look, sound, feel like today, in our world, in our own lives?
The Christmas story explains that shepherds were going about their business in the field, tending sheep when suddenly it became clear that they had a journey ahead. They suddenly understood what they needed to do. They were to venture toward that manger in Bethlehem. Mary was minding her own business in her room when the angel Gabriel appeared. The Gospel says she was full of Grace. What does that feel like? An overwhelming sense of peace, one would suspect. She suddenly had courage that was grounded in deep love. Today, what does it look and feel like to be visited by an angel, to be full of Grace, to just know that it’s time to embark upon a purposeful journey?
Today our minds are well trained in logic. We believe we can plot points on a path and set ourselves up for the life we envision. But, as 2020 has shown, life doesn’t always go as planned. There’s more to life than meets the eye. Challenges arise that cannot be solved by the mind alone, troubles of the heart, soul, spirit can only be satisfied when we have faith and let the Spirit to take the lead. This can be scary when we are used to being in control.
Good News! Our hearts are well-trained too. The heart can be unpredictable and sometimes calls us in a direction that doesn’t make sense. But only the heart can address problems of the heart. God speaks through our hearts, deeply within our souls. Sometimes we are struck with clarity of the heart, yet when we allow our minds to take hold, they shout “that’s crazy!”
The Gospel says Mary was full of Grace. What does that feel like? An overwhelming sense of peace, I suspect. The courage in her soul was one grounded in deep love. Here and now, what does it look and feel like to be visited by an angel, to be full of Grace, to just know that it’s time to embark upon a purposeful journey?
Have we prepared a way for the Lord? Have we actively trained ourselves to let the heart lead, to have faith that love will prevail? Today, we light the fourth Advent candle indicating that we are in final stages of preparation for the coming of Christ. Are we alert? If an angel visited us today, would we even know? Would we allow ourselves to feel an overwhelming sense of peace, see a clear path toward the Light? Would we have the courage to let the heart lead?
Holy Creator,
Life is difficult, confusing, painful, unexplainable in many ways. Help us to cultivate space for you within our hearts. May we develop a place to hear, see, feel you so that we will faithfully respond to your call and act in a way that brings Light to our world.
Amen.
Benedictine Reflection: Second Sunday of Advent
December 6, 2020
A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God."
- (Isaiah 40:3)
2020 has felt like a wilderness of sorts, one in which we could easily give up hope. At times our resources seem to be running dry. Complicated, tangled and twisted systems surround us. Invasive values have grown like tall weeds, blocking our view, making it difficult to see what a “highway for our God” may even look like. Yet, deep within each of us, there is still a “voice calling.”
Advent is a season to prepare the way of the Lord. Now it’s more important than ever. We each have a responsibility to listen to the unique way that voice calls each of us. Our experiences, personality types, passions, strengths, and talents are to be shared. They are gifts to us from the Creator so that we may use them to “make a highway for God.”
Prophets are often dismissed as naive, if not flat out crazy. People often think they are missing the point. But, what if we are the ones missing the point? Each of us is born with creativity and imagination. As we grow into the ways of the world, those moments are brushed aside by work and family responsibilities, resume development, and endless ways to climb the social ladder. Elders often prioritize time for creativity, imagination, and connection like they did throughout childhood. As they grow old, their path becomes more clear. Throughout the world and time, humans have revered their elders, people who grow wise in age. Maybe children have not yet forgotten God’s eternal wisdom and elders are beginning to remember. Maybe we alienate ourselves when we grow consumed with the world’s ways. Maybe those who seem naive aren’t the ones missing the point.
How are we preparing the way of the Lord this Advent season? Do we have the patience to sit with our yearning, to cultivate connection and creativity? Are we too busy constructing who we are and proving it to others? Advent is a time for us to be patient with the ways the Lord is working in us. It’s a time to trust and have faith. When we prepare the way of the Lord, our path will unfold as it should. In that way, we can live with integrity and be our true selves for the sake of the world. When we live, love, act from that place in our soul, we deeply connect with others and with God. We live inspired lives, ones that give the world reason to hope.
Benedictine Reflection: First Sunday of Advent
November 29, 2020
Today is the first day of Advent, a season of preparation. This Sunday’s Mass readings meet us where we are now and offer ways to prepare for Christmas, Jesus’ birth and life in this world.
“Why do you let us wander, O Lord, from your ways, and harden our hearts so that we fear you not (Isaiah 63:17)?” During Advent we return to our spirit of generosity: baking cookies for loved ones, volunteering with local non-profits, guarding family time, and so on. Then when January hits, we often “wander” away from these actions that bring heaven here on earth. We grow busy or indifferent to the other’s needs. This first Sunday in Advent, Isaiah is calling us back to the ways of the Lord, calling us back to the love, patience, generosity within our soul.
Today’s Responsorial Psalm walks us a step beyond simply noticing that we have wandered away and asks God for help. “Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face (Psalm 80).” Once we are aware that we have trailed off, we are called back to see the world through God’s loving, patient, generous eyes and seeing each person we meet as Christ. Throughout Advent, we are invited to see the world differently. Maybe there is something to those sappy Christmas films with the frosted lenses and loud yet joyful bells.
Mark’s Gospel today rings our bell a bit, “Jesus said to his disciples, “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come (13:33).” How fitting?! Wake up! This first Sunday of Advent, we are called to notice that we may have wandered away from the holiday spirit throughout this past year, so we ask God for help in seeing ways the Holy Spirit is present in our daily lives. Once we see that God is ever-present, that Christ was born into our word, we can then invite the Holy Wisdom to work in us, through us, and for us.
Priory wishes you a blessed Advent.
Benedictine Reflection: Dia de los Muertos
November 21, 2020
November is a month we remember those who have gone before us. This week in Chapel, the AP Spanish students and Mr. Mejia Torres led us through a Dia de los Muertos Celebration and that it was. Dia de los Muertos is a time to celebrate loved ones who have passed with story-telling, music, food, and dancing. It's rooted in ancient religious traditions of Mesoamerica’s indigenous population.
When sharing stories about those who have died, we bring them back to life. It also offers an opportunity to ponder ways those people have helped us feel alive. When we recall what we admire about them, what they valued, and how they made us feel. We share ways they influenced the world through their thoughts and actions. In this way we deepen the circle of life and strengthen the connection between generations. Their lives, experiences, and ways of being are a lesson in wisdom for us today.
Los Muertos remind us that life is fleeting as St. Benedict reminds us, “run while you have the light of life.” This time is also one to reflect on our own lives and influence in this world. How do we help others feel “alive”? How do our words, actions, way of being, embody our values? How will our connections with others live on? May we continue to honor the lives of our loved ones by deepening our connection with God and each other. We give thanks for them and we celebrate.
Founders Day
November 11, 2020
This week in Chapel we celebrated Founders Day. Fr. Maurus shared the story of how our seven founding monks arrived in 1956. That year they left St. Martin’s Archabbey in Hungary to escape the oppressive Soviet occupation and gathered in Portola Valley to start the Priory and school. They celebrated the first mass on November 11th, the Feast of St. Martin of Tours.
Sixty-four years later, our monks shared stories during our Zoom chapel service. Fr. Mathew followed Fr. Maurus, telling about St. Martin of Tours, a Roman soldier who used his sword to cut his own cape in half to give to a freezing beggar. St. Martin’s friends made fun of him, yet in a dream that night, he saw Jesus wearing only half a cape. And from that day forward, St. Martin of Tours devoted himself to God and others. Fr. Matthew emphasized that we are founded on love, God’s love for all, especially the least of our brothers and sisters.
Fr. Martin then tied the whole chapel together when talking about “unexpected bumps.” We often expect our lives to be one way and sometimes plan and work so that comes to fruition, yet God offers us unexpected bumps along the way. The bumps might be a surprise encounter with another person or witnessing an event or accidentally undertaking an experience. Each of these bumps change life’s direction in one way or another. God is at work.
Our founding monks didn’t think their country would be occupied and that they would have to flee, nor did they imagine they would found a Priory and school in the United States when they first joined the monastery in Hungary. St. Martin of Tours grew up in a military family, he didn’t foresee laying down his sword to serve the poor. Fr. Martin was born into a “blue collar” family in New Jersey and never thought he would spend most of his life as a monk at a school in Portola Valley, CA.
Here we are, almost ten months into a new unexpected normal. Who would have thought life as we knew it would come to a screeching halt? What other small unexpected bumps have we encountered in our lives? How have we worked with them? How have they changed direction? Where do we see God in our journey? How will these unexpected bumps give us courage, strength, skills, and faith to serve a world in need of our gifts?
Today we give thanks for those who founded Woodside Priory School and have devoted their lives to the community here. We are thankful for the monks, faculty, staff, alumni, alumni parents, and students who have made and continue to make Priory what it is today. We also call to mind the people who have influenced, challenged, and supported us to be who we are today. May God continue to work in us, through us, and for us. Amen.
All Saints Day
“The saints are not perfect models, but people through whom God has passed. We can compare them to Church windows which allow light to enter in different shades of color. The saints are our brothers and sisters who have welcomed the light of God in their heart and passed it on to the world, each according to his or her own ‘hue.’”
(Pope Francis, Angelus, November 1, 2017)
Catholics celebrate All Saints Day on November 1st. This week, Fr. Matthew invited us to see the saints as people with whom we can relate. They are people who struggled with the obstacles of humanity yet, as Pope Francis wrote, “have welcomed the light of God in their heart and passed it on to the world, each according to his or her own ‘hue.’”
During mass on Tuesday, Fr. Matthew highlighted the life of Carlo Acutis who was fifteen when he passed away. Pope Francis beautified Carlo a couple of weeks ago, meaning he is on the road to sainthood. This young man encountered the world as many of us do today, spending hours on the internet, yet he chose to use that screen time for good. As a middle-class boy in Milan, he donated his weekly earnings to beggars and those who slept outdoors.
There is a lot of negativity in the news these days. It’s difficult to stomach. The word “gospel” comes from a Greek term meaning “good news.” The Gospels tell stories about Jesus’ life. He chose the often difficult path. He raised up those society viewed as “lowly.” He invited the outcasts to eat with him at the table. He loved his enemies, seeing that they too were children of God. In this day and age, we need some good news. May we follow the stories of Jesus in the Gospels and have courage like the saints who chose to live in the light.
All Saints Day ushers in the month that we remember those who have gone before us. November 2020, we remember the good deeds and souls of loved ones who have passed. We recall the ways they offered their lives as beacons of light to each of us here on earth. This year we pray for the many who have lost their lives to COVID-19. We also remember those who have lost their lives to the pandemic of racism. Each of these individuals, in their own ‘hue’ has welcomed God’s light to shine in their hearts and have passed it on to the world.
This All Saints Day, we pray to become like the church windows, allowing God’s love to enter each of our hearts in different shades of color, so that we may pass it on to the world. May we find strength in the lives of the saints. Like Jesus, may we spread the “good news” through our thoughts, words, and actions.
Amen.
Awareflectness
This week, seventh grader Madeleine Schor delivered an insightful talk on how signs in our lives offer opportunities to recognize ways the Spirit moves so that we can then revise our thoughts and actions while renewing our perspectives. She inspires us to practice "awareflectness" a term she coined that combines awareness and reflection. After describing what she thought was a sign in her life, she shared:
This made me realize that these challenging times have allowed ALL of us, who were very busy before, to pause due to microscopically tiny organisms with tremendous amounts of power. As we have learned how to reorganize our lives into a new normal, each day often presents us with a new set of challenges. They bring us a reason to reflect. Every day is unique. There may be a stronger feeling of being “out of control” but each day holds many blessings in its heart - every single day. Even simple things in life, such as the sun rising, birds singing, a breeze of clean air, and unexpected visitors, enrich our lives. We are all lucky to be here, on Earth, in this wonderful community. We could call this type of change and rebirth - awareness and reflection - “awareflectness.”
Madeleine and her class practiced this on their retreat yesterday. As they trudged up Windy Hill through mysteriously contorted trees, following the seemingly endless path, it became clear that if they didn’t practice “awareflectness” they could miss the animals scurrying in the dense bushes, the birds chirping in the distance, the beating of their own hearts, or the grimacing faces of classmates in need of a little extra encouragement.. At the same time that they were learning to look closely, they climbed the dirt trail, gradually Priory’s campus looked smaller and smaller. “Awareflectness” is like this: a camera zooming in on the tiny details of space around and within, then zooming out to see an overview of the hills, land, day, life, situation. How is this all connected? What is the meaning? What do I value? What do I prioritize? How can I be and become the person I’m made to be? What is my role in all of this?
The freshman class also had an opportunity to practice “awareflectness” this week when they gathered for their annual class retreat. The theme “sustainable community” challenged them to think about their class as a garden that has been planted and now needs to be nurtured in a variety of ways so that it can grow healthy with strong relationships that will last through senior year and beyond. Retreat Leader Roshni Sangani delivered a talk entitled “Seasons of Life” explaining that we need both sunny and rainy seasons to grow into the best versions of ourselves. The change in seasons give us pause and encourage “awareflectness.”
Holy Creator,
Thank you for the signs you offer us on the path of life. Help us to practice “awareflectness” so that we may see you and hear ways we can grow in your image and likeness. Help us to cultivate a sustainable community so that we can ultimately serve a world in need of our gifts.
Amen.
Honoring St. Francis
October 10, 2020
This week we celebrated St. Francis and the Franciscan way. Tuesday, Hovey Clark, Sustainability Director and AP Environmental Science Teacher delivered a chapel talk entitled, “Everything I’ve learned about How to be a Good Guy, I Learned from My Dogs” and Wednesday Fr. Maurus blessed Priory pets. Below is the reading Roberto Jamin Garibay read in this week’s chapel service. It’s an excerpt from Pope Francis’ Laudato Si.
St. Francis helps us to see that an integral ecology calls for openness to categories which transcend the language of mathematics and biology, and take us to the heart of what it is to be human. Just as happens when we fall in love with someone, whenever he would gaze at the sun, the moon or the smallest of animals, he burst into song, drawing all other creatures into his praise. He communed with all creation, even preaching to the flowers, inviting them “to praise the Lord, just as if they were endowed with reason”. His response to the world around him was so much more than intellectual appreciation or economic calculus, for to him each and every creature was a sister united to him by bonds of affection. That is why he felt called to care for all that exists. His disciple Saint Bonaventure tells us that, “from a reflection on the primary source of all things, filled with even more abundant piety, he would call creatures, no matter how small, by the name of ‘brother’ or ‘sister’”. Such a conviction cannot be written off as naive romanticism, for it affects the choices which determine our behavior.
If we approach nature and the environment without this openness to awe and wonder, if we no longer speak the language of fraternity and beauty in our relationship with the world, our attitude will be that of masters, consumers, ruthless exploiters, unable to set limits on their immediate needs. By contrast, if we feel intimately united with all that exists, then sobriety and care will well up spontaneously...
What is more, Saint Francis, faithful to Scripture, invites us to see nature as a magnificent book in which God speaks to us and grants us a glimpse of his infinite beauty and goodness. “Through the greatness and the beauty of creatures one comes to know by analogy their maker” (Wis 13:5); indeed, “his eternal power and divinity have been made known through his works since the creation of the world” (Rom 1:20). For this reason, Francis asked that part of his communal garden always be left untouched, so that wild flowers and herbs could grow there, and those who saw them could raise their minds to God, the Creator of such beauty. Rather than a problem to be solved, the world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise.
May we strive to live like St. Francis and glorify God in our relationships with all creation.
Amen.
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
October 3, 2020
Thursday, the Catholic church celebrated Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. "What matters in life," she wrote, "is not great deeds, but great love." Saint Thérèse’s spirituality is about doing the ordinary, with extraordinary love. She saw herself as one little flower in God’s garden of many different and beautiful flowers. In her writings it’s clear that she struggled mentally and emotionally yet sought to serve others, to do something outside herself through quiet acts of love. She passed away at the young age of twenty-four.
Thérèse of Lisieux was so young yet had a huge impact on those around her. In time, people throughout the world and history revered her spiritual writings and faith. That is quite extraordinary for someone who was not trying to work in “great deeds” but instead through “great love.”
Today the world seems big, loud, and overpowering. It seems to be calling for “great deed” responses. I wonder what I can do. I am just one small person. If I try, will someone bulldoze my deeds? Will anyone hear me? Will they see me? In this way, I’m missing the point. It’s not about me. It’s about the Love that breathes through me. It’s not about my actions. It’s about the Grace with which they are done. It is then that the “acts of love” become “great deeds.”
In this overwhelming time, we ask Saint Thérèse of Lisieux to be with us as we offer ourselves through acts of love in our daily lives. May God work in us, through us, and for us, so that all the acts of love will become impactful. Today, we invite Love to spread throughout the world in small ways. May they mount into a wave of peace and justice so that Grace can prevail.
Backpacks
September 26, 2020
One thing I miss about in-person school is watching students, faculty, and staff gradually roll onto campus in the mornings. Some walk slowly with bedhead, others with a skip in their step and excited about the day. The one thing all students and teachers have in common is that we all arrive on campus with backpacks. All colors, sizes, shapes, weights. I often wonder what, specifically, is each person carrying?
We all know what a heavy pack feels like to some extent. What do life’s heavy moments feel like? Lonely? Isolating? Dark? Embarrassing? Sometimes we want to abandon what we once valued. Sometimes we spiral into negativity. Heavy is usually exhausting. These are moments of desolation. In spiritual terms, these are moments that often drive us away from God. When we are in a desolate place, we feel deserted. Desolate places are bleak, dismal, empty. They are heavy.
Throughout the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, God reveals himself time and time again, to people in the desert. When people of faith and hope are stranded in the desert, God shows a life-giving path, a way forward, a way to new life. Throughout the history of humanity, God has walked with people from desolation to consolation.
What does that feel like? Light, joyful, fun, energetic, motivating, purposeful. Our hearts feel lifted! We are able to see beyond ourselves and recognize what bonds us with others. We call these moments of consolation. In these moments, we feel God. We feel the Spirit. We feel more balanced. We are refreshed with our inner being, seeing that we are “made in the image and likeness of God.” We notice. We acknowledge. We see our blessings, beauty. We are filled with a sense of awe and wonder. We see where God is present, where the Spirit may be leading us. We see opportunity. In moments of consolation, we find new energy, new life.
God is present in both the moments of consolation and desolation. If we look back on the pivotal high and low moments of our lives, now we gaze back with perspective. When living in the moment, it’s often difficult to see beyond the very real feelings that emerge but now, looking back, we are often able to see meaning, purpose, and growth from each pivotal experience. How are we stronger? Wiser? Do we see God there? Can we look back with levity?
I believe God is in the moments of desolation and consolation. When I struggle to see God, I often tell him how I feel and ask for help. I seek companionship. I try to live with integrity, remember what I truly value. I try to remember the times of consolation. I often turn outward, asking for help and offering help too. In times of consolation, I’m often so overwhelmed by joy and goodness that I forget to act in those moments too. Again, in those times, it’s important that I tell God how I feel and give thanks. I try to store those moments in my memory, the sights, sounds, tastes, smells, feelings, so that I can recall them in moments of desolation. I also use this burst of life-giving energy and direction to take action. It’s the moment to make life, community, the world, a bit better.
Today, I give thanks for each of you Priory People. I give thanks for our monks, faculty, staff, parents, and students. May we hold space for our moments of consolation and desolation. God is here to help us carry our backpacks. We are here to help carry each other's backpacks. Let us lighten your load. Let God lighten your load.
Molly Buccola delivered this talk on the Sophomore Retreat this week.
Embrace Embarrassment
September 19, 2020
English teacher Charlie Dorf delivered this week’s chapel talk entitled, “Embracing Embarrassment.” While reflecting on his cringe-worthy moments, Mr. Dorf shifted perspective and transformed the memories to one’s of human connection. Mr. Dorf wrote:
Try to pierce through the noise and rest in your beautiful, imperfect humanity, and I have little doubt you will find an opportunity to connect with those around you. This works the other way around as well - if someone trips and falls (literally or figuratively), don’t slip into the “better you than me” mindset. It’s harder than you’d think - society often encourages us to highlight the embarrassment of others as a way of deflecting from our own. This is dehumanizing, since by laughing at the embarrassment of others, you deny both their humanity and your own. Try to remember that you, too, have been embarrassed, and then perhaps both of you can rest comfortably, together, in your beautiful imperfections. You can both, for a moment, be human.
Sometimes our pain, suffering, embarrassment feels so unique, so lonely, so frightening. The mind narrows to tunnel vision and the body enters fight-or-flight mode. These moments are part of every human life. Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM writes, “When we can trust that God is in the suffering, our wounds become sacred wounds and the actual and ordinary life journey becomes itself the godly journey.”
Holy Creator,
We search for you in our moments of fear, pain, suffering, embarrassment. Help us to remember that each person endures suffering in one way or another. May we work to connect and take the moment to be human, together. As humans, we can empathize with others, listen, and seek to understand but only God can truly know the pain, suffering, embarrassment that one endures. We invite the Spirit to accompany us on our godly journey as we work to nurse our sacred wounds, together.
Amen.
Keep the Priory Love Going
In Chapel this week, a series of students shared what they love about Priory and how they plan to continue that in this new paradigm. Vikram Raghav, William Day, Josh Oh, Ronan Byrne, and Freya Allen spoke about aspects of community, individuality, opportunity, and school spirit. Below, seventh grader Vikram Raghav offers scenes from the beginning of last school year, up to today.
When I first visited priory, one of the things I noticed was that there was a very strong sense of the community. That was one of the things that drew me into the school, and helped me form connections and make new friendships. When people saw each other on campus, they always stopped to say hello, whether it was a teacher or a student...When the deadly virus called Covid-19 started infecting many people in America, Priory had no choice but to transition classes into a zoom environment. This digital environment, however, was not as welcoming as the one on campus. If you did not have a class with a certain person, it might be that you could only see them a few more times for the remainder of the year…This year Priory is providing a new path through the digital classes, new virtual hallways, clubs, sports and enrichment. I personally am looking forward to sports this week. And while I’m apprehensive about trying new sports, my apprehension is shaded by my desire to get back to more community and the warmth of in-person interactions. I also am considering joining a club and checking out enrichment offerings. It is not always easy for us to put ourselves in new situations, but I am hoping to do my part and get back some of that Priory community that I have been missing.
In the midst of this uncertainty, COVID-19 threats, wildfire destruction, poor air quality, plunging economy, this wise young man reminds us that we do have each other. Priory is founded on the idea that “we find strength and purpose in supporting one another.” William Day’s story explained that we offer words of encouragement. Josh Oh explained that we find our strengths and talents and use those to contribute the whole. Ronan said that our school spirit is what makes our school unique. Freya said we need to make the most of what we have now.
Today, even if we are separated physically, it’s important that we reach out to each other in ways that ARE possible. May the Holy Spirit grant us strength, creativity, and hope to step up to this challenge. Amen.
The Journey
Priory Alumnus and Residential Faculty Member Maia Thielen offered a chapel talk this week about life’s unexpected twists and turns and her journey back to Priory after a decade. She concluded her talk with the following reflection on what Priory means to her today and offers wisdom on how to weather what sometimes feels like an imperfect journey.
This is a good place. It is a place where you can develop the framework of your best self. It is a place where your achievements will be celebrated, but not at the expense of your most meaningful qualities and gifts as a human being. It is a place that nurtures you, and a place I did not hesitate to return to in my quest to rediscover my best self and reconnect with such a wonderful community.
My cyclic journey is imperfect and incomplete, like life itself. The path of life is not composed of straight, manicured pavement, but of spiraling coils—much like the labyrinth behind the chapel—sometimes so overgrown we can’t see them, but must learn to trust that they’re there...it revealed that the most valuable way we can spend that precious time is connecting creatively, authentically, and vulnerably with others, and that is why I am so happy to have found my way home.
We give thanks for each student, family, faculty, and staff member who have found Priory. It has been blessed by many people on life’s journey. May Priory always serve as a safe space, a blessed place, a monastery of the heart, a home. Amen.
Channels of Grace in This Time
This past week, Priory’s Retreat Team virtually gathered for their two-day Formation Retreat focused on the theme “Channels of Grace in This Time.” We pondered human nature, our need for control and focus on the ego and how that can be detrimental to a community and to others. We reflected on the nature of Grace and her ever-presence, swirling throughout our lives in every circumstance. And we celebrated the transformational power of Grace.
Fr. Matthew and Theology Teacher/Campus Minister Ms. Bo Kim explained that “Grace has a Face.” Jesus was a man of prayer, constantly yearning for connection with God. He was also a revolutionary in his time, questioning social structures, searching for ways to connect with individuals who were cast out. He was a man of peace while working toward justice. He also endured large amounts of rejection, pain, suffering and ultimately death. As a Christian people, we believe love will prevail. After Jesus’ intense suffering and death, he was raised to new life in the Spirit. The Spirit moves beyond the tangible. In this way, we seek Grace in our daily lives to inspire our work.
Fr. Martin’s closing homily offered stories about his time with the inmates at San Quentin and ways the “men in blue” sought to connect with and forgive one another, even after intense, deeply ingrained divisions. He quoted the well-known song “Amazing Grace” and told the story about its author John Newton who was a slave trader then opened his eyes to Grace and converted and stopped his horrific involvement in such practices.
What does the relationship between human nature and Grace mean for us in these times? We are all very different people created with great potential. We are co-creators with God. We do all we can then ask for Grace to bring our work to fruition. When we “listen with the ear of our heart” and are open to ways the Spirit moves, we may see that we have participated in oppression or maybe bought into an urge to control or stroke our own egos, yet Grace is ever-present and if we have the courage to see Grace even in uncertainty, division, destruction, pain, suffering, we have the opportunity to see new life in ways we may never have imagined.
Always We Begin Again
St. Benedict suggests that all things of importance should begin in prayer. As humans, we do all the work we can, then ask God to work in us, through us, and for us. This morning, we began an important school year with our Orientation Chapel service. All of our students, faculty, and staff members gathered over Zoom. Head of School Patrick Ruff described the term “thin place” where heaven and earth meet. These are moments where we can feel the Spirit at work, where the eternal and finite gather. Priory is this sort of space. The actual campus can feel that way at times, but so can relationships and experiences with our community. Mr. Ruff offered this year as an opportunity to live “ordinary life, extraordinarily well.”
Fr. Martin then explained the history of our class candle tradition and that the candles are sacred because on retreats each year, every student holds the candle and offers their thoughts, prayers, and hopes for the class. The class candles are present during each chapel service to represent the sacred nature of our time together.
During this morning’s Orientation Chapel a representative from each class read an intention and the monks then blessed the class and lit their class candle. Below are the intentions for this year. In this way we pray for our community and the school year ahead. May we acknowledge the thin places and live ordinary lives extraordinarily well.
Otu - We light the 6th Grade candle for our efforts to bring love where there is hatred. We light the 6th Grade candle.
Vikram - We light the 7th Grade candle to remind us that God works in us, through us, and for us. We light the 7th Grade candle.
Maddie - We light the 8th Grade candle for our efforts to bring peace to the world. We light the 8th Grade candle.
Kayla - We light the Freshman candle for our efforts to find strength and purpose in supporting one another. We light the Freshman candle.
Freya - We light the Sophomore candle for our efforts to appreciate each individual’s unique gifts and talents. We light the Sophomore candle.
Kevin - We light the Junior candle for our efforts to welcome everyone with honor and respect. We light the Junior candle.
Josh - We light the Senior candle for our efforts to act with honesty toward ourselves and others. We light the Senior candle.
Reed Sullivan - We light the Faculty and Staff candle for our efforts to bring hope where there is despair. We light the Faculty and Staff candle.
Feast Day Reflection 2020
Today, we celebrate St. Benedict’s Feast Day! We are grateful for the ways our monks and the monastic tradition have blessed our school and world throughout history. Today, Bishop Barron invites us to celebrate by streaming St. Benedict: The Monk, a film that uncovers the incredible life of St. Benedict, the “cave-dwelling kid” who changed the course of Western Civilization.
When listening to the news, we may not feel celebratory but Benedictines have lived through trying times and offer a sense of perspective. St. Benedict was born right after the fall of the Roman Empire, during a time of danger, injustice, mass migration, political instability, the rich were growing richer and the poor, poorer. It was a time of uncertainty. In that time, he formed communities that became places of refuge throughout the Middle Ages or the “Dark Ages” (5th - 15th centuries). St. Benedict challenges individuals to shift their focus inward and cultivate spiritual practices of peace, hope, and faith.
The Latin term “Ora et Labora” means “prayer and work” and describes the daily routine of the monks. They see work as a form of prayer because their work is purposeful. They stop as a community of diverse individuals to pray throughout the day, as a reminder of why they do the work they do, to serve God and others. They pray the psalms which express the large range of human emotions from anger, despair, desire, sorrow, abandonment, affliction, fear to awe, joy, justice, pleasure, peace, all of which arise in our daily 2020 lives.
St. Benedict writes at length about the value of humility and offers that each monastery is a “school in the Lord’s service.” A school isn’t a place of perfection, instead a place of learning, a place where we work and pray together, reminding ourselves throughout the day of the ultimate purpose of our work, humbly acknowledging that we may not have all the answers, but humbly working together to see everyone as Christ and to foster a sense of faith and hope.
Today, we pray for peace. May we cultivate spiritual practices of faith and hope so that we humbly see each and every person as Christ, striving for a just world. Today we give thanks for our Benedictine tradition. Happy Feast Day!
Palm Sunday
By Molly Buccola
Today, Palm Sunday, we remember when Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time, riding on a donkey which was not the flashiest form of transportation in his day. He humbly processed into town, but people, masses of people, began placing palm branches on the road in front of him. Palm branches signified goodness and victory. People from all around heard of his life, teachings, miracles, and this was their way of honoring him. Throughout this week, we recall the last week of Jesus’ life, Holy Week.
“Each day of Holy Week ushers us more deeply into the way in which Jesus models servanthood: as a mediator of justice, a faithful light of hope, a true disciple of God, and a suffering Redeemer. Such selfless service can only lead to glory!”
- Gregory Polan, Abbot Primate of the World Benedictine Confederation
As a “mediator of justice” Jesus did not judge, instead he asked that the first without sin, be the first to throw a stone. This implies that we all have our own downfalls and our moments of weakness. Who are we to judge? As a “mediator of justice” he ate with tax collectors, slaves, prostitutes, and those considered the untouchables in society. He called the outcasts to be his disciples, his close friends.
Jesus was a “faithful light of hope,” not just for the religious, but for the gentiles too, for all people who had faith and hope in God’s goodness and light, in a world of peace and justice.
In this way, Jesus was a true disciple of God.
As a human, Jesus suffered. He was condemned, judged, beaten, not only by society, but by his closest friends too. We are all multifaceted people. “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41).”
As a servant of God and man, Jesus not only suffered but was redeemed. The story doesn’t end with Good Friday, with Jesus’ condemnation and death. We are blessed with Easter, the center of Christian faith! Martin Luther King Junior writes, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.” Jesus is a servant and ultimately a redeemer.
“Such selfless service can only lead to Glory.”
Holy Creator,
Throughout this Holy Week, help us to see you as our light and hope. Grant us the faith and strength to selflessly serve each other, to bring your Glory to this world. In our moments of condemnation, suffering, judgement, grant us courage to rise above, to see your presence in our own hearts and to still give light to others. Help us to follow Jesus’ example in becoming mediators of justice, faithfuls of light and hope, and true disciples of God.
Amen.
Ash Wednesday
By Molly Buccola
Birth and death jolt us back to the essence of our being. We shift our priorities to honor that which we see as most important. We are called back into relationship with each other, becoming more selfless and generous with our time and possessions. We are nudged to ponder our own being, purpose, connection, and to look for ways to be true to our deepest selves on the daily.
Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of the Lenten Season! Fr. Matthew reminded us that our time on earth is short. We are all given strengths and talents. We develop these through practice and often work as teams to do so. He paralleled the season of Lent to a season of robotics, drama, choir, or sports. Throughout the season, we focus, practice, and ultimately work together to become better versions of ourselves in that way. For the next forty days, we will honor this spiritual season. Christians often strive to be more like Jesus in this season by connecting with God through some form of prayer. We also strive to live in solidarity with others by seeking to live more simply. We fast from things that distract us from serving God and others. And we give alms by striving to be generous with our time and resources.
Today, on Ash Wednesday, we are called to shift our priorities to honor that which we see as most important. When receiving ashes on the forehead many hear the words, “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.” This is a reminder that we are all human. We are born and will die. This season of Lent invites us into a deeper relationship with each other, becoming selfless, and generous with our time and possessions. It reminds us of birth and death and that time is of the essence. Throughout Lent, we are called to make time to connect with God, ponder our own being, purpose, connection, and to look for ways to be true to our deepest selves. We have an opportunity to see ourselves as dust, detaching from the ego’s desires, so that we may grow closer to God and each other.
Priory wishes you a blessed Lenten Season!
Advent Reflection: Week Three
By Molly Buccola
The Advent wreath’s joyful, rose-colored candle illuminates our lives this week! We rejoice and celebrate God’s unconditional love when lighting this significant candle that reminds us of our deep peace and joy that resides in our hearts. Deep in each individual’s grace-filled soul is where our true joy resides. No one can rob us of this deep joy that celebrates our unbreakable connection with God’s unconditional love.
Theologian Henri Nouwen describes the difference between joy and happiness, “While happiness is dependent on external conditions, joy is "the experience of knowing that you are unconditionally loved and that nothing – sickness, failure, emotional distress, oppression, war, or even death - can take that love away." Happiness comes and goes, but joy is a steady center that lives deep within.
Many of us have encountered obvious moments of unconditional love. Maybe the first time a mother meets her baby or being in the presence of a loved one just before they pass away or after overcoming a great trial with a family member. Sometimes we are on the receiving end of this type of love and only begin to understand it after we deeply disappoint someone then realize that we are still loved. Or maybe we are givers of this type of love, forgiving others even after enduring pain. We are unconditionally loved in all our brokenness because we are human. We are blessed. And this is what we celebrate this week. What a joy to be unconditionally loved. What a joy to honor that unconditional love and share it with others. For that, we light the rose-colored candle on the Advent wreath.
Next week, we celebrate Christmas. We celebrate the beautiful, blessed baby that entered our world in all its brokenness and potential.
Advent Reflection: Week Two
By Molly Buccola
Yesterday, Priory students, faculty, and staff celebrated Advent Mass. While delivering the homily, Fr. Matthew paraphrased Paul Harvey’s Parable of the Man and the Birds as a way to explain why Christmas is a time of celebration. In the midst of holiday chaos, it is easy to forget the foundation of the season. God becoming human, to offer guidance and companionship and serve as an example of how to bring peace, hope, and love to the world. Throughout this season, we celebrate Jesus who showed us how to welcome outcasts, feed hungry people, care for the sick, and visit the imprisoned. He taught us to shine light in the darkness, offer hope in times of despair and to love in the face of hatred. In this way, Jesus taught that the Kingdom of Heaven is now and we can be co-creators in that process here. Isn’t that something to celebrate?!?
Often people forget the meaning behind annual traditions and ubiquitous Christmas symbols. Moments of stillness, awe, and appreciation help us to remember that Christmas lights represent God’s goodness and guidance. The manger serves as a symbol of hospitality to those on a difficult journey. The Santa story commemorates a traveling monk who gave away his inheritance to help poor and sick children. All of these symbols remind us of Jesus’ message to work to bring the Kingdom of Heaven here and now through faith, hope, and love. Isn’t that something to celebrate?!?
During this Advent Season, we wish you moments of stillness, awe, and appreciation.
May they create joy in your heart and in your home.
Advent Reflection: Week One
By Molly Buccola
Brothers and sisters: You know the time; it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand. Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light…
(Romans 13:11-12)
Our days are so short in December! Many depart from home before the sun rises and return home after the sun sets. As we toil, checking off to-do lists, and running errands, we often do so asleep, in the darkness. In our busyness, it’s easy to focus on the task at hand, without honoring its roll in life’s bigger picture. How do our errands invite a sense of connection with others? How do our tasks invite God’s grace to work through us? Are we working with a sense of purpose, gentleness, love?
Advent is a time to wake up! Throughout this season, we prepare for the new year in our church. We prepare for Jesus’ birth. It is an opportunity to “throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” If we forget to stop, listen, pray, and acknowledge God’s goodness in our lives, we often walk in darkness and become overwhelmed by worldly tasks, worldly priorities, worldly ways.
Life in darkness is discouraging.
Throughout this Advent season, let us arm ourselves with the light! May we use our waking hours to spread the light in these dark days of December. Help us to stop and listen for ways God moves in our hearts and to see our tasks as opportunities to serve each other so that we become instruments of God’s peace, love, and hope.
Happy All Saints’ Day!
By Molly Buccola
Today, Catholics throughout the world remember all those who have inspired them to walk a graceful path. During Priory’s All Saints’ Day Mass this week, Fr. Matthew shared a bit about the history of Halloween. The word itself means “the eve of the holy.” Throughout the world people recognize loved ones who have passed away, each blessing our lives in different ways. Some place flowers on graves, others view old photos, or tell stories.
Another way to celebrate All Saints’ Day is to call to mind people who have accompanied us throughout our lives and inspired us to grow into people who live in peace and stand for justice. Today, tell them such. A short note or conversation about why they are saints to you is an easy way to offer gratitude and spread the Light.
Happy All Saints’ Day!
Benedictine Community: One Body, Many Parts
By Molly Buccola
This week, we remember Priory’s alumnus, teacher, colleague, mentor, and friend George Schnurle who recently passed. Tuesday’s memorial service swirled with stories about George’s interactions. He was a deep listener who used this skill to support others and offer specific words of encouragement, guidance, and appreciation. He was the man behind a flourishing “student-run” robotics program. He quietly served each individual, empowering them to grow and contribute their unique gifts to the community. He believed in each student and had faith in their potential to shine.
Fr. Martin launched this school year with his Mass of the Holy Spirit homily highlighting a reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans (12:3-13). He explained that we are one beloved community and each has unique strengths and talents to contribute to the whole. As a body, the ear is the only one who can hear and the eyes, see. Each of us are born with unique strengths, talents, perspectives, that are necessary for the community to thrive. George’s work with the Robotics Team was a prime example of this.
Last week, the Retreat Team’s Formation Retreat focused on the theme “Striving to Serve.” Fr. Matthew, Fr. Martin, and Molly Buccola highlighted St. Benedict’s many suggestions for fostering relationships with the self, community, and God. The Abbot, head of the monastic community, is called to “serve a variety of temperaments, coaxing, reproving and encouraging them as appropriate (RB 2)” and to “be of service, rather than to be served (RB 64).” Ultimately, a Benedictine leader is called to listen deeply to each individual so that the leader can appropriately encourage, support, and challenge every member of the community. Priory faculty, staff, and students aim to serve each other this way daily.
As we embark on a new school year, we ask for God’s help in finding strength and purpose while supporting one another. May the Spirit work in us, through us, and for us in our efforts to serve a world in need of our gifts.
"Always We Begin Again"
By Molly Buccola
The best part of school is the students! Welcome back students! Today, we celebrated the first day of school with our traditional Orientation Chapel. Fr. Martin reminded us why each class candle is so important. Every person in the class holds the candle and offers thoughtful words and gratitude to their classmates on each retreat. The candle is sacred because of each student's voice and perspective and because it is only lit when the whole class is present.
We launched the school year with prayers from each class, while lighting the candles.
Below are our prayers:
6th (Charlie and Emilia)
We light the 6th Grade candle for our efforts to bring love where there is hatred.
We light the 6th Grade candle.
7th (Simon and Morgan)
We light the 7th Grade candle to remind us that God works in us, through us, and for us.
We light the 7th Grade candle.
8th (William and Jordan)
We light the 8th Grade candle for our efforts to bring peace to the world.
We light the 8th Grade candle.
9th (Will and Clarissa)
We light the Freshman candle for our efforts to find strength and purpose in supporting one another. We light the Freshman candle.
10th (Maggie and Lucille)
We light the Sophomore candle for our efforts to appreciate each individual’s unique gifts and talents. We light the Sophomore candle.
11th (Josh and Sam)
We light the Junior candle for our efforts to welcome everyone with honor and respect.
We light the Junior candle.
12th (Genaro and Jake)
We light the Senior candle for our efforts to act with honesty toward ourselves and others.
We light the Senior candle.
Faculty and Staff (Rolando and Molly)
We light the Faculty and Staff candle for our efforts to bring hope where there is despair.
We light the Faculty and Staff candle.
Holy Week
By Molly Buccola
Holy Week! Why is it so holy? This whole week Christians throughout the world read about Jesus’ last moments on earth. Brutal. We hear about destructive betrayal, dishonest denial, egotistical bickering, peer pressure, and even a compromising sell out. The stories are difficult to bear because we can feel it. We all witness darkness in our world, even in ourselves.
That doesn't sound holy at all.
Humans are created with both grace and free will. We all make choices every day. Some out of fear and self-service. Others out of love and generosity.
This week in church, we hear that selfish choices guided by fear cause pain and destruction. One of Jesus’ closest friends betrays Him in return for money. In fear, another of Jesus’ closest friends denies even knowing him. The man who condemned Jesus believed he was innocent but the crowds chanted so loudly that he sent Jesus to crucifixion. The horror draws on.
What’s so holy?
Two weeks ago, Priory honored the last days of Jesus’ life with the Stations of the Cross Chapel. Student reflections highlighted parallels between each station and today’s world. It was a ceremony that named social injustice. It also offered hope, calling people to stand for radical love. We are all created with grace and free will. Jesus calls us use our free will to act out of love and generosity.
This week, we prepare ourselves for the end of Lent. We prepare ourselves for a new way of being. We prepare ourselves for new life, a life where we choose generosity over selfishness, love over fear. Jesus’ life and resurrection shows that love conquers all and that we have daily opportunities to turn away from hate and fear so that we may create a Kingdom of God here on earth, one of hope and love. Jesus faced darkness in the last days of his life with radical generosity, unconditional love, empathetic understanding, patient listening, and faithful integrity.
Now that’s holy!
Benedictine Schools Week Reflection
By Molly Buccola
“Therefore we wish to establish a school for the Lord’s service.”
(Prologue of the Rule of St. Benedict)
St. Benedict begins his Rule with the purpose of monastic life. He wishes to establish a school for his monks. Monasticism is about disciples spending their lives in community learning from the Master, the Ultimate Teacher, Jesus. The One who contemplated broken parts of society and broken parts of each individual. The One who spent time in service of social outcasts. The One who spent time in prayer. The One who lived a life of discipline. He was a disciple, a Student of God. St. Benedict’s Rule calls us to “listen with the ear of the heart” to the broken parts of society, others, and ourselves. We are called to be lifelong learners, continuously striving to better ourselves and this world through selfless prayer and action.
This year, Priory celebrates Benedictine Schools Week and St. Benedict’s Feast Day (March 21st) with service week. As a “school in the Lord’s service” we stepped out of the daily routine to pay special attention to those in the Bay Area who are struggling with health, hunger, schooling, houselessness, and more. When we “listened with the ear of the heart” to those in need, we acted as students of this life. We learned from each person we served this week. Each person had a story of brokenness. We too are broken in some ways. So as disciples, as students of God, we continuously strive to meet needs, offer peace, and work for a more socially just world. As students of God, we pray for strength and courage to attend to the broken parts of ourselves so that we may become vessels of God’s peace, love, compassion, and joy.
Ash Wednesday Reflection
By Molly Buccola
Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
(2 Corinthians 4:16-18)
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. It is an opportunity for us to remember that life on this earth is short. That our bodies and minds will waste away. We are dust and to dust we shall return (Genesis 3:19). Lent also reminds us that we are much more than our bodies and our minds. Our spirits of peace, hope, and love will triumph. Jesus’ resurrection reminds us that our bodies will die and our spirits will live.
Throughout Lent, people often try to live simply and with self-discipline reminding themselves “that things that are seen are transient and things that are unseen are eternal.” Relationships with God, others, and our true selves are worth cultivating. They are of the Spirit. They are worth our time and attention. How do we find that in our overpacked daily routine? This season asks us to prioritize, to give up unhealthy or selfish habits. There we can find time and space.
Let us take this opportunity to envision our unique ideal selves. May we commit to taking small steps to embody that grace-filled person. While closing the Chapel service yesterday, Fr. Martin reminded us that we are called to be God’s eyes, ears, and hands in service of others.
Holy Creator,
Throughout this Lenten Season,
we seek to honor ways you move in our lives as the “unseen and eternal.”
May we invite this opportunity to joyfully discard selfish, unhealthy ways
and become better versions of ourselves.
Amen.
“Before I Formed You, I Knew You”
By Molly Buccola
The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
“Alas, Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”
But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’
(Jeremiah 1:4-7)
This Sunday’s reading echos a conversation that resides in each human heart. At the core of our being resides a soul, deeply loved, and whole. When in connection with that peaceful presence, when aligned with that space within, clarity forms.
We are all prophets of our truth. We are vessels for something greater than ourselves. How do we know our truth? Our path?
We create space for silence through setting aside (and guarding) regular periods of undistracted and undirected time. A waste? It may seem so to our task-driven and productivity-gaged world. But what is beyond that? What’s the ultimate point of those tasks? Lack of the soul’s clarity is exhausting, empty, dangerous. The hamster wheel will keep spinning unless each of us, as individuals, make a conscious decision to create sacred space for silence and guard the undistracted and undirected time.
Once we quiet the chatter, we sit in the presence of the Prince of Peace and the unique blessed soul. For what am I made? What is my path? What can I uniquely offer to this world that is often ruled by reactive egos rather than graceful souls?
“Before you were formed, I knew you…” For what am I formed? Do I feel God’s nudge?
A first response to God’s nudge is often one of doubt. Who am I to devote my life to this? Who am I to do this? Really? Right now? In the midst of all I have going on? The ego is quick to create excuses for the soul’s nudges because these are often not of this world. They don’t abide by the same rules and priorities.
Jeremiah tells God, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” God called his bluff. God calls our bluff. We are more capable than we could ever imagine. When we open ourselves to listen deeply, we find clarity. We feel God’s nudge. In this way, we become vessels for something greater than ourselves. Our soul’s clarity begins to see the ultimate point of our daily tasks. We prioritize. We open our minds, hearts, relationships, and ultimately schedules to offer our broken world a bit of God’s graceful love.
Ordinary Time
By Molly Buccola
This week, the Catholic Church begins a new season, Ordinary Time. Yes, no drum roll necessary for a title like Ordinary Time. But the Church actually does have quite the drum roll leading to this Ordinary Time, the whole Advent Season, which includes, and is not limited to, Mary’s Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Christmas, Epiphany, and Jesus’ Baptism. Boom! That season is no Ordinary Time. How else could you follow a season like that? The season we began yesterday is named appropriately, Ordinary Season.
Ordinary Season marks the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. In today’s readings, Jesus begins calling His disciples and close friends. He calls them by name and inspires them to follow His teachings. This is no easy feat. The disciples are asked to upset the status quo, overstep social norms, and even disregard unjustified rules, by unabashedly acting out of graceful love. While living in community, Jesus’ friends were to direct these actions especially to those looked down upon by society, those considered a burden, and those whose way of life made others feel uncomfortable or even disgusted. During Jesus’ ministry, He upset the status quo. The world would never be the same as it was before his Coming. His ministry was no ordinary time, yet, here we are in Ordinary Time.
Sister Joan Chittister suggests that the way St. Benedict chose to follow Jesus is now a “...healing presence that is carried beyond the monastery walls and into homes, and offices, and schools, and marketplaces, and prisons. Everywhere people are learning to live an ordinary life, extraordinarily well.” How are we called during this Ordinary Time to live our ordinary lives extraordinarily well? How can we treat each other with a new level of graceful love?
Holy Creator,
In this Ordinary Time, may I listen for my call as a disciple to follow my heart that is centered on You. Grant us faith, courage, patience, and unconditional love to live extraordinarily well.
Amen.
Third Week of Advent
By Molly Buccola
Why the pink candle on the Advent wreath? Joy! The third week of Advent is one of joy! Our time of Advent is winding down, our wait is almost over. Last Sunday, communities throughout the world read from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians. It is a reminder that God is near.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4-9)
We give thanks. We faithfully let go of heavy burdens and ask God to be with us in our daily lives. The Peace of Christ transcends all understanding and is alive in each one of us. As we begin Christmas break, we rejoice.
May the Prince of Peace reign in your hearts and homes!
Second Week of Advent
By Molly Buccola
Yesterday, Fr. Matthew shared a homily about a little boy who created his own nativity scene in his bedroom. The little boy taped a tiny, plastic, glow-in-the-dark baby Jesus to a mirror and surrounded that mirror with cutout photos of his family members. When the family found the boy, hiding away in his room, they encountered him shining a flashlight on the glow-in-the-dark baby Jesus. The mirror reflected the light on each of the photograph cutouts of family members and ultimately on his parents and siblings who were standing at the door viewing the scene.
“This is the point of Christmas!” exclaimed Fr. Matthew. The extent to which we see Jesus, God in human form, at the center of our families and radiating from each of our members, is the extent to which we invite Christmas into our lives! He recognized that this is not always easy, as the holiday season is very difficult for many families for one reason or another. There is no perfect family. Fr. Matthew suggested we focus on the positive qualities of our family members and blessed moments in our time together, noting the more energy we give the blessings, the more they will grow and the same for the opposite.
Fr. Matthew also highlighted the sixth grade class who had written letters for Paradise firefighters, created Christmas stockings, and gathered gift cards for fire victims of Saint Thomas More Parish in Paradise. He, Joel Perez, and Mario Hernandez from Priory’s maintenance crew witnessed overwhelming gratitude in response to the Priory’s generosity. “This is the point of Christmas,” exclaimed Fr. Matthew. When we broaden our concept of family and invite those in need into our inner circle, we are more likely to see the glow-in-the-dark baby Jesus reflecting through them, through those in need. That light becomes a shared light between them, us, and Jesus. The more energy we give blessings, the more they grow.
Throughout this busy and blessed Advent Season, we pray:
Dear Jesus,
You entered our world on Christmas as the Prince of Peace. This Advent, as we strive to become the-best-version-of-ourselves, fill us with a deep and abiding peace. Help us share that peace with everyone we encounter, especially those who need it most.
Amen.
First Week of Advent
By Molly Buccola
What is not of this world, yet so deeply a part of every person? Can you feel it? Can you sense it?
The Advent Season urges each of us to return to that space within ourselves, the Fountain of all Holiness. The soul offers endless strength and compassion. When we honor that place within our own beings, seeking it, acknowledging It, dedicating time to It, we strengthen the Prince of Peace’s opportunity to work in us, through us, and for us.
In Jesus’ day, people were expecting a military king who could lead the people to a new kingdom here on earth, but the Kingdom of God is a different type of kingdom. It is one of peace that is here on earth but is not of this world. Can you feel it? Can you sense it? Jesus invites each individual to honor their connection with God through the soul. In doing so, we can see that every person in this world also houses a Fountain of all Holiness. The Kingdom of God is one where we all see each other as Christ. Jesus honored that space in Himself which motivated him to honor that space in the poor, sick, prostitutes, imprisoned, and outcasts.
Throughout Advent, we prepare ourselves for the coming of the Prince of Peace, the one who invites everyone to live in the Kingdom of God, where souls connect with the Divine and are united in Love. The place that is not of this world but is deeply a part of every person and motivates us to listen, serve, forgive, and work towards a more just and peaceful world here on earth.
Benedictine Reflection
By Molly Buccola
Happy Thanksgiving! We are thankful for the blessings with which God has graced us. We are grateful for the unique ways that each person contributes to this special place. Many people who set foot on our campus say that it has a particular “feel” and serves as a sanctuary. We truly believe that it is holy ground, that God has blessed our community through the monks, faculty, staff, students, and families who have devoted themselves to this place and these people over the years. We are deeply honored and grateful that each of you take part in this blessed place and community we call Priory. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thankfulness
Poem by Senior Nonso Elelleh
I’ve always gone bananas over chasing sunsets
with tears in my eyes
because the world is just too beautiful
I guess you can say I’ve been holding my breath for too long
I’ve been standing too still
I’ve been too stuck in the past
I haven’t had time to be thankful
but I went and I watched the sunset
and it was at that moment
that I was content
I’ve been trying to figure out why I only watch sunsets crying
sunsets are the perfect storm
between day and night
between love and hate
between death and life
between bitter and sweet
no one ever talks about the inbetweens
but I’ve learned that in between everything is the unexplainable
and maybe I cry because so many things in my life are inexplicably beautiful
like how people manage to forgive after the deepest of betrayals
like how people create faith when they have nothing else left to stand on
how light means hope
how music makes you feel
how you feel things that aren’t there
how you break and you heal
and you learn
and you laugh
and you smile through the pain
and you make mistakes
and say what you don’t mean
and you kiss for love but hit for hate
and you dance like no one’s watching
and you generate heat
and maybe share it with a friend
and you mop up salty water
or sleep it off
or daydream it off
or wait it out
punch it out
lick the bowl clean
cower in fear
you tie your laces
you go for a walk
you get out of town
you rethink your decisions
you believe in destiny this time
only, this time
Benedictine Reflection: Family Life
By Molly Buccola
How do we live our own lives, without being swept into the Silicon Valley whirlwind? How do we find our own place, pace, and presence within a busy, noisy, rushed world? St. Benedict was raised in a noble family during the fall of Rome. There were great societal pressures and the empire was in decline. Sound familiar? In The Rule of Saint Benedict for Family Life Today, Don Massimo Lapponi writes, “...today the individual finds him/herself defenseless against the social environment surrounding and shaping them.” How do we live our own lives, without being swept into the whirlwind?
There were a series of events that led St. Benedict to creating community and routine. He found a way to support each individual in their own intellectual, physical, and spiritual growth so that they could serve God and the community, in their own way. The Rule of Saint Benedict is a small book of suggestions on how to develop a balanced routine and live in community.
Don Massimo Lapponi seeks…”to establish in the wake of the Rule, precise norms so that the family home doesn’t become a hotel people pass through or a power plant.” For many of us, our houses are often used as such. They become simply a place to sleep and charge our phones but we are pulled in so many directions that time at home, with family, is depleted.
This evening, Fr. Martin, Fr. Matthew, and Molly Buccola will speak about parallels between family life and monastic living. It is often easier to live “holy” lives when we go out into the community but when living at home, day in and day out, we experience the imperfections of our family members and our own impatience. St. Benedict believes the home, the monastery, the people with whom you live, is where we must begin to practice holy life. In his Rule, he offers ways to live the ordinary extraordinarily well.
The reflective evening will run from 7pm - 9pm in Founders Hall. If interested in joining, please RSVP here.
St. Francis' Feast Day
By Molly Buccola
Catholics celebrate St. Francis’ Feast Day this week! St. Francis’ Feast Day has become a celebration of all God’s creation because he is the Patron Saint of Animals and Ecology. Most celebrate by gathering pets and farm animals for a blessing, as we will do on Friday morning. But who is this Saint Francis?
Saint Francis was a man born to a wealthy family in Assisi, Italy in 1182. He felt joy and freedom in renouncing worldly ambitions, self-importance, and giving all his goods to the outcasts of the time. He befriended them and began to honor all of creation. He also helped rebuild churches. He actually repaired physical structures and gathered groups of people to live as Jesus did, repairing church communities. Stories of his life reflect joy and freedom which became hallmarks of his spirituality. He understood creation as a manifestation of God’s beauty. Saint Francis is also founder of the Franciscan orders.
As a way to celebrate St. Francis’ Feast Day, we welcome everyone to bring their pets and/or farm animals to the front field on Friday morning for Fr. Maurus to bless the Priory pets. We will begin at 7:50am and conclude around 8:15am.
Prayer of Saint Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
Fr. Matthew Leavy, OSB
Benedictine Reflection
Who is that new monk working in the garden, chuckling in Schilling Square, philosophizing on retreats, crafting in the wood shop, storytelling in the classroom and baking pizza with Fr. Martin? It’s the monk we’ve all been waiting for! Fr. Matthew Leavy, OSB arrived a few weeks ago and is already known and loved! Since the moment he landed in California, his curiosity and open heart has “wowed” us all. Fr. Matthew is truly the monk we’ve been waiting for.
Fr. Matthew has been supporting our community in every way possible. He has visited and subbed classes, participated in meetings, cheered at sporting events, facilitated retreat activities, cooked food for residential students, and shared quality time with faculty, staff, students, and parents. He has been a big help in the monastery too, putting his handyman skills to work, saying mass, running errands, and palling around with Fr. Martin.
On Friday, groups of students in Schilling Square described Fr. Matthew as spirited, energetic, ecumenical, brilliant, engaging, and humble. He has a little something to offer everyone. He is a deep listener, entertaining storyteller, and a curious learner. He philosophizes with those who like to engage in deep thought and goofs with the jokesters. Fr. Martin can tell quite a few stories about Fr. Matthew as Fr. Martin was Fr. Matthew’s Residential Minister in the dorm at St. Anselm College.
Thanks be to God and St. Anselm Abbey! Fr. Matthew, the monk we’ve all been waiting for, has arrived and is thriving in our midst! Please join us Monday, September 24th (8:45am - 10am) for Coffee with Fr. Matthew Leavy, OSB. He will begin the hour with a brief overview of his life growing up in the Bronx, time at St. Anselm College, and Woodside Priory School in the ‘60’s. Fr. Matthew has worn many hats since then, including Abbot, head of the monastic community, for twenty-six years. Please RSVP and join us for a morning of storytelling and parent conversation.
Magazine Article on Fr. Matthew's Life
Benedictine Reflection: Mass of the Holy Spirit
By Molly Buccola
This week our whole school celebrated Mass of the Holy Spirit to give thanks for our many opportunities and pray for the upcoming school year. Catholic schools throughout the country begin each new year in this way, calling upon the Holy Spirit to guide our interactions with one another and inspire each of us to live with Grace and strive to serve a world in need of our gifts.
Fr. Matthew Leavy, O.S.B celebrated mass, offering a deep and humorous homily. He told stories about meeting Fr. Maurus decades ago and their exciting road trip from St. John’s Abbey to the Priory. He talked a bit about his time as a monk at our school when he was in his twenties and his excitement for the return to this place and our community.
The mass was held on St. Augustine’s Feast day, so Fr. Matthew told stories about the saint who was called a “rascal and rogue” and searched for happiness his whole life in various areas (relationships, partying, work, etc.) yet was unable to find peace. He was constantly searching and trying to fill a spot of emptiness in his heart. It wasn’t until he picked up a sacred text, the Bible, that he started to feel challenged and supported to become his best self. He found a way to peace and felt that he, as a person, was “enough” and fully loved.
Fr. Matthew went on to tell about a “GPS” or God Positioning System. He explained that those who don’t believe in God could think of it as a Goodness Positioning System. Each person is born with this system and our mind, heart, and body often tells us which way to move forward in our lives but in order for the system to work, we must strengthen it through regular prayer and reflection. This GPS is also a way for us to live out our Benedictine values. Spirituality weaves through all the other values. We embrace our individuality and live with integrity, when we are listening to the deep call within our hearts. We are hospitable and seek to serve the community when we see and honor God in each person.
Holy Creator,
May God bless Priory students, families, faculty, and staff throughout this new school year. Help us use the GPS with which we are born, to listen with the ear of the heart, embrace our uniqueness, and serve a world in need of our gifts.
Amen
“We are Called”
Excerpts from Molly Buccola’s Chapel Talk
Each of us in this Chapel has somehow been called. Our relationships, life experiences, and hearts have led us to Priory. We have each applied (students, faculty, staff, monks) to become part of something greater than ourselves. We applied to join this community with a very distinct mission. And we were accepted! Woohoo! That’s how we found ourselves here today, sitting in this chapel. You didn’t have to go to school here. You could have gone to some other school but for a reason, you are here. We are here. We have been called. We were chosen. And we accepted the offer to become an individual within our Benedictine community that lives for something greater than ourselves....St. Benedict believed that living in community was a special way to live a holy life. We can shift our perspectives, open our hearts, support each other, and focus on something greater than ourselves. In a trusted community, we don’t spend as much time in our own heads worrying about our own insecurities. St. Benedict believes the ego, our need for self-promotion, is a natural tendency but leads to darkness and despair. He offers that if we spend too much time in our own silos, we become lonely, lose sight of life’s purpose, and ultimately hopeless. SO, he created communities with the intention of helping individuals become more holy through serving God and others.
What sustains a monastic community? Not work for the sake of work. We all have grueling tasks in our own lives that don’t seem valuable. Take education for example. Schoolwork can become grueling. What’s the point? What’s the point of education? Benedictines believe it’s not for our own success as individuals but our opportunity for a good education is an opportunity to help create a more just and peaceful world for all.
But when we get caught in the pain of the action versus the point of it all, we suffer. Am I doing this for me? So people can see how successful, smart, put-together I am? St. Benedict says that’s a clear path to disappointment, loneliness, and hopelessness. We are in this together. It’s an opportunity to work our hineys off so that we can ultimately “serve a world in need of our gifts!” But we all need to do it together. If one of us fails to do their part, we support them in growing stronger. WE depend on each other.
Another gift from St. Benedict is the gift of faith. We do what we can, and then we let go, we pray and leave it in God’s hands. Community reminds us that life isn’t all about us and our own concerns, but that when we release those concerns into the hands of the community and to the hands of God, we don’t have to pretend we are in control any longer. Because really, we are never in control, as much as we think we are. Life happens.
Benedictine communities offer an alternative message to this day and age. We cannot do it on our own. That message is intensely freeing. It takes the weight off our shoulders. We have all been called, in our uniqueness to be part of this community. Here we support each other and work, not for our own success, but ultimately to uplift the community. We depend on each other in the process and have faith that our hopeful and compassionate hearts, united in God’s love, will change the world for the better.
Honoring Saint Anselm
From Saint Anselm's The Proslogion
Yesterday Catholics celebrated Saint Anselm’s Feast Day. Our Priory monks belong to St. Anselm Abbey’s monastic community. So today, I share a favorite prayer written by St. Anselm sometime between 1077 and 1078. It offers loving advice for each of us and highlights that humans throughout history have struggled with worries and deep yearning.
Insignificant human, rise up! Flee your preoccupations for a little while. Hide yourself for a time from your turbulent thoughts. Cast aside, now, your heavy responsibilities and put off your burdensome business. Make a little space free for God; and rest for a little time in him.
Enter the inner chamber of your mind; shut out all thoughts. Keep only thought of God, and thoughts that can aid you in seeking him. Close your door and seek him. Speak now, my whole heart! Speak now to God, saying, I seek your face; your face, Lord, will I seek.
And come you now, O Lord my God, teach my heart where and how it may seek you, where and how it may find you.
Lord, if you are not here, where shall I seek you when you are absent? But if you are everywhere, why do I not see you present? Truly you dwell in unapproachable light. But where is unapproachable light, or how shall I come to it? Or who shall lead me to that light and into it, that I may see you in it? Again, by what signs, under what form, shall I seek you? I have never seen you, O Lord, my God; I do not know your face.
What, O most high Lord, shall this man do, an exile far from you? What shall your servant do, anxious in his love of you, and cast out far from your presence? He is breathless with desire to see you, and your face is too far from him. He longs to come to you, and your dwelling-place is inaccessible. He is eager to find you, but does not know where. He desires to seek you, and does not know your face.
Lord, you are my God, and you are my Lord, and never have I seen you. You have made me and renewed me, you have given me all the good things that I have, and I have not yet met you. I was created to see you, and I have not yet done the thing for which I was made.
And as for you, Lord, how long? How long, O Lord, do you forget us; how long do you turn your face from us? When will you look upon us, and hear us? When will you enlighten our eyes, and show us your face? When will you restore yourself to us?
Look upon us, Lord; hear us, enlighten us, reveal yourself to us. Restore yourself to us, that it may be well with us, yourself, without whom it is so ill with us. Pity our toilings and strivings toward you since we can do nothing without you.
Teach me to seek you, and reveal yourself to me when I seek you, for I cannot seek you unless you teach me, nor find you unless you reveal yourself. Let me seek you in longing, let me long for you in seeking; let me find you by loving you and love you in the act of finding you.
Easter Reflection
By Molly Buccola
The night before Easter Sunday, people throughout the world wait. They wait in the dark, until the Paschal candle is lit. The light represents our eternal light in Christ. When Jesus raises from the dead, it signifies that our Divine light within, is alive, eternal, transformational. In the Nicene Creed, Catholics state, “I believe in...all that is visible and invisible.”
The darkness, before the Paschal candle is lit represents those times of despair, longing, pain, separation. We are all participants in this world and have lived these dark moments, yet as believers, we know there is more. There is a place inside each human that stirs with faith, hope, and eternal love. Christ’s divine light is often invisible but for so many throughout the world, proving this light is unnecessary because it is overwhelmly felt. At the center of our being, we each carry the eternal light.
The Rule of Saint Benedict states, “Look forward to holy Easter with joy and spiritual longing (RB 19.7). The yearning in our lives is the yearning to be whole, complete, enough. When the Rule states, “The life of a monk ought to be a continuous Lent (RB 49.1).” He is very aware that this yearning to be complete, enough is finally fulfilled in honoring the Divinity, the “unseen.” In those moments where we return to our eternal light within, a sense of peace overwhelms all despair, and we are transformed. Our paths gradually become clear. In those moments, our hope, our faith, uncover that which is truly important and unifying in our lives.
The darkness of our self-serving ego is transformed when we connect with the Divine light. We are whole as we are. No need to prove ourselves or play a game of social hierarchy when we acknowledge that we all carry an eternal, invisible, sacred flame within. Easter is a celebration of transformation. It is a story of darkness, despair, longing, pain, separation that is transformed by eternal, Divine light that has been in each of us since birth, offered hope and joy throughout childhood, and remains a place of centering and peace. Trials and tribulations are finite. Our fire within, Christ’s fire in our hearts, is infinite.
Today, we celebrate Easter. We are joyful that Christ’s eternal love rises above all.
Happy Easter!
We are Dust. To Dust We Shall Return
By Molly Buccola
We are made in God’s image and likeness. Yes, we have our downfalls but Lent is ultimately a time of reunion with ourselves, God, and others. It’s a return to that deepest self that has always been and will always be. It is in that place where we can find peace, compassion, grace, and joy.
Think of a time you have either been overwhelmed with gratitude, stunned by awe, or simply at peace. It usually occurs while the deepest self is interacting with others, art, or the world itself. This interaction welcome us back into our deepest selves. We are moved from our core. There we are. We are deeply loved and deeply beautiful, reflecting God’s image and likeness. In those moments, we are fully participating in God’s creation, reuniting our soul with the Ultimate.
Unfortunately, we don’t walk around in deep gratitude overwhelmed by joy, bursting with compassion. We begin Lent with Ash Wednesday where we receive a cross of ashes on our forehead with the phrase, “You are dust and to dust you shall return.” Yes, our bodies are dust and they won’t last forever. They are limiting, as is our life as humans on this earth. Yet, we know full-well that we are more than our bodies. We are full of life! We are more than our bodies, the Holy Spirit breathes life into our souls!
How do we allow the dust to do its job and the Holy Spirit to do its job? Yes, we need to get through the work day. Yes, we need to drop the kids off at school and soccer and succeed at work and follow through with friends and tasks. But how can we give “dust” its proper place? How much credit, time, emotion do we spend on the dust, the limited, the temporary? We are dust and to dust we shall return.
What part of us is alive, so real that it breathes life into our days, our relationships with the self, others, God? What part of us fosters a sense of overwhelming gratitude, awe, joy? The Holy Spirit! How can we give the Holy Spirit, Divine, True Self, its proper place, knowing that that’s the core of our being and the spark of our relationships. How much credit, time, emotion do we spend on the Holy Spirit? We are dust and to dust we shall return.
Lent is a time for us to remember our mortality, not in fear or guilt but through a lens of life-giving joy. It is an opportunity for us to begin again. Always we begin again. It is an opportunity for us to settle in with our true-selves and honor that graceful, “image and likeness” of God that we walk around with all day.
Lenten Reflection: Stations of the Cross
3/10/18
The Stations of the Cross, also known as the Passion of Christ, is a traditional Lenten devotion. Christian Churches throughout the world gather and remember fourteen stations that follow moments from Jesus’ condemnation to His death. This is a way to remember that Jesus endured the suffering we endure here on earth and that he lived a life of simplicity and courage to honor the dignity of every human. Throughout Lent we remember this, in preparation for His resurrection, new life, Easter.
Each Lenten Season, Theology students write reflections on how the Stations of the Cross parallel their own lives. Then in Chapel, students read one reflection for each station while displaying a piece of art created by the same Theology class. As a community, we remember the last moments of Jesus’ life and ways His suffering is present today.
Below is an excerpt from this week’s Chapel.
Joseph Calderone read:
The Tenth Station:Jesus was stripped from his garments. When Jesus reached Golgotha, the soldiers took his clothing and divided it four ways—one for each soldier. But they did not want to tear his seamless garment, which was woven in one piece from neck to hem. Instead they cast lots for it.
Leah Strickland read:
We see the environment of the earth stripped bare. We see people – most especially the poor – stripped of natural resources and their dignity, stripped of life and livelihood, and condemned to death or a living death in poverty.
Jesus calls us to heal the earth. Jesus calls us to reach out to the poor, to heal relationships, and to help restore the environment where all people can live with dignity, where all people can have enough to eat and drink at the table of life.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Send your Spirit to enter our hearts, so that we may listen with compassion and respond to the plight of others who carry burdens, crosses, despair, and loss of dignity. Awaken our hearts that we may accept your challenge to work towards a world where we can lay burdens to rest and invite a world of peace and dignity for all.
Amen.
Lenten Reflection: Small Yet Significant
By Molly Buccola
Ishmiel, our guide, announced, “Here, we set stones from the mountains to mark where we bury the bodies of our loved ones. To us, bodies are just vessels for the Spirit. The Spirit is significant in ways it honors the earth, others, and God.” In the high mountains of Morocco, we felt small yet significant.
As Ishmiel spoke, we stood on the dirt path that wound through rock and mud homes built into the mountainside 700 years prior. From there we could peer down at women washing clothes with handmade soaps beside the river, atop their natural, ground-water filtration system. Across the valley, pathways ribbed the snowy mountainside. We watched people climb the steep terrain with their donkeys and sheep herds. It was like watching an ant colony go about their daily work. Compared to the large peaks above and rushing river below, each person was small yet significant.
Smells of woodfire and local dishes (tagine and couscous) wafted through the mountain air. Clear signs that families and neighbors were gathering for Moroccan tea, warmth, nourishment, and companionship as they did multiple times a day. And as their ancestors had done for over 2000 years in that region. The youth and elderly had their place around the fire and were honored for who they were at that point in their lives. Their conversations and laughter traveled beyond the home as many parts of the homes were open to the sky. In those moments eating, drinking, conversing, and laughing together, individuals were small yet significant.
And the call to prayer. Five times a day, the mosque’s minaret said prayers over the loudspeaker. These were beautiful moments. Some chose to stop, then and there, to pray. Others, honored the call to prayer in that moment, then prayed when they finished their task. The prayers bounced through the valley, from mountainside to mountainside, across terraced fields, up dirt trails, through homes, and into our hearts. In those moments, everyone was honoring God. It was a blessed time when we all stopped to remember that we are small yet significant.
Priory’s trip to Morocco did just that, it offered us a time to venture beyond ourselves. And upon return, it invited us back into ourselves in a deeper, more profound way. The Lenten Season is an opportunity to venture beyond ourselves too. It is a time for us to remember that we are small in this far-reaching, age-old world, yet our lives are significant in ways we honor the earth, others and God.
Holy Creator,
Help us to joyfully approach this Lenten Season as an opportunity to awaken, heal, and reconnect. May we open our hearts to your love and reach out our hands to those in need. Grant us the courage to see our lives as small yet significant.
Amen.
St. Scholastica’s Feast Day
By Molly Buccola
Last Saturday (February 10th) we celebrated St. Scholastica’s Feast Day. It is said that each year St. Scholastica and her brother Saint Benedict would leave their monastic communities to meet in a central location near Monte Cassino, Italy. The last year they met, they were sharing fruitful conversation and enjoying time together. As the day began to close, Saint Benedict said they must part to return to their communities in time for evening prayer, as this was a strict rule within each community. St. Scholastica urged that they stay the night there and continue their conversation in the morning. Saint Benedict restated the necessity to follow the rule of the community. And again, Saint Scholastica urged him to stay. As sometimes happens with siblings, they were set in their ways. Saint Scholastica knew, in her soul, it was best that they stay together, so she bowed her head and began praying. At that moment, a storm filled the clear sky and rain began to pour. St. Benedict feared what would happen to them if they didn’t follow the rule of the monastery and asked for God to forgive his sister. They were unable to travel home that night. Instead, they enjoyed their evening together. It is said that three days later, St. Benedict was sitting in his room at his monastery, looking out the window and saw his sister’s soul ascend to heaven in the form of a dove. At that point, he knew their night together had been their last evening in human form.
Each time we read stories, we hear them in different ways. This usually depends on what may be going on in our own lives and the world. It may also depend on the “toils and turns” of our own hearts at the time of the reading. Today, I see this passage as a call that sometimes what is “right” in a circumstance may not follow a social norm or law of the land. In listening to her soul and routinely cultivating a blessed relationship with herself, her community, and God, St. Scholastica was able to clearly determine what was best for the situation at hand and ultimately mustered to courage to do what she felt was “right” in that circumstance. Yes, there would be ramifications for each of them not returning to their monastic communities for evening prayer and sleep and yet she felt called to pray for such circumstances so that they could spend their last life moments together. She believed that in that moment she could more deeply share God’s love, even though it didn’t follow the rules.
In a world of mixed messages, it’s imperative that we cultivate a place for Grace and Peace to live in our hearts. There are various codes of conduct, rules, regulations, laws, unspoken do’s and do nots. Many of these conflict. If we continue to follow the external messages, rules, and ways to please, we will end up lost, confused, exhausted.
St. Scholastica, and ultimately St. Benedict structured their lives in ways that promoted this place for Grace and Peace within their own hearts. They did this through spiritual reading, prayer, and deep relationships (self, community, God). They set up clear boundaries for themselves and their communities to be mindful of the ways they used their time, people with whom they surrounded themselves, and messages they chose to entertain with their mind and energy. These are ways they cultivated internal space that ultimately gave them clarity, strength, and courage to act from the soul.
As we prepare for our annual Mass for Peace this week, may we set boundaries in our own lives that will create a place of Grace and Peace in our own hearts so that we live with clarity, strength, and courage.
Benedictine Reflection: Catholic Schools Week
By Molly Buccola
Sophomore Genaro Flores introduced Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J. to our community this week with his reflection on human suffering and vulnerability:
Life is an interesting and mysterious journey. Although we may not want to admit it, many instances happen in our lives that leave us vulnerable and hopeless. We have all suffered whether that be internally or externally. This could take the form of a parent having drug and alcohol abuse issues and next thing you know it turned into domestic violence. Or maybe, you have an internal turmoil and you feel trapped and feel like a lot of rules govern your every action and everything has already been decided for you. Or just maybe you have been left alone most of your life because your parents travel to much for work and don’t pay much attention to you. We all go through this drastic roller coaster…
Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J. is the founder and director of Homeboy Industries which is the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation, and re-entry program in the world. He aims “to listen to and learn from” those who have suffered greatly. He challenges us to step into the human experience in order to “be changed.” He emphasizes the importance of going to society’s margins and standing there. If we all did so, there would be no margins and the world would live in compassion.
This week we celebrated Catholic Schools Week with 6,429 Catholic schools throughout the United States. Each aims to create loving environments for their students to grow in leadership, knowledge, faith, and service. As Fr. Greg Boyle notes, our schools “aren’t places we go to but are places we go from.” Our experiences now are launching points so that we acknowledge that we are called to be “one people.” Our Catholic schools are places where we are to learn that God isn’t an angry God but an ever-loving God who wants us to love each other unconditionally so that one day we may become “one people.”
Holy Creator,
Grant us courage to reach beyond our daily routines, to place ourselves in the presence of the most vulnerable. Help us to open our hearts and minds, to listen deeply to the humanity in each individual. May we aim to give our love unconditionally.
Amen.
Benedictine Reflection: LaureL STREAM Building Blessing
By Molly Buccola
Abbot Mark Cooper and Fr. Benet Phillips visited from Saint Anselm Abbey last week. They joined Fr. Martin and Fr. Maurus in blessing our new LaureL STREAM Building. During break on Friday, the whole school, generous donors, and diligent builders gathered to hear stories about our founding monks, their struggles, persistence, and hope for our future. Friday’s Blessing of the Building Ceremony was a benchmark in our Priory history.
Abbot Mark, Fr. Maurus, and Fr. Martin offered perspective for the community by telling stories about army barracks that were converted into living spaces, offices, and classrooms. They described times monks had no money to pay teachers or gather supplies, yet donations appeared almost miraculously. They shared stories about memorable interactions with students, parents, and neighbors. In their own ways, each of the monks offered stories of struggle, persistence, and hope for the future.
Our founding monks, who fled Hungary in a time of persecution, cultivated a vision which was motivated by faith. They acknowledged that faith in themselves would only go so far, but as is written, “with God anything is possible.” Our founding monks dreamed big to “create a school in the Lord’s service” and faithfully worked towards their vision.
Fr. Maurus declared, “The LaureL STREAM Building should remind us of the past sixty years of dedicated hard work and support of so many wonderful people who believed in the vision of the founding monks. What we are seeing here today is a dream becoming a reality.”
Abbot Mark concluded his blessing with, “Let us rejoice and be glad for those who had the courage to dream, to those who had the conviction of heart and mind to push us forward, to those who begin again daily. Let us take up our work again in this school of the Lord’s service. Let us incline the ear of our hearts so that all we do may give glory to God and redound to the benefit of all.”
At this moment in Priory history, we give thanks for all who have gone before us, to those who devoted their prayers, time, money, and talents to create this blessed community. And to those who continue to do so today, we are ever grateful. Today, we are overwhelmed with gratitude. We give thanks.
Benedictine Reflection: Ordinary Time
By Molly Buccola
Ordinary Time. We are concluding the first week of Ordinary Time. Advent is over and Lent awaits. The liturgical calendar declares these days Ordinary. Benedictine spirituality challenges us to see God’s blessings and hear the Spirit in our ordinary lives. We are encouraged to live our lives, as ordinary as they may seem, with Grace.
Author and Minister Dr. Lynne Baab writes:
Benedict taught clearly that God is present in everyday life; he speaks to us, teaches us, and gives us “little graces” as we serve, pray, seek to love the people around us, and try to be faithful to what God is teaching us and where God is leading us. Ordinary life overflows with God’s presence, and the disciplines of prayer, service, and thankfulness enable us to experience that presence.We may have a stereotype of monastic life as somehow holier than our everyday life. In one sense, monks and sisters live a very ordinary life with mundane tasks to do. They are not superhuman or even super-spiritual. However, their commitment to prayer and to their vows enables them to live in a way that calls into question many of the aspects of ordinary life we take for granted.
Benedictine life is organized and emphasized in a way that challenges monks to slow down and shift perspective, to open their minds and hearts to God. During the Advisory period last Thursday, student groups were prompted:
Think for a moment about the gifts in your life. This could be a special relationship with a person, your home, a class, a trip, a kind or supportive word someone has shared with you. We don’t always express gratitude for the gifts in our lives. Sometimes we don’t even realize how cherished our gifts are until they are gone. What gifts might you sometimes take for granted? How can we express gratitude to those around us in a consistent way?
This was helpful in reframing our ordinary lives. Many spoke about Mr. Montero, the holiday season, friends, educational opportunity, Priory’s nurturing environment, etc. Other groups wrote Thank You cards or drew pictures representing their blessings.
When monks join the monastery, they commit to three unique vows to assist them in continuously reframing their circumstances so that they may wake to God’s blessings in the ordinary. For more information on the orienting vows, see Benedictine Reflection: Benedictine Vows Address Societal Pressures from November 17, 2016.
As we move through Ordinary Time, I pray that we reframe the routine and mundane. May we follow St. Benedict’s teachings and practice living our ordinary lives extraordinarily well. May we invite grace into our work and our relationships. And give thanks. Amen.
Benedictine Reflection: Advent Mercy
By Molly Buccola
In Chapel last week, Eboo Patel urged our students, faculty, and staff to live out our own faith through mercy. After telling entertaining and thought-provoking stories about religious pluralism, he asked, “Where in your life can you show mercy?” then continued to explain that actions of mercy generally follow interior mercy, silence, and prayer.
Fr. Martin echoed this in his Advent homily at Vespers Sunday evening. Sometimes, when we finally find time for intentional silence and prayer “visions of sugarplums dance through our heads” and we are less likely to find interior mercy, peace, strength in those moments yet with consistent practice and persistence, those dancing thoughts will settle and we will then hear Mercy’s voice. This Mercy will then flow through us, as it did through Mother Mary, to our world. We could become instruments of God’s peace.
Where in our lives can we show mercy? Pope Francis offers that it could start with our everyday relationships. In Chapel, Junior Annie Boyle read an expert from the Holy Father’s Joy of Love (Amoris Laetitita):
In conversation, take time, quality time. This means being ready to listen patiently and attentively to everything the other person wants to say. It requires the self-discipline of not speaking until the time is right. Instead of offering an opinion or advice, we need to be sure that we have heard everything the other person has to say. This means cultivating an interior silence that makes it possible to listen to the other person without mental or emotional distractions. Do not be rushed, put aside all of your own needs and worries, and make space….Keep an open mind. Don’t get bogged down in your own limited ideas and opinions, but be prepared to change or expand them. A combination of two different ways of thinking can lead to a synthesis that enriches both.
This Advent Season, my prayer is that Mercy speaks to your hearts and flows through your interactions. May the Prince of Peace be with you.
Benedictine Reflection: Advent Moments of Hope
By Molly Buccola
Before my niece and nephew could tell time, they had a clock that would shine faint red during hours they were supposed to sleep, and green when allowed to leave their beds in the morning. Each morning, they would wake and stare at the clock. I loved spending the night at their house because when the clock struck seven, tiny footsteps pounded the hardwood floor, down the hallway, to the family room where they would play together. The morning giggles and excitement for the day ahead exuded from their little bodies.
Advent is a season of waiting, of preparation for the coming of Christ. My niece and nephew would lie in their beds waiting for the light to turn green, for the day to begin. When nestled in bed, they hoped to find laughter, friendship, adventure, and surprises ahead. They were preparing with optimistic minds and open hearts. They were waiting, preparing in those dark moments before daybreak.
This Advent season, how can we wake our inner child? How can we invite the one who is so excited about the day to come? How can we revive the one who lives for laughter, friendship, adventure, and surprises? The one who fosters a hope in all areas of life? The one who approaches situations with optimism and an open heart? For “with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).” Advent is a season of renewal. Where have we hardened and lost patience? What other ways could we look at that situation, relationship, complication, etc? How could we prepare our minds and hearts to open to the Divine in our lives?
Again and again, Benedictine tradition calls us to moments of stillness, silence, and spiritual reading. When persistent in guarding our daily time for spiritual growth, little by little, we welcome our inner child back. If we consistently practice stillness, silence, and spiritual reading, we prepare our minds and hearts to see the presence of God in our everyday lives. And that, that is Christmas.
Fr. John Fortin, OSB of St. Anselm Abbey writes, “Benedict found God in many different ways: in the goodness and wonders of creation; in his fellow human beings, created in the image and likeness of God; in the prayerful reading of the scriptures; in the sacraments and in the prayer of the Church (The Joy of Advent with Saint Benedict).”
This Advent, I wish you blessed moments of graceful anticipation of the light turning green, the new day, the coming of Christ.
Benedictine Reflection: When I was Hungry
By Molly Buccola
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. (Matthew 25:35-37)
Emma Lewer read the above passage from Matthew’s gospel in this week’s Chapel service. Here Jesus reminds us of the Divine presence in each individual, especially those we routinely ignore, forget, or judge. Jesus was a revolutionary in his time. His view of Christ in each individual meant that he welcomed the beggars, prostitutes, corrupt tax-collectors, refugees, outcasts, and all who were judged by others. He invited them to eat at his table. He conversed with them, celebrated with them, and offered comforts in their times of suffering. He acknowledged both the humanity and Divinity in each. He not only provided for them, he spent time with them. He loved them.
St. Benedict created communities for individuals seeking to live, honor, and serve Christ. Benedictine communities follow Jesus’ words. They are instructed to “welcome everyone as Christ.” Here is where our Benedictine hospitality originates. Each monastery runs a guest house. In earlier times, the guest houses were saving graces for travelers in unknown territories. Now, they serve as spaces where guests could visit community members or spend time following a monastic routine and joining monks in prayer.
Throughout the holiday season, we have many opportunities to donate and volunteer. As part of a Benedictine community, we are challenged to welcome everyone as Christ. May we offer a listening ear, a meal, a comfortable space for those routinely ignored, forgotten, or judged. May we seek to understand and love them.
Benedictine Reflection: 60th Anniversary
By Molly Buccola
The Benedictine community spans across time and space. St. Benedict founded his first community at Monte Cassino in 529. Since that time, monks and nuns have founded monasteries all over the world. Each follows The Rule of Saint Benedict as a guide for communal life in the service of God and others. As Priory families, alumni, students, teachers, faculty, staff, and friends, we have all participated in this tradition that spans time and space. When we set foot on this campus, engage with each other in “the Priory way” honoring the Holy Spirit’s presence, we become a part of this long-standing Benedictine tradition and participate in the global Benedictine community.
This week, we celebrated our 60th Anniversary Mass and Chapel Service. American-Cassinese Abbot President Elias Lorenzo, Fr. Henrik from Pannonhalma Archabbey in Hungary, Fr. Anselm Smedile from Saint Anselm Abbey in New Hampshire, Priory Alumni Fr. Piers Lahey, and our very own Fr. Martin Mager and Fr. Maurus Nemeth celebrated mass with a long list from the Priory community. There were many Priory families, alumni, students, teachers, faculty, staff, and friends honoring the Priory. This year’s celebrations are key reminders of the Benedictine perspective. Our lives are part of something greater. A greater history, a greater community, and Greater Spirit.
Benedictines offer us a bird’s-eye or God’s-eye view of life. They see the Holy Spirit alive in their communities throughout centuries and in the present moment. In Sunday’s homily, Abbot-President Elias Lorenzo related Christian life to that of a traveller in an airport of delayed flights. In the Western World, we have come to rely on punctuality and efficiency yet life isn’t so. Accidents happen. Health issues arise. One surprise leads to another. As Christians, we patiently wait and witness how the Holy Spirit moving in the moment and throughout time. As people of faith, we seek to see life from God’s point of view.
Benedictine Balance is a matter of perspective and faith. Are we able to pull ourselves out of the nitty-gritty details and see the larger picture? What is truly important in this moment? Do we have faith and realize that ultimately, we aren’t in control? We all have to-do lists and work piles, yet when the Benedictines return to moments of peace, reflection, and prayer multiple times a day, they remind themselves of life’s big picture, even though their inboxes and desks look like all of ours. They give thanks, remember their roles in this interconnected world, and recommit to their overarching purpose in life, to serve God and others.
So on our 60th Anniversary, we give thanks. We give thanks for each individual who has, in one way or another, contributed to our Benedictine community that transcends time and space. May we continue to follow the example of our monks and the wisdom tradition on which our school is founded so that we may live balanced and meaningful lives as lifelong learners and stewards who productively serve a world in need of our gifts.
All Saints' Day
By Molly Buccola
This week, our whole school gathered to celebrate All Saints’ Day Mass. Catholics honor all the saints on November 1st each year. Fr. Martin reminded us that saints were people who struggled with sorrow, ridicule, illness, exile, uncertainty, even torture at times. They were also people of deep faith, hope, love, compassion, and perseverance. Their relationships with God were rocks and strongholds that offered them strength to address worldly struggles with grace and to inspire others to do so too.
Fr. Martin’s homily invited us to call to mind the saints in our lives who have passed away, family members, friends, and acquaintances who have been beacons of light for us, showing us lives of faith, hope, and love even in the midst of struggle. All Saints' Day is their day too! We remember, we honor, we celebrate.
This week’s mass called us to follow the examples of all saints. They have guided humanity throughout the centuries. Their relevance and inspiration is ever so important today. How can we grow as saints? How can we be beacons of light for others?
May God grant us strength to approach this world, and our daily lives, with deep faith, hope, love, compassion, and perseverance.
Grace in Uncertainty
By Molly Buccola
In Chapel this week, Senior Miranda Prince-Figuereo reminded us that life is composed of uncertainty, hope, and faith. She opened by describing a moment she experienced "pure, unadulterated happiness.”
This past summer, I was laying on a tiled floor in middle of an open room when I realized I was the happiest I have ever been. The walls around me were a bright, tropical orange covered in paintings from Caribbean artists. The room was covered with plants and the roof was as clear as the one in this very chapel. The air was humid, but fresh like seawater, and I was feeling a cool breeze through my hair. I looked around the room to see my friends jane, seth, and roan all slumped on a couch while I laid peacefully on the cold, tiled floor listening to music. In this random moment, I was the happiest I had ever been...
Miranda then pondered how she reached that space, time, and woke to spiritual awareness. We don’t spend our whole lives dancing in pure bliss, instead we struggle with control, desires, and uncertainty. In her chapel talk, Miranda acknowledged this.
...Was (choosing) Priory really “the safe decision?” Truly, there is no such thing as a safe and certain decision. In fact, everything at Priory was uncertain....The same way that nothing in the next hours of life will be certain. Uncertainty is everywhere, we can’t escape it. But you know what…..it’s okay. Uncertainty is okay. It’s more than okay, it exceptional!
We must have faith. We are never fully in control. Some say, “Let God be God.” We must relinquish our desire of ultimate control and, at a point, let go, and have faith. Miranda suggested using each of our senses to wake ourselves to a deeper reality. It is there she found the moment of “pure, unadulterated happiness.” This ultimate sense of peace can be found anytime and anywhere. The Divine presence is in every situation and every person, spiritual practices assist us in developing an awareness to access God’s grace even while grappling with life’s discomfort.
Benedictine Reflection: In Your Heart
By Molly Buccola
Sandy Martignetti, Director of Guidance and Counseling, delivered today’s chapel talk entitled “What’s in your heart?” She wrote, “I share this story with you today as a reminder that often our hardest moments are the most transformative - the ones which allow us to grow, to shape our heart.” It was the difficult moments led her to self reflection, unique outlets, caring people, unexpected turns, and ultimately a path of service to others. Her experiences and relationships called her to listen to that which is, and always has been, in her heart. She had the courage to follow her heart, into the field of school counseling, and has blessed us with her love and care for thirteen years.
Today’s chapel reading also invites us to listen to what’s in our hearts. In Seeking God: The Way of Saint Benedict, Esther de Waal writes:
Each of us is to hear the call in different ways; it will strike a chord in one person and another in the next. But one thing we all share in common. The message is to be heard now, we must rouse ourselves, shake ourselves out of apathy. Saint Benedict’s Rule questions the assumptions by which we live and looks at some of the most basic questions that we must all face. How do we grow and fulfill our true selves? Where can we find healing and grow into wholeness? How do we relate to those around us? To the physical world? To God?
Prayer
“Let us open our eyes to the light that can change us into the likeness of God. Let our ears be alert to the stirring call of his voice crying to us every day.”
(Prologue to the Rule of Saint Benedict)
Heavenly Creator,
Thank you for your voice that stirs in our hearts. May we see our experiences and relationships as preparation to follow your call. Grant us the courage to show your light in this world.
Amen.
Unburden
By Molly Buccola
An excerpt from today's Chapel talk given by Dean of Students Micah Morris:
The dictionary defines the word "unburden" as "to free, or relieve from burden, to relieve from fear or worry, to cast off." This past summer I thought a lot about the burdens we all carry at some point or another in our lives and about who is there to guide us at those times; who is there to share the burden, or even to help us cast off our burdens. The context for those thoughts that I had about burdens was in Africa, in Tanzania, where I went this past summer to hike Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest peak on that continent.
St. Benedict was very aware that humans carry heavy burdens and that suffering is a part of life, yet he also deeply believed that in community we help each other lighten that load. There's a mutual responsibility among monastics. It is important to "listen, with the ear of the heart" to words, actions, body language, and it is also necessary for monks to seek regular guidance from trusted individuals within the community. In doing so, we help each other lighten the load and climb the figurative mountain together.
Holy Creator, help us to find strength and purpose in supporting one another. Amen.
Scar Stories
By Molly Buccola
Kelly Sargent, Director of Communications, delivered a chapel talk today entitled “Scar Stories.” She shared memories behind her own scars while noting that each person has unique scars, seen and unseen, and that each scar is accompanied by a story of suffering, hope, and transformation.
The longest chapter in Saint Benedict’s Rule is on humility. It stresses the importance of acknowledging our unique role within the world, understanding we are all human with strengths and weaknesses. Our dark moments of pain and suffering could transform into moments of grace. Those moments invite us to show empathy for others and to unite together in support, care, and understanding. Benedictine humility challenges us to serve one another in good times and in bad. It reminds us that we are never in complete control. Humility reinforces that faith, hope, and love lead to moments of grace and transformation.
Below is the opening prayer Tim Molak read in chapel.
Opening Prayer
Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister writes,
“Hope grows in us, despite our moments of darkness, regardless of our regular bouts of depression and scarring. Hope is an invitation to look again at life struggles and to recognize new life in our souls the next time our hearts turn again to clay.”
Holy Creator,
Thank you for your continued love, support, and guidance in our lives. Each individual in this chapel is scarred in one way or another. As mortal humans, we suffer mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. May we maintain a sense of hope in times of struggle and reflect on ways our scars have transformed who we are today. Help us to recognize the seen and unseen scars in others, so that we may walk together in graceful empathy.
Amen.
Off the Grid and In the Moment
By Molly Buccola
“Obedience: a commitment to listening and consequent action” is one of the Ten Hallmarks to Benedictine Education. The document notes that, “Benedictines believe that deep listening is required of all who seek wisdom and that Benedictine schools should seek to create an atmosphere palpably different from the haste and frenzy that characterize much of contemporary life. It is important to emphasize that our primary goal is to live mindfully and well.” Senior Eva El Fishawy and Junior Annie Boyle spoke to this today in Chapel when delivering their talk entitled “Off the Grid and In the Moment.” It concluded with the following call to action:
When I was away from technology, I was able to make meaningful connections with others and to be truly aware and present. I felt freedom in letting go of technology. I believe that we can all make spaces in our own lives similar to summer camp by giving our full attention and emotional presence to the person in front of us or the activity we are doing. I know this is hard in practice, and I know that it is much easier to be to ditch the phone at camp when everyone else has done the same, but I also know that it is important if I want to live a more grounded and meaningful life. I challenge all of you to recognize the attention you give to your screens and notice when you are splitting your attention between your technology and the activity you are doing or the person you are talking to. I know it is so easy to pull out your phone when you are feeling awkward or alone at break or at lunch but I challenge you to learn to be comfortable with yourself and understand that initial awkwardness is necessary in building deeper relationships. Some teachers are using a phone-collecting box in classrooms and I think that this is a awesome step in the right direction. I challenge you to focus on class when you are in class, to really listen to your friend’s story when they are telling it to you, and to direct all of your attention to each thing you do, even if it is just walking to class. Notice the way the wind is blowing, or the sound your feet are making, or the specific smell coming from the cafeteria. I struggle to do these things myself but I know that if we can all make the conscious decision to step out of the virtual we can make greater connections with the wonderful people in our reality.
May we strive as the Benedictines do. May we aim to listen deeply to one another and to live “mindfully and well.”
Mass of the Holy Spirit Reflection
by Molly Buccola
“Every time you begin a good work, pray to God to bring it to perfection.”
- Prologue to the Rule of Saint Benedict
Today, Priory celebrated the Mass of the Holy Spirit. Catholic schools throughout the world begin the school year with Mass of the Holy Spirit as a way of blessing the faculty, staff, and students in their interactions throughout the school year. Fr. Martin’s homily this morning paralleled our lives with the existence of schooners. They are all uniquely beautiful and created for different reasons and they are all meant to sail, not just sit at the dock.
This morning, we invited the Holy Spirit to breathe through our lives as wind in our sails. We are each special individuals who develop unique strengths and talents. We are blessed with opportunities to stand for peace and justice. It’s easier to go throughout our lives docked, inside our comfort zones, serving ourselves. Yet, this morning’s mass was a challenge to go beyond ourselves to serve a world in need of our gifts Our Benedictine education and lives are grounded in meaning and purpose. The Holy Spirit grants us courage and inspires love and compassion. The Holy Spirit guides us through difficult waters and “brings life to perfection.”
When reflecting on the above passage from Saint Benedict’s Rule, Joan Chittister, O.S.B offers that prayer and spirituality aid people in “living ordinary life, extraordinarily well.” When we acknowledge the sacred in this world and ask the Holy Spirit to accompany us on our journey of love and compassion, we open ourselves and others to a new level of strength, peace, faith, hope, and love. Ordinary life, becomes extraordinary.
As St. Benedict suggested, we begin this school year in prayer so that we may eventually leave our safe spaces in order to serve a world in need of our gifts.
Benedictine Education's Call
Excerpt from talk delivered at Tuesday's Chapel Service
By Molly Buccola
For 1500 years, Benedictine monasteries have served as more than centers of knowledge and culture. They are centers of wisdom. “Listen’ is St. Benedict’s word for wisdom.” Our monks cultivate a relationship with God and believe that the Divine Spirit is the basis of peace, justice, faith, hope, and love. In this time, the world needs us. The world needs you, educated in the Benedictine tradition. God is calling us, “to listen with the ear of the heart.” We are called to listen to the way the human heart yearns. We are called to serve God and others.
How will your life make a difference? Will your art invite people to connect with the soul, challenge concepts, give voice to the voiceless? Will your papers intellectually engage social norms, give life to the Spirit, speak for equity? Will your scientific research inspire healthy living, sustainable responses to deterioration, and awe? Will you develop math skills to critically analyze data, design community spaces, figure supply needs for victims of natural disasters? Will your theology projects offer a guide to compassion, understanding, and dialogue when interacting with those from different religions, cultures, beliefs? Will your language classes open the door for new perspectives and peaceful conversations?
Benedictine Reflection: Ora et Labora
By Andrew Lee
(from Vena Eastwood “Benedict Rules”, Chapter 48: Daily Manual Labor)
In the Rule of St. Benedict, Prayer and Work (Ora et Labora) are two sides of the same coin. There is a balance, just as there has to be a balance in our lives between study and leisure.
As we enter the last couple of weeks of school and prepare for final exams and possibly college, may we remember that moderation is key to gaining the most out of each day, and ultimately our lives. Just as we should not spend all of our day on leisure activities (e.g. social media, parties, playing video games, gym), we should not spend all of our day working (e.g. homework, studying, chores). By going overboard on one “side of the coin”, we lack the rejuvenation that the other “side of the coin” provides for us. We are left tired and unable to deliver the best of ourselves to ourselves and to others. Yes, one could argue that work is important, talking is important, or having a laugh is important. But there is a time and place for everything and each has to be done at the right time.
So, when is the right time? This is a difficult question that many struggle with throughout their lives. The answer comes with personal growth and awareness of oneself and others. Let us help keep each other accountable. Listen with the ear of your heart to yourself and to others. If you or someone seems off-balanced, distracted, or stressed, provide a space for that person to take a step back and take deep breath, and have that person reevaluate their balance and use of time on certain activities. By providing this intentional pause for reflection, we are giving ourselves an opportunity to balance our lives for the better.
Prayer:
God, sometimes we go over the top and swing out of balance. Help us to maintain a sense of balance in our lives, remembering the things we have to do as well as the things we want to do. Amen.
St. Anselm Feast Day Reflection
By Molly Buccola
This morning, our monks celebrated mass for St. Anselm. We are a Priory (small monastery) of St. Anselm Abbey in Manchester, New Hampshire. The below excerpt is from the beginning of Saint Anselm’s famous work, the Proslogion, and calls us to make space for God in the midst of the hectic life we lead, retreat within, and seek God’s face.
Insignificant person, rise up! Flee your preoccupations for a little while. Hide yourself for a time from your turbulent thoughts. Cast aside, now, your heavy responsibilities and put off your burdensome business. Make a little space free for God; and rest for a little time in him.
Enter the inner chamber of your mind; shut out all thoughts. Keep only thought of God, and thoughts that can aid you in seeking him. Close your door and seek him. Speak now, my whole heart! Speak now to God, saying, I seek your face; your face, Lord, will I seek.
“Insignificant person, rise up!” At first this seems like a slap in the face. St. Anselm has a point. We are more than we initially think. We are more than our daily problems and individual needs. We are called to see life in all it’s meaning and purpose. It is difficult to do so when our tunnel vision tricks us into believing we are the center of the world and our own problems are the most important matters of the moment. “Insignificant person, rise up!”
“Enter the inner chamber of your mind.” Inner chamber, that sounds like a deep, dark, mysterious uncontrolled space. “Shut out your thoughts.” How can we check our baggage at the door of such a foreign, yet truly blessed space? We are challenged to do so, to invite ourselves into the presence of our highest selves in relationship with the Divine. We are invited to “enter the inner chamber of the mind.”
Today, in honoring our Benedictine Saint Anselm, I encourage you to “rise up” and “enter the inner chamber of your mind.” Give yourself perspective, space, silence, and open to God.
An Open Letter to a Heart Unsatisfied
By Katy Oseguera
Bloom, my love for the time for darkness is over.
Grow, my strength as warmer days are on the horizon.
Educate, my mind as I learn what it means to be a woman.
Bloom, as the door you shut yourself behind opens once more.
Grow, my heart as you surround yourself with a passion rediscovered.
Educate, my eyes to see the beauty in days that are to come.
Bloom, my rose.
Grow, my heart.
Educate, my spirit.
Allow me to awaken myself from a slumber so deep
So relentless
So demanding
So draining
Allow me to become a woman of grace, of love, of wisdom, of God.
Senior Katy Oseguera wrote the above poem while reflecting on the Stations of the Cross in Mary Carroll’s Theology class. During our March 28th Chapel, Priory students, faculty, and staff recounted Jesus’ suffering with our annual Stations of the Cross ceremony. Theology classes found parallels between each station and today’s social justice issues. Katy’s “An Open Letter to a Heart Unsatisfied” not only invites us to reflect on Jesus’ suffering, but offers us a sign of hope, of Easter.
In Chapel last week, Fr. Martin celebrated our annual Easter Mass because we are on break for the actual holiday. Together, we look towards the Easter Season, new life and a fresh start. Together we celebrate that Jesus rose from the dead, forgiveness is powerful, accompaniment is necessary, and that love conquers all. In Katy’s words, may we all become people of grace, of love, of wisdom, of God.
We wish you and your family a blessed Holy Week and Happy Easter!
All are welcome to join the monastic community for services this week in Priory’s Chapel. See times on the sidebar of this mailing.
Benedictine Schools Week
By Molly Buccola
“They are completely like us, yet not at all!” exclaimed a Priory student at the International Benedictine Youth Congress in Australia. When our six representatives gathered with three hundred Benedictine school students from throughout the world they realized that, like siblings, the schools shared a foundation of strong values and tradition yet each school was vastly different due to their unique context and culture. Like long lost siblings, students laughed at the similarities in school structure and tradition and delightfully shared how their paths had split, forming unique schools. In the evenings they explored the area together, sat in awe under the stars, and even created space for their own dance parties.
We celebrate St. Benedict’s Feast Day today, March 21st. Our patron saint is known as the “Father of Western Monasticism” and for “creating schools in the Lord’s service.” Benedictine communities throughout the world have committed to a structured life that aims to help individuals live up to their potential as blessed beings while understanding that each is broken and carries their own weakness. St. Benedict found that living in community with specific shared values and daily routines was a way to deeply immerse the self in this complicated world, not escape it. Sister Joan Chittister, OSB says, “St. Benedict asks us to live ordinary life extraordinarily well.”
In monasteries, individuals must practice acceptance, empathy, generosity, forgiveness, introspection, and renewal. In silence and prayer, St. Benedict challenges us to face ourselves. In community, St. Benedict requires us to give of ourselves for the sake of the community. St. Benedict was a psychologist and sociologist before the development of those fields. He studied the way humans tick, in our greatness and our downfalls. He was interested in each individual as well as the way in which individuals work together.
This week we celebrate Benedictine communities throughout the world that “are completely like us, yet not all.” We share the same house “rules” for reaching our full potential as spiritual and communal beings. We are known and loved. We are challenged to be our best selves. As a “school in the Lord’s service” we practice acceptance, empathy, generosity, forgiveness, introspection, and renewal.
Yet we are a very unique community celebrating this tradition in the midst of fast-paced Silicon Valley. I’m thankful that St. Benedict encourages us to explore this high-tech capitol together, remembering that our purpose is to grow closer to God and each other. May we take time to sit in awe of ways God breathes through our days.
Forward - Thinkers: Sir Ken Robinson and St. Benedict
By Molly Buccola
“Children are alive right now! Our job as educators is to elevate the whole person, now. Education should feed the spirit. Yes, it’s about preparation for the future, but it’s more about the individuals and the community of learners,” Sir Ken Robinson exclaimed, at the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Conference in Baltimore last week.
St. Benedict was a revolutionary. Like Sir Ken Robinson, he was forward-thinking and focused on the whole person (monk) and their relationship with the community (monastery). The Rule of Saint Benedict was written in a time when Europe lay in political, economic, communal, and social disarray. When unsustainable patterns of military force, wealth separation, fear, and competition were wearing on individuals, threatening communities, and destroying societal well-being, St. Benedict decided to create his own resistance.
St. Benedict gathered communities that supported and challenged each individual. He created an environment where each individual was known and loved for their unique strengths, talents, and limitations. In that way, he was able to empower each person to find passions that could “feed their spirits” and “elevate the whole person.” This was Saint Benedict’s way of serving a world in need of our gifts. Yes, it was about “preparation for the future, but it’s more about the individuals and the community.”
When speaking on education, Sir Ken Robinson states, “The role of a creative leader is not to have all the ideas; it's to create a culture where everyone can have ideas and feel that they're valued.” St. Benedict stressed the value of each voice within his communities, empowering each monk and student to share their perspective and dream ways to improve life and relationship with God and others.
In a time where people were doing everything they could to boost their reputations and increase their wealth and status, St. Benedict emphasized the importance of the individual spirit, understanding that everyone is alive right now, as a whole person and that each person will find balance and meaning in a community where they are known and loved.
Silence
By Molly Buccola
We’ve all read many psychological, social, and professional benefits to meditation recently, yet Benedictines have practiced this type of silence for over 1500 years. Benedictine monasteries have been cultural centers for art, music, and intellectual growth throughout the centuries. Benedictine Don Massimo Lapponi writes, “The culture of the soul should be the foundation and final purpose of every intellectual activity.” We are more than our work and studies.
Just before break, Priory’s faculty and staff spent a day on retreat where insightful and sometimes humorous, Fr. Anselm Smedile, OSB from St. Anselm Abbey spoke on the book A Taste of Silence: How I Came To Be At Home With Myself by Bieke Vandekerckhove.
Notable highlights from the day:
We think of silence as not doing anything. Who has time for that? As people, our first tendency is to grab (experiences, possessions, status, titles, etc.). But, we are human beings, not human doings. It is much easier for us to go, go, go, to fill our minds, and over-schedule our days, than it is to sit in silence while listening within. As human beings, we are created to feel, connect, notice, and breathe. Silence is more than just being quiet. It opens us to deeper realities we cannot express.
Sometimes our troublesome companions: sadness, anger, and fear emerge in the silence. Spending time in silence with these could open our minds and hearts while connecting us with God and others on a deeper level. In these moments, an insightful understanding may emerge. Peace in our hearts and relationships may arise. Living a meaningful life doesn’t always mean living a happy life.
When speaking with a group of parents about silent meditation and prayer, Fr. Anselm offered that to be silent, is to be open. Vandekerckhove explains, “Silence allows something wonderful to be born.” I’m proud that our Benedictine tradition challenges us to develop intellectually while cultivating ways for the soul to speak in times of prayer and silence. May these moments grace our meaningful lives.
St. Scholastica: Let It Rain
By Molly Buccola
Let it rain! Today is St. Scholastica’s Feast Day! Who was Saint Scholastica? St. Benedict’s twin sister! Could you imagine a family with saints for siblings? They were both born in Nursia, Italy around 480. This morning’s rain reminds me of a story about our dear twins.
Benedict and Scholastica were the heads of their monasteries (Abbot and Abbess). Once a year they would hike through the hills to meet each other. The last time they met, they talked and laughed together until evening. At one point Benedict stood up and announced that it was time for him to return to his monastery. The community had a rule that said monks must return for evening prayers and sleep inside the cloister. Scholastica asked Benedict to stay, then urged him. Benedict said goodbye and turned toward the door. Scholastica bowed her head and clasped her hands in prayer. Tears rolled down her face. Just then the clear sky shouted, CRACK, BOOM, WHOOSH! A thunderstorm began! Benedict turned to Scholastica and realized her prayer for rain was answered. He dropped his worry and stayed with his sister. They shared stories and recounting memories, even spent hours in communal prayer. This was the last time Benedict saw Scholastica alive. Those extra moments together were well worth it. Yes, this is a legend but there may be truth in the story.
I see truth in Benedict’s struggle to decide between following rules (returning to the monastery) and following his heart (spending the last evening with his sister). Sometimes we don’t take the extra moment to think about what is important when we are rushing through our daily routine or following “to do” lists. Yes, Benedict was a saint, but he was still a human who struggled with life decisions.
Today we honor St. Scholastica who was a strong and faithful woman. May be all discern life’s difficult moments and faithfully follow our hearts. Grant us courage. Grant us peace.
Benedictine Way
By Molly Buccola
“Your way of acting should be different than the world’s way (RB 4:20).”
The fourth chapter of St. Benedict’s Rule offers “Tools for Good Works.” The twentieth tool reads, “Your way of acting should be different than the world’s way.” It sounds like advice from a parent to a child. I hear, “You make your own choices. Don’t fall into peer pressure.”
As we know, it is not always easy to take a stand, offer an unpopular point of view, or go against the norm. But Saint Benedict shares that sometimes it is important to do just that. Our Theology claims we are created with both Grace and Free Will. We are all blessed with the Divine’s peaceful spirit while fostering a freedom to think and act as we choose.
Humanity therefore carries honor and responsibility. St. Benedict urges us to step away from the world’s noise and chaos and develop a relationship with ourselves and God. We must routinely rekindle our Grace while mindfully and intentionally choosing our words and actions.
St. Benedict suggests that when we honor our Grace, we are more likely to use our Free Will responsibly. In this way, we will develop faith to see extraordinary beauty in ordinary life. We will develop strength necessary to create boundaries for our chaotic lives. And we will develop courage to speak for the voiceless.
As humans, we seek comfort in the affirmation of others. Often, our thoughts and actions are simply reactions to that which we feel, see, or hear. Yet, in unique, spiritual paths from birth to death, each of us develops a unique relationship with God. May we choose to accompany, inspire, and motivate each other while leading lives of peace and justice.
Benedictine Thoughts in Stormy, Uncertain Times
By Molly Buccola
Rumble, rumble, crack, flash, whoosh! Recent storms forced us to slow down, rearrange, and even stop at points. Extreme weather seldom disrupts Bay Area residents. In this place, Mother Earth both provides and protects. Like clockwork, our lives follow the same general pattern. We seem to be in complete control. This is not the case for most of our world.
Lately we’ve developed a heightened awareness of our dependence on natural resources and each other. Mother Nature reminds us that we are part of something greater. We rely on the earth and each other more than we’re comfortable to admit. While this thought could be unnerving and scary, it also offers a sense of grace and peace.
The storms interrupt and are initially frustrating, but as we sit in moments of impatience, we have an opportunity to welcome a perspective shift. We observe, listen, feel, exhale, before continuing on with our go-go-go nature. We are offered a moment to “let God be God."
Benedictine tradition sees monastics as individuals who are part of a community that is larger than that which they see. This community stretches beyond space and time. The Benedictine community is local, national, and global. The Benedictine community is now, yesterday, and centuries past. It includes all of creation since the beginning of time and spanning to tomorrow and future generations.
Benedictines are founded on a principle that honors our interconnected nature. Their practices and beliefs are centered on a commitment to God and His widespread community. St. Benedict was well aware that much of life is beyond our control, and as individuals living within the community, it is our responsibility to “listen with the ear of the heart” (Rule of Saint Benedict, Prologue), “welcome others as Christ” (Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 53) and "first show in deeds rather than words all that is good and holy (Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 2)." One Benedictine motto is “ora et labora.” Ora (prayer) suggests much of life is beyond our control and when personally grounded in faith, hope, and love, we are motivated to labora (work) to serve the community.
In this stormy time of uncertainty, may we look to the Benedictine tradition as a guide to reestablish personal relationships with God and to serve a world in need of our gifts.
Call to Prayer and Action
By Molly Buccola
Our dear Priory monks celebrate mass every morning in the Chapel, praying for our extended school community and world at large. Throughout the half hour, in that quiet sacred space, they and all who choose to participate, share moments of stillness and peace. As individuals, participants honor God’s presence in their hearts, and entertain moments of calm in their lives. As a community, their spiritual practice is more than a sum of its parts. The daily practice is pregnant with deep prayers for peace and justice. One prayer from Thursday’s mass continues to ring in my mind and heart. “May we hear God’s voice. Grant us the wisdom to discern moments we are called to prayer and moments we are called to action. Help us to live in peace and strive for justice. “
This week was packed with concern for peace and action for justice. Our upper school students spent much of the week off campus, volunteering with organizations that aim to support our community. And our nation spent much of the week witnessing a government transition. These events call for exhausting physical work and emotional processing. As individuals in a complicated world, we are left wondering what to do.
“May we hear God’s voice. Grant us the wisdom to discern moments we are called to prayer and moments we are called to action. Help us to live in peace and strive for justice. “ We are each unique beings with different strengths, talents, relationships and connections with the Divine. Each individual is empowered with his/her own calling and given unique tools to live in peace and strive for justice.
How do we know when we are called to prayer and when we are called to act? It is our responsibility as beings to listen to the yearning for calm and peace in our hearts. It is our responsibility to get to know and love ourselves, to foster moments of silence in our individual lives. In these moments, we will honor God’s presence and know when we are called to act for justice. As a community of individuals, our spiritual practice is more than a sum of its parts. As a community of individuals, our prayers of peace and action for justice are more than a sum of its parts. As Benedictines have done for over 1500 years, we will gather as a community who deeply believes that each individual is created with a sense of peace and deserves a just world.
Making New Year’s Resolutions Last: Five Benedictine Lessons
By Benedictine Leadership Class of 2015
New Year's resolutions sweep in the New Year. Nevertheless, many people do not keep their resolutions past the end of January. Gym memberships go unused, healthy foods remain uneaten, and daily planners have nothing written on them. However, members of one type of community, that we are proud to be a part of, are great at keeping resolutions everyday. This group is the Benedictines. Throughout the past 1500 years, they have worked towards their goals of devotion to God, each other, and the community. Here are some Benedictines traditions that could help others keep their resolutions:
- Make it a Habit
The Benedictines keep relatively strict schedules. They wake up early in the morning and have set-aside times to pray throughout the day. These times repeat everyday until they become habitual. Making a habit is an important part of a New Year’s resolution if it is meant to last. A habit is a part of a lifestyle rather than just an added “thing to do” for the day. For example, if your resolution is to make it to work or school an hour earlier in the morning, be consistent. Don’t wake up an hour early one day, and sleep in the next day. Keep it the same, and your body will adjust. - Listen
One key phrase that the Benedictines use is “Listen with the ear of your heart.” This means to focus on what other people are saying and taking the time to empathize and learn from them. This listening ability is key to improving resolutions. The Benedictines listen to others so that they are better able to refine their own lives. For example, if your resolution is to swim a mile, go listen to your swim coach talk about breathing technique, stroke style, and building endurance, and make those practices part of your workout. - Begin Again
Another phrase we often hear as part of the Priory community is “Always we begin again.” This essentially means that though we make mistakes, we always have a chance to start over and make ourselves better people. In a resolution, many people reach points where they no longer wish to continue their resolutions despite their initial drive. Beginning again allows you to come back from failure stronger than you were before. For example, if your resolution is to eat healthier daily, but for lunch you eat a candy bar instead of a salad, beginning again will allow you to forgive yourself of your mistake, and continue to eat healthy in the future. - See Yourself as Part of Something Larger
The Benedictines acknowledge that they should not live their lives indulging in their own desires. Rather, they live to serve the community. Seeing a positive impact of your resolutions on other people will help you keep your resolution beyond the first month of the New Year. For example, if your resolution is to do more community service throughout the year, know that you are doing your part to make the world a better place. Knowing that what you are doing is beneficial to others gives you more of a reason to keep doing it. - Reflect
Reflection is a key part of the lives of the Benedictine monks. They spend many hours in prayer throughout the day and spend many other times in silence by themselves. Reflection is important to see where you are and determine the trajectory of a New Year’s resolution so you can amend it before it falters. For example, if your New Year’s resolution is to learn a new language, reflect on your progress daily in order to remind yourself of how much you have learned and how close to you are to reaching your goals. This will help you stay motivated to keep on learning regardless of being overwhelmed by the task at hand.
Hopefully these are some good tips to help you keep up with your New Year’s resolutions. Remember, Make it a Habit, Listen, Begin Again, See Yourself as Part of Something Larger, and Reflect, and have a Happy New Year!
Advent Reflection: Week 4
Molly Buccola
The holidays are a time for reconnecting with loved ones yet sometimes these loved ones are not always “liked” ones. Some longstanding relationships carry immense amounts of baggage, frustration, annoyance, and hurt. Sometimes the holiday joy doesn’t seem so cheerful. Advent grounds us, asks us to be realistic and hopeful in the midst of the holiday hype.
Sunday’s readings offered glimpses of light. A phrase in the second reading (Romans 1:1-7) includes the phrase “obedience of faith.” As shared before, Benedictines take a vow of obedience, which comes from the Latin term meaning “to listen.” In fact, the Rule of Saint Benedict begins with the phrase, “Listen with the ear of the heart.” Benedictine obedience is much different than that of a dog with his owner. Benedictine obedience calls us to listen, with an open and loving heart, to the situation and people involved, then to ponder ways could God be breathing through the moment. One must be obedient to cultivate this mindset on a regular basis. We are all human. Assuming, short, and negative thoughts could easily become the norm without continually calling our minds and hearts back to a state of obedience. When we practice “listening, with the ear of the heart” we are more likely to invite God, our better selves, and loved ones into a moment of grace.
It wasn’t just the word “obedience” that jumped from the reading yesterday but “obedience of faith.” Yesterday’s Gospel reading (Matthew 1:18-24) focuses on the moment Joseph found that this fiancé was pregnant and the child wasn’t his. He didn’t lash out right away or throw a fit when Mary said it was God’s child. He took some time to ponder and even slept on it. For some, it is very difficult to hold back our initial thoughts and react rather than pause before responding. His fiancé was pregnant with God’s child! What?!?! That could be surprising, confusing, infuriating, and could seem like a flat-out lie. But, Joseph cultivated a sense of obedient faith. After stepping away from the situation and sleeping through the night and listening to the angel in his dream, he returned to the unique situation with faith in Mary, God, and their journey together.
So often we assume. We assume we know people, their circumstances, and intentions. When things happen to them, we assume they did something to deserve it. When they do something, we assume we know why. The people closest to us often bear the brunt of our assumptions. We are too short to give them the benefit of the doubt. We know them too well to ask good questions because we assume we know the answers, how they think, and what they’re feeling. Everyone on this earth deserves the benefit of the doubt. We are all trying to be the best people we can be. We all fail and fail and fail again. “Obedience of faith” challenges us to step back, “listen with the ear of the heart,” and have faith in our better selves, others, and God.
Advent Reflection: Week 3
Molly Buccola
The third week of Advent we light the wreath’s pink candle, symbolizing joy. Joy is grounded in ultimate peace, commonly found when investing in deep relationships with the self, others, and God. Advent is a season to nurture these relationships with intent. We create boundaries and develop routines rooted in that which we value so that we can grow towards our full potential.
Sunday’s reading from the Prophet Isaiah says that even the desert “steppe will rejoice and bloom and the hands of the feeble will strengthen.” No matter where we start or how many times we fall, there is always hope to bloom to our full potential. Sometimes we feel like desert steppe; complacent, dried/burned out, alone but the Prophet Isaiah explains that there is always hope for something more, something beyond. This is a perfect reading for the Advent season, where we prepare ourselves for the Prince of Peace and Joy Incarnate. There are points in our lives when we thirst for refreshers to step back and remember why we do what we do and to search for support, guidance, and inspiration. Then, our “feeble” ways can turn to strength.
The next reading from the Book of James advises readers to be patient in our preparation. “See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.” These days we can travel across the world in less than twenty-four hours, receive overnight packages, and find almost any fact on the Internet in seconds. We are not used be being patient in this instant-gratification-culture. But we, like the precious fruit of the earth, must be patient. Some parts of life, relationships, and ourselves, need time and nutrients to grow.
Advent is a season to be patient with ourselves. We try to develop habits that will deepen our relationships. Undoubtedly, we will fail…a lot…but it is about having faith that the most beautiful blooms can blossom, even in the desert. We must have patience with ourselves, others, and God. So, here’s to a week celebrating our continual journey with The Prince of Peace and Joy Incarnate.
Advent Reflection: Week 2
Molly Buccola
Ding, Whoop, Bing, Whooosh. Phone, computer, and watch alerts demand our attention these days. We obey and react to our technological signals. We’ve seen watches that ask their owners to stand, walk, and even breathe! We seem to listen to devices more than our own minds, bodies, and spirits.
Benedictines emphasize spending time in prayer/meditation, reading spiritual texts, and engaging with people in meaningful ways. They believe these practices will lead them to their deepest selves and will call them to relationship with God and others. Sister Joan Chittister wrote, “St. Benedict’s Rule was not written for God, it was written for humans. We are deeply spiritual beings who are living human life.” We are deeply spiritual beings, longing for more. We long for meaningful relationships, fulfilling jobs, and lives of purpose. Unfortunately, we live in a whirlwind society where we are pushed to live reactionary lives, responding to endless alerts
St. Benedict’s Rule asks us to respond to our internal alerts. He asks us to listen to our minds, our bodies, and our spirits and to give priority to this practice. When we prioritize and create boundaries for ourselves, we are no longer driven by fear (rejection, loss, failure, etc.) from outside ourselves. When we give priority to spending time in prayer or meditation, reading spiritual texts, and engaging with people in meaningful ways, we acknowledge that there is more to this life than reacting and keeping up.
Benedictine practices invite us to reintroduce our deepest selves to the world. When we listen to our mind, body, and spirit, we give life to our soul. This only comes with practice. We begin by honoring our intuition.
The second week of Advent reminds us of Isaiah’s reference to the “voice calling in the wilderness” and of Mary’s Immaculate Conception. Are we able to take time to listen to our internal voice in prayer or meditation? This could be the voice of God! Maybe our deepest desires and intuitions are actually leading us towards a life to which we have been called. Can we honor our deepest selves? On Thursday we celebrate Mary’s Immaculate Conception. Our internal voices and deepest desires could be our babies, gifts that grow inside of us. They are from God and for the world. That could be our call to contribute to the world in our own very unique ways. This conception is between the soul and God. If we hear the voice today, harden not our hearts (Psalm 95).
Like Mary, we are the chosen ones. We have a unique and special gift for the world that is growing within. It is our duty to “listen with the ear of the heart (Prologue to the Rule of St. Benedict).” Listening to this voice, asks that we go to deep places within ourselves. The call is usually to make a certain decision. It may evoke change. It may be counter-cultural. And like a baby, it may transform life. Sometimes the voice within makes no logical sense. If we learn to listen to our bodies and the peace in our hearts when making decisions, we start to give life. Like birth, this process can be extremely difficult. In time, it will be liberating. With faith, your decision to listen to the voice will be liberating.
The voice is sometimes revealed in our prayers, silence, and physical or emotional reactions. When we follow the voice within we give birth to an idea or a way of being that comes from us, but it is not ours. Ultimately, it is our unique gift to the world. Once we make these difficult choices, we continue in a constant state of listening and discernment. We have let go and have faith in our path.
So in this Advent Season, can we set our fears aside? Will we turn our external alerts off and search for those inside? We live very different lives. Our journeys are unique. We are called and our communities are patiently waiting for our baby within to give light to the world.
Advent Reflection: Week 1
Molly Buccola
In Chapel last week, freshman Carmen Akamine-Alvarez shared, “my favorite color is black because light always comes from the darkest places.” Yesterday marked the beginning of a new year in most churches from the Western tradition. The word “Advent” is derived from the Latin word, “adventus,” meaning “coming.” It is a time that we wait and prepare for Christmas. We celebrate this season in hope, peace, joy, and love.
This first week, scripture readings ask us to wake to life’s goodness, to the light shining in the dark places of our lives. Hasty routines promote tunnel vision to complete tasks. Advent calls us to open our senses to glimmers of light, the blessings that peek through dark, busy tunnels. It is time to slow down, notice, admire, and give thanks for the simple yet profound ways God blesses our lives.
Fr. Anthony De Mello, S.J. suggests, “spirituality means waking up. Most people, though they don’t know it, are asleep. They are born asleep, they live asleep, they marry in their sleep, they breed children in their sleep, they die in their sleep, without ever waking up. They never understand the loveliness and beauty of this thing that we call human existence.” This week, scripture readings sound a wake-up call. They tell us that now is the time to start recognizing glimpses of God in our relationships, work, and routine tasks or as Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister writes, “live the ordinary extraordinarily well.”
Many Christians observe Advent through prayer, connecting with God more often, engaging in good deeds for others, and choosing to fast from things which they don’t need (food, material goods, poor decisions, complaining, Facebook, etc.). They do these things in hopes of waking to God’s light shining in their lives.
Benedictine Monk's TED Talk on Gratitude
We all want to be happy, says David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk. And happiness, he suggests, is born from gratitude. An inspiring lesson in slowing down, looking where you're going, and above all, being grateful.
Benedictine Vows Address Societal Pressures
Molly Buccola
Benedictine monks commit to a unique set of religious vows when entering their monastic community. These vows offer guidance both monks and lay people, religious and non-religious. In this day and age, when living in a world of “haste and frenzy”, societal pressure, harsh grudges, and communication breakdowns, we can call upon our Benedictine wisdom tradition. Below are three unique vows Benedictine monks take when joining a community, along with a short paragraph on how it may inform our lives.
Conversatio: The Way of Formation and Transformation
“Always we begin again”
Benedictines have not chosen an English term that directly translates from this Latin word. John McQuiston’s phrase “always we begin again” offers a helpful explanation. Saint Benedict emphasizes that monks are to better their relationship with God and others each day. In the morning, they wake with prayers about new life. In the evenings their prayers are about laying their burdens to rest, forgiving themselves and others. This daily cycle is just one representation of their vow to wake with opportunity to recommit to the monastic routine so that they can work toward an ultimate goal to serve God and others. As humans, we have our downfalls. Sometimes we are impatient or feel too busy for that which is truly import. Benedictines challenge us to recommit each morning to that which is most meaningful in our lives. We have an opportunity forgive ourselves and others for that we’ve done wrong or failed to do. The vow of conversatio invites the best versions of ourselves to show up each day. Always we begin again.
Stability: Commitment to the Daily Life of this Place
“For better or worse”
When Benedictines choose to join a community, they choose to stay with those people, in that place, for the rest of their lives. It is like marrying the community “for better or worse.” The vow of stability challenges monks to face difficult matters and to work with them. It asks them to engage in difficult conversations, when needed and to accept someone as they are. It asks monks to listen to the least among them, as if they were listening to Christ. Saint Benedict also emphasized the importance of deep sharing among community members (personal, intellectual, and spiritual). Monks guard their communal meal times as they do their prayer times. Sitting together in silence or in conversation helps hold them together as a community instead of simply becoming a group of people. There is also a part of the day carved out for dialogue and debate around academic reading or current events. In this age where time is limited due to technology and societal demands, Benedictines invite us to commit to family on a daily basis so that we can work together in good times and bad.
Obedience: A Commitment to Listening and Consequent Action
“Listen with the ear of the heart”
Benedictine monks today have a slightly different perspective on the vow of obedience than those of past generations. The Benedictines shift away from the word’s negative connotations and instead focus on the first part of the Rule’s prologue. Saint Benedict says, “Listen with the ear of the heart.” Monks are called to listen to each individual and their experience. They are called to open their minds, ears, eyes, and hearts to the experience, perspective of the other, and ways God may be present in that. After listening, they pray. They ruminate on the person, conversation, or situation and call the Divine into their experience. Only after listening and prayer are they then supposed to act. The vow of obedience is a commitment to God and others by listening, praying, then acting. The article “Education within the Benedictine Wisdom Tradition” notes that Benedictine communities should be “different from haste and frenzy.” Our world demands efficiency and breads reaction. When we listen with the ear of the heart and ponder and pray before acting, we create a space “different from haste and frenzy.” Benedictines give perspective and ask us to prioritize. That which may seem urgent in the moment, may actually be begging for a listening heart and prayer before action.
Benedictine Perspective in These Times by Molly Buccola
Recent events in our country and world call us to a moment of pause. In the midst of disturbing rhetoric, fear, anger, and hate there are also moments of compassion, love, and stillness. The old Tale of Two Wolves says that each of us has two wolves residing in ourselves. One embodies a compassionate, open, empathetic side and the other, a fearful, angry, self-centered side. When there is conflict, one must win. The winning wolf is the one we feed.
The news normally covers bad wolves and overlooks good wolves. Today, we are challenged to feed the good wolves in ourselves and ask those wolves to see good wolves in others. We must ban together as a compassionate, open, empathetic pack.
The main goals of Benedictine life are to serve God and others. Benedictine monks join communities to surround themselves with support and inspiration. Monks faithfully feed their good wolves and hold each other to that. The Rule of Saint Benedict gives suggestions on how to develop such habits. They include many elements that are easily accessible to people outside monastery walls. Today, I choose to offer only a few.
- Routine Prayer and Pause (Communal and Individual)– Monks stop and pray together five to seven times a day. The prayers are usually just 10 - 15 minutes long but offer a moment of pause, peace, silence, gratitude, and perspective in the midst of sometimes chaotic, emotional, and task-driven days. Prayer times are guarded. The monks drop everything to meet. They commit themselves to honoring the peace within them and their connection to God and others. Is there a way for you to plan moments of individual or communal pause in your day? Is there a loved-one with whom you’d like to share these moments? Could you list “graces and gratitude’s?” Could you set a standing appointment with yourself to step outside and admire nature’s beauty or read a page of spiritual reading?
- Deep Listening – St. Benedict begins his Rule with “Listen…with the ear of the heart.” This is no easy task for any human. Monks are burdened with long “to do” lists like us all. They also live in community with individuals who have quirks and tendencies that may be frustrating, like siblings and spouses. Monks are tasked with listening to the deepest yearnings, pains, and graces of their community members. They try to drop all personal bias and thoughts to listen to the other. Sometimes listening requires more than hearing words, but also reading body language. Sometimes listening to the unsaid words is more important than the verbalized. When listening deeply, we are more prepared to serve. How can you strive to listen deeply? Is there someone with whom you struggle to connect? Could you drop preconceived notions when listening to them? Could there be something deeper? Could moments of pregnant pause and silence be moments of grace?
- Time Allotment - Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister asks us to spend time on things that are “of eternity.” Monastics have many stressors. Priory monks help run the school, others work with inner-city communities, others run hospitals, and others businesses. Their work is to serve the local community while earning enough money to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. They spend time attending to others. There is plenty of worry in monastic life but the moments of pause and prayer remind them that their time is to be spent on faith, hope, and love. They have mandated periods of “recreation.” Even if work isn’t all done, they must stop to give the body, mind, and spirit a rest, so that they are healthy and more prepared to serve. “Recreation” looks different for each monk. Br. Edward used to walk to the gym and field after school to watch athletics. Fr. Martin works in the wood shop or takes walks. These are moments of recreation AND grace. They are relaxing but still connecting with God and others. How do you spend your time and energy? How do you transform worry to faith, hope, and love? Do you guard your “recreation time?” How do you spend your “recreation time?”
Benedictines have been around for over 1500 years. There is a sense of peace, justice, and stability in this tradition. Monasteries offer wise perspectives on individual and communal life. They also honor God’s presence in the past, present, and future. They have seen the rise and fall of many turbulent times. They serve as sanctuaries of peace and justice while serving God and others. I pray that we learn from our Benedictine tradition, accepting the challenge to feed our compassionate, open, empathetic wolves in this time of transition.
Benedictine Balance by Molly Buccola
As many of you know, when I was younger, I suffered a stroke. I lost feeling and control of my life side. Thankfully, I'm totally healthy today but a few minor setbacks remain. One of which, is that when I'm fearful, the left side of my face can droop or my left side can go limp, curl or freeze up. This is one of those stories.
My friend and I were hiking in a developing country when we encountered an obstacle that would have meant turning a five-mile hike into ten if we did not cross a difficult section. We would have to balance on a 2 x 4 and walk thirty feet. Sounds simple enough except that ten feet below was something bubbling, something horribly stinky, -- poop.
My friend, in his confidence and grace, glided across the plank and over the sewage canal swiftly. Many of you have seen my dance moves, I move with no such grace. I took a deep, disgusting; sewage-polluted breath, and stepped out to walk the plank. I'm on a wobbly piece of wood, twenty-nine feet from my goal and I couldn't help it-- I looked down. Just then, my left leg froze.
In search for support and confidence, I looked at my partner who found a three-foot stick and held it out in my direction. Thanks, but there was still about twenty-six feet between my hand and the stick. He was laughing too hard to offer any support. So the journey began. I stepped with my right foot, wobbled a little, then dragged my left. My right foot was strong. I played soccer growing up and practiced many-a-shot with that foot. Muscle memory. Another step. Drag. And so on. This went on for, well it felt like eternity.
“But, Ms. Buccola, why would you share this experience in Chapel?” – one might ask. Well, Benedictine writer Ester de Waal says, “Recently, society lives with less and less of our whole selves...” She goes on to explain, little by little, parts of our lives (and selves) are forgotten, dragged behind, and ultimately paralyzed because they aren’t considered important to a “successful” future.
Without practicing focused, intentional steps, I couldn’t go anywhere. My head was ahead of my body. I needed to be intentional about my forward movement, I needed to slow down, spend extra time, and refocus.
Society today pushes us to drill full speed ahead, sacrificing sleep, family time, friends, and sometimes all sparks of joy and peace to produce perfection. But why? What’s the purpose? When making these sacrifices, are our minds, bodies, or spirits sending warning signs about loss of joy, meaning, or connection?
St. Benedict felt this loss of joy, meaning, connection, even purpose. While studying in Rome he was surrounded by wealthy students competing to get ahead. The rich were becoming powerful on the backs of the poor. People were frivolous with their money and resources. Politicians were making decisions to benefit themselves. Some of this might sound familiar. St. Benedict fled to a cave.
When living in solitude, he prayed to God and pondered humanity. He created guidelines for communities, devoting equal importance to nurturing the body, mind, and spirit. He developed a schedule for monastic communities that invited time for work, studies, and prayer. He made time for communal life and solitude. Time for sharing and silence. He believed that what we practice becomes part of us and that these practices are sure signs of our priorities.
Body
In Benedict’s day, holy people would nearly starve themselves to prove their faith and love of God. Others prayed at all hours of day and night. St. Benedict was my kind of man! He wanted his monks to guard sleeping hours and eat plenty in order to be strong enough to work, study, and pray while being patient enough to serve one another. He said, “We hope to set down nothing harsh, nothing burdensome” and went on “all is to be pursued in moderation.” Don’t those words belong in a health magazine?
Raise your hand if you are an athlete. YES! Student-Athletes. We must balance study, downtime, sleep, and timely, nutritious meals. That’s a difficult task. We know that our bodies are strongest after a good night’s sleep and that our muscles recover with protein and carbs. We know we have to practice to develop muscle memory.
St. Benedict knew these things too. He wanted his monks to be strong enough to work in the fields, study, and pray. He wanted strong monks who could reach their full, unique potential, to develop all parts of themselves.
Mind
Benedict believes that education is supposed to help us develop skills for the workforce, but he didn’t want his monks to only be skilled workers. He wanted them to be life-long learners. He wanted them to spend time reading and engaging in philosophical discussions each day. Monks were, and are, scholastics. In this way, Benedict suggested that the purpose of education was more than developing tools to achieve a high-paying job. He believed that the purpose of education was to develop a routine, a love of learning and problem-solving because that is an integral part of our being and helps us reach our full, unique potential. In developing routine and training our minds, we become aware of humanity and ultimately aware of God’s work in this world, in our lives, and in our hearts.
Spirit
Unfortunately, overstimulation has become the norm. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Netflix, ITunes, YouTube. We are lost in a whirlwind of noise, images, and words. Our own thoughts and voices are often drowning.
St. Benedict asks us to be intentional about ways we spend our time and energy because what we practice is who we become. Benedict asks us to turn off the noise at scheduled points in the day. He asks us to sit and be. Yes, that may mean to sit and be bored. But studies show we actually develop more brain cells and establish more mental connections in moments of silence. In this silence and prayer, monks revitalize their spirits and relationships with God.
St. Benedict asks us to regain control of our bodies, minds and spirits. To reject the temptation to pick up our phones, turn on our shows, Facebook, etc. He scheduled times of silence for monks so they could find pure joy in what is instead of constantly searching for what they would like.
This is one reason we celebrate Chapel each week, begin class in prayer or silence, and ring the prayer bell at lunch. In these ways, we remind ourselves to regain control of our minds, bodies, and spirit. In these ways, we give thanks for pure joy and every part of ourselves.
We are beginning a new year. This is the time to develop intentional habits around the way we spend our time. What are we practicing? What are our priorities? Are we caught in society’s race or are we regaining control of our minds, bodies, and spirits?
In the past, have we snatched time from key parts of ourselves, forgetting their importance? What parts of ourselves have dragged behind? What parts of our lives are paralyzed because they aren’t considered important to a “successful future?”
Today, I urge you to find balance, devoting time for your body, mind, and spirit each day so you don’t find yourselves over poop creek without a leg.
As many of you know, when I was younger, I suffered a stroke. I lost feeling and control of my life side. Thankfully, I'm totally healthy today but a few minor setbacks remain. One of which, is that when I'm fearful, the left side of my face can droop or my left side can go limp, curl or freeze up. This is one of those stories.
My friend and I were hiking in a developing country when we encountered an obstacle that would have meant turning a five-mile hike into ten if we did not cross a difficult section. We would have to balance on a 2 x 4 and walk thirty feet. Sounds simple enough except that ten feet below was something bubbling, something horribly stinky, -- poop.
My friend, in his confidence and grace, glided across the plank and over the sewage canal swiftly. Many of you have seen my dance moves, I move with no such grace. I took a deep, disgusting; sewage-polluted breath, and stepped out to walk the plank. I'm on a wobbly piece of wood, twenty-nine feet from my goal and I couldn't help it-- I looked down. Just then, my left leg froze.
In search for support and confidence, I looked at my partner who found a three-foot stick and held it out in my direction. Thanks, but there was still about twenty-six feet between my hand and the stick. He was laughing too hard to offer any support. So the journey began. I stepped with my right foot, wobbled a little, then dragged my left. My right foot was strong. I played soccer growing up and practiced many-a-shot with that foot. Muscle memory. Another step. Drag. And so on. This went on for, well it felt like eternity.
“But, Ms. Buccola, why would you share this experience in Chapel?” – one might ask. Well, Benedictine writer Ester de Waal says, “Recently, society lives with less and less of our whole selves...” She goes on to explain, little by little, parts of our lives (and selves) are forgotten, dragged behind, and ultimately paralyzed because they aren’t considered important to a “successful” future.
Without practicing focused, intentional steps, I couldn’t go anywhere. My head was ahead of my body. I needed to be intentional about my forward movement, I needed to slow down, spend extra time, and refocus.
Society today pushes us to drill full speed ahead, sacrificing sleep, family time, friends, and sometimes all sparks of joy and peace to produce perfection. But why? What’s the purpose? When making these sacrifices, are our minds, bodies, or spirits sending warning signs about loss of joy, meaning, or connection?
St. Benedict felt this loss of joy, meaning, connection, even purpose. While studying in Rome he was surrounded by wealthy students competing to get ahead. The rich were becoming powerful on the backs of the poor. People were frivolous with their money and resources. Politicians were making decisions to benefit themselves. Some of this might sound familiar. St. Benedict fled to a cave.
When living in solitude, he prayed to God and pondered humanity. He created guidelines for communities, devoting equal importance to nurturing the body, mind, and spirit. He developed a schedule for monastic communities that invited time for work, studies, and prayer. He made time for communal life and solitude. Time for sharing and silence. He believed that what we practice becomes part of us and that these practices are sure signs of our priorities.
Body
In Benedict’s day, holy people would nearly starve themselves to prove their faith and love of God. Others prayed at all hours of day and night. St. Benedict was my kind of man! He wanted his monks to guard sleeping hours and eat plenty in order to be strong enough to work, study, and pray while being patient enough to serve one another. He said, “We hope to set down nothing harsh, nothing burdensome” and went on “all is to be pursued in moderation.” Don’t those words belong in a health magazine?
Raise your hand if you are an athlete. YES! Student-Athletes. We must balance study, downtime, sleep, and timely, nutritious meals. That’s a difficult task. We know that our bodies are strongest after a good night’s sleep and that our muscles recover with protein and carbs. We know we have to practice to develop muscle memory.
St. Benedict knew these things too. He wanted his monks to be strong enough to work in the fields, study, and pray. He wanted strong monks who could reach their full, unique potential, to develop all parts of themselves.
Mind
Benedict believes that education is supposed to help us develop skills for the workforce, but he didn’t want his monks to only be skilled workers. He wanted them to be life-long learners. He wanted them to spend time reading and engaging in philosophical discussions each day. Monks were, and are, scholastics. In this way, Benedict suggested that the purpose of education was more than developing tools to achieve a high-paying job. He believed that the purpose of education was to develop a routine, a love of learning and problem-solving because that is an integral part of our being and helps us reach our full, unique potential. In developing routine and training our minds, we become aware of humanity and ultimately aware of God’s work in this world, in our lives, and in our hearts.
Spirit
Unfortunately, overstimulation has become the norm. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Netflix, ITunes, YouTube. We are lost in a whirlwind of noise, images, and words. Our own thoughts and voices are often drowning.
St. Benedict asks us to be intentional about ways we spend our time and energy because what we practice is who we become. Benedict asks us to turn off the noise at scheduled points in the day. He asks us to sit and be. Yes, that may mean to sit and be bored. But studies show we actually develop more brain cells and establish more mental connections in moments of silence. In this silence and prayer, monks revitalize their spirits and relationships with God.
St. Benedict asks us to regain control of our bodies, minds and spirits. To reject the temptation to pick up our phones, turn on our shows, Facebook, etc. He scheduled times of silence for monks so they could find pure joy in what is instead of constantly searching for what they would like.
This is one reason we celebrate Chapel each week, begin class in prayer or silence, and ring the prayer bell at lunch. In these ways, we remind ourselves to regain control of our minds, bodies, and spirit. In these ways, we give thanks for pure joy and every part of ourselves.
We are beginning a new year. This is the time to develop intentional habits around the way we spend our time. What are we practicing? What are our priorities? Are we caught in society’s race or are we regaining control of our minds, bodies, and spirits?
In the past, have we snatched time from key parts of ourselves, forgetting their importance? What parts of ourselves have dragged behind? What parts of our lives are paralyzed because they aren’t considered important to a “successful future?”
Today, I urge you to find balance, devoting time for your body, mind, and spirit each day so you don’t find yourselves over poop creek without a leg.