Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889
Ashes of death on our foreheads,
seeds of hope in our hearts.
As we begin the journey, beyond the cross,
let us remember,
God prepares us for life, not for death,
for resurrection and not for crucifixion,
for love and not for hate.
In a world where death holds us bound, and violence seems to reign
in thought and deed,
may this journey of Lent get us ready
to be God’s good news
of hope and wholeness,
peace and reconciliation,
and resurrection life.
Christine Sine
The Feast of Scholastica, the founder of Benedictine life for women, is observed on February 10.
Benedict had a sister, Scholastica, who also dedicated her life to the pursuit of God. She too founded monasteries and became an abbatial figure. The only story we have of Scholastica is told when Benedict was already an abbot of renown. The incident demonstrates clearly that the brother and sister were emotionally close, and, both of them, a spiritual influence on the other till the time of her death.
During one of their annual visits, Scholastica, inspired by the depth of their conversation, asked Benedict to remain overnight in the place where they were meeting in order to continue their talk and reflection on spiritual things. Benedict wouldn’t even think of it. It was getting dark; it was time to get back to the monastery; it was time to get on with the regular routine of the spiritual life.
Unable to persuade him with words, Scholastica put her head down on the table in deep prayer. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a great storm brought flash floods and Benedict realized that he could not possibly return to the monastery that night. And the Dialogues say, “he complained bitterly.”
He said, “God forgive you, sister! What have you done?”
Scholastica answered simply, “I asked you for a favor and you refused. I asked my God and I got it.”
This story is a vein worth mining for a lifetime:
It tells us that law is never greater than love.
It tells us to be intent on pursuing the values of life, not simply its rules.
It tells us that discipline is necessary in the spiritual life but that religious discipline is not enough, that depth is a process and that depth costs.
It tells us that God lurks in strange places. And waits for us. And puts in our paths just what we need in order to become what we are meant to be.
It reminds us that a woman has as much power in the eyes of God as any man and that we must recognize women, too, as spiritual guides.
God fractured Benedict’s rigidity in favor of a greater vision. Has your rigidity been fractured yet?
—from Radical Christian Life, by Joan Chittister (Liturgical Press)
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As a gift to Benedictine Sisters of Florida, Oblate Luella Wilson would like to offer her services free of charge to prepare your income tax return and electronically file it.
She has over 50 years experience and is an ERO and AFSP registered with the IRS.
As a professional, Luella wants clients to know: “I will stand behind any return I prepare. All I ask is that you make a donation to the Benedictine Sisters of Florida.”
You can do so by mail at:
P.O. Box 2450
St. Leo, FL 33574
or
at their website:
www.benedictinesistersoffl.org
(for donations only – no tax information on website)
“Feel free to ask questions.
I am here to help.”
To schedule your appointment please call or email:
Luella Wilson
Phone: (352) 206-8662
Email: taxdonebyme@aol.com
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The psalms express the full range of religious faith and the human experience. They are poems of lament, praise, confusion, and hope. They are prayers that represent the universal story of the soul’s journey through life. Walking with the Psalms, an online Zoom retreat which offers wisdom and shared reflection, is an invitation to welcome the psalms deep into your own spiritual journey until they become so familiar and meaningful that they walk with you on the way.
This online Zoom retreat will be Saturday, January 28, 2023, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. The retreat day includes time for presentations, small group shared reflection and solitude for personal reflections on the psalms. We recommend that you have a pen and a journal or paper available for the retreat experience. For those who are unable to join us on that particular day and time, as well as for those who participate, a recording of the retreat experience will be available after January 28.
All registrants will receive an email with the Zoom link and retreat information on Friday, January 27 at 2:00 p.m. (ET), and another email with the link and information on Saturday, January 28 at 10:00 a.m. (ET). Please register for this retreat BY January 28 at 10:00 a.m. (ET) at the latest. All registrants will also receive a video recording of the retreat afterward.
Mary Ellen Plumb, OSB, and Katie Gordon, Monasteries of the Heart staff members, will co-facilitate this experience from their own appreciation of the wisdom and grace of the psalms and the prominent place of the psalms within the monastic’s journey into the heart of God.
(click on the link above)
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