"Now I lay me down to sleep..."

It’s no wonder I think about children when I think about Guardian Angels. In today’s gospel JESUS makes the connection for us:

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones,

for I say to you that their angels in heaven always

look upon the face of my heavenly Father.”

I can close my eyes and see the two ceramic angels that hung over the beds in the room I shared with my big sister. They were beautiful though without unique facial features. They looked a bit like children themselves except for the wings. I remember my mother telling me that they would keep me safe throughout the night.

Now that I am grown I don’t think about my angel anymore. I do think about my seven nieces and nephews, though. I believe their angels are on duty – ready to protect and comfort. But I am troubled by something in this gospel passage. JESUS is urging us to love and care for the children. That means that we are free to do the opposite. The evening news can force us to face this human reality. So, what does it mean when something horrific happens to a child? Does it mean that the Guardian Angel has too many to protect? A “caseload” too heavy to manage? Does it mean that the angels go off duty or get distracted? Do horrors happen when angels are "texting" each other and take their eyes from their precious charges? I don’t think so.

The belief in these beings is part of our Catholic tradition. They are created by GOD and the Lord JESUS tells us, in this passage, that they are both present to GOD and attentive to the children. I believe this to be true. When we read a novel like “The Lovely Bones,” or “The Shack,” we detect a theological truth beneath the fiction. Perhaps, we are compelled to read these books because they point to a GOD who is truly with us in every moment of human life - and death.

Horrific things do happen. Because we are free we can choose love or hate, peace or violence, life or death. I believe that when human freedom disrupts GOD’s plan for our good, the Guardian Angels are there. They are there when natural disasters hit and planes fall out of the sky (or into skyscrapers). They are there when soldiers fall and the criminally insane person take a precious human life. We are never alone.

There is just so much we cannot know about the passage through death. But what we know, we know because of Christ. The angels brought him comfort in his suffering and revealed to the disciples his resurrection. In this gospel JESUS tells us that they are and they are for us. When you watch the news tonight…remember and believe.

Blessings and love to you all…
- Sister Vicki

"In the sight of the angels..."

Today the Church celebrates the Archangels: Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. The existence of angels in without question in the Holy Scriptures. Raphael protects Tobit in that eponymous book. Michael defeats the rebellious angels in the book of Revelation. And Gabriel was VERY busy – appearing to Zechariah to foretell the birth of John and announcing, to a young maiden in Nazareth, her role in bearing the Son of God.


Though this day honors the “archs” I think about all the angels in Scripture. Angels came to comfort JESUS in the desert and in the garden of his sorrows. Angels appeared after the resurrection to testify that He lives. And in Revelation there are multitudes – heavenly hosts who remain in the Presence and sing praise eternally.

I am in awe of the GOD who created such beings. Protectors, comforters and messengers of GOD – the angels, by design, serve GOD by serving us. Most little children are told of their “guardian” angel. Today, I am most grateful for the angels who came for our Sister Rosalia yesterday. These angels, who help us to make the journey, lead us into Paradise – to the place where Love dwells eternally.

Sister Rosalia claimed GOD as the center of her life and gave her gifts and her love for the building of the kingdom. During the days ahead we will hold a Vigil, a Mass of Resurrection and a Christian Burial for our dear, Sister. It’s what we do when one among us has finished the race. As we pray her home I will think of those angels…embracing that fragile body and carrying her home... where she will walk again in the land of the living.

Blessings and love to you all…
- Sister Vicki

Benedictine Vocation Directors to meet in MN...

I am shamelessly using the vocation blog to advertise a special gathering that happens only every two years. In two weeks Vocation Directors from monasteries across the US will gather at St. John's Abbey in Collegeville, MN. Sister has been part of the planning team and will have the opportunity to work with new vocation directors and offer a workshop for all interestd participants. Brother Paul-Vincent has made wonderful arrangements for the directors at St. John's. There will be time for prayer, rest, and connecting informally with one another as well as major addresses around our theme. If you haven't registered yet, there is still room. Contact Brother Paul-Vincent to register ASAP.

The One who will be with us...

This morning Fr. Gregory Gresko, OSB, prior of Mary Mother of the Church Abbey, here in Richmond, celebrated the Eucharist with a small group of faculty and staff. Liturgical law mandates that Mass be celebrated once a month in a chapel in which the Blessed Sacrament is reserved. After Mass I told the girls at Morning Gathering that “JESUS is back in the house!” I encouraged them to reverence the Lord when they enter and leave. I mentioned the sanctuary lamp which is the tell-tale sign that the Blessed Sacrament is in the tabernacle. This wonderful mysery is hard to describe in words, but make a visit, I suggested, and you'll sense the change. The feeling of Presence is real.

The tabernacle that holds and secures the Blessed Sacrament has a long history. The people of Israel set up a tabernacle in the dessert as a “holy of holies” – a safe place for the tablets of the covenant. Our tabernacle holds the fulfillment of that covenant – the Lord JESUS - the long-awaited messiah who has promised to remain with us in a special way in the humble elements of bread and wine. Why? Good question. Here's a thought...

When Moses heard the voice of GOD in the burning bush, he asked in whose name he would be speaking. “Tell them, ‘I AM’ sent you.” This name given to Moses is too sacred to be uttered. It cannot even be written. Our Jewish brothers and sisters remove the vowels! And we, as Catholics, have finally embraced this practice. We no longer say or sing the tetragrammaton - the four letters.

‘YHWH’ can be translated several ways:
‘I AM’,
‘I AM WHO AM’,
‘My favorite translation is: ‘I AM THE ONE WHO WILL BE WITH YOU.’

This is the GOD who brought Israel through the desert and sent the Son to open the gates of paradise. This is the GOD who remains in Word, in Spirit and in bread and wine. This GOD will be with us until the kingdom comes in its fullness. I think the Blessed Sacrament is evidence of this faithful love. Today, we receive the gift of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist - with gratitude and joy.

Blessings and love to you all...

- Sister Vicki

Today the Church honors St. Matthew – the tax collector who became a disciple of the Lord and, in doing so, a friend of GOD. It’s been 7 years since I have filed a tax return, but I can still recall the dread that would precede April 15th. I worked for the Church for most of my adult life, so "Uncle Sam" always owed me. Still, the little boxes, mysterious formulas and W-2’s made me a wreck. I suspect taxes were just as pleasant two thousand years ago. Tax collectors? They were probably not the most popular guys in the Roman Empire. “Rendering unto Caesar” was a matter of life or death. No extensions. No audits to clear things up. Pay the man at the table or...suffer the consequences.

When JESUS called Matthew (aka “Levi”,) his enemies were ready to pounce. The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples,“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”He [JESUS] heard this and said,“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.Go and learn the meaning of the words,I desire mercy, not sacrifice.I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

Mercy…not sacrifice. This divine preference was made known to Israel by the prophet Micah. A preference - it helps me to frame it this way. When faced with the easy choice between pious practices or the hard work of forgiving an old wound, most of us would choose the Novena. But, the LORD prefers that we choose mercy in our dealings with one another over Olympic acts of prayer or penitence.

This “preference” makes sense if you see Christianity as fundamentally incarnational – a religion which reveres the human person as image and likeness of GOD. When the Word became flesh, all flesh was made holy. It was St. Athanasius who wrote: “God became man so that man could become GOD (St. Athanasius, De Incarnatione 54:3).” This idea that we are destined to become GOD is called, theosis or divinization. We believe this - check the Catechism!

Do I think Matthew knew what he was in for in following JESUS? Definitely not. But Matthew did follow. So much for the sinner-theory that made the Pharisees feel clean and pure. It would seem we are all "tax collectors" – hopeful sinners who one day decide to drop our coins and follow the voice of mercy. Many such sinners find their way to the monastery and follow Christ until their last breath. Not an easy road but for those who are called, it is a joyful journey. May St. Matthew intercede for those who are ready to begin again in Christ.

Blessings and love to you all...

- Sister Vicki

Sister goes back to school...

Last night I met 15 young women at the University of Richmond. I was invited by Catholic Campus Ministry to speak a bit about Benedictine spirituality. I arrived early - good thing, as parking was a challenge. (I even had to call on the BVM for help. I only do that when it's important not to be late. "Hail Mary, full of grace, help me find a parking place.")

I was greeted by a warm, engaging senior who walked me to her apartment. In a space shared by 4 women, 16 of us ate delicious spaghetti, salad and homemade garlic bread. Then, Sister set up her show and got down to business. In spite of "technical difficulties beyond my control," my new friends were able to "visit" our house - catch a glimpse of how Benedictine monasticism is lived in the 21st century.

I really love my job. I love being witness to the vitality of monastic life and its place in the building of the Kingdom. Most of all, I love meeting faithful women who are searching out GOD's will in their lives. As I looked out at that sea of eager faces, I felt a deep peace knowing that the future of the Church is secure in their care. These good women remain in my thoughts and prayers today. And, I send grateful blessings to Deacon Tom Mullen for making this wonderful night happen.

Blessings and love to you all...

- Sister Vicki

"Lift High the Cross"...

Today the Church celebrates the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. It is a feast that highlights one of the great mysteries of our faith – a paradox that is beyond our understanding but at the very heart of our Tradition. Because nothing is impossible for GOD, the cross – a barbaric instrument of death – has become the symbol – for those who believe – of GOD’s ultimate victory over sin and death.

The sight of the cross may bring sadness or great joy. It can remind us of the death of the Lord, JESUS or it can be a symbol of the life that never ends in Christ. It is by his cross and resurrection that we have been set free. The tree on which Christ hung and breathed his last, is the standard under which we march forward in faith. It is because of that cross that we can live without the crippling fear of mortality. We are free to choose mercy, compassion and justice because the cross declares the love stronger than death. We can lay a loved one in the grave – cloaked in our grief - and still believe that death is not the end, but the beginning.

How wonderful to have a day to rest in this mystery. The next time you look at the cross – while driving past a church, or sitting in a chapel, or holding a Rosary - remember that you are already redeemed. Remember a truth that is too easy to forget – "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die (John 11:25-26)."

Blessings and love to you all...

- Sister Vicki