Service in Many Ways

Tonight we were blessed to have several students from Benedictine College join us for prayers and supper and some service work. It was nice to have them here and for them to share a part of our life with us. They are all looking at serving in various ways next year on the BC campus as RA's, Student Embassadors or other positions of leadership. This service was part of their preparation for those positions. They did a great job of cleaning the chapel and we are very grateful for their presence among us!

An interesting thing occured while the students were here. Before the cleaning began, I gave the students a brief tour of two of our chapels. Outside the choir chapel is the community necrology board. This is a chronological listing of all the women from our community who have gone before us and have gone to their eternal reward. Each of these sisters is remembered in prayer by the community on the anniversary of her death. Yet our connection to our sisters does not end there. Underneath the necrology board is a bin that contains numbers. As sisters walk by the necrology board throughout the day, we draw a number and find the corresponding sister on the board. We then say a short prayer for that sister and ask her to pray for us.

Tonight as I showed the students this board, I drew the number for Sister Pia Leithner who died in 1987. Later as we were cleaning the chapel one of the students found a memorial card on the floor. It was Sister Pia's! Now remember she died in 1987 and so it is pretty remarkable that of all the cards to appear hers showed up. I told the students that Sister Pia must be trying to tell them something. I later found out that Sister Pia was a tiny German sister who made habits and was the bell ringer and sacristan for the community. It is said that when she rang the bell, she was lifted clear off the ground! She was full of life and full of love and is obviously still looking after the chapel. So here's to you Sister Pia - we remember and pray for you this night and ask you to continue to look out for us here. Peace.

Living Water

In today's Gospel, we heard about the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan women. As I was reflecting on the story, a song kept creeping into my head. (This often happens to me since I really enjoy a variety of music). The song is called You Are Water and, as I know it, is performed by an extraordinary young women from New Zealand named Hayley Westerna. She has a tremendously beautiful and haunting voice that I could listen to all day. While she is not listed as a Christian singer, much of her music has a spiritual tone to it. I encourage you to listen to her sometime. I am sure you will enjoy it.

Here are the lyrics to the song that I feel could have been song by the Samaritan woman.

You Are Water

Artist:Hayley Westenra © by Ava Parnass, Alex Forbes and Eve Nelson

When I'm lost in a tunnel of shadows and fear

With no light

Only night

And I listen for a kind word, but nobody's here

All so blue

All but you

You are the one voice

That gives me my own voice

Oh, don't you know

You are water on a hot summer day

For a thirsty daughter who's finding her way

You are waterI found my oasis

I'm drinking from the fountain of dreams

You are water

You hear the melody of my song

You stop time

Heal my mind

You show me struggle can make you so strong

Plant the seed

That is me

You are the one voice

That gives me my own voice

Oh, don't you know

You are water on a hot summer day

For a thirsty daughter who's finding her way

You are waterI found my oasis

And now I've got my arms wide open

Now I've got my wishes in motion

And I want to thank you

Yeah, I want to thank you

Every step that you take shows me the way

You are water on a hot summer day

For a thirsty daughter who's finding her way

You are waterI found my oasis

And now I've got my wishes in motion

You are water

You are water

You are water

You are water

May you too drink from the Living Water this day.

Very Cold Wednesday

Today was a full day as usual. After morning prayer and Eucharist, I returned to my office to work on posting the daily scripture reflections for the month of March. For those of you who don't know, our webpage http://www.mountosb.org/ contains a section that has a reflection questions based on each days scripture readings. These questions are posted on the web and can be sent to you as a text message if you are interested. I come up with the questions and then plug them in to be sent as a text message to all those interested. It is a nice way to reflect on the scriptures each day.

After I finished March's reflections, I went to my Wednesday class on monastic profession. Our novice Margaret spends much of her novice year taking classes about monastic life. In each of her classes, four or five professed sisters join in to share their lived experience of monasticism. It also gives the professed sisters an opportunity for continuing education. It is a wonderful class with 6 sisters plus the instructor. Today we spent time dicussing the three monastic vows of stability, obedience, and conversatio.

After class, I returned to my office to get some things ready for the afternoon. After lunch, I took three sisters to the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. We spent the afternoon walking around the various areas of interest. Each sister had her particular favorites and each enjoyed her time in those areas. As we were walking around, we were pleased to find that the guards around the museum were most friendly and rather enjoyable to chat with. They enjoyed sharing all sorts of information about their particular sections. It was almost like personal guides!

This is a picture of the four of us - Maria Larkin OSB, LucilleBorengasser OSB, Bridgid Kelliher OSB and myself. (I had to darken the edges of the photo since we were by a white wall it was hard to see us.) What a wonderful way to spend a very cold afternoon.

A Relaxing Sunday at Home

Well today was a very relaxing day. I came home from KCCSC (Kansas Catholic College Student Conference) on Saturday night (a day early) because of ice and snow. When I woke up this morning the ground was covered with very heavy wet snow and ice and I was glad I drove home yesterday. I went to the chapel for morning prayers and mass. It is so wonderful to be back home and to pray with my community. Even when I am gone for one day, I miss the communal prayer aspect of our life.

As the day progressed, the teperature rose to the upper 30's and so everything became a thick slush. True to form, several sisters went out with the sleds to take a few rides down their run. Unfortunately, as you can see in the video, the snow was way to slushy and the ride was anything but exciting. But I am sure more snow is on the way.

Tonight we had another of the Community Concert Series - Latex Trombone Quartet. It was a group that originated from Louisiana and Texas (thus the name). It was a great concert and made me regret that I stopped playing the trombone when I graduated from high school. I thought I would try taking a video clip from the organ loft to see how it turned out. That is the second video you see.

So all in all it was great to be back home at the monastery for a relaxing Sunday of prayer with the community, play in the snow, and a concert.

The Gift of Life

All day today I have been thinking about my godson Jake. 9 years ago today I got a call from my sister telling me she was going into labor and inviting me to be there for the birth. I arrived at the hospital only to discover my wait was going to be longer than planned - Jake had his own plan of when and how he was going to come into this world (Things haven't changed much). After many hours of painful contractions, Jake came slipping into this world, into my arms, and into my heart. Being there for Jake's birth was one of the most humbling expereinces of my life as well as one of the greatest gifts. It was a confirmation of how great our God truly is and Jake has been a profound blessing every day since. Below are my wishes not only for Jake but for all my nieces and nephews. May God guide and protect them all their lives. Welcome to the world little one. Created in love, anticipated with excitement, dreamed of with hope, how we have longed for your coming. The whole world lies before you just waiting for you to experience all it has to offer and to give you the chance to grow into the person God created you to be. The road ahead is long yet you will not have to travel it alone. You will have many alongside you to guide you, protect you and help you along the way. You have your aunts, uncles and cousins. Each of us, in our own way, will be there as you learn the lessons life has to teach you. Some of those lessons will come easily and some will take time to learn but we will be there with you when you triumph and when you fail. You have your grandparents, on this earth and in heaven. Each one played a part in bringing you here today. They created your parents and helped them to grow into a loving couple that will encircle you with love. They will look after you, pray for you, and guide you as best they can and they will love you without bounds for you are their grandchild. But most importantly you have God who will never leave your side and has such plans for who you one day will become. As you grow each day may you always remember: Each day is a gift - live it to the fullest Never be afraid to try something new - this is where we often find our greates surprises Find something each day that brings a smile to your face and joy to heart. Love unconditionally and with all your heart - sometimes it may be broken or bruised but it is worth the risk. Treat each person you meet with kindness, dignity and respect. Learn something new each day. Play with reckless abandon and work with fierce determination Give more than you recieve Pray each day for what you need. Pray each day in gratitude for what you have been given. Be generous with your gifts and talents - you were given them to share with others. Believe in your dreams - you can do great things Know we all fall sometimes - have the courage to pick yourself up and brush yourself off, try again and ask for help along the way when you need it. Let faith and hope be your constant companions. The world is an amazing place - look around and notice each little thing God has created. Know some of the greatest things in life can never be seen but must be felt with the heart - love, faith, forgiveness, wonder, awe, and passion. Listen and speak, lead and follow, teach and learn, pray and work, dance and be still. Read something each day - for pleasure, for learning, for spiritual growth But most importantly - never forget that I love you unconditionally and that I will always be here for you. Welcome to the world little one - I am so glad that you are here.

First Post

Well after several months of encouragement, I am finally starting a blog. I am hoping to post some reflections a couple times a week. They will consist of my life here at Mount St. Scholastica as well as prayers and reflections that I come across that I think people may find interesting. Feel free to comment on any of the posts. I wanted to start my posts with a poem that has spoken to my heart for a long time. A good friend even had it printed on a t shirt for me as a gift for my final vows. I offer it to you today as my wish and prayer for you. May you recognize in your life the presence, power and light of your soul. May you realize that you are never alone, that your soul in its brightness and belonging connects you intimately with the rhythm of the universe. May you have respect for your own individuality and difference. May you realize that the shape of your soul is unique, that you have a special destiny here, that behind the facade of your life there is something beautiful, good, and eternal happening. May you learn to see yourself with the same delight, pride, and expectation with which God sees you in every moment.

John O'Donohue

May your day be filled with peace.