Mount Saviour Monastery
January 2003
For just as from
the heavens
the rain
and snow come down
And do not
return there
till they
have watered the earth,
making it
fertile and fruitful,
Giving seed
to him who sows
and bread
to him who eats,
Isaiah 55:10
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News:
So far, we witnessed the
longest winter with snow on the ground. Three months of
the white stuff may inspire some to be "clean like snow" but it makes some
wish they were in warmer climate area. Because of a heavy snow fall,
we began our annual retreat with candles because of a 13 hour outage.
Abbot Timothy Kelly, from St. John's Collegeville, president
of the American-Cassinese congregation, commented on the book of Genesis.
Fr. Martin shares his notes below. On January 23rd.,
Matthew Kells (right), who was a Summer Student in 1993, spent
a few days with a crew: Chris Ward (sound specialist), Sreal Boruchin
(cameraman) and Sean Mc Ginn (cameraman), to
prepare a video tape on the life at Mount Saviour. He was here on several
occasions to tape various activities over the past couple years to produce
a documentary. He hopes to have the project completed for the summer
. Br. John Thompson gathered some information
for the benefit of those who are discerning their monastic
vocation
. Some principles, expectations and requirements
are presented to those who want to know the process of becoming a monk
.
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Retreat 2003
In the recent Retreat,
Abbot Timothy emphasized that the Image
and likeness of God in us is our humanity united. Not this brother
alone or that brother alone. We need, as humans, to learn what it
means to be in the image and likeness of God and manifest it to others -
the community, guests, helpers, etc. We are interdependent.
So the image and likeness of God in us within the monastic community is
not independent of others both inside & outside the community.
The limitations we have, God can expand but we can’t. Desire for
what we do not have tells us we are unhappy -suffering results and stands
in the way of our happiness and other people limit us. Yet many ‘limited’
and limiting people are necessary -even to put food on the table - so we need
others and we will have to give something of ourselves & we can’t use
suffering as an escape. Death, of course, is the ultimate limitation.
We need to wrestle with God to be rid of our selfish desires so we can
be for God and not just for the advantages to us since God makes us live
in his presence.
Remember the conference on John 6 how the people see Jesus as good for
them - which was not his plan. Our God is very demanding and our age
wants God at our service! The book, Report to Greco by Kazantzakis
which is about the hermit monk whose life had disintegrated and was hanging
between heaven & earth -what shall I do' Patience not haste. Wait
for the sour grape to turn to honey. Then the world will seem to have changed
but it is you - surrender to God then or you will never learn.
The disciples coming to learn what it means to follow Xt. His relationship
with them & the Father - it will cost them their lives. Salvation has
to ripen in our lives
And we must allow or invite Jesus into our boat. The best example
of personal cost -what sacrifice really is - parents raising children.
Xt asked those he fed in the desert to live like him - to change their lives
and they said: “NO”. We have to understand what the Eucharist is - His life
enters me & I enter His life. What the sacraments accomplish is the one-ness
in the life of the Trinity to make us one -all of us…including our irritation
with each other & our working out of our salvation. The last discourse
in John - Made in the image & likeness of God, we lost the unity -but
a new creation & new union of humanity in God. We are the exact
image of the invisible Xt as he made the invisible God visible. Xt’s prayer
that they may be one as we are one and that you loved them as you loved
me. A growing thing - from the inside of human beings. Faithfulness is our
call & to the trial of living together & our days extended so we
can do this. The principal means: Lectio: pray always since it is
the Teacher who holds us together:. Hospitality: =recognize something
common in all of us: Reverence. Special importance of Chapters 67-
73 of RB.
Guest Brother E-mail:
guest@msaviour.org
Monastery E-mail:
info@msaviour.org