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

Today is Arbor Day, a day for celebrating God’s gift of trees. Trees of all kinds, each playing its unique role in the preservation of life on the planet. From the undiscovered gifts of the massive rainforests to the remotest arid desert oases, trees gift us with the essentials for existence. To quote Dr. Richard Leakey, “We make an immense mistake when we think trees as solely an aesthetic member of a community. They cut pollution, they cool the air, they prevent erosion, they muffle the sound, they produce oxygen. Then after all that, they look good.” As you think of the role of trees in you ..read more

“Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy.” These words, first spoken by Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, remind us that life is marvelous gift! Rabbi Heschel encouraged us to never take life for granted and to respond to the sights, smells, sounds and experiences of each day with radical amazement. It means standing in awe of the ordinary gifts of each day—the comfort of warm water on our body during our morning shower or the gradual changes in the colors of the fall sky and trees. It means being amazed each time we notice the beauty in the tiny face of a newborn child as well as in the wr ..read more

“He put clay on my eyes, I washed and now I can see.” Hearing these words spoken by the man who had been blind since birth being pronounced at Eucharist hit a chord in Bill’s heart. The homilist seemed to be speaking directly to him when he asked what individuals would do if Jesus suddenly opened their eyes. What would they, for example, see for the first time? Would it be their son who they had been too busy to take any interest in lately? Would it be their failure to visit their father or mother-in-law in the nursing home after he/she had had a stroke? Bill’s eyes and heart were both opened ..read more

An Earth Day Meditation for you today. Think like a Tree Soak up the sun Affirm life’s magic Be graceful in the wind Stand tall after a storm Feel refreshed after it rains Grow strong without notice Be prepared for each season Provide shelter to strangers Hang tough through a cold spell Emerge renewed at the first signs of spring Stay deeply rooted while reaching for the sky Be still long enough to hear your own leaves rustling. By Karen I. Shragg The post Daily Meditation for April 22, 2024 appeared first on Saint Benedict's Monastery ..read more

“April hath put a spirit of youth in everything” (William Shakespeare). Throughout the centuries, those of us who live in the northern hemisphere have experienced that sense of April as bringing light, new life, new beginnings. What do those images conjure up for us in 2024? Looking at the world, it seems that violence and horror abound and there’s little that individuals can do to stem the tide. However, if we look into ourselves, there is that kernel of hope which says, “There are possibilities. Change can happen.” It can. If we listen to that seed of hope planted by the Spirit and pray to f ..read more

An article published by the National Gallery of Art highlights Richard Bresnahan, master potter and artist-in-residence/director of The Saint John’s Pottery, and his mission of creating art and sustainability through “eco-mutualism.” Bresnahan’s mentor, Sister Johanna Becker, is also featured throughout the article. S. Johanna taught art and art history at the College of Saint Benedict for many years and was named professor emerita in 2005. Read the Article The post Sister Johanna Becker Mentioned in Article by National Gallery of Art appeared first on Saint Benedict's Monastery ..read more

Lola Wolf, an alumna of Saint Benedict’s High School and the College of Saint Benedict, will perform an organ concert at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 19, 2024, in Sacred Heart Chapel at Saint Benedict’s Monastery, St. Joseph, Minn. She will be joined by the monastic schola, directed by Sister Janine Mettling. The public is invited to attend this program, which centers around the theme of Mary. The featured composition is “O Domina Nostra” by Polish composer Henryk Gorecki, written for the 600th anniversary of the Black Madonna in Poland. There will also be an art display of the Black Madonna pieces c ..read more