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Homily for the Sunday of the Cross

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  by Brother Christopher We are already halfway through Lent, and this might be a good opportunity to pause and ask ourselves, “So...?” Now, to be clear, I’m not suggesting that we grade ourselves on our Lenten resolutions, as that would place the emphasis on externals rather than on the real transformation this season calls for. There is a reason we have placed the cross in the narthex for each of us to reverence as we enter. It is meant to bring to mind a fundamental question: What does it mean to be a faithful disciple of Jesus? This morning’s Gospel presents a challenge that makes clear the cost of discipleship for anyone who would follow after him: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Each of us shares in the cross—each in our own way, with our own burdens, and with our own name metaphorically inscribed at the top of our own cross. There are no exceptions. To grasp the seriousness of this—Jesus is not ...
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Monastic Winter Retreat

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 By Sister Cecelia The monastic winter retreat this year has been especially wonderful for me. Ordinarily, I love having a dog to care for, but I do not have one now, so I am enjoying more time for the “leisure” activities monastics are supposed to have time for. I was especially blessed to find and read a biography of Fr. Thomas Keating by Cynthia Bourgeault. Fr. Thomas was the Abbot at St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts, when we first came to New York. These monks helped us through their friendship and also financially as we were getting started here. Having met, talked with, and shared a meal with the person being written about certainly increased my interest. It was such a delight for me to read about his struggles and breakthroughs, especially in his last five years. Fr. Thomas was able to experience what theosis is. Understanding and living theosis is a goal of Eastern Orthodoxy. The union with God and awareness of God’s presence eventually enabled him to say, “I ...
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The Transformative Power of Group Lectio Divina: Christ at the Heart of Shared Reflection

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By Brother Theophan I’d like to offer a few observations on our practice of group Scripture sharing at the monastery. Rooted in ancient monastic traditions, lectio divina —meaning “divine reading”—involves reading, meditating, praying, and contemplating sacred Scripture in a manner that allows the text to speak directly to the heart of the believer. While often practiced individually, group lectio divina offers a unique opportunity for communal transformation, where the presence of Christ becomes central to the practice, and the relational dynamics of the group help to deepen the understanding of God’s Word. This collective engagement with Scripture mirrors the early Christian communities, where the shared experience of Christ through the Word was foundational to their lives and growth.             Imagine a group of people gathered around a flickering campfire. As they each share their stories and listen carefully to one anoth...
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What's the Issue? Me or the Other?

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By Brother Luke Once again I have fallen asleep with some lights on in my room. Then a strange crunching sound arouses me. Struggling to see what's causing the noise, I look toward my armoire, and there is my five-month-old puppy, Pyrena, chewing on the wooden handle of a lower drawer. I cry out NO! and spring into action as she dashes away and hides under the bed. I pull her out from under the bed and lead her over to the crate where she will spend the night. She actually has been very good in my room overnight, but she is still teething and learning what is and what is not OK to chew on. She is not the first or the last puppy or dog to do this in my room. Yes, I am frustrated by her destructive behavior. But I also have to remember that taking on the task of raising a puppy will inevitably include episodes like this. So the puppy tests my patience.             It is often thought that being so intimately involved with an...
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The Sacred Pedagogy of Art - Part 2

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    By Brother Theophan   (Part 2; Part 1 can be found here ) The Vanishing Self and the Overview Effect             Art can also profoundly shape us spiritually by cultivating a sense of the “vanishing self” or the “overview effect.” Let me explain briefly. In my upcoming book, Dreaming Reality , I explore the different ways we experience selfhood and connect with the world and cosmos. One prominent form is what we might call the default self. The brain naturally shifts into this mode, especially when we lack systematic contemplative practice. The default self perceives itself as an independent, separate, “skin-encapsulated” entity that feels in control and seeks to manage people and circumstances to serve its own happiness. The default self serves as a crucial “interface” your brain uses to help you function as a human being. However, it can easily become hyperactive, leading to self-centeredness, which in t...
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Invitation to Worship: An Evangelical’s Invitation to an Orthodox Service

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By Ida Williams Commentary by Sister Cecelia Throughout my years of employment at New Skete, I have encouraged visitors to experience worship service with the monks and nuns.   This invitation is regardless of religious affiliation.   Whether it is dogs, cheesecake, employment, or just curiosity that brings you to New Skete, experiencing the one true purpose of the monastery is worth adding to your “bucket list.” Note that this invitation is not to experience worship as one would experience theater. This is not a show! Joining the monks and nuns for worship is spiritually immersive.   Be prepared to be heartened. Shortly after starting my employment here, I attended a worship service.   If I was going to be marketing communications director, I’d better know all I could.   The service was very different from what I was used to.    To be honest, I thought this is heavy.   Where is the drum solo? Where is the pastor sharing personal testimony and...
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Book review: Passions of the Soul by Rowan Williams

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 by  Brother Christopher   Over many years of working in spiritual direction and speaking to guests and retreatants about their prayer life, a consistent issue that comes up repeatedly is how to deal with distracting thoughts and, more broadly, how to deal with what the tradition has described as “the passions of the soul.” These are what get in the way of resting in God’s presence during formal prayer, while at other times lead us into self-defeating patterns of behavior that seem to have a life of their own. We often feel captive to them, and become discouraged over our seeming inability to keep them from controlling us. Monastic tradition has had long experience learning to understand such passions, and Evagrius and Cassian in particular have written authoritatively about them, identifying pride, lust, anger, gluttony, avarice, sadness, envy, and acedia as what we are dealing with. They have offered sound guidance to keep them from enslaving us. That said, their wi...
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