It's our birthday...

Today, the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia celebrate 144 years in the Commonwealth. On May 1, 1868, two sisters left St. Marys, PA for Richmond and, as they say, the rest is our history. Our Morning Prayer was especially beautiful. The hymn texts highlighted the power of being a community. “Let us build a house where love can dwell and all can safely live. A place where saints and children tell, how hearts learn to forgive.” This house is built on love. It stands today because we are learning to forgive as we have been forgiven. Powerful stuff, when you think about it.

Then, after the listening to the Word, we shared stories of our beloved dead – sisters who somehow encouraged us to follow Christ in monastic life. I listened. It’s not that I don’t have stories or a short-list of ammas without who I would not be in the monastery. I just needed to listen today – to drink in the love my sisters have for this life. Sometimes I come to prayer thirsty for the faith of others – in need of some grace that is eluding me – some way of seeing things that keeps me on the path. I heard such a story this morning. It was Sister Trinidad. She spoke with such love about several sisters I never knew – how they nurtured her vocation. One, she said, would bring her “sisters’ unfinished work” and she would try to learn the stitches and finish the piece. [First, I do not sew. I can do a button in a pinch, but that’s it. It took me a few seconds to get that we were talking about material – an altar cloth, a vestment, etc.] But once I got it I was stunned by the truth of what she was saying – how this sweet memory conveyed something of the essence of our monastic life. It is ours to finish what our sisters have left undone. From generation to generation, from Bavaria to Elk County, PA, from the great city of Richmond to Bristow – we take up where they left off. And one day when I die surrounded by my sisters, I know that the mission will continue – that good women will continue to seek God in this community through prayer and ministry. I don’t have to do it all. I don’t even have to understand how my part fits. I just have to trust that my life – my love – is needed here and God will do the rest.

Blessings and love to you all…

- Sister Vicki

Easter Sunday...

Christ is risen! Alleluia!

Easter peace and risen love to you all...

- Sister Vicki

All in one great day...

For Judas...

I have a velvet pouch
empty now by grace –
by the miracle of our “Easter duty.”
Often, it has been quite heavy
with the silvery weight of my sins.

Poor Judas,
without hope -
lost in the isolation of shame.
How many more remain there?

How many, too,
fail to count their coins,
think themselves blameless -
in no way complicit
in the sin of the world?

I pray for them all this day
as we read of the traitor’s greed.
I, too, have accepted the payment.
I, too, have kissed his cheek and walked away.

But this same Jesus,
whom I have betrayed,
has reconciled me to the Father.
No tree awaits my despair,
no field of blood my lifeless body.

Have mercy, O God,
on all who have abandoned you to suffering –
in the poor,
the homeless,
the victims of violence,
or slavery.

Have mercy on those -
who have taken pleasure in your failures,
rejoiced in your pain,
lost themselves in envy and resentment.

Give them all the courage
to empty their purse
before your great mercy
and, in the letting go of filthy coins,
know the power and peace of Christ.

Vicki Ix, OSB
April 4, 2012

Jesus spells it out...

Our gospel this morning is mysterious and ominous. The Pharisees are still not getting Jesus and he, in a rare moment of real human frustration, lets them know that they are still in the darkness of unbelief. Twice in this sad exchange, Jesus gives them the biggest clue to his divine nature. He refers to himself using God’s name – the sacred name given to Moses before the burning bush. Jesus says,

“For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.”

In a ministry encompassing three years of healing, teaching, story and miracle, this sentence may be the clearest self-revelation and the very reason for the Incarnation. What Jesus says to these hard-hearted Pharisees, he is saying to us.

“For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.”

I understand the first half of the sentence, but the second has been troubling me. What does it mean to “die in your sins?” I’m fairly certain that Jesus was not cursing them or predicting eternal damnation. That’s just not how the heart that made the universe operates. Maybe, to die in our sins means, that we have lived without hope – without the reality of God’s saving love. The connection in this one sentence between faith and its power over sin cannot be denied. I think many people die this way. Many people die without having lived in faith. Jesus doesn’t want that for anyone – not even a stubborn, self-righteous Pharisee. To die in our sins means, that we carry the weight of sin throughout our lifetime – that we never enjoy the relief of God’s forgiveness here. It would seem to be the whole point of his coming in flesh and bone.

As we move this week from Mary’s “yes” to the Lord’s Passion, we have an opportunity for profound gratitude. Because we believe that Jesus is the Christ – the great I AM – we will not die in our sins. Rather, we move toward death fully alive to God’s merciful love. No sin, no crime of the heart, no failure to love will keep us from the love of God revealed to us in Christ. That love is already ours for the taking. We need only to accept the gift that comes with faith and be grateful.

Blessings and love to you…
- Sister Vicki

A Positive Spin...

I got this idea last Saturday during our monthly Oblate meeting. [I LOVE our Oblates! I love them as unique people of faith and as the ambassadors of Saint Benedict in the world.] Somewhere in our time together, I wondered how we might respond to the "10 Commandments" if they were interpreted positively. I don't think we are like children who often want to do exactly the thing that has been prohibited, rather, I think adult faith demands a stance of blessing - the acceptance that GOD's wisdom is for our good. If we want to be happy we will observe these commandments. If do not observe them there is considerable misery. It's that simple, really. One path is peace and the other is angst of being out of sorts with GOD. [The gift of Reconciliation returns the heart to the place of original blessing, but if we could embrace the goodness of these ten words from GOD, we might find ourselves in the path of peace more often than not.] So, with that goal in mind, I have taken great liberties with the Word of GOD. I hope reframing the Decalogue as gift and not some list of "thou shalt not's" will be helpful to some.

Blessings and love to you all...
- Sister Vicki

1. I am the LORD your God:
you shall not have
strange Gods before me.
1+ Make GOD first in your life. Nothing else can give you real joy.

2. You shall not take
the name of the LORD your God in vain.
2+ GOD’s name is holy. Use it only when you pray and its power will bring you peace.

3. Remember to keep holy the LORD'S Day.
3+ Choose carefully what you do on Sunday and your family will grow closer to GOD and to each other.

4. Honor your father and your mother.
4+ Take care of your aging parents, as best you can, and you will understand the burden and blessing of unconditional love.

5. You shall not kill.
5+ Choose life always – even when it is hard - and you will know its fullness in your own.

6. You shall not commit adultery.
6+ Stay with your husband or wife and you will know the peace that comes from fidelity.

7. You shall not steal.
7+ Desire for things or ideas that belong to someone else can lead to mutual suffering so be attentive when you feel envious.

8. You shall not bear false witness
against your neighbor.
8+Tell the truth and you will never feel the shame of telling a lie.

9. You shall not covet
your neighbor's wife.
9+ Delight in the desire you have for your spouse and you will not want what is sacred to another relationship.

10. You shall not covet
your neighbor's goods.
10+ Be happy with what you have and you will not long for what belongs to someone else.

For something greater...

The Lectionary continues to be a source of great awe in my spiritual life. I wish I knew them – the biblical scholars who redacted the whole of Sacred Scripture into a three-year cycle of readings [A, B & C]. There is a wisdom in their work – especially in the sacred seasons of Advent and Lent – that touches me deeply. The readings for this morning – an “ordinary” Lenten weekday – are stunning in both their unique power and in their relationship to one another. This morning we are given the juxtaposition of Joseph and Jesus – the Joseph stripped of his coat of many colors and Jesus of Nazareth the anointed of God. Both share the unfortunate status of beloved son. Joseph - born of Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel – is the child of his old age and the fruit of his deepest love. Jesus, in today’s gospel, is the tragic hero of the parable he is telling – the vineyard owner’s son sent to bring peace and justice. “Surely, they will listen to my son,” the vineyard owner believes. Like Joseph stripped of his colors and thrown into a well of bitter envy, the son is dispatched by the workers - killed for his efforts on the Father's behalf.

How brilliant this connection of old and new! In both narratives envy is allowed to run its darkest course. And in both stories God uses the suffering of the innocent to become a blessing. Joseph is taken to Egypt where – through a series of struggles and divine interventions – he comes to power - power that will save the Hebrews from famine and death. And Jesus – stripped by human hands – lays aside his own glory and power to accept the suffering of death – the crushing isolation of being fully human. And because of his perfect obedience – because of the depth of his love for us and trust in the Father – God uses his sacrifice to bridge the divide of sin. God raises this gentle Jesus from the grave and in doing so raises us from the fear that has ruled the human condition. Death reigns no more.

I am in awe of this God who can make blessing from every suffering embraced and endured in the name of love. When we are misunderstood…when relationships end…when death claims one of our own…when failure trumps hope…when truth is lost in a sea of personal agendas…when justice is withheld by power…when violence is the currency of the nations…when we are stripped of our rainbow-colored coat…or nailed to some tree…then, if we offer that suffering – personal, communal and global – in prayer, the God of Jesus Christ will bring life from death. That is the promise made to Israel, the covenant sealed in the blood of Christ. Where there is real love, there is always sacrifice. Where there is sacrifice, there is always grace. Where there is grace, we find meaning. Where we find meaning, we know Christ's peace. Let us pray this day for all who are making some significant sacrifice for the love of God. It will be for something greater than we can see or imagine.

Blessings and love to you all...
- Sister Vicki