⚓Lenten Wisdom
"...the task and purpose of theological reflection is one of contemplation, rather than one of precise definition."
Paul M. Collins THE TRINITY: A GUIDE FOR THE PERPLEXED
- Br. Abraham St. Gregory's Abbey
grad students from the University of Michigan spending Spring Break at St. Gregory's Abbey - a Benedictine monastery in the Episcopal Church near Three Rivers, Michigan USA
⚓Graduate students from the University of Michigan spending Spring Break at St. Gregory's Abbey - a Benedictine monastery in the Episcopal Church near Three Rivers, Michigan USA.
We Love Students!
I take the advice from the RULE OF ST BENEDICT (because I here it all the time) to regard Lent simply as a preparation for Easter.
"Prepare for Resurrection. Resistance is Futile." ⚓
Lenten Wisdom⚓
"Conduct is the stepping stone to contemplation."
Gregory of Nazianzus - ORATION XX
- Br. Abraham St. Gregory's Abbey
⚓The monks are (and have been) praying for the new bishop and all the people involved in the election process. Diocese of the Great Lakes is amazing, and Province 5 rocks, and we are grateful to be a part of both.
- Br. Abraham St. Gregory's Abbey
Lenten wisdom ⚓
"Away from the sight of thy face my heart knows no rest nor respite, and my work becomes an endless toil in a shoreless sea of toil." Rabindranath Tagore
GITANJALI stanza 5, verse 2
- Br. Abraham St. Gregory's Abbey
You are not alone. Lent has never done much for me. Advent is the season that refeshes me. However, as with many things, Lent might be doing more for me than I realize - it might be so deep that I just don't consciously realize it. ⚓
yep: The glory of Sheer Silence is the name of the sermon (probably at the top of the blog)
andrewmarrosb.blog
Abbot Andrew went heavy on Gregory Palamas in the sermon this morning - not agreeing or disagreeing, just musing. (typically monastic response to just about any topic)⚓
I think it is helpful to cut out some screen/radio/podcast time and use that time for sleep, making healthy meals, and physical exercise.
⚓monastic wisdom from William of St. Thierry (died 1148)
"Let your question be your prayer."
from THE MIRROR OF FAITH ch 11 paragraph 3
He has used at least one surfing reference to describe monastic life - true Australian.
⚓monastic wisdom from Micheal Casey OCSO of Tarawarra Abbey in Australia (about information overload):
"We swallow everything and digest nothing."
from AN UNEXCITING LIFE p 414
⚓another aural gift. I don't use religious texts because I am a monk; I use the old Latin texts because they are in public domain (and Latin rhymes so easily.)
soundcloud.com/user-3512580...
Lutheran Franciscans spending the weekend at St. Gregory's Abbey - a Benedictine monastery in the Episcopal Church near Three Rivers, Michigan USA
⚓Some members of the Order of Lutheran Franciscans spending the weekend at St. Gregory's Abbey (a Benedictine monastery in the Episcopal Church near Three Rivers, Michigan.)
WE WIN! We win the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and Religious Life Sunday!
members of the Episcopal Service Corps stationed at Plainsong Farm spending a few days with the monks of St. Gregory's Abbey (a Benedictine monastery in the Episcopal Church near Three Rivers, Michigan USA)
⚓Members of the Episcopal Service Corps stationed at Plainsong Farm are spending a few days with us here at the monastery.
- St. Gregory's Abbey (a Benedictine monastery in the Episcopal Church near Three Rivers, Michigan USA)
⚓another aural gift - text is from Rumi: "Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground."
soundcloud.com/user-3512580...
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This quote from Barbara Brown Taylor (from the book GOD IN PAIN) has been a big part of my Christmas prayer these past few weeks:
"He did not come to put us to shame with his divinity. He came to call us into the fullness of our humanity, which was good enough for him."
Captain Picard approves: "Tea. Earl Grey. Hot."
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I finished that book on Christmas Eve. It was a gift to the monastery from the author, so we got an autographed edition. The ending chapters are wonderful: if the 4th century church can survive the upheavals surrounding Nicea, we will be OK as well. ⚓
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An aural gift. The performance is synthesized (who can afford an orchestra and chorus to record?), and the vocal parts cannot produce the actual words, but it is a fairly good representation of how it should actually sound.
Br. Abraham - St. Gregory's Abbey
It includes Jefferson Starship - a rare performance WITH Marty Balin but WITHOUT Grace Slick. Not both together, not Grace without Marty, but Marty without Grace. Just look at my user name to see how important all things Jefferson are to me (Airplane, Starship, etc.)
Madness, The Specials, The Beat, The Selecter, The Bodysnatchers: all parts of making my high school days better.
Did I leave anyone out?
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O Antiphon, O Antiphon - How lovely are your verses!
It's the final countdown!
May we have a frutiful week, sitting in the dark, letting God do God's thing. We simply ask for Grace to do what we need to do to slot in to God's plan.
- Br. Abraham St. Gregory's Abbey
It depends: Think of the others there: how loud is it, and how loud are you when you use it? A spinning wheel does sound cool and interesting, but if it disrupts other people's quiet time, then it would be best to not bring it.
⚓Am I the only one who thinks that Advent is one week too short? (and Lent is one week too long)
We have three guesthouses here at St. Gregory's Abbey ⚓
www.saintgregorysthreerivers.org/about/guests/
⚓Tom Petty says: "The waiting is the hardest part", but I don't think that applies in Advent. We sit in the dark, waiting for God to act. It doesn't get better than that.
Advent is all about Grace. We wait for God to do what God wants, when God wants it, and how God wants it done. The collects for Advent in the BCP are good examples of the theme of Grace in Advent (the actual word is used in three of them.)
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James Alison has visited our monastery a few times, and is a very nice person. ⚓
