90-minute sessions will include some teaching, small group discussion, contemplative dialogue, and a time for meditation.

Dates/times

This three-week Advent series will be offered in-person on Tuesdays from 10:00-11:30 am or virtually on Wednesdays from 6:30-8:00 pm.

In-person (Tuesdays, 10:00-11:30 am)

• Dec 3
• Dec 10
• Dec 17

Virtually (Wednesdays, 6:30-8:00 pm)

• Dec. 4
• Dec. 11
• Dec. 18

Speaker – Pam Shellberg

Pam Shellberg is the director of spiritual nourishment at Holy Wisdom monastery, a contemplative, a student of the Christian scriptures and a spiritual director.

Cost

$35/person

Register

Please register by Dec. 2, 2024. Registration coming soon.

The post Advent: To Seek and to Save the Lost (virtual) appeared first on Holy Wisdom Monastery.

90-minute sessions will include some teaching, small group discussion, contemplative dialogue, and a time for meditation.

Dates/times

This three-week Advent series will be offered in-person on Tuesdays from 10:00-11:30 am or virtually on Wednesdays from 6:30-8:00 pm.

In-person (Tuesdays, 10:00-11:30 am)

• Dec 3
• Dec 10
• Dec 17

Virtually (Wednesdays, 6:30-8:00 pm)

• Dec. 4
• Dec. 11
• Dec. 18

Speaker – Pam Shellberg

Pam Shellberg is the director of spiritual nourishment at Holy Wisdom monastery, a contemplative, a student of the Christian scriptures and a spiritual director.

Cost

$35/person

Register

Please register by Dec. 2, 2024.

The post Advent: To Seek and to Save the Lost (in-person) appeared first on Holy Wisdom Monastery.

This season we turn to the beginning verses of John’s Gospel – a ‘birth narrative’ of a very different sort. We find neither Mary nor Joseph, no shepherds or stars, no angelic chorus – we don’t even find a baby Jesus! Instead, we find the promise of life in a beautiful, lyrical hymn to the incarnation of God in us.

Join us for a three session Advent meditation on the opening verses of John’s gospel. This will be a Zoom offering, held on Wednesday evenings in Advent, December 6, 13 and 20, from 6:30-8:00 pm. Pam Shellberg, director of spiritual nourishment at monastery, will facilitate the series.

Cost

$25/person for the 3-session series.

Registration

Registration closed, Friday, December 1, 2023. There is no refund in case of a cancellation.

The post Advent Series: The Word Dwells In Us appeared first on Holy Wisdom Monastery.

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December summons feelings of tradition and familiarity for many of us. In some faiths, this includes the preparation for Christmas known as Advent, and the singing of the O Antiphons.

In this episode, we have Sister Lynne Smith and Holy Wisdom Monastery’s own Director of Worship and Music, Lynn Lemberger. Join us to learn about these traditions and how we might be able to honor their meanings in our own lives.

Where to Listen?

You can listen to The Holy Wisdom Podcast at any of these online locations:

Our Blog, under the “Podcast” Category

Anchor.fm

Breaker

Google Podcasts

Spotify

RadioPublic

PocketCasts

The post ‘Advent & The O Antiphons,’ The Holy Wisdom Podcast appeared first on Holy Wisdom Monastery.

Being a Benedictine Sojourner during this season comes with its own kind of hopefulness and expectation. As you read this, I will have just completed my first three months of the Sojourner experience. Based on my arrangement with the Sisters, mid-December could have been the end of my time, but we have agreed that I will continue on and complete the full term of six months. I’m staying because I am finding the experience meaningful, and because my heart tells me that whatever God has planned in this place and at this time, it has not finished developing.

These past weeks have been so full of changes and adapting to new relationships and routines, that in many ways it feels like I’m just now starting to catch on to the rhythms of monastic life. I’m finally starting to settle in, feeling less like a guest and more like a part of the community. And these are still just the early stages of the formative process that prepares individuals for monastic living. Becoming fully prepared to live and thrive in Benedictine community takes time, prayer, patience, guidance and discernment. It also requires individuals to be aware and to let go of old habits, preferences, diversions and distractions in order to really listen for God. Monastics must embrace humility and simplicity, and they must want to practice self-discipline.

As I begin Day Two of Week 13, I can’t say for certain what is in store for me in the next trimester of Sojourning, but I do know that changes are occurring, and new facets of understanding and capability are taking shape within me and around me. The daily routine of centering prayer and liturgy of the hours has brought me a sense of groundedness and a quiet assurance that I am growing closer to God each day. Being in community has given me a growing awareness of the relationship between independence and isolation. Voluntarily living on a fraction of the budget I once allotted for my personal expenses is helping me separate my wants from my needs. And each day I am invited to consider that freedom may be less about having what I desire than it is about desiring only what God has provided.

This isn’t always easy or comfortable. Saying yes to God’s Spirit means risking the status quo and painful grieving for a way of life that is being shed and left behind. But, I think that is also where hope and expectation are most essential and visible. My faith tells me that by participating in the transitions and transformations of the Sojourner experience, something new and wonderful has a chance to be born.

Advent and Christmas blessings to all, and a very happy New Year!

The post Sojourner diary—hopeful expectations appeared first on Holy Wisdom Monastery.

“True hope—which means the hope that endures and sustains us—is based on God’s call and command. We are called to hope. It is a command: a command to resist death. It is a call: the call to divine life. Enduring hope is not something innate, something we possess from birth. Nor do we acquire it from experience. We have to learn it. We learn to hope if we obey the call. We learn to hope in the experiences that life brings us. We come to know its truth if we are forced to stand our ground against despair. We come to know its power when we realize that it keeps us alive in the midst of death.  –(Experiences of God).

I was struck by the line: “We learn to hope in the experiences that life brings us.” I’ve been thinking about the experiences in my life that have taught me hope, when have I obeyed the call and stood my ground against despair.

The first event occurred when I felt called to go to seminary in my mid-20s. I applied to a couple of seminaries and was accepted; however, I didn’t have the money to go to school. I planned to work part-time while studying, but that wouldn’t cover everything. One of the seminaries had a full-tuition scholarship. I applied for it and was told I was third in line for the two scholarships they offered. Trying to be faithful to the call, I chose to attend that seminary. A few months before the school year began, I got the word that one of the scholarship recipients decided not to enroll. So I received a scholarship for the first year. I realize this experience is more one of hope in the common way we use the term—hoping for something that we have power to work out ourselves.

The hope of which Moltmann writes is of another order. This hope is in something beyond our power. I have had an experience that taught me this type of hope as well. In my early 30s I suffered a bout of depression. Depression can rob a person of hope. I was fortunate to have people around me that held out hope for me. One person told me: “I know you can’t believe this right now, but I want you to know that you can get through this. I’ll hold that for you until you can hold it for yourself.” By the grace of God, and the help of others, I did get through it. That experience taught me that with help I can “stand my ground against despair.” When I am tempted to despair when a situation seems hopeless, I remember this experience. I have to learn again and again to hope.

It is encouraging to know that we can learn to hope. It is easy to despair and give up hope today when we look at the world and national situation. I continually remind myself that what I hear or read in the news is not the full story. People of good will are at work in the world. I can be one of those people. God is at work in the world. As long as that is true, there is hope wherever there are people who are obeying the call to love, forgive and stand firm for justice. That is what we see in the story of the incarnation. Mary was obedient in consenting to Jesus’ birth. She was obedient too in the face of despair standing at the foot of the cross. This Advent and in the coming year let us pray to be willing and obedient to God’s call that we may know the power of hope.

How have you learned hope?

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We, the whole neighborhood, start the Our Lady of Guadalupe Novena on December fourth. The neighbors take turns hosting evening communal rosary at their houses. After that everybody enjoys drinking coffee, tea or atole (a sweet, hot drink), with cookies or sweet bread. During these nine days each street hosts a street mass. The people decorate their front doors to indicate that they want the priest to stop by to bless their home and family after mass. Each family stands together at the front door waiting for the priest and the procession of people that attends Mass. On that day we have something special to eat, like tamales, and atole.

Some people make a pilgrimage to visit Our Lady in groups from their neighborhood. When I was a teenager, my older sisters and brothers and I joined about 40 young people in our area and made a pilgrimage. We walked from our neighborhood to downtown Mexico City where the Basilica is. Her shrine is at the Basilica on the top of a hill, where she appeared. We walked for 3-5 hours, then had mass and a special blessing, and returned home on the train. The Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the most important day of celebration in Mexico after Christmas.

Las Posadas is a nine day celebration starting December 16 to commemorate the nine months that Mary carried baby Jesus in her belly. Posada means ‘lodgings,’ and for nine days the neighborhood re-enacts Mary and Joseph’s journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of a warm place to stay for the night. Nine families volunteer their houses to celebrate the posada, while the rest of the neighborhood processes in the street carrying small colorful candles. We go praying and singing from one house to another, with two children chosen to play the parts of Mary and Joseph, until we arrive at the designated house. There, the host receives us singing, “Enter holy pilgrims.” Then the children collect their special Christmas treats like colaciones and alfajores and adults eat and dance, and finally the piñatas come out. Everybody, kids and adults, enjoy singing and catching fruit and candies once the piñata is broken. There is always extra fruit and candies for those who weren’t lucky enough to catch any fruit.

I’m very happy to share a version of these celebrations from home and I hope others will look forward to them with joy as I do every Advent season.

The post Mexican celebrations during Advent appeared first on Holy Wisdom Monastery.

Anticipating Christmas with the O Antiphons

During the last week before Christmas, we begin the daily singing of the   O Antiphons, an ancient practice that embraces the sense of longing and anticipation for Christmas which swells with each day.  These antiphons are sung prior to the Magnificat, the Song of Mary from Luke 1:46-55, in our evening prayers throughout this week.  Each antiphon begins by addressing God with a name that expresses God’s loving design for people of all times and places.  Each antiphon is completed with the petition to “Come” and continue the redeeming activity needed in our lives and in our world today.  We invite you to enjoy the richness of this tradition, by joining us for evening prayer (4:30 pm) throughout these days. Antiphons for each day and accompanying prayers and blessings are reprinted below, along with special prayers for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Epiphany Sunday.

December 17
O Wisdom of our God Most High, guiding creation with power and love: come teach us to walk in the paths of knowledge.

Holy Wisdom, Mother and Friend, you fill our hearts but are never exhausted; you guide our ways and never fail us. Give us powers of discernment to seek your ways, and guide us, heart and mind and conscience, in being followers of Jesus, who is Emmanuel, God with us, for ever and ever.

Blessing
May holy Wisdom bless us with her presence, enlightening our hearts and refreshing our minds. 

December 18
O Adonai, leader of the House of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and gave him the law on Mount Sinai: come with open arms to set us free.

Liberating God, in Israel you set down a pattern of bringing your people out of slavery into the glorious freedom of your children.  Help us to see the bondage of sin and death afflicting the times in which we live, and to be part of your liberating grace.  We ask this through Jesus, who was, who is, and who is to come, Incarnate God, for ever and ever.

Blessing
May Adonai, the Lion of Judah, reach out with a strong arm to defend us and to be our Savior. 

December 19
O Root of Jesse’s stem, you stand as a sign among the peoples; to you all nations cry for help; before you rulers stand in silence: come to save us, do not delay. 

O God, in the fertility of Elizabeth and Zechariah, you trace your saving ways in human history. Open our hearts and minds to the miracle that is every human birth, and to the goodness in which we are born. We ask this in Jesus’ name.

Blessing
May Christ, the Flower of Jesse’s stem, take root in our lives and bear fruit in our communities. 

December 20
O Key of David, scepter of the house of Israel: you open and no one closes; you close, and no one opens. Come free the prisoners in darkness and the shadow of death.

God of light, as evening draws on, we bring to mind all who live in prisons of any and every kind. Led by your desire for freedom and joy for all peoples, may we spread the good news to all captive hearts. 

Blessing
May God bless us, who comes in Christ to save us and release us from the chains of death. 

December 21
O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light and sun of justice: come illumine those lost in the darkness and the shadow of death. 

O God, the dawning of each day is the promise of your salvation at work in our lives. In Jesus you have radiated a new light through his words and example. Keep the light of Jesus burning brightly in our lives so that the work of the Gospel may continue, and people may be freed from doubt and despair. We pray this through Jesus the Christ.

Blessing
May Christ, the rising dawn of eternal light, shine on us with justice and illumine us with peace.  

December 22
O Ruler and hope of all nations, cornerstone uniting all as one: come save the people you formed from the earth.

O God, your love for us unites us in Jesus. By the power of that love, you seek to break down barriers between peoples, nations and churches. Strengthen in us a drive to unity and reconciliation which can speak to the divisions of our times. Grant this, we ask, through Christ, our Peace, for ever and ever.

Blessing
May God, the Ancient of Days, lift us up through the salvation Christ is creating among us. 

December 23
O Emmanuel, God’s presence among us, our Ruler our Judge: come to save us, O Christ, our God.

O God, you are near, even in our hearts, and have opened to us the mystery that lies within our very being. Grant that we may cherish the interior life, finding in abiding contemplation the gift of energy in the world. We pray through Jesus the Christ, living with you and the Spirit, now and for ever.

Blessing
May Christ, Emmanuel, God with us, bless us with abiding peace. 

Christmas Eve – Blessing of the Crèche

God of Mary and Joseph, of shepherds and animals, bless us whenever we gaze on this crèche. Through all the days of Christmas may these figures tell the story of how humans, angels and animals found Christ in this poor place. Fill our households with hospitality, joy, gentleness and thanksgiving and guide our steps in the way of Christ’s peace. Grant this through Christ our Savior. 

Christmas Vigil

Good and gracious God, while all the world lay wrapped in deepest silence, and night had reached its midpoint, your Word leapt down to grace the world forever. As year by year the beauty of this night returns, growing old with our aging, yet renewed in the wonder of every child, so may we give birth to Christ again in lives of faith, hope and love. We pray through Jesus, the Word made flesh, living in the splendor of eternal light with you and the Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Christmas Day

God of love, eternal parent of all, the waiting night that once covered the earth has given way to the brightness of your Word made flesh. Make us a people of light. Keep us faithful to your Word, that we may bring life to the whole world. Grant this, we ask, in Jesus’ name. Amen

Blessing
May God’s blessing be with us for joy, for the warmth of love, and for peace.

Epiphany Sunday Vigil

In the darkness of night, O God, a star has risen in the East, shining upon the Word made flesh, Savior of the world and light to the nations. Grant us to walk by this light, radiating your love for the world, and bearing a message of peace. For Jesus is God-with-us forever and ever.

O Antiphon texts adapted from traditional Latin antiphons and translations by Colleen Winston, OSB ©2001, St. Walburg Monastery, Villa Hills, KY. Prayers and blessings published by Benedictine Women of Madison, Holy Wisdom Monastery, Middleton, WI ©2010.

The post Celebrating Advent, Christmas and Epiphany at Holy Wisdom Monastery appeared first on Holy Wisdom Monastery.

The origin of the O Antiphons is unclear, but there is evidence of their use in Benedictine monasteries as early as the 5^th century, and in the wider Church of Rome in the 8^th century. They appear in these liturgies in the final week before Christmas. Each antiphon lifts a different name or title for the Messiah: O Wisdom, O Leader/Adonai, O Root of Jesse, O Key of David, O Radiant Dawn, O Ruler, O Emmanuel. In addition, the first letter of the Latin for each antiphon, from last to first, spells out “Ero cras,” or “Tomorrow I come.” One may imagine that these additions to the liturgy provided (and still provide) an additional focal point for prayer and meditation as the faithful travel through that final week toward Bethlehem.

We invite you to incorporate the O Antiphons into your Advent journey. Gathered in this blog are the texts of the antiphons we sing at Holy Wisdom Monastery. Text and music is adapted from the traditional Latin antiphons by Colleen Winston, OSB, St Walburg Monastery, KY. Brief suggestions for meditation written by Joan Chittister, OSB, follow each antiphon.

O Wisdom

O Wisdom of our God Most High,
guiding creation with power and love:
come teach us to walk in the paths of knowledge.

“Wisdom: the ability to see the world as God sees it. Try reading the newspaper today through the eyes of a God who was born in a stable, counted to be of no account, hounded by society from one place to another.” – Joan Chittister, OSB

 O Leader

O Adonai, leader of the House of Israel,
who appeared to Moses in the burning bush
and gave him the law on Mount Sinai:
come with open arms to set us free.

“When we build a vision of life it is necessary to realize that Jesus must be the center of it – not our institutions, good as they may be; not our plans or personal talents, necessary as they are.” – Joan Chittister, OSB

 O Root of Jesse

O Root of Jesse’s stem,
you stand as a sign among the peoples;
to you all nations cry for help;
before you rulers stand in silence:
come to save us, do not delay.

“It takes generations to build the Christ vision in the world, just as it took generations after Jesse to prepare for the coming of the Christ. It is our task to root ideas now that will bring the next generation to wholeness.”
– Joan Chittister, OSB

(photo by Gregory Bleck)

 O Key of David

O Key of David,
scepter of the house of Israel:
you open and no one closes;
you close, and no one opens.
come free the prisoners in darkness and the shadow of death.

“We are called to the kind of Christian commitment that opens doors and breaks down barriers between people, that brings unity to a divided world. Try to unlock one door that is keeping someone locked out of your heart.” – Joan Chittister, OSB

(photo by Nick Wilkes)

 O Radiant Dawn

O Radiant Dawn,
splendor of eternal light and sun of justice:
come illumine those lost in the darkness
and the shadow of death.

“The celebration of the God of Growth in our lives – those moments of insight in which life comes newly alive in me – helps us to recognize those moments of insight in which life comes newly alive and I begin to see differently, to live differently, to function differently. A new friend, a new work, a new idea are all ‘radiant dawns’ in life that can enable me to become more than I ever dreamed I could.” – Joan Chittister, OSB

(photo by Gregory Bleck)

 O Ruler

O Ruler
and hope of all nations,
cornerstone uniting all as one:
come save the people you formed from the earth.

“We are not the beginning and the end of the universe. We are part of a vision of humankind, seen in Jesus, and yet to be achieved in us, a vision of global sharing, universal peace and individual security.” – Joan Chittister, OSB

(artwork by Rosy Kandathil, OSB)

 O Emmanuel

O Emmanuel,
God’s presence among us,
our Ruler, our Judge:
come to save us, O Christ, our God.

“Jesus Emmanuel has already come. It is not a matter now of Christ’s being where we are; it is a matter of our being in the consciousness of where Christ is in life and where He is not as well. Where is Christ for you? Is there a place in your life that you know down deep is not in the spirit of Christ at all?” – Joan Chittister, OSB

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Benedictine spirituality calls me to see Christ in every person I encounter. I’m better at being present to that reality on some days than on others. Recent weeks have been full of opportunities for such encounters.

Visitatators, Sisters Joella Kidwell and Lorane Coffin (center) bringing their presence to Holy Wisdom community members, Sisters Joanne Kollasch & Mary David Walgenbach (left), Sister Lynne Smith (right) and Sister Rosy Kandathil (not pictured but present by speakerphone)

December 3-6, 2015, our community hosted Joella Kidwell, OSB, president of the Federation of St. Gertrude and Lorane Coffin, OSB of St. Martin Monastery in Rapid City, South Dakota. They came as official visitators for a friendly visitation that takes place every five years for the monasteries in our federation. We enjoyed their time with us. Sisters Joella and Lorane joined us for the Liturgy of the Hours while they were here and were impressed by the priority we give our liturgical life. We are encouraged by their final report which included ten commendations. Among the commendations was an affirmation of our ability to involve members of our various communities in the development of the monastery while still maintaining appropriate boundaries allowing the sisters’ community to flourish. They marveled at our ability and determination to listen to our various “communities”, to try new things, to let go of what is not working, to make adjustments and continue moving forward. “This is truly a gift of the Spirit,” they said.

The following week brought several gifts as well. On Wednesday, the monastery hosted the memorial service for Mary Babula. I did not know Mary, but after hearing her family and friends share their experiences of her during the memorial service, I felt as if she was present with us in the room. She will continue to be present in the hearts and lives of the childcare workers, advocates, children and families whose lives she touched. I left the memorial service feeling enriched by the strength and compassion of her life.

On Thursday, we hosted artist and journalist David Giffey for lunch and Reflections on Art and Prayer. We are privileged to host a display of David’s icons in the gathering space at the monastery this October through December. In his presentation, David pointed out something that other early Christian writers have noted.  The Greek word for icon means image or likeness. Since human beings are said to be made in the image and likeness of God, the original icon is a human person. I was moved by David’s gentle and humble presence as he spoke. I imagine his presence is born of his years of working for peace and his deep attentiveness to the creative process within himself.

At the lunch on Thursday I shared a little of my experience using an icon in prayer. Afterwards, a petite Greek woman stopped to tell me she appreciated my comments. She told me how important visual prayer with an icon or with creation was for her. Her eyes shone as she spoke. The words coming from her heart resonated within me. We had both been touched by a presence in prayer and now that presence was the connection between us.

It has been an exceptionally busy week, and I feel tired physically. But my spirit is renewed because of the encounters I have had. By God’s grace they have helped me discover the depth of this present “presence” among us.

__________________________

Follow this link to read additional blog posts from Lynne in the series titled Building Community.

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