Catholic Benedictine Sisters of St. Mary Monastery, Rock Island, Ill., blog with inquirers discerning their religious calling to monastic life.
Posted in spirituality on May 22nd, 2009
By Sr. Catherine Cleary, OSB How can you go away and yet stay? But this is exactly what happened to Jesus at Pentecost. Jesus” going to God in his death is not a going away from the disciples but a coming and staying with us in a new way. The new way is symbolized by [...]
Posted in spirituality on May 4th, 2009
Spring has Sprung! The flowers in my garden are budding and fresh new leaves are growing on the trees. There is nothing like it! The gradual growth is stunning this time of the year. Some days it appears that the new growth just pops right up without delay. Mostly, though, I see the new growth [...]
Posted in Benedictine Prayer, Benedictine practices, prayer, spirituality on Mar 12th, 2009
When a desert abba once said, “Watching means to sit in your cell and be always mindful of God,” he could have been talking about Centering Prayer. An ancient practice that may lead to contemplation, Centering Prayer helps practitioners, through silence, learn to rest in God – and know God. It is stunningly simple. Learn [...]
Posted in News, prayer, spirituality on Nov 16th, 2008
By Sister Catherine Cleary, OSB “O God you are eternal life and everlasting peace by your essence,” prayed the seventy-some women and men who participated in the 3rd annual Muslim/Christian Women’s Dialogue, sponsored by the Benedictine Sisters of Rock Island. The doors opened with flowing crowds coming from their study clubs, their Scripture groups, coming [...]
Posted in spirituality on Sep 12th, 2008
This comes from Brother David Standl Rast, OSB: Gestures that help you show gratitude: 1. Say one word today that gives a fearful person courage. 2. Calmly hold someone’s hand today and spread calm. 3. Look a stranger in the eyes today and realize that there are no strangers. 4. Give someone an unexpected smile [...]
Posted in spirituality on Sep 10th, 2008
“Paul Tillich once defined real religion as what we attain when, in our religious quest, we attune ourselves to a reality and a consciousness that is beyond our own, as opposed to touching what is highest inside of ourselves or highest within the collective ideals of humanity. In real religion we meet God, not ourselves.” [...]