There is such a thing as an Advent calendar, which counts down the days until Christmas. During Advent, Christians look forward to the birth of Jesus. Until recently, this was pretty much the sum total of my understanding of Advent. Observing the season is not part of my tradition–growing up, I didn’t even go to church for Christmas or Easter. If Advent was observed at my current home church, I must not have been tuning in. This year signs of Advent are unmistakable. Paz and I helped create the Advent wreath for Sunday Assembly, we set out the Advent prayer …
Advent in a time of terror
With the snow beginning to fall, I was running late to class. Skipping the stairs, I decided to take the elevator to the 4th floor. In the car with me was a young undergraduate. As we rode up together, he covered his face with his hands and groaned. Startled, I looked over at him. Shooting me a look through his fingers, he said gloomily: “I’m just not ready for this.” I smiled, suddenly understanding. I murmured something that I hoped was funny and consoling about the end being near. Exiting the elevator together, we shared a commiserating glance and headed off to …
Winter preparations
It has been two months since I arrived to Holy Wisdom Monastery. I moved here because I wanted to change. I am not sure if the changing process has already started or not, but I am preparing myself. I am preparing the same way we prepare the land for winter. It is the advent of my life, the expectant waiting and preparing for the new, the birth of a new life. There is a lot of excitement here at the monastery because winter is coming. We finished the work at the garden. First, we cleaned the garden—there are no more …
Preparandome para el Invierno
Han pasado dos meses desde que llegué a Holy Wisdom Monastery. Me mudé aquí porque quería cambiar. No estoy segura de sí el proceso de cambio ya ha comenzado o no, pero me estoy preparando. Me estoy preparando de la misma forma en que preparamos el terreno para el invierno. Es el Adviento de mi vida, la espera expectante y la preparación para lo nuevo, el nacimiento de una nueva vida. Estamos todos muy emocionados aquí en el monasterio porque se acerca el invierno. Terminamos el trabajo en la hortaliza. Primero, limpiamos el terreno —ya no hay más plantas de …
Finding the seeds of God’s call in my life
At the monastery, I like to walk around the property on Sunday afternoon to see what has changed since the last time I walked. The close connection to and care for the land we have at Holy Wisdom is something that resonated deeply with me when I was exploring a call to life in our community. I believe that a call comes right out of one’s life. That means that rather than being something extraordinary that drops down from heaven to overwhelm a person, a call grows from the values, characteristics and dreams one has already begun to develop. My desire …
Glory days
One of the hopes I have for my six months at Holy Wisdom is to deepen my relationship with God or, more precisely, to find out what I mean when I said I believe in “God.” Though I’ve been on a path seeking God for a number of years, I have gotten to a point where I realize that I am too often trying to generate a sense of God, rather than having a conviction of God’s presence. Each day after morning liturgy, the sisters meet for chapter. When I first came as a potential sojourner in July, I was surprised and delighted …
Loving commitments that shape our lives
Last weekend, I traveled to San Francisco to celebrate the wedding of a dear friend (at St Marks Lutheran Church, pictured here). Just a few weeks earlier she had been in the congregation that witnessed my first monastic profession at Holy Wisdom Monastery. It had been a long time since I’d last been a bridesmaid and as I carefully packed my dress and heels, I had to smile. I remembered my friend asking nervously whether my Benedictine sisters would mind if I wore the strapless dress she had chosen for the ceremony. Although we both had laughed heartily over the …
From the lab bench to the prairie garden
Leaving the lab, my family and my friends to live here on the prairie was not an easy choice. But, I am here waiting to experience a northern winter for the first time in my life. I was and I am still excited and scared at the same time. I was born and lived in Mexico for the most part of my life. Then, six years ago, I moved to US and was living in Houston, Texas. So I don’t know what to expect about winter in Wisconsin. But the winter is not the only thing that scares me. I …
Desde la mesa de laboratorio hasta la pradera
PEQUEÑAS NOTAS DE UN VIAJE A LA PRADERA Dejar el laboratorio, mi familia y mis amigos para venir a vivir aquí en la pradera no fue una decisión fácil. Pero ahora estoy aquí esperando a disfrutar el invierno ártico por primera vez en mi vida. Estaba y sigo estando emocionada y asustada al mismo tiempo. Nací y viví en la Ciudad de México, la mayor parte de mi vida. Hace seis años, me mudé a Estados Unidos, y estuve viviendo en Houston, Texas. Así que no sé qué esperar del invierno en Wisconsin. Sin embargo, el invierno no es la …
Community living
On Mondays in Bingen House, where I live with Rosy and the sojourners, Denise and Paz, we have developed something of a tradition we call “Monday Breakfasts.” Monday is our day of renewal for activities that refresh us body, soul and spirit. We have leisure time in the morning to make a big breakfast which usually turns into brunch. You might recognize this tradition in your house on a Saturday or Sunday. Sojourners Denise (far left) and Paz (far right) and Sisters Rosy (middle, left) and Lynne (middle, right) preparing breakfast together. This past Monday we stood around the kitchen …