Our day at the monastery starts with Centering Prayer. We meet in the Oratory-a kind of small chapel- with an organ, a cross, a small lectern and a large candle at one end. There are four rows of chairs facing one another across a center aisle. One one wall there is an icon of Jesus looking all business-like and yet nice and patient. . . . The Oratory is silent, the large candle is lit and we file in for what begins our new day. Taking our seats we get comfortable and wait. When she is sure all are in, …
Scripture in the Rule of Benedict and Benedictine Tradition
One of the things that resonated with me when I began exploring community life at Holy Wisdom Monastery was the focus on Scripture that is so much a part of Benedictine life. The Rule of Benedict includes more than 300 quotations or allusions to Scripture — so many that some have described the Rule as the fruit of Benedict’s lectio on Scripture. Communally, we pray all the Psalms over a five-week period at the Liturgy of the Hours and read through the Bible at least once every two years. In addition to what we read in communal prayer, we also …
The Art and Practice of Lectio Divina
Lectio divina is an ancient way of praying the scriptures. It is more than just reading the Bible; it is reading scripture in a way that takes in the words, seeks out the meaning, responds to the message and rests in the fullness of the Word. Lectio divina is an integral part of the prayer life of Benedictines, along with Liturgy of the Hours, Centering Prayer and Sunday Eucharist. Lectio can be done privately or in a group. When done as personal prayer, it involves four actions. First, we actually read the scripture passage, taking in the words. We read slowly, often out loud. …
That is one Green building!
The monastery grounds are beautiful and spare and austere and lush all at the same time. Everything about the buildings is light and airy yet solid and secure. Kind of like the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House. The outside is sandy brick studded with solar panels and surrounded with prairie, gardens, fruit trees, and grass as soft as your grandma’s Berber carpet. There are flowers all around-riots of yellow coneflowers, purple prairie clover, and white milkweed, all nodding in the heat of the brilliant July noon. And everywhere there is tall and verdant Prairie grass. I imagine this must be what …
Bluebirds are not blue all over
I learned that today. About bluebirds. They have reddish orange throats and brownish bodies. But their wings are blue and they are gorgeous when they fly. Like little pieces of sky. Getting up at 6:30 am is getting easier as the days progress. The monastery bells start at 7am and ring every half hour. I appreciate their timekeeping. They are not only a call to prayer for me-I count the ”dings” and then judge from that where I have to be – but also the only timepiece I have since I wear no watch and I have left my phone charger in Chicago. …
Thanks for the ride!
Sisters, coworkers, volunteers, friends and acquaintances — twenty-five years is a long time to work at the same place! I’ll always remember the challenges and changes; the comings and goings; the successes and the failures. But most of all I cherish all the wonderful people, from all around the country and world, connected with Holy Wisdom Monastery. May you all be blessed! Thank you and I’m sure you will see me riding on by in the future. Neal Smith celebrates retirement with a bratwurst.
In the Garden of Eating
I eat food. I eat at least three meals a day, sometimes I snack. And I enjoy food. Well, more accurately, I enjoy restaurants and cooking. I love to read about food, the traditions, the history, how to cook it. I know things about food. Like, that it comes out of the ground. Sometimes from trees and animals. Sometimes it’s expensive, sometimes not. And I know there are a lot of people who don’t have it. I have always had food. Good food, a lot of times great food. . . . So, I was surprised at my reaction to my …
I saw a pear tree today
And it made me cry. I suppose that’s not the usual response to viewing fruit trees. But I had never seen one in person before and it was so beautiful and it looked so graceful spreading its dusky green branches out, its small, hard fruit bending its weight this way and that with the wind… I nearly stepped back out of some strange sense of respect. I knew pears grew on trees, of course. I had eaten pears in the past. But to see it there… Today is my first day at Holy Wisdom Monastery in Madison, WI. I have come from Chicago to …
LGBT Spirituality Retreat: Focusing on Being "in" and "out" in Our Lives
The following post was submitted by Rev. Craig Mueller of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Chicago. Rev. Mueller is leading a LGBT Spirituality Retreat at Holy Wisdom Monastery on August 27, 2011. The LGBT retreat at Holy Wisdom Monastery looks two directions: in and out. Clearly spirituality is about looking inward. A retreat gives us an opportunity to step back from our ordinary lives for some time to pause, think, reflect, pray and seek inspiration from God and one another. Hopefully the retreat on August 27 will leave time for some silence and solitude with a healthy dose of community …
Cultivating a reserve of hope
Recent posts have included selections from our current midday readings from Hope in the Midst of Darkness, a collection of writings put together by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. Yet another of these readings that really spoke to me is written by Christine Vladimiroff, OSB from Erie, PA. She begins with the following quotes: Once you choose hope, anything’s possible. – Christopher Reeve Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. – Proverbs 13:12 Sister Christine goes on to say: In our time, much of what made the world feel so secure …