“In God’s great mercy we have been given a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). This is the season of Eastertide when we are given the opportunity to live through a period of 50 days wondering at the gift that the Resurrection has brought us. It’s also a time when we are asked to prepare for living out that gift throughout the coming year. At the end of the 50 days is Pentecost, celebrated this year on May 19. In the days leading up to the feast, let’s spend time each day reflecting on how the coming of the Holy Spirit is the ongoi ..read more

Recently I read that, on his death bed, Abraham Joshua Heschel expressed humble gratitude for his full life and said that he never prayed for anything but a spirit of wonder. What an inspiration! It reminded me of another friend who was so full of wonder that on her way to her classroom one day, she was found on the sidewalk, on her knees, touching the blades of grass, each one of which had its own little drop of dew atop its small height! She knelt inwardly as well. She told me that, besides being gifted with moisture for its thirst, that small dewdrop reflected the shining sun and, therefore ..read more

There is a well-known saying: “Give a hungry person a fish, and you have fed them for a day. Teach a person how to fish, and you have fed them for a lifetime.” Now that the fishing season is here, we are reminded of this saying, although very few fisherpersons in Minnesota fish for their livelihood. The art of fishing can teach us several important lessons about fishing and about life. There is always the necessity of having patience, waiting for the fish to bite, or waiting for something good to happen in our lives. We might be called upon to teach another person how to fish properly, or how ..read more

The Art and Heritage Place will be closed Tuesday, June 4, 2024, through Friday, June 7, 2024. It will resume normal business hours on Tuesday, June 11, 2024. The post Art and Heritage Place Closed June 4–7, 2024 appeared first on Saint Benedict's Monastery ..read more

Spring is the season when we see more clearly the beauty of God’s creation. Nature speaks to us of our loving God through the greening lawns and budding trees, the songs of birds returning from their southern homes. Listening to nature speak to us during this greening season is one way to deepen our trust in our loving God who is the Creator of all that is good, true and beautiful. To trust in that loving God even in the face of difficult circumstances is our call as followers of the risen Christ. Each spring as nature shows its lovely face, we stand in awe and renew our trust in the creator o ..read more

There have been April showers, now come the May flowers. It seems the desire for beauty is innate in our human DNA. Perhaps it goes back to our first parents as a result of their expulsion from the Garden of Eden, God’s special place of ultimate beauty. It isn’t hard to imagine the sense of loss of beauty these first parents experienced, finding themselves amid “brambles and thistles; by the sweat of your brow will you earn your food” (Genesis 3:18, 19). What a far cry from the beauty and ease left behind. Reflecting on this biblical story, is it no small wonder that we are still in the recove ..read more

“Where is Jesus now?” Four-year-old Carsten asked Todd, his Godfather. He had just read the children’s book, God Gave Us Easter, to Carsten and Monroe, his two-year-old sister. Not wanting them to think that Jesus was far away in heaven, Todd answered: “Jesus is in my heart, your mom and dad’s hearts, your sister’s heart, your heart.” Carsten immediately pulled up his shirt to see if he could catch a glimpse of Jesus in his heart. Todd believes that Jesus lives in our hearts, in our yearning for full joy and for “alleluias” in our lives. Jesus is in our hearts supporting our restlessness … wan ..read more

Writer Diane Ackerman says, “I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.” What things help define the “width” of life? A wise bit of advice given by a favorite professor is that if you don’t have friends who are older and some younger than you, a disabled person in your life, and someone of another race, you are impoverishing yourself. With a diverse group friends and acquaintances, you will find yourself exploring new things to do and different ways of thinking about things. So it broadens life to spend t ..read more

The worn letters upon the pillow must have held many a head. After all, the tiny cloth hearts which had once held fast were now curling at the edges, but readable yet were the words stitched on the small rectangular pillow: “There’s no place like home.” The homey plaids quilting the border of it were reminiscent of days at G and G’s (grandpa and grandma’s) house on the hill. When the final sale of their home took place, whatever was left behind was up for grabs and thus, I grabbed it. Within our cabin it had remained for years. Now, someone else was going to be renting it for a season or two ..read more

Texas musician Guy Clark sings a song titled “The Cape” about an eight-year-old boy with a flour sack cape tied around his neck, climbing up on the garage roof to fly, like Superman. Later on in life, he tied the flour sack around his dreams. The song continues, “He was one of those who knows that life is just a leap of faith. Spread your arms and hold your breath and always trust your cape.” When have you been called upon to make a leap of faith? When you were married; when you became a parent;  making a risky financial investment; starting or joining something new? All your life, the fa ..read more