A Prayer...

In the beginning, O God,
your Spirit brooded above the waters,
and all that is
came to be by your life-giving Word.

May we who are sustained, by the wonders of creation,
live gently upon this earth.

May we who draw breath,
protect the trees that purify our skies.

May we who eat,
plant seeds where we have reaped a harvest.



May we who drink the earth’s clear water,
become its constant guardians
so that, generation to generation,
no people shall die of thirst.

We ask this in your name, O God,
who fashioned us from clay to bear your image,
and through your Son, the Word made flesh,
who walked upon this tender earth,
and in the power of your Holy Spirit,
Breath and Sanctifier,
one God – forever and ever.
AMEN.

Always on the front lines...

[This is the second in a series of blogs on “Women & Spirit,” a current exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum.]

It’s interesting what surfaces after the fact. When the Leadership Conference of Women Religious set about the task of creating this exhibit, no one could have known the power of the story to be told or the timeliness of its unveiling. Seeing “Women & Spirit” as a woman religious, brought some unexpected feelings to the surface. Could my little life, given in love to God and my monastic community, be part of this great story? Are my failures and gifts some thread in this massive quilt of faith and service? Whoa… All those women…all those faces in holy habit and 70’s polyester…they are my sisters – every one! I am still unpacking the blessing of this truth.

I was struck, too, by the variety of ministries in which sisters have served over the past 200 years - by the prominent place of American sisters on the front lines of every human need. We did not open schools because sisters belong in schools. We were there because the children needed to be taught the faith. We were not in hospitals because nuns belong in hospitals. We were there because the poor were sick and dying and they needed bodily care and the love of Christ. We didn’t open orphanages because nuns belong in orphanages. We just took in babies who had no one – who had nothing – but a blanket and an empty stomach. It was that simple.

Today, my Benedictine sisters are still living at the edge of the world where human need begs for justice and compassion. My sisters give shelter to homeless mothers and their children. My sisters offer treatment to those who suffer mental illness, or who are overwhelmed by grief, depression or disaster. My sisters access available funds to keep families in their homes and reverse the tide of foreclosure. My sisters teach small children and not-so-small teenagers how to love God and respect one another. My sisters offer spiritual direction to those who seek a closer walk with Christ. My sisters offer compassionate presence to the sick, the dying and the home bound. My sisters train and support tutors who teach English to adults from all over the world who want to make their way in our great country. My sisters do all these things – not because they are what sisters should be doing. My sisters do them because the need is real and Christ asks us to be His hands and feet. Fifty years from now I don’t know what the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia will be doing. But God does…and God is counting on us to say, “Yes.”

Blessings and love to you all...

- Sister Vicki

Lost and Found...

(This is the first in a series of blogs on the Smithsonian exhibit, "Women & Spirit."

I got lost in Washington, DC, last Sunday. We took five nun-mobiles into the District to see the exhibit on American sisters sponsored by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious [LCWR]. The ride in was lovely. In spite of preparations for the Nuclear Summit, we sailed over the Potomac and onto Constitution Avenue with little difficulty. The trouble began after I let mys sisters off at the museum and went in search of a parking space. I got myself so lost that I had to break DC law and use the cell phone to call our subprioress for help. Forty minutes later - after many tears, one illegal u-turn and lots of prayer, we arrived back at the exhibit with plenty of time left to see and experience what was so lovingly prepared.

What we found there was more than history. "Women & Spirit" chronicles a love for God's people that knows no boundary - a faith that believes especially when we cannot see. The exhibit touches the heart, mind and sense. Video, audio, artifacts and documents bring to life a powerful story of American women living the Gospel and building the Kingdom on earth. What I found there is too rich for broad strokes or a "review." If you're interested, check back over the next two weeks to see powerful images and reflect on the gift of religious life in America. If you can, go and see it for yourself. Oh, and take the Metro.

Blessings and love to you all...

- Sister Vicki

Easter 2010...

It was a HUGE new fire!

Ster Andrea sang the Exultet...and made the angels envious!

Joan directed the Schola. We never sounded better!

Sister Laurence, Sister Mary and some dear friends transformed the barreness of Lent into a lush Easter garden.

A little silence with your Cheerios...

I love being read to by our prioress. It is a Lenten custom in our house that we keep silence until after breakfast. While we eat our prioress, Sister Cecilia, reads to us from a worthy book. Actually, she often finishes one and starts another during the "40 Days."

This is an ancient monastic practice - for centuries Benedictines ate every meal in total silence. I am rather glad that we have both holy conversation and profound times of silence. Yet, I find myself wishing at the end of Lent, that this intimate sharing of a good word might continue. But, the Easter season will demand joyful voices and glad hearts.

There are many things about "table reading" that appeal to me. First, I feel a child-like wonder come over me as Sister reads to us. Every warm memory of being read to - and those that are so early they remain beyond my reach - seem to surface in a general feeling of safety and peace. I remember what it felt like to be held close to my Mother's heart as we turned pages together. The act of reading aloud to someone is, primarily, an act of love.

Table reading, as a monastic practice, enables contemplation. Michael Casey,OCSO, suggests that reading, in general, has primacy in the Benedictine life (see: Strangers to the City.) Whether we hold the book or "listen with the ear of [our] heart," we are completely attentive to the present moment. Reading takes us out of ourselves - beyond past hurts, memories that preoccupy and worries of the future - and holds us to the now where GOD dwells.

When the prioress reads to us, we all hear the same thing. I like the thought that throughout the day our individual meditations might move in a common direction. I believe GOD can use this opportunity to move our hearts. I suspect it is the Spirit who really selects the book. (Being prioress comes with so many graces. I believe there is little decided or done without prayer.)

When we are eating in silence together, it fascinates me how attentive we are to the noise we make. (Some mornings the sound of silverware being dropped into the "dirty" bucket, can be a bit much!) Lenten silence makes us each more aware of how we move our chairs and stack our dishes. All in all, table-reading is one of my favorite customs. Is there someone in your life you love enough to read to? I'll bet there is...

Blessings and love,

- Sister Vicki

Going to Jerusalem...

I spent Saturday with our oblates in Bedford, VA. It was a retreat day for the deanery - about 20 faithful friends of our monastic community. Oblates are an integral part of the mission of every Benedictine house. These good women and men take the spirituality of Saint Benedict out into the world for us. They are good Christians - of many denominations - who in marriage or single life, let the Holy Rule become part of their journey. It is a Benedictine way of life that runs parallel to ours in the monastery. They add their love and energy to our projects and passions. I can't imagine our life without them.

That said... Saturday was a very special day. We took stock of our Lenten observances - the graces that come with the failures, being lost and being found. We contemplated the Lord's entry into Jerusalem - the city that kills its prophets. Shared lectio, reflection and holy conversation created a bond of spiritual intimacy among us. Dwelling together on the richness of the the Triduum, we approached the Paschal Mystery with awe and gratitude. I have never felt more ready to enter into these holy days. I am grateful to our Bedford oblates for their willingness to walk so closely with the suffering Christ. It is in His journey that we make sense of our own. We will all go to Jerusalem...and beyond death we will know the joy of the resurrection.

Blessings and love to you all...

- Sister Vicki

It's all about love...

"Cooking As Contemplation:

A Spirituality for the Kitchen"

WHEN: May 18th

WHERE: Dominican Retreat House,

McLean, VA
CONTACT: http://www.dominicanretreat.org/

Hope to see you there!

- Sister Vicki