There is a saying about monastic life, or any religious life for that matter, "The big things get small, but the small things get big." Compared to people in the world, a monk or nun will find the `big things` like the things they did in the world to pay their taxes, loans, car payments, mortgage etc seem to vanish or get small, freeing up the person for an undistracted pursuit of God. Compared to God, all things seem small. But as human beings, the little things, even for nuns, can then become big. A woman can divest herself of career, job, house, car, etc., and find smaller things grow in size in the monastery that can also serve the devil`s purpose of keeping one from an undistracted pursuit of God. It could be saving that old holy card that`s too beautiful to part with or keeping something broken but that might be useful to someone `someday`. Being human, the small things can be clung to too. Thus another saying becomes very apropos, "Hang on to Jesus. Drop everything else like a rock!" #sisterreginacomicstrip ...

Ahhhh....the easy life?

Who doesn`t want a life of ease and comfort? Who wouldn`t want a calm life free of stress, anxiety, and hard work? Well, if you`re looking for that, rest assured you won`t find it, even in a monastery. You`ll find lots of hard work, of course, and little ease or comfort. As to stress or anxiety? No matter your walk of life, you`ll find some of that. So, if "all we do is pray" sounds overly cozy and pleasant, read on.

We haven`t entered into monastic life to escape the stress and anxiety of the world. We come to this life to enter into a long spiritual combat that consists of our entire lives offered up to Christ for the sanctification of his priests and the needs of the entire world. Combat implies you automatically have an enemy to contend with. Most often that is our own selves, our fallen nature. But when our mission encompasses others, in this case priests, we can`t ignore the enemy outside ourselves whom we know, beyond doubt, is after their Christ-marked souls.

Knowing the devil is after priests, and thus also after all those who pray and sacrifice for them, actually need not cause any stress or anxiety either, because it grants us the calming assurance that every hardship can be transformed into grace purchased for priests. Even the roughest situation can be offered up with tranquility of soul. The `stress-less-ness` of our lives is in this exchange: our little battles for their peace.

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Make a plan and God laughs, right? There is a converse rule of thumb too. Make a plan that is NOT God`s and be miserable. Despite appearances to the contrary among the elite, celebrities, and the lives of the rich and famous, have you ever personally met someone who got "everything they ever wanted" apart from God to be truly joyful, content, peaceful and satisfied?

What a blessing it is that WITH JESUS we already have everything we can want or need - even amid the trials, difficulties, persecutions, poverty etc., that may never have been part of "our" plans! God`s plans for us are always the best. ...

Little Sacrifices with Great Love

There are many great events to celebrate in August but our cartoon this week focuses on Saint Maximilian Kolbe on the 80th anniversary of his martyrdom . Yet it still is connected to the next day’s feast, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Kolbe saw how she did everything, no matter how small, as an act of tremendous love. And he taught his many friars that as well as demonstrating it in his own witness.

Many of our friends and benefactors may not see themselves as the generous souls they really are, But, as is often the case, we know of the great love behind each gift. Once again we raise our prayers of gratitude for the known and unknown donors who are able to assist us. Please always be assured of our prayers.

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Happy Epiphany! Some might say this "ends" Christmas. It is a feast that combines aspects of the great revelations of Christ`s divinity: the veneration by the Magi after his birth, his baptism in the Jordan, and the miracle at the wedding in Cana. In each event, the divine was experienced by witnesses. Your Christmas season may not have felt supernatural. But it was. It may not have felt like rubbing elbows with divinity. But it was. As we have often mentioned, we keep the cribs up until February 2nd and strive to keep the Infant King very much in our hearts year round. Go kneel once more at the crib of the helpless, silent Babe who needs everything, can do nothing, yet, as God, offers us Salvation and Eternal Life with him - starting now. That brings quite some peace amid this world`s chaos and tragedy. And that surely feels like a supernatural epiphany. #sisterreginacomicstrip ...

Meus maxime mortificatsio est vita communis. In English, “My greatest mortification is community life.” Saint John Berchmans

While that can be true, so can a surprising contrast, “Community life is my greatest joy.” ...