Sacred Stones, Sacred Stories

There are many traditions of when we began to mark a day of remembering those who gave their lives in service for our country, many places of origin, differing persons and acts. Perhaps a look backward to those we knew, those who no longer walk the earth, will help us look forward to the days when we will no longer need war to settle differences.

Perhaps this Memorial Day we can honor those who gave their all by honoring God who gives us life, one person at a time, one unique human being to walk amid the loveliness of the Earth, one human heart to know joy, love and peace. Let us come together to give glory and praise to Whom it is due and honor those who gave their all.

“He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40: 29-31)

We keep in prayer all those affected by the horrific storms that moved through the Oklahoma area. We know the love and compassion of Christ will be there to help, taking the form of first responders, volunteers, citizens and friends. All coming together to do as Christ taught us: Love one another as I have loved you.

Please consider making a donation to the American Red Cross to assist with relief efforts. You can do so by visiting the ARC online or texting REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10.

“I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.”

 At Easter we profess faith in God the Father, in Jesus Christ His son and in the Holy Spirit.  We boldly acclaim our belief in the three persons of the Trinity.  When we pray the Nicene Creed during Sunday Eucharist we remind ourselves and recommit to this faith.

Pentecost gives us the opportunity to focus on the Holy Spirit and his work.  He is the giver of life.  He is the Paraclete, the Advocate sent by Jesus.  Pentecost ends the Easter season and ushers in ordinary time in a powerful way.  With the coming of the Holy Spirit Christ’s victory now flows to and fills his mystical body, the Church of whom we are living stones.  It is this faith which brings peace and hope to our hearts in this imperfect world.

The seven gifts the Holy Spirit showered upon us during this feast are wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety and fear of the Lord.  Each gift perfects our natural virtues.  Each gift helps us live more fully our call to be a child of God in word and action.

Let us join Christians the world over in praying for the coming of the Spirit,

“Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Your Love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created; and Thou shall renew the face of the earth.  O, God, who instructs the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise and ever to rejoice in His consolation.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.  Alleluia”

Larry and Jared securing new deck for pier

Caution around water, especially ponds in rural areas is a good rule of thumb.  Therefore, when the deck of our pier was rotten and unsafe, we gave our workmen the task to replace it while the temperatures are not too terribly warm.  Of course, our dog, Maggie, and her neighborhood friend, have no use for piers or caution.  They don’t mind dipping into the dirty water and cooling off.  They may think differently IF they come up against the resident snapping turtles.

New storage lockers located near a back entrance to the motherhouse of the Sisters’ monastery in Clyde, Mo., were brilliantly crafted by members of the maintenance staff, including Larry Jensen, Jared McQueen and Jeremy McQueen.

Sister Ruth Elaine stands next to her new locker, crafted from salvaged pine trees.

After coworker Don Combe renovated the space, the trio built the new lockers for Sisters to store coats, hats, gloves and other weather-related items.

In addition to their daily use, the lockers represent a part of Benedictine history. They were built from Austrian pines, once part of a large stand of trees planted under the direction of community chaplain Father Lukas Etlin, OSB in the early 1900s.
“Some of the trees gradually died from too much moisture after the floods in 1993,” Sister Sean Douglas, OSB said. “The excess moisture led to a fungus, and over the ensuing years, they all died.”
All was not lost, as the Sisters saved the wood, cut the logs in their saw mill, stored the lumber and use it for various projects around the monastery.
“As Benedictines, even in loss, we find beauty and a new purpose,” Clyde Prioress Sister Pat Nyquist, OSB said.

God bless you, Mom for bringing me into this world full of God’s love and beauty.

God bless you, Mom for helping me build character, responsibility and a sense of wonder.

God bless you, Mom for lending me an ear, a word of encouragement, and a comforting hug.

God bless you, Mom for guiding my first steps, my first attempts at something new, my search for the meaning of my life.

God bless you, Mom for pouring yourself out so that I could fill myself up with life.

God bless you, Mom for being you and allowing me to be me.

Thank you, God, for giving my mom to me.  For all moms on this day and everyday – we give thanks.

Words of wisdom from Pope Francis:

“We have One who always defends us, who defends us from the snares of the devil, who defends us from ourselves and from our sins!

Dear brothers and sisters, we have this Advocate; let us not be afraid to turn to him to ask forgiveness, to ask for a blessing, to ask for mercy! He always pardons us, he is our Advocate: He always defends us!…The Ascension does not point to Jesus’s absence, but tells us that he is alive in our midst in a new way. He is no longer in a specific place in the world…He is now…present in every space and time, close to each one of us. In our life we are never alone: We have this Advocate who awaits us, who defends us.

We are never alone: The Crucified and Risen Lord guides us. We have with us a multitude of brothers and sisters who, in silence and concealment, in their family life and at work, in their problems and hardships, in their joys and hopes, live faith daily and together with us to bring the world the lordship of God’s love, in the Risen Jesus Christ, ascended into Heaven, our own Advocate who pleads for us.”

Blessings to all on this great feast of Jesus’s triumph over death for all eternity.

St. Benedict makes it clear in his Holy Rule that all the community should be assembled and lend their voices to the decision making process.

This is our responsibility. We are not looked upon as members who have no sense, thoughts or words of wisdom. We who live in a monastery have the important task of helping govern the community, from the oldest member to the youngest, from the highest ranked to the lowliest sister.

For two weeks our congregation gathered for our annual General Assembly to fulfill our responsibility. We came together to pray, listen, break bread and share our thoughts and feelings around several topics. A facilitator helped us focus our collective work.

Our work is done for now. It is time to return to our daily life of monastic women, continuing the conversation with God and one another, seeking the Spirit’s guidance and always, always, turning to God out of love.

Frank White, All-Star major leaguer and an eight-time Gold Glove winner with the Kansas City Royals, visited the Benedictine Sisters’ Clyde, Mo., monastery in April.

Sister Laurentia (standing) accepts an autograph from former Major League Baseball player Frank White while Sister Cheryl looks on.

White, who does sales work for the roofing company that recently completed repairs to the Clyde monastery, spent his time visiting with Sisters and signing autographs.

White signs a photocard for Sister Sarah (standing)

This was White’s second visit to the monastery. He also stopped by briefly earlier in the year, visiting with members of the Benedictine Sisters’ lay staff, including Jared McQueen (pictured).