“You raised your friend from death, O Lord, to assure us that we, too, will rise.”
Today is Lazarus Saturday, 8 days before Pascha, the great feast of the Lord’s own Resurrection; it’s a sign that what happened to the Lord applies to us as well.
We have hope in this good news!
Given that we are at the beginning of Holy Week –a week that has changed all of human history– and that we are dealing with the drama of the Coronavirus, we need a word of hope at this time of challenge. It’s important to attend to the words of a cloistered nun because she is at the heart of humanity and the heart of the Church.
All this in mind, John E. Usalis wrote a piece for today for The Republican Herald, “Fearing isolation? Byzantine nun offers advice from life in cloister” with David McKeown as photographer. They did a good job bringing to life some good ideas from Mother Marija, the Mother Superior of a monastery unknown to many in the USA. The Holy Annunciation Monastery (Sugarloaf, PA) is rather unique place as the nuns adhere to the Byzantine Liturgy, theology and spiritual disciplines and they belonged until recently to the Washington Province of Carmelites. Now they are in process of moving to a monastic way of life that is closer to the Eastern ethos (dependent on the bishop) while following the Rule of St. Benedict, and other historic monastic rules.) So, the article is a bit confused as to the exact details of the life. The nuns are working on a clear line of communication.
Self-distancing and isolation in these trying times of the coronavirus is a difficult adjustment for many.
For an order of religious women in Luzerne County, however, it is their lifestyle.
Holy Annunciation Monastery near Sugarloaf is home to the Byzantine Discalced Carmelites, a religious order that follows the Monastic Rule of St. Benedict. The monastery is part of the Ruthenian Byzantine Eparchy of Passaic, New Jersey.
The 12 nuns in the monastery live a cloistered life, which means they are strictly separated from the affairs of the outside world. Once they profess their solemn vows, they live apart from society, free of distractions and immersed in a life of prayer “for the good of the world,” according to “A Nun’s Life” website.
Ninety- year- old Mother Marija of the Holy Spirit, one of the three founding nuns when the monastery was inaugurated on Feb. 23, 1977, is the monastery’s superior. Father Walter J. Ciszek, S. J., whose cause for canonization in the Catholic Church is being investigated, played an important part in the monastery’s founding.
Mother Marija has been a Carmelite nun for 74 years, the first 30 years in the Roman Catholic rite. “Patience obtains everything,” she said. “There’s not much difference here.”
‘It’s about growth’
Entering the order currently allows for a much slower adaptation of oneself in living a cloistered life.
“It was very, very strict; very rigid. For 20 years I never saw the front door,” Mother Marija said. “What I did in six months postulancy, now we take two years observership and two years postulancy. So now instead of six months, it’s four years. That is so the person can grow. In my day, you were processed. Now, it’s about growth.”
She said adapting to a more closed- in condition can depend on each person’s personality.
“Some people are predisposed to a certain amount of solitude, who are the introverts,” she said. “There are also the extroverts. They’re great neighbors, but not always such great people in the house. Their neighbors enjoy them more than their family members do.”
She said it’s important for those entering the cloister to see “where our gifts are,” and find balance.
“You identify how God made you. That’s a big thing,” she said.
“I tell the sisters that when you get to heaven, you’re all a bunch of cakes, but are you an angel cake, a chocolate cake, a pound cake? God will put into your life what is needed in your recipe.
“I don’t think enough of us — and it took me a long time — realize that before we were made, God knew exactly what he wanted of us,” she added.
Hope, love, truth
Mother Marija offered tips for living a self- distancing life through its religious aspects.
“The first thing is, you have to have hope. We all have to know where we’re going. You always have a destination. If you’re making something, you need to have an idea of what’s next,” she said. “You just don’t leave aimlessly.”
The second thing is to believe one is loved.
“That has to be an experience that is already there. We should be so kind to other people. Mother Teresa wanted for everyone to feel before they died in the Hindu culture of untouchables that that person was loved. That gives you value. You have to have love and faith and prayer working interchangeably.”
Looking for the truth in a situation is also necessary.
“That means that we’re not too sure of ourselves,” she said. “There needs to be an area of self- doubt, a trust in someone else’s opinion and the readiness to communicate.”
Thinking of others beyond oneself is also an important condition.
“When you’re young, up until 21, you think of the success of yourself. You have to develop your own potential,” she said. “But from 30 on, make a success of someone else.
Holy Annunciation Monastery
403 West County Road
Sugarloaf, PA 18249
570-788-1205
The Servant of God Dorothy Day has a new critical biography penned by accomplished biographers John Loughery and Blythe Randolph. According to the NYTimes review of the book, the authors viewed their subject as “challenging and complex.” Dorothy Day: Dissenting Voice of the American Century is a portrait of Day but it is incorrect to claim that it is the first in 40 years. There are a few other biographies of Dorothy Day published in recent years. I look forward to delving into the Loughery and Randolph volume; my hope is that they did not merely perpetuate the same old cliches. But I doubt it. Already in the review one gets the sense that Day is treated more as a political person than someone who encountered Jesus Christ and desired to live in creative tension and toward the Gospel and the Tradition of the Catholic Church. Terms used to describe Day without due attention to her relationship with Christ and the Mystical Body of Christ are misleading. Happy reading.
The review can be read here.
John was abbot of St Catherine’s on Mt Sinai in the first half of the seventh century. His name derives from his most famous work, called The Ladder to Paradise. Its thirty steps detail a system of monastic spirituality. This manual is the most widely used around the east. His popularity among monastics, the custom of reading his work at the monastery table during Great Lent, and the fact that the calendar feast of St John falls in this season.
St John is known as the new Moses. So if you want to understand this attribution you have to know the the Book of Exodus. Moses was the holy man of his day, went to the desert for 40 years, the one who spoke with God on Mt Sinai, the one recorded and taught God’s Law (the 10 Commandments) and he is the one who led the people in the walk of liberation from slavery to freedom.
St. John spent forty years in the desert, ascended Mt. Sinai, the same mountain as Moses, brought down the mountain like Moses the tablets of the Law, though John’s “law” is called The Ladder of Divine Ascent, a book that describes how we can ascend to God, like the Ten Commandments. One cannot underestimate the role both Moses and John had in their student’s liberation in Christ. For the Christian the only liberation is known in the Paschal Mystery of the Lord: His life, death, resurrection and ascension, no other path of liberation is the liberation experienced in the sacraments (the Holy Mysteries) of Eucharist and the Confession of sins. Liberation is the newness of life in the Lord of Life and His Church.
In addition to the commemoration today, this 6th century Palestinian father has been given a fixed commemoration on the 4th Sunday of Lent. (NS edited)
St. John, point us to Christ.
Today, we in the Greek Catholic Churches, honored Mary of Egypt who was a great a sinner; other Byzantine churches on the older calendar will honor her on April 1.
The Canon of St Andrew speaks of the angels being in amazement of her ability to overcome sin and live in grace. Fleeing to the desert she wanted to meet the Living God of mercy and of love. The desert is the place of asceticism and prayer, a place of encounter, a place to give testimony to the ways God continues to create us anew.
In decisive moment she changed her life and went to the hiddenness of the desert. She lived without the sacraments for years. Mary lived a Christian life all the years in the desert without the sacraments in communion with God. Before her death Abba Zosimus brought her the Body and Blood of Christ.
Mary could say that “The word of salvation gently touched the eyes of my heart and revealed to me that it was my unclean life which barred the entrance to me.”
This image of St Clare and St Mary of Egypt is telling for us who living in this period of penance: Great Lent and the Coronavirus. They rejected fear, negativity and sin. Both were spouses of the Lord of Life. It is striking to me that the artist linked both these women saints in art because in reality they represent the virtues, especially purity of heart. They both knew the virtue of being united in prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
Image: Church of Santa Maria Assunta in Vallo di Nera, Perugia, Italy
Blessed feast of the AnnunciationTHE FLOWER GEORGE HERBERT (1593-1633)
How fresh, oh Lord, how sweet and clean
Are thy returns! even as the flowers in spring;
To which, besides their own demean,
The late-past frosts tributes of pleasure bring.
Grief melts away
Like snow in May,
As if there were no such cold thing.
Who would have thought my shriveled heart
Could have recovered greenness? It was gone
Quite underground; as flowers depart
To see their mother-root, when they have blown,
Where they together
All the hard weather,
Dead to the world, keep house unknown.
These are thy wonders, Lord of power,
Killing and quickening, bringing down to hell
And up to heaven in an hour;
Making a chiming of a passing-bell.
We say amiss
This or that is:
Thy word is all, if we could spell.
Oh that I once past changing were,
Fast in thy Paradise, where no flower can wither!
Many a spring I shoot up fair,
Offering at heaven, growing and groaning thither;
Nor doth my flower
Want a spring shower,
My sins and I joining together.
But while I grow in a straight line,
Still upwards bent, as if heaven were mine own,
Thy anger comes, and I decline:
What frost to that? what pole is not the zone
Where all things burn,
When thou dost turn,
And the least frown of thine is shown?
And now in age I bud again,
After so many deaths I live and write;
I once more smell the dew and rain,
And relish versing. Oh, my only light,
It cannot be
That I am he
On whom thy tempests fell all night.
These are thy wonders, Lord of love,
To make us see we are but flowers that glide;
Which when we once can find and prove,
Thou hast a garden for us where to bide;
Who would be more,
Swelling through store,
Forfeit their Paradise by their pride.
St Henry Morse, the “Priest of the Plague”, is someone particularly apropos for this time as he spent himself in tireless service and devotion to victims of the plague in 17th century England before he was eventually martyred for his faith at Tyburn. His example to us is important at this time.
May we endeavor to selflessly help those not only directly affected by the Corona virus, but those suffering from the effects of it, social distancing and self quarantining, which can certainly take its toll.
Too, may he intercede for us all!
St Henry Morse, Pray for us.
Interesting news for the Byzantine world! ” Archaeological experts from the University of Alicante in Spain have recently identified the first Byzantine monastery ever found on the Iberian peninsula,” located in the area of Elda, Alicante.
Some Lenten meditation. While the Bishop’s letter speaks directly to the vocations monks and nuns there is much wisdom that oblates and members of Communion and Liberation can draw on.
Thanks to Dom Thomas of Marmion Abbey who works at the Pontifical Greek College, Rome.
A beautiful letter by Bishop Aiello of Avellino
Monastics’ gift to Italy
Letter to the nuns and monks:
We turn to you, sisters and brother monks, to ask for your prayers, to support your raised arms, like those of Moses on the mountain, in this time of particular danger and unease for our communities: by your persistent prayerful intercession, we acquire resilience and future victory.
You are the only ones who do not move a facial muscle in the face of the rain of decrees and restrictive measures that rain on us these days because what we are asked for, for some time you have always done it and what we suffer you have chosen.
Teach us the art of being content living with nothing, in a small space, without going out, yet engaged in internal journeys that do not need planes and trains.
“Give us your oil” to understand that the spirit cannot be imprisoned, and the narrower the space, the wider the skies open.
Reassure us that you can live even for a short time and be joyful, remember that poverty is the unavoidable condition of every being because, as Don Primo Mazzolari said, “being a man is enough to be a poor man”.
Give us back the ability to savor the little things you who smile of a blooming lilac at the cell window and greet a swallow that comes to say that spring has come, you who are moved by a pain and still exulted by the miracle of the bread that is baked in the oven.
Tell us that it is possible to be together without being crowded together, to correspond from afar, to kiss without touching each other, to touch each other with the caress of a look or a smile, or simply … a gaze at each other.
Remind us that a word is important if it is reflected upon, ruminated within the heart for a period of time, leavened in the soul’s recesses, seen blooming on the lips of another, called a low voice, not shouted or cutting because of hurt.
But, even more, teach us the art of silence, of the light that rests on the windowsill, of the sun rising “as a bridegroom coming out of the bridal room” or setting “in the sky that tinges with fire”, of the quiet of the evening, of the candle lit that casts shadows on the walls of the choir.
Tell us that it is possible to wait for a hug even for a lifetime because “there is a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embraces,” says Qoelet. President Conte said that at the end of this time of danger and restrictions we will still embrace each other in the feast, for you there are still twenty, thirty, forty years to wait …
Educate us to do things slowly, solemnly, without haste, paying attention to details because every day is a miracle, every meeting a gift, every step a step in the throne room, the movement of a dance or a symphony.
Whisper to us that it is important to wait, postpone a kiss, a gift, a caress, a word, because waiting for a feast increases its brilliance and “the best is yet to come”.
Help us understand that an accident can be a grace and a sorrow can hide a gift, a departure can increase affection and a distance that can finally lead us to encounter and communion.
To you, teachers and masters of the hidden and happy life, we entrust our uneasiness, our fears, our remorse, our missed appointments with God who always awaits us, you take everything in your prayer and give it back to us in joy, in a bouquet of flowers and peaceful days. Amen.
Lettera alle monache e ai monaci:
Ci rivolgiamo a voi, sorelle e fratelli monaci, per chiedere la vostra preghiera, per sostenere le vostre braccia alzate, come quelle di Mosè sul monte, in questo tempo di particolare pericolo e disagio per le nostre comunità provate: dalla vostra resistenza nell’intercessione dipende la nostra resilienza e la futura vittoria.
Siete gli unici a non muovere un muscolo facciale dinnanzi alla pioggia di decreti e provvedimenti restrittivi che ci piovono addosso in questi giorni perché ciò che ci viene chiesto per alcun tempo voi lo fate già da sempre e ciò che noi subiamo voi lo avete scelto.
Insegnateci l’arte di vivere contenti di niente, in un piccolo spazio, senza uscire, eppure impegnati in viaggi interiori che non hanno bisogno di aerei e di treni.
“Dateci del vostro olio” per capire che lo spirito non può essere imprigionato, e più angusto è lo spazio più ampi si aprono i cieli.
Rassicurateci che si può vivere anche di poco ed essere nella gioia, ricordateci che la povertà è la condizione ineludibile di ogni essere perché, come diceva don Primo Mazzolari, “basta essere uomo per essere un pover’uomo”.
Ridateci il gusto delle piccole cose voi che sorridete di un lillà fiorito alla finestra della cella e salutate una rondine che viene a dire che primavera è arrivata, voi che vi commuovete per un dolore e ancora esultate per il miracolo del pane che si indora nel forno.
Diteci che è possibile essere insieme senza essere ammassati, corrispondere da lontano, baciarsi senza toccarsi, sfiorarsi con la carezza di uno sguardo o di un sorriso, semplicemente… guardarsi.
Ricordateci che la parola è importante se pensata, tornita a lungo nel cuore, fatta lievitare nella madia dell’anima, guardata fiorire sulle labbra di un altro, detta sottovoce, non gridata e affilata per ferire. Ma, ancor più insegnateci l’arte del silenzio, della luce che si poggia sul davanzale, del sole che sorge “come sposo che esce dalla stanza nuziale” o tramonta “nel cielo che tingi di fuoco”, della quiete della sera, della candela accesa che getta ombre sulle pareti del coro.
Raccontateci che è possibile attendere un abbraccio anche tutta una vita perché “c’è un tempo per abbracciare e un tempo per astenersi dagli abbracci” dice Qoelet. Il Presidente Conte ha detto che alla fine di questo tempo di pericolo e di restrizioni ci abbracceremo ancora nella festa, per voi ci sono ancora venti, trenta, quaranta anni da aspettare…
Educateci a fare le cose lentamente, con solennità, senza correre, facendo attenzione ai particolari perché ogni giorno è un miracolo, ogni incontro un dono, ogni passo un incedere nella sala del trono, il movimento di una danza o di una sinfonia.
Sussurrateci che è importante aspettare, rimandare un bacio, un dono, una carezza, una parola, perché l’attesa di una festa ne aumenta la luce e “il meglio deve ancora venire”.
Aiutateci a capire che un incidente può essere una grazia e un dispiacere può nascondere un dono, una partenza può accrescere l’affetto e una lontananza farci finalmente incontrare.
A voi, maestre e maestri della vita nascosta e felice, affidiamo il nostro disagio, le nostre paure, i nostri rimorsi, i nostri mancati appuntamenti con Dio che sempre ci attende, voi prendete tutto nella vostra preghiera e restituitecelo in gioia, in bouquet di fiori e giorni di pace. Amen
mons Aiello,
Vescovo di Avellino