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Monastery Photos
Monday, January 31, 2005
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Bird Watching
Took some pictures of this bird....though I have no idea what kind of bird it is. I was hoping it would take off so I could get some photos of it in flight, but it was obviously quite content where it was.
Photos of the Ice Storm
Here are some pix of the property as covered in ice. It is late afternoon now and the ice is all gradually melting. The sun never did show its face - would have been quite a pretty sight had there been sunlight.
Sharing Some Thoughts
I am preaching later this morning - I doubt that there will be many people here this morning because there was a major ice storm and the roads are surely a mess. Anyway, I wrote what follows late last night. I will later post some pictures of what the ice looks like around here. I can hear it sliding off the roof and, every now and then, I hear the crack of a limb as it snaps off a tree and crashes to the ground. I am sure that a lot of homes are without power - we have a generator here that has been working all through the night.
I will later post some essays that have been published over the years - I can sandwich them in between the photographs.
I will later post some essays that have been published over the years - I can sandwich them in between the photographs.
My homliy for later this morning, here at the monastery
The Beatitudes
There are things we do quietly. I remember walking up the stairs when I was a kid, coming in late at night, so as not to wake my parents. I still remember which steps creaked and just how to insert the key in the door so that it would not make noise. We had a dog, Rusty, and I made sure to have a dog biscuit for him as soon as I stepped inside the door. It took me a while to learn that trick, as well as putting the car in neutral and shutting off the engine so the car would quietly glide down the driveway. I guess you could call it stealth at an early age. Such is the art of not disturbing things-letting waking dogs be quiet, and sleeping parents at peace.
There were more times, later, I learned to be quiet so as not to make trouble. We have all learned such things.
I found a favorite place to listen to music, which was on the third floor of the house. I could look out my window at the skyline of
It was quiet up there. I had a desk and would write letters to my brother who was then stationed in
The beatitudes – words that are like light, and that are, in their brevity, more than enough in this brief, small space we have as life. Yet, one wonders why. There have been tomes written on human behavior, human life, human history – and unless these beatitudes are there, such tomes may as well have a huge hole in every page.
John O’Brien (one of our monks) mentioned in a homily some months back that the words of Jesus have something eternal about them. How else can we understand the beatitudes unless we find in ourselves a kind of resonance, a place in our being that says yes, I am that or want to be that or want to follow the meaning of these words.
So where is it that these words yet live?
We were taught to be quiet in church, so as to be better present to God and, I suppose, to pray to him and listen for his voice. The only voice I remember hearing is that of the good sister who warned us, out loud, not to say a thing. It is strange, when you think of it, that we must use words to point out the need for silence.
And so we speak of silence to find it.
We speak from darkness to seek light.
We speak from absence to locate and understand a presence.
We use words to situate what cannot ever be spoken.
We are give symbols to express the ineffable.
We are given the beatitudes to know something of the God who is about us and in us and who calls to us, from everywhere.
We know enough to be gentle and quiet – on the steps of our youth, in the quiet of our rooms as we read or gaze out at a great city in the making. We know when to tread gently with ourselves, with others, so as not to fall through the ice that can at times be right beneath our feet.
And so we listen again this morning to these words spoken long ago – and yes, as John said, these words have life. They are eternal. They rebuff our plans for power, prestige, finesse, advancement, title, ownership, one-upmanship. And in doing so they ask that we be gentle – that we learn from what is weak in ourselves and others. They ask that we be faithful to who we really are – but we must go quietly and gently through life in order to know who we are and where we are going. We have indeed inherited the earth. The invitation stands to move through it gently, and with love. A great city is in the making, and it is not ours. We are guests. The beatitudes, taken to heart and accepted, are its living stones.
Friday, January 28, 2005
Ice Storm
There is a lot of ice on the roads - unusual for this area. Driving will be difficult and there are no flights at the airport - apparently bus transportation is cancelled, too. If it clears up a little bit I will take some pictures. It may clear for a while later this afternoon. There is a lot of ice on the trees and if the sun comes out it will all look like a crystalline forest - trees dripping with diamonds.
Monastery Photographs
These are of the cloister, church, the Chapter Room, and the woods that surround our property.
Stations of The Cross
Cross in the forest - made by one of our monks, the stations are all through the wooded area behind the main building. It is good to walk there, on a nice day.
Monastery Photos
Hallway in Main Building
Hallway where we place our cowls. The light coming through the stained glass in the doors is always beautiful, especially early in the morning. Our mail boxes are just to the right, so there are often several monks in this area.
Monastery Photos
Cloister on a fall afternoon
The grass is a rich green in the summer. Spring is a bit far off, so the grass is a light brown this time of the year. Much will come back to life in a few months.
Monastery Photos
Stained Glass Windows in Chapter Room
These windows are beautiful and were crafted by one of our monks, who in fact made all the windows in the monastery church, refectory, library, chapter room and several other areas in the cloistered area of the monastery. His work is enchanting - the windows in the church allow a soft blue or yellow light to filter into the large church - the colors vary depending on the time of day and the window through which the light streams.
Monastery Photos
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