Meditation/prayer is not always what people hope for
{written in 2015)
This morning as I was going to the main office after Vigils (our Morning Prayer service); I saw one of the retreatants in the sitting room. She asked me if she could take a page out of one of the newspapers to take home with...
We are made for relationship
No moment spent in My presence is without value. Every moment given Me is precious in My sight and becomes fruitful for the whole Church. It is not a question of quantity, of spending long hours in My presence when the duties of one’s state in life require something...
All Souls Day 2021
No one is barred from heaven. Whoever wants to enter heaven may do so because God is merciful. Our Lord will welcome us into glory with His arms wide open. The Almighty is pure, however, and if a person is conscious of the least trace of imperfection and at the same time...
Monastery Retreat House Newsletter November 2021
Life at the Monastery
“Grace is not part of consciousness; it is the amount
of light in our souls, not knowledge nor reason.” — Pope Francis
“Everything is Grace” St. Therese of Lisieux
I have to say, that November is my favorite month...
Our paths go forward only
To pass from estrangement from God to be a son of God is the basic fact of conversion. That altered relationship with God gives you an altered relationship with yourself, with your brother man, with nature, with the universe. --E. Stanley Joy Jones
Many people...
No one is unloved
To love ourselves is a command given by Christ Jesus.
You are not an accident, God created you on purpose,
and for a purpose. He loves you and created you to be in a
relationship with him. It demands faith to trust in God
and to love ourselves enough to continue on our...
Yes, I have a copy, and agree, a classic. II have one from when I was in the Navy. It is 54 years old and still in good shape.
We never reach the bottom of our journey, it continues for eternity. Hee in this world, we grow in a special way because of the challenges, hard lessons...
It takes self-reflection and prayer
It is easy for me to spout off pious sayings, or quotes from the bible without taking in what it is really implying. For instance the ‘Golden Rule”. Sounds nice, and may even come across as something easy to do, once one’s mind is made up. So do I “love my...
This day
All journeys have secret destinations of which
the traveler is unaware.-Martin Buber
Life can make no sense whatsoever. I have met people here in the retreat house whose lives have been one disaster after another. They have to endure loved ones, serious health problems, and...
No one is exempt
My whole body hurts today,
Lord, it is ok, for there is also such beauty in my life as well.
Teach me not to fear pain, whether from my soul, heart,
in my thoughts, my feelings and emotions,
knowing that all passes, yet your love is eternal.
No one is exempt from life's...
The stranger's touch,
Written on 08 Oct 2006
She walked in pushing a wheelchair slowly,
looking tired and a little worn out,
the man in the chair perhaps her father,
old, and sickly, his arm in a cast acting confused.
She walked with a slight limp with stingy blond hair,
her face looked...
It is no small thing
To trust is no small thing.
For fear can build up high walls,
seemingly impossible to climb,
yet we are called to trust God,
stepping over those high walls
on the wings of grace.
Our emotions and feelings can be untrue,
God's love and Word are always trustworthy,
we can...
Our prayer changes as we age
I of course can only speak from my experience when it comes to prayer, but I believe that the inner life as we age takes on a new dimension that is unknown by most people before they reach what we called ‘old age’. People who have a chronic disease from a young age...
Enlightenment
All people who are on a spiritual path need to work together and not against each other. While it is true that not all paths seek the same thing, yet the deeper you go in seeking understanding, the closer we seem to get. I am a Christian; Jesus is the Word become flesh, a...
Human situation
“Love to be blind, since it is I who am leading you if you really want
to put your hand in Mine. Don’t you think fathers
are happy when their little girls leave everything
to them in simple tenderness?”
Bossis, Gabrielle. He and I (Kindle Locations 1356-1357).
Pauline Books...
There is always struggle
4. “Jesus: ‘My child, life on earth is a struggle indeed; a great struggle for my kingdom. But fear not, because you are not alone. I am always supporting you, so lean on Me as you struggle, fearing nothing. Take the vessel of trust and draw from the fountain of...
My struggle with tenderness and mercy
“You remember, when Mary Magdalene had told Me of her sins, she stopped to ask, ‘After that, can I be forgiven?’ I assured her and she went on. But once again she stopped and asked, ‘For this too, may I still hope to be forgiven?’ ‘Yes,’ I assured her. Then...