ST JOSEPH'S ABBEY, SPENCER MA

Mary gives her whole body unreservedly to God’s desire to come near to us, God’s most mysterious desire to be small and insignificant. The truth of who God is for us requires a body, a heart under which he can rest, a supple heart that will throw things together and let them be. Her response to the angel’s invitation was, “Be it to me, let it be done in me. May God grow there under my heart; I will be God’s own serving girl.”  Mary is generously open to the seemingly mismatched ways of God, with an attentive curiosity. “How will this be? Why me, a poor, unmarried girl from a backwater? Why?” The Mother of God shows us how to read the "why" and translate it into a "why not." Why not me? Why not now? Why not God with me, with us, here and now, here with us in these most upside-down circumstances? Let us stay close to the Virgin who said, "Yes."  For there we will be near to her who accepted the fullness of light, she who received grace without fear. Let us...

In the early years of our community, the brethren used these wooden utensils in the refectory. Each monk had a set which they washed at their place in their water cup at the end of their meal. They are tiny embodiments, sacraments if you will, of the desire to live frugally and simply. As our Constitutions tells us, " Our lifestyle is to be plain and frugal. Everything should avoid excess so that its very simplicity can be instructive for all. This is to be clearly apparent in buildings and their furnishings, in food and clothing, and even in the celebration of the liturgy."  A recent photograph taken at the Abbey archives by Brother Brian.

Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like?  To what can I compare it?  It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden.  When it was fully grown, it became a large bush  and  the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches . Luke 13 Jesus loves what is simple and seemingly insignificant. And he sees the great potential in what is small; he knows that little things done with love are transformative . And then the kingdom becomes reality, a place where the Father’s love and truth will be enacted. In his kingdom we join with one another, depending only on the Father’s kind regard, on our common need for forgiveness, our common need for him, and for one another, now more than ever. It is a time to be confident that the little we do matters - random acts of love and lovingkindness.

To the Jewish people, the law was fundamental. There are more than 600 commandments in the Old Testament, so people such as the Pharisees and Sadducees spent a great deal of time interpreting the laws. Trying to understand which of the laws bore greater importance and which lesser, this was done to educate and instruct people in the right way to live, with their neighbors and with God. The Pharisees and the Sadducees were on top of this process for quite a while, and then some rabble-rouser named Jesus came along and got things all stirred up.   The Pharisees and the Sadducees were losing ground in their battles, trying to outwit Jesus Christ. So, the Pharisees and the Sadducees did what any two rival gangs would do; they joined forces to defeat their common foe. One day, a Pharisadducee gang member stood up and asked Jesus which commandment is the greatest (remember there were more than 600). The Pharisadducees thought they could trick Jesus. Instead, Jesus quoted from th...

As today the Church celebrates Saint John Paul II, we remember his words: “Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid to welcome Christ and accept his power. Help the Pope and all those who wish to serve Christ and with Christ’s power to serve the human person and the whole of mankind. Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ. To his saving power open the boundaries of States, economic and political systems, the vast fields of culture, civilization, and development. Do not be afraid. Christ knows 'what is in man'. He alone knows it." There may seem to be too many solid reasons to be afraid, especially now, but Jesus reminds us, and Saint John Paul II echoes the Lord's exhortation: "Do not fear, I am with you always."

The first two readings this morning from Isaiah and from First Thessalonians spoke to me, and I hope to all of you, of the love that God has for us.  The Gospel, to my mind, speaks not about taxes, but about our reciprocal love for the God of love.  The very remarkable passage we heard from Isaiah tells of Cyrus II the King of the Medes and Persians who is chosen by God to rescue God's chosen people, the Israelites, from their oppression and captivity in Babylon in the 6 th  century before Christ. The passage, although describing an event of grand geopolitical consequence, namely, the conquest of the Babylonian Empire by Cyrus II, yes, this passage describing Cyrus is filled with the vocabulary later used to describe Jesus Christ and all who acknowledge him as Lord.  Cyrus is called in Hebrew “Mashiah (Messiah),” in the Greek bible “Christos  (Christ),” and in our English bibles “My Anointed One,” whom God “calls by name” to his service of th...

O Heart of love, I put all my confidence in you, for I fear everything from my own wickedness and frailty, but I hope for all things from your goodness and bounty. Let your pure love imprint itself so deeply on my heart, that I shall never be able to forget or be separated from you.  Lines by Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, 1647-1690