Reflection by Sister Michael Brandt, OSB January, the first month of the 21st year of the 21st century! And what richness and inspiration it provides us in terms of our celebrations of the Church Year – Mary Mother of God, Epiphany, Baptism of the Lord, Conversion of St. Paul, not to mention Elizabeth Ann Seton,…
The Benedictine Sisters want to wish all our family, friends, benefactors, and Oblates a blessed and joyous Christmas and a happy and hopeful New Year. As we celebrate Christmas this year, we find ourselves in a very different space. 2020 has been a hard year for most of us. Many hearts are not feeling the…
Our spiritual wombs full, our hearts expanding with love as we birth something new! Fourth Sunday of Advent December 20, 2020 Samuel 7:1,8b-12,14a,16; Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38 In the Gospel this Sunday, we see the radical transformation which occurred that gives us our Christmas hope! Alyce McKenzie sums it up like this, “In only three…
Third Sunday of Advent December 13, 2020 Gaudete Sunday Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28 From the entrance antiphon, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice”, to the opening prayer, to the readings, to the festive pink candle and vestments, we find the joy of this season creeping in. This…
Second Sunday of Advent December 6, 2020 Isaiah 40:1-5,9-11; 2 Peter 3:8-14; Mark 1:1-8 As I read Isaiah, “Comfort, give comfort to my people. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. A voice cries out: prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;…
Advent is a time of pregnant hope and anticipation. A time of waiting, a time of expectant hope, a time of joy! A time to remember and birth anew the love, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, healing that our savior brought into the World. Our spiritual wombs full, our hearts expanding with love at the thought of…
Reflection by Sister Susan Mika, OSB First Sunday of Advent 2020 Normally, we speak about Advent as a time of “waiting” as we approach the Christmas season. We wait and pray and prepare ourselves as we ponder that God sent Jesus to come as a child, to live among us, to minister to many. It…
Celebrating All Souls Day by Sister Frances Briseño The Day of the Dead (el Día de los Muertos), is a Mexican holiday where families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink and celebration. A blend of Mesoamerican ritual, European religion and Spanish culture, the holiday is…
The Mass readings for November are leading up to the Lord’s coming as we prepare for the Advent season, the season of hope. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus begins with the Beatitudes. We can all be blessed if we hunger and thirst for righteousness. If we are merciful, clean of heart and peacemakers, we shall be…
Reflection by Sister Sylvia Ahr, OSB October 2020 Regarding the parable and the tenants who did not produce any fruit from the vineyard they tended, the question for us is “Where will be when God calls us?” Will we be on the side of the first tenants or on the side of the second ones…