Too busy to blog...

I am sitting in the airport waiting for a flight that will bring me from MN to VA. I am beyond tired, but happy as I think on the events of the past week. Nearly 40 Benedictine vocation directors met at St. John's Abbey. I arrived early and remained a day late as I am part of the planning committee - the "worker bees" who coordinate the event over a two-year period. This was my first time helping with such a big project. In the company of my friends, Brother Paul-Vincent and Sister Mary Catherine, I learned the ropes fast! We three worked non-stop in between sessions and behind the scenes. I have much to tell you all about these days, but it will take a few blogs, I think. For now, some of the beauty...

Blessings and love to you all...

- Sister Vicki

No peace for some...

I’m on the second plane of the day en route from JFK to Minneapolis-St. Paul. The last flight was booked to overflowing. The airline rep. offered a $300 ticket to anyone willing to be “bumped”. I didn’t offer to stay as I am making a connection in MN. So, as we finally boarded there was an air of frustration – too many people, not enough seats. This grown-up version of “musical chairs,” does not bring out the best in people.

Once on board and seated, I witnessed a scene between two passengers. The woman was REALLY angry because her husband’s seat assignment was changed and the woman planning to sit in his seat was getting her wrath. The poor, unsuspecting passenger was, unfortunately, an employee of the airline. That was the “last straw.” It got worse before it got better. Her husband made his way forward and joined the fray. The airline employee was calm and respectful throughout. She immediately offered to change seats and, while that was what they wanted, they continued to spew and fester. It was an embarrassing scene for the young man seated with the irate couple – a son? I felt sorry for all of them – really, truly sorry.

How is it that we become so hard? So selfish and myopic? What is it about our culture that promotes “taking care of #1” regardless of others’ needs? Why is it that when we pay for something, we thing we are entitled to belittle and berate anyone associated with our disappointments?

Maybe, it has to do with poor self-esteem. When we know who we are before GOD – precious, unique and loved – we can see others in that same light. When we are unsure of our worth or gauge it by all the wrong measuring sticks, we interpret every frustration as a personal attack. I prayed for that angry couple as we took off. On the outside they would seem to “have it all” when, in fact, they are unaware of their poverty. If losing a seat can cause such distress, what will such persons do when real suffering enters their lives? How blessed we are that GOD never gives up on any one of us. The opportunities to grow in wisdom and compassion never end. Nothing is impossible for GOD – if we are willing to accept the gift of grace.

Blessings and love to you,
- Sister Vicki

"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