Inspired by Scholastica

When I was growing up, our family never read the bible or prayed with Scripture. In school we had Bible History classes and sometimes dramatized the stories, but it seemed play-like. Even my early days in the monastery we did not study the bible, except for the psalms which we prayed every day. Of course, we had the daily Mass readings, and the celebrant sometimes spoke about their meaning in his homily. During our retreat this year, the director used Scripture in a way that was very different. She showed how stories from the bible could speak to us here and now. She was so familiar with Scripture, so deeply attuned to its messages that her talks resonated with our daily lives. I was reminded of Richard Rohr saying, "We must approach the Scriptures with humility and patience, with our own agenda out of the way, and allow the Spirit to stir the deeper meaning for us." I began journaling about the retreat talks and even wrote a couple poems. The more I reflected, the more I was...

A colloquium on "Benedictine Life: A Vision Unfolding" was held at our monastery in Atchison, Kansas, this week. About 300 people from around the U.S. and several other countries attended via Zoom. Six speakers gave presentations on the history and future of Benedictine life. They issued challenges and spoke of new frontiers for Benedictines and those who draw strength from their 1500 year-old Rule.    One speaker, Debbie Asberry, talked on being a "witnessing presence," and used Dorothy Day, bell hooks, and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy as examples. Their lives of strength, integrity, and boldness show how we are called to live in our world. She spoke of Day's willingness to live the Gospel in a way that went beyond the ordinary Christian. She showed how bell hooks, as a Black woman, spoke and wrote about racism, sexism, and feminism. She portrayed Zelenskyy as a man of courage and integrity in the face of Russia's unjust aggression.  Being a ...

“Let your heart crumble into an infinite amount of tiny, precious seeds. Then plant love everywhere you go.“                                                                            - Anita Krizzan I discovered this quote recently and was struck by its message. I don’t know anything about Anita Krizzan, but she certainly conveys Jesus’ message in a very striking way.   How does one let her heart crumble into tiny seeds? I think, every time your heart is broken, it crumbles into tiny seeds. Every time you are attacked, abused, rejected, alienated, it crumbles into more seeds. Every time you lose someone you love or are separated from your loved ones, your heart crumbles a little more. Eventually your heart becomes tenderized, stretched and expanded. You become empathetic and attuned to p...

In these past weeks with mass shootings in Buffalo, Uvalde, and Tulsa, I have been devastated, along with many other Americans. Finding hope has been challenging for many of us. The National Rifle Association and others continue to promote firearms as being necessary for survival and recreation.  This, while other countries have outlawed assault rifles and other guns. They rarely have mass slaughters in any of these places.  On June 5, Christians celebrated Pentecost -- the coming of the Holy Spirit. We know the Spirit continues to renew the earth with the gifts of faith, hope, charity and more. When we see children playing and laughing in the park, we cannot help but smile. When we see the sun breaking through the clouds, it lifts our spirits. When we see a son or daughter or other relative succeed in school, we feel God shining his love on us. We feel blessed, we feel hopeful.  The Holy Spirit gives us the courage to go on after the dark, cruel times of killings and mur...

Every day / I see or hear/ something/ that more or less/kills me/with delight. ( Mary Oliver) Mary Oliver is one of my favorite poets. She makes ordinary things come alive and brings a spiritual dimension to nature. She has only to take a walk in the woods and she sees a grasshopper or a bee or a flower and is transported into ecstasy. Her poems are very accessible, no elaborate words or elongated terminology. Her poetry is meditative and calming, often like a prayer. Even people who think they don’t like poetry, like Mary Oliver. One reviewer wrote, “Mary Oliver’s poetry is an excellent antidote for the excesses of civilization…she is a poet of wisdom and generosity whose vision allows us to look intimately at a world not of our making.”   This 20th century poet has received many honors for her poetry including the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for poetry. Although Mary Oliver died last year, she left behind a treasury of poetry to nourish and delight her reader...

The extremely high temperatures in India and Pakistan recently are a foretaste of what may happen in other parts of the world. They were having 120-130 degree temperatures with little relief in sight. These places depend on good weather to raise the crops they need for survival. This is only one sign of climate change. There are many others such as melting glaciers that endanger animals who live in the far north. Coastal erosion which can wash away land near shore line. Oceans which are losing fish and other life due to waste products thrown into the water.  Coal mines that  emit poisonous gases that pollute the air. Cattle that cause more pollution through their poop? Automobiles that give off fumes that also pollute the air.  

I had never heard of the Replacement Theory until last week when an 18-year-old killed 10, mostly Black people, at a supermarket  in Buffalo, New York. This teenager evidently was motivated by the white supremacist theory that Blacks and other races are replacing whites in our society. Those who believe this theory are afraid that whites will no longer be able to control the laws and the economy of this country.  Now this individual - from Conklin, New York - may have mental or psychological problems, but how did he get an assault rifle? How come no one picked up clues about his intent? The evidence shows he had been plotting this action for months.   My heart grieves for the families who lost loved ones. They leave a hole which cannot be filled. And these shootings cause anger and fear among all their neighbors and friends. The whole country should be so outraged that they would change our gun laws. But, of course, we had Columbine, Sandy Hook, Orlando, and similar ...