We can’t even begin to touch the depth of the Heart of Christ, so great a love is His.
But yet the Scriptures open His Heart to us:

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Matt. 11:28-30).

“As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love.” (John 15:9)

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17)

“But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

“We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)

“Merciful and gracious is the LORD, slow to anger, abounding in mercy.” (Psalm 103:8)

“But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as [also] your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:35-36)

“I drew them with human cords, with bands of love; I fostered them like those who raise an infant to their cheeks; I bent down to feed them.” (Hosea 11:4)

“At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matt. 9:36)

 “Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, leading the ewes with care.” (Isaiah 40:11)

 “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13) (Note: When you enter the monastery, you lay down your life. You are actually willing to die, because you are no longer living for yourself. You can no longer strive for your own ambitions. You live for God. It’s not about you; it’s about Him.)

Since the beginning, His love hasn’t stopped. Of all the hearts that have ever moved among men, it is Jesus Christ’s that is most sensitive. So quick to respond to those in need. So perceptive to feel the crushing rejection of those he came to save, and did save, despite the hatred that surrounded Him during His passion. Dying on the cross, His Heart was pierced so that the last drop might be poured out for the life of the Church.

The Rule of St. Benedict provides instructions for how to become holy and how to love. He tells us to “prefer nothing to the love of Christ” (Ch. 72), and “prefer nothing to the Work of God” (Ch. 43). In the Prologue, St. Benedict writes, “Therefore we intend to establish a school for the Lord’s service. In drawing up its regulations, we hope to set down nothing harsh, nothing burdensome. The good of all concerned, however, may prompt us to a little strictness in order to amend faults and to safeguard love” (v. 45-47). How do you safeguard love? How do you safeguard your love for Christ? How do you safeguard your vocation? How do you safeguard His life in you? Safeguarding involves caring for something very precious. It means doing everything you can to keep it safe. What do you put into your heart?

It seems to me that the Sacred Heart the tabernacle of our hearts. Can we say that our hearts are tabernacles for His Heart, too? It has been scientifically verified from some of the Eucharistic miracles that the Host is actually heart tissue. It is His Heart that is hidden in the Host. So we truly consume the Heart of Jesus at every communion, but it never takes away from His Heart. Only God can do that.

Everyone wants to be loved. Everyone wants to have someone look at them and say, “It’s you!” Well don’t think Jesus doesn’t do that. And you know, He’s actually jealous when you love something else more than Him (including ourselves!). Mature women have boundaries to safeguard their marriages and families. So should we. Let us learn to love His Heart more than our own. Let us quickly learn to return love for love. He is still looking for those who will comfort Him. May we be among them.

St. Benedict concludes his Prologue with, “Do not be daunted immediately by fear and run away from the road that leads to salvation. It is bound to be narrow at the outset. But as we progress in this way of life and in faith, we shall run on the path of God’s commandments, our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love. Never swerving from his instructions, then, but faithfully observing his teaching in the monastery until death, we shall through patience share in the sufferings of Christ that we may deserve also to share in his kingdom. Amen.” (v. 48-50).

His Kingdom is His Heart.

Photos of our 2026 Corpus Christi procession, courtesy of a retreatant

Behold, I am with you always…

Retreat weekend at the Abbey of St. Walburga
for women discerning their religious vocation

Ages 18-35

July 17-19, 2026

contact: walburgavocations@gmail.com

Photos by Grant Whitty / Denver Catholic

18^th century painting of St. Walburga by an unknown artist, currently found at the Abtei of St. Walburg in Eichstätt

St. Walburga was born in what is today known as the county of Wessex in southern England in 710, into a noble family of saints. Her father was St. Richard, and her mother was Wuna, the sister or cousin of St. Boniface. Her two brothers, St. Willibald and St. Wunibald, also became saints.

As a child around the age of 10, St. Walburga was entrusted to the care of the Benedictine nuns of Wimbourne Abbey in present-day Dorset, England. For about 28 years, St. Walburga lived the typical monastic life of singing the praises of God in the Divine Office and presumably performing ordinary tasks around her monastery. Between 740 and 750, when St. Boniface asked the superior of Wimbourne to send nuns to help him in his missionary efforts in Germany, St. Walburga and around thirty other nuns were appointed to make the journey across the English Channel.

It was at this time that we hear of St. Walburga’s first recorded miracle. While they were on the boat that carried them across the Atlantic Ocean, a terrible storm came, but through her intercession the storm ceased, and they were able to safely continue their voyage. It is reminiscent of Jesus calming the storm at sea, whereupon His disciples were all amazed and said, “What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?” (cf. Matt. 8:24-27). Moses, too, wielded authority over the waters when God gave him the power to part the Red Sea for the Israelites to cross over to safety from their Egyptian pursuers. From her miracles, one gets the sense that St. Walburga stands among the great men and women of the Old Testament, the powerful prophets of God. But the person she followed the most, of course, was Christ. It was in following His example—and by His authority—That she was able to accomplish such great wonders.

The Miracle of St. Walburga by Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1610, currently housed in a private collection

Upon the nuns’ arrival in Germany, they taught the young, cared for the sick, and helped the poor with alms. After two or three years, once the monastery at Heidenheim had been built by Wunibald, she traveled to join him and set up a monastery for nuns nearby. They prayed the Divine Office together, but were otherwise separate from the monks, forming a double monastery. When Wunibald died, Willibald named Walburga his successor, and she became Abbess over both monks and nuns of Heidenheim.

Another miracle of Christ that St. Walburga imaged was the healing of Jairus’ daughter. Jesus went to Jairus’ house and told the mourners that the girl was only sleeping, and brought her back to life by taking her hand, and saying, as one of the translations tells us, “Little Lamb, arise” (Talitha Koum). Then—and how Benedictine—He tells the onlookers to get her something to eat (cf. Mark 5:38-43). Similarly, it was recorded that St. Walburga went out at one night to the house of a nobleman, whose daughter was near death. The nobleman offered St. Walburga all the niceties, everything wonderful, as he bade her sit down with him, and by the time she was able to go upstairs to pray for the girl, the family had declared her dead. Regardless of this news, St. Walburga spent the night with the little girl in prayer, and when the sun arose, she presented a perfectly healthy girl to the noble parents, and then quickly returned to her monastery. The father tried to load her up with gifts to take back to her monastery, but she politely refused them and carried on without a fuss. There was no fanfare. She was simply a servant, a servant at work, who had completed her God-given task. That’s how you know the true humility of a saint: She’s not in it for the fanfare.

St. Walburga visits the sick girl / Tapestry artwork from the Abtei St. Walburg in Eichstätt, Germany

St. Walburga is known to be a saint of extraordinary light. On one occasion, she went into the monastery church at night, and she asked a monk (she was the Abbess of the double monastery of men and women at the time) for a torch to find her way, but the monk flatly refused. So instead, God lit the whole house up in abundance, in flowing light, which her nuns saw, and which seemed to “penetrate to the very heart of the earth.” St. Walburga, like another famous female Benedictine saint, St. Scholastica, asked a monk for a kindness, and was rejected — St. Scholastica had asked her brother, St. Benedict, to stay with her and pray shortly before she died, but he refused; then she turned to God and prayed, and a huge storm suddenly rolled in, which served to prevent St. Benedict from returning to his monastery, and he was forced to meet his sister’s request. When St. Walburga asked a monk for a light to see, and was refused, she too turned to God in prayer, and her request was answered with the miracle of light.

St. Walburga and the miracle of light / Tapestry artwork from the Abtei St. Walburg in Eichstätt, Germany

And then we also recognize the spirit of God acting freely and powerfully in St. Walburga through the miraculous holy oil that still flows from her bones. We hear in John 4:14, “Indeed the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life,” and in Isaiah 8:11, “You shall be like a watered garden. Like a spring of water whose waters do not fade.” It seems that St. Walburga’s great compassion for others did not end at her death, but continues to be a pure gift of God which flows throughout the ages for the good of His Church. Many people write us asking for St. Walburga’s oil, and then take the time to share their stories of healing with us. One could say that this quote from St. Thérèse of Lisieux may also be applied to our patroness: “I wish to spend my heaven in doing good upon the earth.” St. Walburga certainly does.

The bottling of St. Walburga’s Holy Oil at the Abtei St. Walburg in Eichstätt, Germany

When St. Walburga died around the year 779, she was buried at the monastery at Heidenheim, but the years went on, her name appeared to be forgotten, and her grave was no longer held in honor. The story of the discovery of her relics is quite amusing: In 842, when Bishop Otkar was undertaking renovation of the church at Heidenheim, St. Walburga appeared to him in a dream and complained, “Every day I am stomped on by [the workmen’s] dirty shoes, and am maltreated by their rough footsteps. Therefore, you should know that I will give you a clear sign that you have not acted justly against me” (Wolfhard, The Book of Miracles: Walburga as Abbess). Soon after this dream, the newly constructed northern wall of the church collapsed. The bishop saw this as the sign St. Walburga had warned him about, and arranged for her remains to be moved to the Cathedral in Eichstätt, to give her a worthier resting place next to her brother Willibald. “The men who were digging according to the request of the bishop found the venerable bones of…Walburga covered with some drops of spring water… Although the soil was moist, no residue of dirt could be observed at the hands of those who touched it” (Wolfhard). When the horses pulling the carriage with her relics stopped at the western gate of the city and refused to go any further, this was taken to be a sign that she wished to be buried in the nearby chapel that would later be called St. Walburga’s Church. Her body was reinterred in the chapel there, an act which marked the beginning of her public veneration, since at that time the transfer of relics was equivalent to an official act of canonization. A small community of canonesses became custodians of her shrine until her relics were moved to the Abtei of St. Walburg after its founding in 1035.

In 893, an Abbess from a neighboring monastery in Monheim requested some of St. Walburga’s relics. While on the way to Monheim, “two very sick boys who had independently of each other requested to touch the small case with the saint’s relics, were instantly healed from their infirmities in a miraculous way…The news spread far and wide. Everyone in Monheim rejoiced that the saint has brought such blessings to their town, while the population of Eichstätt, worrying that the saint might have abandoned them, had to be assured by the bishop that only a small part of her relics had been given away” (Wolfhard).

Art caption: St. Walburga’s bones are brought to Monheim / Tapestry artwork from Abtei St. Walburg in Eichstätt, Germany

 “Pilgrims flocked from near and far…to St. Walburga’s shrine in Monheim. It was above all people from the lowest ranks of society, especially the poor, who were at the mercy of pestilence, infections, famine, and acts of violence. The pilgrims undertook long journeys. On arrival they repeatedly visited the shrine containing the relics of St. Walburga, took part in the Liturgy and Divine Office of the nuns, brought gifts with them, told the nuns of their illnesses and distress, and not infrequently witnessed extraordinary healings. The nuns kept a written record of these healings. Furthermore, a great number of votive offerings, such as crutches, candles, swords, effigies of body parts that were healed, and pictures which display the distress and Walburga’s help, give evidence of these miraculous events” (Wolfhard).

The Abtei of St. Walburg in Eichstätt, where the majority of St. Walburga’s bones remain, continues to be a place of frequent pilgrimages for people seeking physical, spiritual, and psychological healing. Those who can’t embark on pilgrimage request her oil from the Abtei in Germany or our Abbey in the United States (generously shipped to us from the nuns in Germany), and receive an abundance of healing and consolations.

Statues of St. Walburga and her family, and surrounding artwork and mementoes depicting miracles attributed to her intercession / Beneath this is the crypt where St. Walburga’s relics are kept at the Abtei St. Walburg in Eichstätt, Germany

In the words of Mother Maria-Michael Newe, OSB: “What would St. Walburga say to us today? Listen, O daughter, forget your people and your father’s house, and follow the Lamb. Seek God in everything. Persevere with great love. Let God’s compassion flow through you, even to the marrow of your very bones. Let us truly celebrate St. Walburga, this great saint. She will lead us to holiness, if we let her. She knows what it means to leave home and country. She knows what it means to have her loved ones die. She knows what it means to let God’s will reign in her life. She knows what it means to love and live in community. She knows its cost. She knows how to fight evil by love and compassion, by simply doing God’s will. Let us pray for this. Let us pray for that humble love she carried with her. She was a humble woman, and one of great light. Our lives are called to be the same, in different ways — Fresh water that comes out, either through our smile, our kindness, our generosity, our prayers, our life hidden with Christ in God.”

Hymn “Ave flos Virginum” composed by Heribert, Bishop of Eichstatt, 1022-1042

Greetings to you, O Virgin of the Lord, St. Walburga,
Renowned sister of Willibald and Wynnebald,
You who consecrated yourself willingly to Christ.

Amidst the throng of holy people,
England, your mother, lovingly nourished you
And sent you to us, angel-like Virgin.

And the Mother of the Lord, Mother and Virgin,
Ranks you among the choir of rejoicing virgins,
Consecrates you as the blessed bride of her Son.

Behold, the choir of angels bids you welcome
With the call of the Lord, ‘Beloved virgin,
Come to Me into the kingdom of everlasting joy!’

To the Triune God creation pays homage;
Virgins, prudent, and proved true, sing Him hymns.
Intercede for us, O Virgin Walburga. Amen.

Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping.
And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb
and saw two angels in white sitting there,
one at the head and one at the feet
where the Body of Jesus had been.
And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “They have taken my Lord,
and I don’t know where they laid him.”
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,
but did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you looking for?”
She thought it was the gardener and said to him,
“Sir, if you carried him away,
tell me where you laid him,
and I will take him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,”
which means Teacher.
Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me,
for I have not yet ascended to the Father.
But go to my brothers and tell them,
‘I am going to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.’”
Mary went and announced to the disciples,
“I have seen the Lord,”
and then reported what he had told her.

—John 20:11-18

In the Gospel reading at Mass today, Jesus asks Mary Magdalene, “Why are you weeping?” I think Jesus very sweetly sometimes asks us the same thing to make us think: Ok, why are you really crying? Then of course, she hears His voice, and that’s enough, and she starts grasping to hang on to Him.

And He tells her, “Stop holding on to me.” But I don’t think it’s a, “STOP HOLDING ON TO ME.” I think it’s a really gentle, “Stop, you are not going to lose me.” And then, “Go tell my brothers, tell them, I am going to my Father and your Father. To my God and your God.”

What an incredible message. He reaffirms the “Our Father.” It’s Our Father. What a lovely thing, Mary doesn’t question Him, she just takes off. She’s gone. “And Mary went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord.’” She’s the apostle to the Apostles.

I think of the sweetness of doing His will. Mary wanted to hang on to Him, but He helped her to see His will instead of her own. It’s as if He said to her, “We need to do this now. You will never lose me.” What a wonderful way to live. That’s living in the New Testament. That’s truly living with that love that says to Christ, “I trust You. I will never lose You. Teach me to do Your will.”

I hope we all love that much that we want to obey Him rather than our own desires. What will we do for Him? Will we strive for an obedience that isn’t looking at ourselves, that says, “I want to join You in pleasing the Father”? What a precious gift to God this is. What a difference to look at obedience in Easter. It’s a triumphant obedience. One that says, “I live.” I wish that for each one of you — that triumphant obedience. 

Starting in the fall of last year, the Abbey’s paschal candle department focused on painting over twenty candles of various sizes. The 2026 candle’s design was inspired by the figure of Christ in Pietro Tenerani‘s monument to Pope Pius VIII in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome. Christ, seated on His throne, is shown with a peaceful countenance and outspread arms, welcoming all who approach Him. We hope this speaks to those who have entered the Church this Easter, and to all the faithful as they encounter Christ in His Church.

Paschal candles are used during the Easter Vigil Mass to carry the flame from the Easter fire into the church, and from which every other candle in the church is lit, as a symbol of Christ the true Light enlightening the world and dispelling the darkness of evil.  

Cecilia, the host of “Flourish,” visited the Abbey of St. Walburga to shadow and interview the Sisters who work on our farm, highlighting our monastic approach to balancing prayer and work:

Featured in the Augustine Institute’s “How to Lent” Video Series

The video crew from the Augustine Institute visited the Abbey of St. Walburga for the day and had an interview with Mother Maria-Michael about the importance of prayer for Episode 2 of their “How to Lent” series:

From Denver Catholic Online

• PHOTOS | Surrendering with Gratitude: Sister Maria-Benedicta, OSB, professes final vows at Abbey of St. Walburga
• Get to Know the Newest Nuns of Walburga, on the Feast of St. Walburga!
• Where Heaven Meets the Hills: Walburga’s Mother Maria-Michael on the Beauty of Consecrated Life
• Wisdom from Walburga: ‘A return to Eden’
• Wisdom from Walburga: ‘Goodness will reap goodness’
• Wisdom from Walburga: ‘Memento Mori’
• Wisdom from Walburga: Liturgy of the Hours and intercessory prayer
• Wisdom from Walburga: ‘Prefer nothing to the love of Christ’
• Wisdom from Walburga: ‘Persevering fidelity’
• Wisdom from Walburga: Charity, the key to the Christian life
• Wisdom from Walburga: ‘Let God lead you’
• Wisdom from Walburga: ‘A return to Eden’
• EXCLUSIVE | PHOTOS: Inside the Abbey of St. Walburga’s hidden vocation of prayer for the Church
• PHOTOS: ‘Yes, for always’: New Abbey of St. Walburga nun vows life to Christ the Bridegroom
• Abbey of St. Walburga nun solemnly vows her life to Christ the Bridegroom
• New Abbey of St. Walburga nun finds ‘surging joy’ in making solemn profession
• Espoused to Christ: Two Abbey of St. Walburga nuns make their solemn profession of monastic vows

In Other News

The Abbey of St. Walburga was one of the monasteries chosen to be included in Bishop Robert Barron’s film series “Catholicism: The Pivotal Players” in the episode on St. Benedict:

St. Joseph is one who truly loves and is a father to all. Tomorrow, on the Solemnity of St. Joseph, we will see Mary-Grace clothed in our Benedictine habit, which carries the witness of one who is seeking to serve God as a soul after His own heart. Hear the words we will pray before she receives the various parts of her monastic attire: [Regarding the habit] Bless this religious habit by which your handmaid who will wear it, desires to express her readiness to serve you with undivided devotion. [Regarding the belt]: Grant to your handmaid who will wear it, the grace to always keep in mind the chains of your son who was obedient unto death, in order to set us free. Remember, St. Joseph was ever obedient to the messengers God sent. Always. Quick and fast. [Regarding the scapular]: Bless this scapular which your handmaid will wear as a sign of her conversion, not living according to her own desires and pressures, but walking according to the judgment and will of another. For did not St. Joseph have to do a complete U-turn when he intended to divorce Mary because she was found with child? He was so gentle and compliant to God’s will. His obedience was without delay, for he held nothing dearer than God. There was no hesitation, or lukewarmness, grumbling, or complaining. In fact, he didn’t say a word. He simply did all that God had asked. [Regarding the veil]: …as a sign of the religious state, so that she may be blessed, spotless, and holy, and recognized as consecrated to God. We belong to Him. We are His. Would you want to be anything else? It is the greatest gift and St. Joseph recognized what it meant to belong to God. He was ever chaste, he was pure, and don’t think he didn’t fight for it. Therefore, he is the guardian of virgins. Let us too be as faithful, humble, holy, and pure of heart as St. Joseph, and may you, Mary-Grace, have forever his loving protection. Remember what he did on earth is what he’s doing in heaven. He protected the Holy Family. He protects what is holy. Let us all be a part of that.

To read the responses of our “Sisters in Formation” to a series of interview questions for a recent Denver Catholic Article, click here

This Lent, as we draw closer to the Lord, I pray we’ll know His heart more and more. That we’ll know what He so loves. We read about the desire of Jesus’ heart in John 17:20-26: “I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one as You Father are in me and I in You. That they also may be in us, that the world may believe that You sent me. And I have given them the glory You gave me so that they may be one as we are Father. I in them and You in me. That they may be brought to perfection as one. That the world may know that You sent me and that You love them even as You love me.”

That was the final prayer of Christ before His passion. That they may be one, and that they may know the love of God in Christ Jesus. And so too in our house, what is the greatest gift we give to God? Our unity. Our unity in love. Our unity in life. And our love for one another. Charity has the highest place. Without charity, you can give all the burnt offerings you want, but it will equal nothing.

It is not for us to scourge one another. It’s for us to love one another. Not to wound. Who does not have wounds here? Who has not had to ask for healing? Who has not had to live through them and learn how to really love, not only others, but ourselves? I don’t think there is one who hasn’t.

From Chapter 31 of the Holy Rule of St. Benedict we read the description of the cellerar (the monk who is assigned to distribute the goods of the monastery), “Above all things, let him have humility. And if goods are not available to satisfy the demands of a brother, let him give at least a kind answer. For it is written, a good word is above the best gift.” Why is it that words stick in our heads? Those things that people have said that just hurt. That have truly wounded. When they say the tongue is a sword, it’s true. But so, too, a healing word is sweet.

Sometimes words are like the scourging. Well, be at the scourging, and join Christ. Be willing to suffer. That’s what makes us live at a different level — A willingness to suffer. A willingness to do things for Christ, that we may be one. Sometimes the hardest suffering is not to run and tell somebody what happened. Not to run and say, “Could you please have compassion on me? This was so bad.” That’s a real suffering. But those moments are those little golden nuggets we should just keep in our pockets, and we can give them to Christ.

In the Prologue of the Rule it says: “If you desire true and everlasting life, keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from words of deceit. Forsake evil and do good. Seek after peace and pursue it, and when you shall have done these things, my eyes shall be upon you and my ears shall be open to your prayers, and before you shall call upon me I will say, “Lo, here I am” (Holy Rule of St. Benedict, Prologue vs. 17-18).

May you all have a very blessed Lent, and may you come to know the heart of Christ more intimately, as He draws us all into Himself.

In this season of joyful anticipation, our community celebrated the First Monastic Profession of Sister Clare, who received the name Sister Cecilia on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (December 8, 2025). She professed stability, fidelity, and obedience to the monastic way of life for the next three years, to be renewed annually until Solemn Monastic Profession.

This Advent, we pray that God would enkindle in Sister Cecilia’s heart an ever-growing love for the sweet yoke of Christ according to the Rule of St. Benedict. In that same spirit, Mother Maria-Michael, OSB, delivered an address on November 29, inviting us to keep the Advent flame alive in our hearts with vigilance in prayer and service. Below is an abridged version of her reflection.

Staying vigilant

Advent is really the life of the monk. It is what we are all about: being vigilant and being ready.

In the Divine Office, we read, “Sober, just, and godly we live in this world as we live in blessed hope for the glorious coming of our mighty Savior, Jesus Christ. Let us be concerned with inspiring each other to love and do good works” (Titus 2:12-13). That is a holy community! That is one that is truly seeking God and not self.

Likewise, in today’s Gospel, Jesus offers us a timely exhortation:

Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy
from carousing and drunkenness
and the anxieties of daily life,
and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.
For that day will assault everyone
who lives on the face of the earth.
Be vigilant at all times
and pray that you have the strength
to escape the tribulations that are imminent
and to stand before the Son of Man.

Luke 21:34-36; emphasis added

He does not say that we “become drowsy because we have been working hard.” It is not a surprise that we are tired. It is not a surprise that sometimes we feel a little worn out. We should! We are putting everything into the life we are living. That is the gift we give to God. Sometimes getting up for Matins is hard, but that is the choice of one who is vigilant — one who is waiting for God.

That is the Gospel we should keep before ourselves this Advent. We have to live with vigilance.

The fire of unity

I have been thinking so much about the fire of the early Church — the love with which they lived their lives. They were aflame. They were standing strong, and they were truly one. They loved the Church.

And I pray that we, too, reclaim again that love. We should be like a community keeping the Easter fire going — the Easter fire from the beginning, the first Easter fire that shot fire into the world.

We should keep Advent as precious as the Easter fire. And let us be that fire for the Church. We need to be the sparks that make everything go afire. It only takes a spark to start a forest fire — that is all it takes. But what if we are a torch?

We have to live with great love for the Church.

How relevant this is for our day! We are not called to tear the Church apart. We are called to trust in God, and we are called to unity in obedience to the Church. And I would ask that we pray specifically for the Church this Advent. It does not need to be torn apart — and, quite frankly, a lot of schisms are tearing parishes apart and pulling people away.

That is not the Church.

I think it is going to take a lot of prayer to bring it back. But isn’t that our life? It is one of prayer. It is one of obedience. It is one of sacrifice.

St. Benedict was very clear on this when we hear about the kinds of monks:

Third, there are the sarabaites, the most detestable kind of monks, who with no experience to guide them, no rule to try them ‘as gold is tried in a furnace’ (Prov. 27:21), have a character as soft as lead. Still loyal to the world by their actions, they clearly lie to God by their tonsure. Two or three together, or even alone, without a shepherd, they pen themselves up in their own sheepfolds, not the Lord’s. Their law is what they like to do, whatever strikes their fancy. Anything they believe in and choose, they call holy; anything they dislike, they consider forbidden.

RB 1.6-9

I think we should go back to this chapter and read it again, because it has such great wisdom in it. It shows us what unity means. It shows us how you have to be ever vigilant to be good monks.

Do not be afraid to know what you do wrong. Be afraid that you don’t. And be willing to change it. We must say to ourselves, “No, I am not going that way anymore. Is it not God’s call to bring me to holiness? I must continue on the straighter road. I must continue to strive for holiness.”

If we all strive for holiness this way, we become one in unity — one in community. We strive to live well by inspiring each other to the good things.

Eagerness in prayer

I love going to Matins early every morning and seeing everyone coming. It makes me think, “I’ve got to get in there — I want to be a part of that!” I love when the bell rings and everyone is in a hurry to get to chapel. I think that is such a grace.

I also think it is such a grace when we serve each other at table. That is one of the most beautiful things of the monastic life. The world needs to return to serving one another. We need to keep that strong.

And we need to remember, during this Advent, that we are going to serve each other as best we can and keep our minds on prayer.

Let us dive in with joy. Let us pick up this season and run with hearts open wide. Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. When we pray “Your Majesty,” we must remember that He is the most majestic. I pray that everyone will have a holy and spiritually uplifting Advent that leads to prayer in which we are full of gratitude for Him who came so humble that He chose to be a child.

There’s nothing more humble.

/

This is the week (Dec. 17-23 each year) that we get to pray the great O Antiphons at Mass and Vespers, and we should be excited!  With them, we cry out for God to come and save us. The O Antiphons have a history in the monastic life that is profound, and it’s even possible that St. Benedict himself would have prayed them.  They have been sung in the liturgy of the Church for centuries, likely originating as early as the fourth century in Italy. Boethius mentions them in “The Consolation of Philosophy.”  When we pray them, we’re doing something ever ancient and ever new.  For every age they will mean something different.  And we must look deeply for this meaning, because it is bestowed each time we sing them.  With each O Antiphon, we cry out to heaven once again: “Maranatha! Come!”

Calligraphy by the nuns of the Abbey of St. Walburga of the O Antiphons (in Latin)

O Sapientia (Dec. 17), O Adonai (Dec. 18), O Radix Jesse (Dec. 19), O Clavis David (Dec. 20), O Oriens (Dec. 21), O Rex Gentium (Dec. 22), O Emmanuel (Dec. 23). God Himself came in all of those titles.  They’re powerful.  We should stand in awe before each one.  Each one should stop us in our tracks.

On December 17 we have the antiphon for O Sapientia: “O Widsom of our God most high, guiding creation with power and love, come to teach us the path of knowledge.”  True knowledge.  True wisdom.  Having wisdom enables us to do everything through the eyes of heaven.  And who is heaven but Christ?  There’s a popular adage right now, “Do what Jesus would do.”  That is exactly what we should be aiming for.  That is exactly right.  We should weigh our decisions on eternity.

In chapter four of the Holy Rule, St. Benedict says, “Your way of acting should be different from the world’s way; the love of Christ must come before all else.”  When we live that way we proclaim where we’re headed.  Our way MUST be different from that of the world.  We must value the things of heaven.  God says “Take care, first, of the things of heaven.  I’ll take care of the things of earth.  I’m the creator of ALL.”  If we live that way, we will die that way: with our eyes on eternity, on Jesus.  He is the one and the only one who will care for us.  He is the only one who will love us and love our souls to the fullest measure.  Nothing can reach the depth of the love that Christ’s love can reach.  Nothing.  Therefore we yearn for Him.  That’s why we’re attentive to the soul. We want it to be filled.  We go each day to pray the prayers of the Church, that we may be filled and walk according to the law of God, not of the world.  And today it’s going to take more to walk the ways of God.  They are not as appreciated or valued as they once were. But if one touches God, one can’t help but to strive to love God.

So strive for the Wisdom of God.  Ask God for the Wisdom of Heaven.  It will be different from the way of the world and it should be.  Have you not chosen a way different?  Hang on to it. Embrace it and do not let it go.

We will see the face of Him whom we long for.  What we read, we will see in the flesh.  As we sing the O Antiphons, embrace them.  Get excited about them within.  Pray them with delight.  Pay attention to what you are singing, because it has the touch of eternity.

O Sapientia – O Wisdom, which camest out of the mouth of the most High, and reachest from one end to another, mightily, and sweetly ordering all things: come and teach us the way of prudence.

O Adonai – O Adonai, and Leader of the house of Israel, who appearedst in the Bush to Moses in a flame of fire, and gavest him the law of Sinai: come and deliver us with an outstretched arm.

O Radix Jesse – O Root of Jesse, which standest for an ensign of the people, at whom kings shall shut their mouths, to whom the Gentiles shall seek; Come and deliver us, and tarry not.

O Clavis David – O Key of David, and Sceptre of the house of Israel; that openest, and no man shutteth, and shuttest, and no man openeth: Come and bring the prisoner out of the prison-house, and him that sitteth in darkness, and the shadow of death.

O Oriens – O Day-spring, Brightness of light everlasting and Sun of rightesousness: Come and enlighten him that sitteth in darkness, and the shadow of death.

O Rex gentium – O King of the nations, and their Desire, the Cornerstone, who makest both one: come and save mankind, whom thou formedst of clay.

O Emmanuel – O Emmanuel, our King and Law-giver, the Desire of all nations, and their Salvation: Come and save us, O Lord our God.