We all crave signs from above from time to time.
Whether we are looking for guidance, a cure, assistance with a problem or something as specific as a new job, we want God to Speak.
We want Answers! Continue Reading
Benedictine Prayer
Why Pray? To Tend your Divine Relationship
When St. Paul counsels us to “pray constantly,” or the Catholic Catechism calls prayer a “vital necessity,” even a good Christian might be forgiven for asking, “Why?”
Why is it necessary at all, if we believe that God knows our thoughts, loves us thoroughly and gives us all that we need?
That is, the sun will still rise, beauty will still overspread the land, suffering will still occur.
So why pray?
The poet Mary Oliver says, How to keep warm/is always a problem,/isn’t it?/Of course, there’s love./And there’s prayer.
And keeping warm – keeping our intentional relationship with God warm and alive, that is – may be the real point. Continue Reading
Where My Heart Meets God’s Heart
By Sister Mary Core, OSB
In the very center of Benedictine monastic life is the ancient practice of Lectio Divina, or “Sacred Reading.” (Here’s how to practice it.)
Lectio – the reading, meditating on, praying with and allowing the Sacred Word of God to soak in – touches every aspect of the lives of all who practice it. Here’s why: Continue Reading
Praying Together in Uncertain Times
By Sister Marianne Burkhard, OSB
I live in Peoria, serving as a canon lawyer in the Marriage Tribunal of the Diocese. But I love spending time at the monastery, my home.
Every time I go home, I look forward to praying Liturgy of the Hours with my Sisters. Continue Reading
A “Motley Crew” at Prayer? Jesus is There Too!
By Sister Mary Core, OSB
“Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:19-20)
Jesus’ familiar words are a reminder that the power of our prayer is enhanced when we pray with others.
It happens when we share a blessing before a meal we are about to enjoy. Continue Reading
No more oatmeal bowls in the sink: Monastic life vs apartment life
Sister Stefanie shares some thoughts about what Monastic Benedictine life has meant to her … and how it differs from life on her own.
What have you found to be most challenging about your new life?
Living with other people means I can’t let my oatmeal bowl sit in the sink till I get home from work in the afternoon! Continue Reading
Talking Less and Listening More in Prayer
By Sister Stefanie MacDonald, OSB
In praying, do not keep on babbling. – Matthew 6:7
How often do you find yourself babbling? I can say for myself that I tend to babble out of nerves. That is, when I am in an unfamiliar place and with unfamiliar people, I end up saying everything. Continue Reading
Join Us in Prayer
Join area Catholic Sisters in support of Pope Francis’ call to care for our common home during a short ecumenical prayer service Wed. Jan. 27 at 12:30 p.m. at 410 E. 4th Street, Davenport. We will stand beneath the billboard message shown above. Read more!
A Fresh Miracle Every Day
By Sister Charlotte Sonneville, OSB
I serve as a Liturgy director for my community of Benedictine Sisters, so when I stumbled on this quote by Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB, I was struck by it:
Let your worship and your prayer be a fresh miracle every day to you. Only such worship, performed from the heart, with enthusiasm, is acceptable. Continue Reading
Why Pray the Psalms?
Benedictines immerse themselves in the Psalms at least 3 times – and sometimes as many as 7 times – every day during the Liturgy of the Hours.
By the time the Benedictine Sisters of St. Mary Monastery celebrate their 50th jubilees, they have spent well over 20,000 hours praying and pondering the Psalms together.
Let’s just say the Sisters know the Psalms.
But how do they feel about them … and why? Continue Reading
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