Indeed, Easter is the beginning of a “new day” — the “day” of redemption! So, during this Paschal Season, how can we not “rejoice and be glad” that Christ has won the victory for us? Here in the monastery, this joy overflows from the liturgy to everyday life. Enjoy a glimpse of our community’s “rejoicing and gladness” this Easter!
Read MoreThere has been a lot of activity in the cloth room lately … much more activity than usual.
A certain postulant seems to be very eager to join in that work … much more eager than usual.
Everyone seems excited about the end of May … much more excited than usual.
What ever could be the cause of all these happenings?
Spring in Kentucky is a glorious time — dogwoods and redbuds are blooming, the days are getting longer and warmer, and all sorts of birds are returning from their winter “vacation” farther south. New life is bursting forth at every turn, as if to join in our Easter celebrations of Christ’s Resurrection.
Read MoreAlleluia! He is Risen! May the peace of the Risen Christ fill your hearts and minds this sacred day. Know that you and your loved ones are held in our prayers today and always.
Read MoreThese monologues were written by Sister the year before she entered the monastery. She hopes they will help you in your own meditation and prayer on this day dedicated to accompanying Christ in His sufferings. May the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ be ever in our hearts!
Read MoreAt the last supper, Jesus offered up His Body and Blood in sacrifice “for you” (see Luke 22:19). I allow those two little words to echo in my own heart: for me … Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection … for me. The Gospel accounts of Christ’s Passion give us seven sayings or seven “words” that Jesus spoke from the Cross, and I hear the “for you” spoken by Jesus at the Last Supper re-echoed there.
Read MoreSt. Augustine is famous for saying, among other things, that the New Testament is concealed in the Old and the Old revealed in the New … Several years ago, I first came upon what was for me a particularly poignant foreshadowing of Christ’s Passion, hidden within the depths of the Book of Leviticus.
Read MoreThe arms and heart of Jesus Crucified are wide open to receive us all. It is good to be here with Mary, so good. Yet how can we be glad, how can we lift up songs of rejoicing, here of all places? What place can joy possibly have on Calvary?
Read MoreIt’s been quite a while since we gave any updates on the progress of our construction, hasn’t it? It seems like it’s about time we remedied that situation …
Read MoreIn God’s infinite generosity and love, He gives us the dignity of “making up for what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ, on behalf of His body, the Church” by the sufferings of our lives. Nothing is wasted! The first person to share in the sufferings of Christ was His Mother Mary. As we ponder the Passion and seek to be united with Jesus, Mary’s Mother-heart gives us a unique entryway into the sufferings of Christ.
Read MoreA number of Psalms are particularly applicable to the Passion and Death of Our Lord. They contain some of the more poignant descriptions of physical, psychological, and spiritual suffering, as well as powerful prayers of trust and even prophecies of specific elements of the Passion narrative. The most famous of these is, of course, Psalm 22.
Read MoreIn His infinite mercy, God has come down to our level in Jesus Christ, embracing human weakness in order to win for us the graces – and give us an example to imitate – in every challenge we face. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Passion, where He chooses to exercise His omnipotence precisely through weakness.
Read MoreWherever you fall on the “Lenten preparedness” spectrum, we have an opportunity for you to enter more deeply into the spirit of this season: a new blog series entitled Ponder His Passion! Each Friday of Lent, beginning a week from today, we will share a brief reflection on Our Lord’s Passion, written by one of the Sisters.
Read MoreAs anyone who has followed the Lord for some time can attest, there are certain aspects of our Faith that simply cannot be grasped right away. It takes time, prayer, and spiritual growth to ready our hearts for these more mysterious realities. One of the greatest of these mysteries is the wisdom of the Cross – that is, the intimate connection between suffering and love.
Read More"I shall spend every moment loving. One who loves does not notice her trials; or perhaps more accurately, she is able to love them.”
Read MoreFebruary 2nd, the Feast of the Presentation of Lord, is also the World Day for Consecrated Life … Here at St. Joseph’s, we have even more reason than usual for celebration this year: on December 18th, our Aspirant Holly officially entered the monastery!
Read MoreOn January 18th, plaid shirts and straw hats could once again be seen around St. Joseph’s … that’s right, our monastic hillbilly band, Transluminous Obscurity, is back! What’s more, we were able to debut a couple of new members: Dill Emma and Miss Kris! (You might know them better as Aspirants Emma and Kristin Marie …)
Read More“In the sacred books, the Father Who is in Heaven meets His children with great love and speaks with them; and the force and power in the word of God is so great that it remains the support and energy of the Church, the strength of faith for her sons, the food of the soul, the pure and perennial source of the spiritual life.”
Read MoreMany a young woman who is feeling the call to religious life has struggled with the thought of giving up marriage and children. Very often she feels torn between a deep desire to belong to God and an equally deep desire to be a wife and mother. Can the two possibly be reconciled?
Read MoreWhile the shepherds received a direct and unambiguous revelation from the mouths of angels, the Wise Men were led only by a mysterious star. The shepherds knew exactly where to find Jesus in the cave at Bethlehem; the Magi at first sought the “newborn King of the Jews” in the great city of Jerusalem, where one would expect to find an earthly ruler.
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