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Pentecost and Holy Surprise ~ A Love Note from your Online Abbess

Dearest monks and artists, Today’s Pentecost reflection comes from the Abbey Archives. “What is serious to men is often very trivial in the sight of God. What in God might appear to us as ‘play’ is perhaps what He Himself takes most seriously. At any rate the Lord plays and diverts Himself in the garden of His creation, and if we could let go of our own obsession with what we think is the meaning of it all, we might be able to hear His call and follow Him in His mysterious, cosmic dance.”  ~ Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation

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Monk in the World: Creative Joy 2 ~ Scripture Reflection by John Valters Paintner, Your Online Prior

Dear monks, artists and pilgrims, During this Jubilee year of sabbatical we are revisiting our Monk Manifesto by moving slowly through the Monk in the World retreat materials together every Sunday. This is our eighth and final principle that we will explore for the next six weeks. Principle 8. I commit to being a dancing monk, cultivating creative joy and letting my body and “heart overflow with the inexpressible delights of love.” *quote is from the Prologue of the Rule of Benedict 2 Samuel 6:1-5 David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem David again gathered all the chosen people of Israel, thirty thousand. David and all the people

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Ted Witham

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Ted Witham’s reflection “Knocked for Six.” In the Australian idiom, I was ‘knocked for six’ last year by my first encounter with depression and anxiety. The mental illness shook me from my center. I closed down emotionally and physically, and only after six or eight weeks of gentle care from physician and psychiatrist I began again to find some equilibrium. One of my practices that was ‘knocked for six’ was my decades-long engagement with the Scriptures through

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Monk in the World: Creative Joy 1 ~ Reflection by Christine – A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dear monks, artists, and pilgrims,  During this Jubilee year of sabbatical we are revisiting our Monk Manifesto by moving slowly through the Monk in the World retreat materials together every Sunday. This is our eighth and final principle that we will explore for the next six weeks. Principle 8. I commit to being a dancing monk, cultivating creative joy and letting my body and “heart overflow with the inexpressible delights of love.” *quote is from the Prologue of the Rule of Benedict “What is more delightful than this voice of the Holy One calling to us? See how God’s love shows us the way of life.”  —Rule

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Pat Butler

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Pat Butler’s reflection, “The Secret Place Studio.”  “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”—Matthew 6:6 Just as an artist needs a quiet studio to practice his or her discipline, a monk in the world needs a quiet studio to pray. We might call it a cell or prayer closet; I prefer to think

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Finding Nourishment in a Time of Pandemic ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dear monks, artists and pilgrims, I wrote this reflection last Sunday morning, Mother’s Day in the U.S.: Each day John and I walk with Sourney up the canal and down the river that slice through Galway. Yesterday the swan we’ve seen nesting across the smooth water for several weeks was out with her new babies, five tiny grey cygnets swimming behind her as she searched for food. Back at home, the starlings have nested again outside our building in the large fuchsia bushes as they do each May. The young ones old enough to fly come to our balcony with

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Monk in the World: Conversion 6 ~ Reflection Questions and Blessing

Dear monks, artists and pilgrims, During this Jubilee year of sabbatical we are revisiting our Monk Manifesto by moving slowly through the Monk in the World retreat materials together every Sunday. Each week will offer new reflections on the theme and every six weeks will introduce a new principle. Principle 7. I commit to a lifetime of ongoing conversion and transformation, recognizing that I am always on a journey with both gifts and limitations. This week I invite you to ponder the following questions as guides for your practice of conversion. Are there areas of your life which could benefit from an infusion

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100th Birthday Video Request

Dearest dancing monks, On June 23rd and 24th John and I each turn 50 years old! It marks the official end of our Jubilee sabbatical year. This year has been a tremendous gift for us and we will be sharing more in the coming weeks about some of what we discovered. We were planning to have a combined 100th birthday party in Galway to celebrate, but due to the pandemic, we sadly had to cancel our celebrations. So we are coming to you, our beloved community with a request for a birthday present: Would you consider creating a short (15-20

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Michael Schoenhofer

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Michael Schoenhofer’s reflection “Awe.” Awe: It’s a key to well-being “an overwhelming feeling of  reverence, admiration, wonder produced by that which is grand, sublime, powerful. . .” (Dictionary.com ). Joshua Tree National Park My wife Mary and I traveled out west for a little sunshine and warmth during the last week of January. Our aim was to walk the trails in Joshua Tree National Park near Palm Springs, California. We flew to Las Vegas, rented a car,

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Monk in the World: Conversion 5 ~ Suggestions for Practice – A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dear monks, artists, and pilgrims, During this Jubilee year of sabbatical we are revisiting our Monk Manifesto by moving slowly through the Monk in the World retreat materials together every Sunday. Each week will offer new reflections on the theme and every six weeks will introduce a new principle. Principle 7. I commit to a lifetime of ongoing conversion and transformation, recognizing that I am always on a journey with both gifts and limitations. Consider writing the words “always we begin again” somewhere you can see them regularly as a reminder to be gentle with yourself on the spiritual path.  This is an invitation to respond to

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