Fr. Matthias Neuman's Homily for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings: Is 50:5-9; James 2:14-18; Mk 8:27-35

It’s been a hard week for me. Even more so for my mother. And far more for her roommate, Marian, and her family. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday it looked like Marian was going to die. All of her ten children came to be at her side. Needless to say, the crowds in the room and hallways distressed my mother. But she took it like a trooper. She said, "I’ve had to adjust to many different things in my life, and I can adjust to this." Still it was easy for her to get discouraged with all the sad faces around and all the crying. I’ve been going over to the Hermitage three times a day just to get her out of the room. On Thursday Marian got a little better. She woke up and was able to respond to questions. Some peoples’ hopes were raised. Then on Friday she began to go downhill quickly again, and finally died about 4:00pm that afternoon. It was a hard week all around.

As I read over the readings for today’s mass, the one passage that jumped out at me was from the prophet Isaiah, "The Lord God is my help." We could also say, "The Lord God is my hope, my only hope." We all know that there are times in life when that’s the only prayer we can say. As Marian’s children sat around waiting, waiting, and waiting, I suspect these words of Isaiah would have spoken to them very directly.

If you step back and think about it for a while, that’s really the very last prayer for each of us: "The Lord God is my help!" We will all come to a time sooner or later when our only prayer will be "The Lord God is my help, and my hope, my only hope."

Let’s take a moment of quiet and pray for and with all those people who will have to pray that prayer this day.

8th Graders Pray the Rosary Part 4

I think in receiving our Rosaries we have an opportunity to pray more often. We get to use holy Rosaries that our own parish priest blessed for us. We used our Rosaries the first time together as an 8th grade class the day Fr. Stan blessed our Rosaries. That memory will never leave our hearts. One thing I really liked is how the ladies came into church while we were praying and felt welcomed enough to join us in our prayers of devotion to Mary. (Ben #3)

Receiving a Rosary that was hand made by Sr. Nicolette meant a lot to me. It was nice and calm when we prayed the Rosary in church. It was a good reflection time. When the girls led the Rosary and the guys answered it sounded really nice to me. Having our Rosaries blessed by Fr. Stan made it even more special. Having a blessed Rosary feels good. This Rosary is special for three reasons: 1. Because it is hand made. 2. Because it is my first blessed Rosary. 3. Because I got to pick the Rosary I wanted. Thank you for making the Rosaries for us. It means a whole lot! Thanks once again. (Christian L.)

Whenever I have my Rosary I remember that Mary is with me. Since my Rosary is blessed it seems more special. When we prayed the Rosary...nothing else really mattered. I knew God was with me. While saying the Hail Marys all my worries were lifted off my shoulders. I prayed for my family and friends. I prayed for the poor and the sick. I felt so much better having prayed for all the people closest to me. I felt even better praying for people who never had anyone to pray for them. The best thing about my Rosary is that it will bring me closer to God! (Kaitlin O.)

First of all...I love the fact that our Rosaries were specially made by Sr. Nicolette. That is one of the nicest things that anyone has ever done for me. It is also very neat that Fr. Stan took the time to bless our hand made Rosaries. After mass, we prayed the Rosary together as a class. After praying the Rosary I felt less stressed and like my troubles have simply gone away. I try my best to pray the Rosary a few times a week. When we pray the Rosary or the Divine Mercy Chaplet as a class, I feel like we are connected in a way. Almost like God automatically knows when someone is praying the Rosary and is in need of His help. The Rosaries are beautiful by the way! Thank you Sr. Nicolette! (Kristen N.)

Vocation Essay

How do priests, deacons, and other religious brothers and sisters help us to hear God’s call in our lives? Priests, deacons, and other religious brothers and sisters help us hear God’s call by teaching us the ministry and faith of God. They teach us about God so we can understand God and trust him more. With the help of our religious family we will be able to hear God’s call more easily. As Christians, it is our job to bring each other closer to God and His kindness. With the help and support of each other we will be able to hear God’s call as if He were right next to us telling us what to do. With the help of everyone, religious leader or not, we will be able to accept what God wants us to do even if is not exactly what we had in mind for our future.

Deacons help us get closer to God because if we get married we could go to them for advice for how to keep the marriage happy and close to God. They could give particular prayers to pray together to bring the married couple closer together. With the love that they will have they will probably be together for a long time and always work hard to keep the love strong.
Priests help us by giving us God through the bread and wine which are changed into the body and blood of Christ. They also give a safe haven to tell our sins and be forgiven. The priests are also considered God’s messengers. They tell us how we can open our hearts to God.

Nuns help us figure out what God wants us to do with our lives, if it’s being a religious leader like a priest or nun or just a loving married person. They also help us with our vocation to love and serve God. Nuns can make people more open to try to find God in their lives. With the help from the Catholic Church, our families and God we will be able to live the best life according to God’s will.

Ashley K.
8th Grade

8th Graders Pray the Rosary Part 3

This blog entry continues with my 8th graders reflection on praying the Rosary. Enjoy!

I feel that praying brings me closer to God. When I pray the Rosary, it's easier to focus on God. Praying the Rosary makes me feel peaceful. This helps me during the day. Having my Rosary blessed makes praying the Rosary even more special. I'm thankful that Father Stan was able to bless my Rosary. Praying the Rosary helps me know God and Mary better. I feel more connected to God and Mary. (Kristen S.)

I think that having my own blessed Rosary will help me a lot. Now I can pray the Rosary more. When Fr. Stan was blessing the Rosaries, he said a prayer and then flicked holy water on them and then said another prayer. When we prayed the Rosary...after they were blessed...I was so happy. I thought it was fun the way the girls led the Rosary and then the boys led the Rosary. It was different. With a blessed Rosary I can teach my little cousin about God, Jesus, Mary and the Holy Spirit. That is why I am happy that I have my own blessed Rosary! (Deven L.)

I liked that we were able to pick our own Rosary. Instead of just being given one that means nothing to us. We got to pick the one that was special to us. I liked praying the Rosary in Church even though sometimes I lost count every now and then. I was glad we got our Rosaries blessed. Now I have a blessed one. I have never had a blessed one before. I like my Rosary. Even though it is pink and I really don't like the color pink it is very beautiful. I love the cross. I like the way they put hearts at the end of all four sides. I also am impressed that they were able to put INRI at the top. Some Rosaries don't have that. I also lvoe the connecting part that has Mary's face on it. I am glad we get to pray the Rosary together. I will miss this when I graduate. (Ashley K.)

I usually just pray, but not a Rosary. So now that I have nice new Rosary, I will pray the Rosary. Getting the Rosary blessed makes it very special to me. I plan to keep it for the rest of my life. What is really cool is the crucifix and the beads which are Job's Tears. Sr. Nicolette said, "If the your Rosary ever breaks, I will fix it for you." This Rosary is very special. (Ben #1)

Heather Foltz becomes a Postulant!

Today God blessed Our Lady of Grace Monastery with a new Postulant. We are so happy to welcome Heather Foltz into our Benedictine Community. The following is a reflection our Prioress, Sr. Juliann, gave during evening prayer.

Reflection
Postulant Entrance
Heather Jean Foltz
September 7, 2009

Heather, today is a very important day in your monastic journey. Sisters, today is a very important day in our monastic journey as a community. Family and friends of Heather, today is a very important day in your lives as well. For today we all are more aware of how God is calling us to live a fuller expression of our Baptismal commitment. In the reading we just heard, Jesus asks his disciples to listen to him and to follow him. In the Prologue of our Rule, Benedict asks us to listen with the ear of our heart and to follow the path that leads to God. This scripture passage and this part of the Rule of Benedict both call us to respond to the gift we have been given by our Baptism. In Esther de Waal’s book, Seeking Life, she says, The Prologue is a call, and that means vocation, and what Benedict is laying out are steps into that calling. A vocation is a calling which will make more and more of me. To follow Benedict, as to enter into baptism, will bring a sense of identity; I begin to discover who I am and to see the road along which I am to journey. My true self is under construction and it is the baptismal covenant that will help that forward, in a process of believing, and then continuing, preserving, seeking , serving ,striving… Heather, you have been following your Baptismal call throughout your life. Your parents, family and friends have nurtured that call and as a result you have this sense of identity that Esther speaks about. You have discovered along the road of your life, who you are and where you are to journey. These past few years, you have continued to listen to God more deeply and to follow God. You have prayed, studied and served God throughout your childhood, your college years and your work at Horizon House and St. Paul Hermitage. Today, you take another step in deepening your Baptismal commitment. You are entering this Benedictine community of Our Lady of Grace Monastery in order to continue this journey. You are entering the school of the Lord’s service. This step, as Benedict tells us, is not without challenges for he says: In drawing up it’s regulations, we hope to set up 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. Heather, although monastic life is not an easy life, you will find joy and peace along with challenges and difficulties. You will use the gifts you have developed and will find new gifts within yourself with which to serve God and others.
For Benedict the main question for a newcomer to the monastery is whether she truly seeks God. This question is certainly for you, Heather, as you now begin to live the daily monastic schedule, study the Rule of Benedict, the Scriptures, other spiritual writers, serve others and grow in loving and being loved by your sisters in this community. Do you truly seek God? Is it your desire to live a life centered in Christ, giving up whatever might keep you from this total commitment of your life. As Esther de Waal writes, this question is also for all of us. She says: Is my heart pointing in an unwavering line towards the risen Christ? Is that the direction towards which I am heading? Although Benedict will encourage me, in the end it is up to me whether I respond, and whether I take action or not. Heather is witnessing by her action today, that she is willing to put on this way of life and to follow Christ. In a few minutes, she will proclaim her intention to truly seek God in this monastic community. May her witness renew in each of us, her family and community, our intention to abandon all and to follow Christ.

Fr. Matthias Neuman's Homily for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings: Is 35:4-7; James 2:1-5; Mk 7:31-37

The three readings we heard today present quite a diversity of messages. The first, from the prophet Isaiah, is given to the people of Israel when they are gravely threatened by foreign oppressors. The message is, "Just hang on and God will relieve you....somehow, sometime." The gospel passage from Mark tells the story of a deaf and mute man who is cured and is made to hear and speak right now. The mood is of great rejoicing. The middle reading from the letter of James instructs the recipients not to make distinctions in the way they treat people. They should remember that the gospel is for the poor. It’s not easy to meld these three readings into a unified message.

But then we shouldn’t have to. The readings speak to the different life settings of people who come to participate in the Eucharist. Isaiah’s reading speaks to those who are grieving. I recall years ago when I was still studying to be a priest, a speaker on homiletics come to address all the seminarians. He told us we should always remember that when we give a homily on Sunday approximately ten percent of our congregation will be dealing with some great loss in their lives (a loved one, their job, or their health). They are grieving. They need to hear that message, "Just hang on." The same is true of the gospel reading. There are some people who will come to church because they have been cured or delivered in some way. For example, a woman who just got the test results that her tumor is not cancerous. She comes to mass to say, "thank you, thank you, thank you." The gospel story speaks directly to her. And there are others who come to mass to be instructed, to be taught in their Christian faith. They hear the letter of James as advice to put into practice.

What all this tells us is that the Eucharist is a wonderfully rich experience, able to touch all sorts of people in many kinds of life-settings. The Eucharistic celebration is rejoicing, encouraging, instructing, and consoling all at the same time. No wonder it has no equal as the central action of our Catholic Christian faith.

But there’s another dimension to the Eucharist that we haven’t touched on yet. The Eucharist may be wonderfully diverse in its ability to touch all sorts of people, but we, as people, have to come to the Eucharist prepared to engage it. We have to come desirous of participating in it. That’s not easy for us in our modern culture. Our modern media have trained us to want to be entertained, to be amused. Whether it’s a movie, a musical concert, a TV show, or whatever, almost instinctively we come and say, "Entertain me." If we come to the Eucharist with that attitude, the whole experience will fail miserably. No, we have to come bringing ourselves as a spiritual sacrifice, offering who we are in our lives right now to God.

The three readings in today’s Eucharist speak to those who are mourners, to others who are seekers, and to still others who are thankers. We have to prepare ourselves to engage in this sacred ritual. As the Second Vatican Council in its Constitution on the Liturgy said so clearly: "Mother Church desires that all the faithful should be led to that full, conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy." (#14) Let’s take some time now to reflect on "how" we are bringing ourselves, the sacrifice of our lives, to participate in this Eucharist!

A Commentary for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time by Sr. Susan Marie Lindstrom, OSB

All 3 readings for this Sunday speak of the awesome power of a healing, saving God.
Isaiah urges frightened hearts to be strong and fearless, that the God who comes to save will give sight to the blind and song to the mute.

James reminds his listeners that God chose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith
In the gospel, we see both of these ideas come together. As Jesus travels through the Decapolis, he is among a mixed group of people, Jews and Gentiles. Unlike many stories where the infirmed person requests the healing, in this story it is the townspeople who ask Jesus to lay hands on a deaf man. We do not know if these people had witnessed other miracles, but they obviously knew of Jesus’ reputation. They trusted and believed that Jesus could, in fact, restore the man to health and wholeness, to full participation in their community.

We know from our own community’s experiences that one who has hearing problems also struggles amidst the noise of a large crowd. Jesus takes the man away from the crowd. When his hearing is restored, the first sound he hears is the voice of God… clear, distinct, speaking just to him. Not only does he hear clearly, but he can once again speak plainly… no distortions, no garble, no hesitation.

Do we take time to move away from the crowd, away from the noise of life to listen to God?
Do we invite God to heal the impediments in our lives?

Jesus speaks just one definitive word in this gospel: “Ephphatha! Be opened!”
We hear a similar directive from Benedict in the first word of the Rule: “Listen”.
To listen is to open not only one’s ears, but one’s eyes and heart that one may hear and speak truth, that one’s speech may be plain and proclaim clearly the amazing love and care of our God.
To be opened is to allow ourselves to be touched and moved by both God and neighbor, to lay down our lives in service to God.
To be opened is to invite God to work in us and through us, in community and in our ministries.

The people who had petitioned Jesus to lay hands on their friend could not be silent. They were compelled to share the wonder of the miracle performed in their midst. Their announcing of Jesus’ actions served as a proclamation of the Kingdom here and yet to come.
Do we allow our lives to proclaim God’s goodness, God’s majesty?
Do OUR words and actions proclaim the presence of a God who comes to restore wholeness and banish fear?
The deaf man was able to discern God’s voice. The crowd could not contain the good news. We, too, are invited to incline our hearts to hear God, and our lives to announce God’s reign.

What is more delightful than this voice of the Lord calling to us? See how the Lord in love shows us the way of life. 21Clothed then with faith and the performance of good works, let us set out on this way, with the Gospel for our guide, that we may deserve to see him who has called us to the kingdom