Remember the paperback Psalms for Modern Man? I liked its line drawings, especially of the animals in Psalm 104. Translations give them various names. The most intriguing animal name for me is the coney, also known as the rock badger or hyrax. The coney is not without esteem. Proverbs 30:24-28 speaks of four things that Read more »
Recently I have encountered several people who exemplify bravery. They each in their own way faced fear with mental strength and endured with courage. They each embodied the words of Nelson Mandela who wrote: “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who Read more »
‘From the place where we are right flowers will never grow in the spring” Yehuda Amichai* This bold, hard-hitting assertion slams against the reader’s expectations and takes a while to be absorbed. While the scene of spring flowers can bring to mind a comfortable space with shade trees, new soft grass, a Read more »
On Friday June 26 we closed our annual retreat with evening prayer. The content of the retreat centered on the Women in John’s Gospel. The director was Bonnie Thurston, a New Testament scholar, a poet, a spiritual director and an ordained Episcopal Minister from the Appalachian region of West Virginia. Bonnie is an experienced energetic, Read more »
The National Eucharistic Congress just ended in Indianapolis, Indiana. Sr. Cathy Bauer from our Benedictine Community joined Benedictine Sisters from Beech Grove, Indiana to attend the event. Although I did not attend this Eucharistic Congress, I remember attending the International Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1976 with the Legion of Mary. I remember the procession Read more »
“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” Mark 6:31 (Sunday’s Gospel) These are appealing words spoken by Jesus many times in the Gospels. However, in this instance of Mark’s Gospel we know that what Jesus desired and hoped for didn’t happen. Due to the pressure and the of the crowds Read more »
On Thursday, July 11, we celebrate the feast of St. Benedict. This is always a special day for us, but perhaps more so this year as we celebrate 165 years in the diocese of Covington. Benedictine history goes back to 450 AD and a lot has changed in all those years. Having had the privilege Read more »
Our family has developed some lasting traditions. Family Picnics is one of them. Each year on Memorial Day and Labor Day, we have been invited to my sister Joyce and Ken’s home for a picnic in their large lovely rolling yard, with shade trees and play equipment for the children to climb on. After these Read more »
AIM – Alliance for International Monasticism was the focus of presentations given this past weekend, June 22-23, by Sister Cathy Bauer and me. It is both a privilege and a responsibility to represent the sisters and monks around the world who follow the Rule of St. Benedict in Benedictine and Cistercian communities. Cathy and I Read more »
Sometimes it seems as if our lives are riddled with guilt. A feeling that one is guilty is like a bad verdict read out in court. But our internal jury is tougher. Fender-bender: No getting around it. You have to come home and report it. Everyone can see the damage. You trip on your shoe, Read more »