Beauty during Lent 

Lynne Smith, OSBBenedictine Reflections 3 Comments

The monastery’s theme for 2022 is beauty. Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote in The Brothers Karamozov: “The world will be saved by beauty.” The first image that came to me as I pondered this was that of Vedran Smajlovic playing Albinoni’s Adagio in G Minor in the bombed streets of Sarajevo in 1992. He played each day for 22 days to mark the death of the 22 people killed standing in line for bread during the siege of the city. Hear the story from BBC news.    Beauty can keep the human heart and spirit alive in the midst of suffering. The PBS …

Limited in Time

Denise West, OSBBenedictine Reflections 20 Comments

“The life of a monk ought to be a continuous Lent.” So begins Benedict’s brief chapter on the observation of Lent. We should always be preparing for the appearance of the risen Christ. We should always be seeking to rid ourselves of bad habits, practicing self-denial, realizing our faults and living each moment in gratitude for God’s abundant love that pours down on us just as we are.   Since few, however, have the strength for this, we urge the entire community during these days of Lent to keep its manner of life most pure and to wash away in this …

The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith

Car McGinley Leave a Comment

What does it mean that Holy Wisdom Monastery is an ecumenical Christian monastery? What is the essence of Christianity that holds all Christians together in faith? In this six session course, last offered at Holy Wisdom in 2015, we will use Marcus Borg’s book, The Heart of Christianity, to explore that question. By examining the “emerging paradigm” Borg emphasizes the transformational aspect of Christianity that is about loving God and loving what God loves. Borg consistently aligns the emerging paradigm with God, Jesus, the Bible, tradition, and religious practice, which constitute the heart of a Christianity that can be embraced …

The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith

Car McGinley Leave a Comment

What does it mean that Holy Wisdom Monastery is an ecumenical Christian monastery? What is the essence of Christianity that holds all Christians together in faith? In this six session course, last offered at Holy Wisdom in 2015, we will use Marcus Borg’s book, The Heart of Christianity, to explore that question. By examining the “emerging paradigm” Borg emphasizes the transformational aspect of Christianity that is about loving God and loving what God loves. Borg consistently aligns the emerging paradigm with God, Jesus, the Bible, tradition, and religious practice, which constitute the heart of a Christianity that can be embraced …

The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith

Car McGinley Leave a Comment

What does it mean that Holy Wisdom Monastery is an ecumenical Christian monastery? What is the essence of Christianity that holds all Christians together in faith? In this six session course, last offered at Holy Wisdom in 2015, we will use Marcus Borg’s book, The Heart of Christianity, to explore that question. By examining the “emerging paradigm” Borg emphasizes the transformational aspect of Christianity that is about loving God and loving what God loves. Borg consistently aligns the emerging paradigm with God, Jesus, the Bible, tradition, and religious practice, which constitute the heart of a Christianity that can be embraced …

The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith

Car McGinley Leave a Comment

What does it mean that Holy Wisdom Monastery is an ecumenical Christian monastery? What is the essence of Christianity that holds all Christians together in faith? In this six session course, last offered at Holy Wisdom in 2015, we will use Marcus Borg’s book, The Heart of Christianity, to explore that question. By examining the “emerging paradigm” Borg emphasizes the transformational aspect of Christianity that is about loving God and loving what God loves. Borg consistently aligns the emerging paradigm with God, Jesus, the Bible, tradition, and religious practice, which constitute the heart of a Christianity that can be embraced …

The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith

Car McGinley Leave a Comment

What does it mean that Holy Wisdom Monastery is an ecumenical Christian monastery? What is the essence of Christianity that holds all Christians together in faith? In this six session course, last offered at Holy Wisdom in 2015, we will use Marcus Borg’s book, The Heart of Christianity, to explore that question. By examining the “emerging paradigm” Borg emphasizes the transformational aspect of Christianity that is about loving God and loving what God loves. Borg consistently aligns the emerging paradigm with God, Jesus, the Bible, tradition, and religious practice, which constitute the heart of a Christianity that can be embraced …

The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith

Car McGinley Leave a Comment

What does it mean that Holy Wisdom Monastery is an ecumenical Christian monastery? What is the essence of Christianity that holds all Christians together in faith? In this six session course, last offered at Holy Wisdom in 2015, we will use Marcus Borg’s book, The Heart of Christianity, to explore that question. By examining the “emerging paradigm” Borg emphasizes the transformational aspect of Christianity that is about loving God and loving what God loves. Borg consistently aligns the emerging paradigm with God, Jesus, the Bible, tradition, and religious practice, which constitute the heart of a Christianity that can be embraced …