Month: May 2019

Piece of God

“For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over, and it is gone. The flowers appear on the ground, the time has come for the birds to sing, and the voice of the turtle dove is heard in our land.” (Song of Songs 2: 11-12) The summer arrived in Ein Karem full of joy, with many colures in flowers, the clouds more timid, sometimes appear almost as transparent as a curtain opening a sky blue, navy, turquoise, all shades. In the balance of life, I always miss some sacred minutes looking at the changing colures of the sky. The day dawns yellow and goes to sleep with the red colour of the sunset. The other day I heard someone say that here is paradise, I do not know if it is. But I would say: Ein Karem is a piece of God in nature giving life to my life. The fruit trees are also giving the air of grace! Small clusters of grapefruit form like a fetus in the mothers’ womb. The pomegranates with …

Continuing the inward journey

“Search me, oh God, and know my heart!; test me and know my thoughts” Psalm 139 In the last week of April, we prepared the house to receive sister Maureen Cusick. She came to continuous sessions on formation with particular emphasis on Human, spiritual and biblical development which we began last November. The sessions started with the question from Genesis to Adam and Eve ‘where are you? Where are you in your self. Your identity; where are you with regard to your heart? Your emotions? With regard to your intellectual development. Your faith and your actions in life? We spent time reflecting on our inward journey. For me, this was a call to find myself; to recognize my gifts and the shadow areas of my life, and this for me is to know who I am. But, why is it important to ask this question not only once but constantly throughout our Lives. At different moments of our existence, we go through transitions, in which we find new beginnings that can help us redefine ourselves …

Letter from St. John in Montana, 04/2019

Dear Sisters and Brothers The month of April was filled with preparations for our Easter Celebrations. On Palm Sunday we walked with the Catholic Hebrew speaking community in the long procession from Bethpage to Jerusalem, in remembrance of Jesus to Jerusalem as the King riding on a donkey. From “Maundy” Thursday to Friday afternoon we stayed in Ecce Home where the sisters welcomed us and we were able to participate in the wonderfully well- prepared liturgies around our most solemn feast. Sr. Anne Catherine introduced us to the world of the Haggadah, the prayer book of Pesach with its meanings and traditions of lived Judaism in the world of today. From there we learned more about Easter, also called Pascha (Greek, Latin) or Resurrection Sunday and its meaning in our daily lives as Christians today with its many traditions and celebrations. Helen and Erika shared with us, what they had learned during this last month. They had prepared a Project on Community life, Ministry and Mission, our life of Prayer both personal and communal. During …