Catholic Benedictine Sisters of St. Mary Monastery, Rock Island, Ill., blog with inquirers discerning their religious calling to monastic life.
Posted in discernment on Dec 30th, 2008
As we approach the New Year, consider how you may be challenged to live in a re-energized way. Is it time to align your experience of Christ with your everyday desires, hopes, questions and fears?
Posted in discernment on Dec 25th, 2008
Advent is the Season of Promise leading to the Season of Light. The morning readings on the last day of Advent richly reflect the Promise we have inherited throughout the ages. By evening at our Christmas Vigil we are delighting in the reading of Jesus’ Birth.
Posted in Uncategorized on Dec 24th, 2008
And she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2:7 We have heard this passage from Luke many times. The words naturally conjure up an image of gentleness and compassion. God became a [...]
Posted in discernment on Dec 17th, 2008
You may recall Matthew begins his Gospel with an incredibly long family history. It was intended to show his audience of Romans that Jesus is a descendant of Abraham and therefore the long-awaited Messiah. If you can ignore the complicated names and focus on the connection generation after generation – well, then you get Matthew’s [...]
Posted in discernment on Dec 12th, 2008
One of my favorite characters in the Gospels is John the Baptist. His story is essential to Advent – for he prepares us for the Coming of Christ. Jesus and John, as we know, are only months apart. Mary went to visit Elizabeth during their pregnancies and a close relationship between their sons began.
Posted in discernment on Dec 9th, 2008
Mary is a unique personality in the Gospels. On December 8, we celebrated Mary, Mother of God, in our Church. Actually, we know very little about Mary in that there are not many details about her life. In the Gospel, we hear her accepting God’s challenge to bear Jesus and we learn what is most [...]