New Skete Monasteries News

By Sister Cecelia  IS 27: 12-13, 28:5-6, 16-17, EPH 2:13-22, LK 13:10-17 A minister was traveling and, having stopped at a diner, felt a little annoyed not being waited on after ten minutes. His only consolation was that the truck driver seated next to him was also not attended to. When the minister said with irritation to the truck driver, “Maybe this counter is off limits,” the truck driver responded, “Maybe they are short of help.” After several more minutes the minister commented, “Maybe they don’t want our business.” The truck driver answered, “Maybe they are taking care of those people at the tables.” More minutes went by, and the minister said to him, “Maybe they don’t like us,” to which the response was “I don’t mind waiting, since the air conditioning feels so good.” At that point, a harried waitress approached, apologized, and told them that the water had been cut off and the dishwasher was not working. Both men rose and left the diner.  As they left, the min...

By Brother John Often we say, “I can’t hear myself think!” Noise seems to have taken over. The sounds of nature often go unrecognized, and when peace and quiet come, they are met with difficulty. In these moments, we struggle to fill the void the silence brings, and we feel a pull to busy ourselves with noise—be it chatter, television, or social media. We resist the call to listen: to others, ourselves, even God. It is as though we don't know where to begin. It shows in how we deal with others. Just look at the current political process as we seek the next president for 2017. The people running for office seem to act more like spoiled children bickering with one another than civil servants asking for our vote. Have we gone wrong? What can we do to change? We can start in our approach to one another. We can start to bring our lives into real prayer, meditation: just sitting in the presence of God. Then we clear our heads of all junk and chaos, and in 2016, we find ourse...

By Brother Luke Lessons in humility come in many different packages.  Physical diminishment that comes with aging will impose itself on us, and we know that to accept this reality peacefully is a sign of humility as a willingness to be open to what God has placed before us. By responding this way, we recognize and acknowledge an essential element of our human nature. This is a far cry from the images of humility that spring from manufactured practices of self-abasement and abuse we humans dream up. They may be well intentioned, but they are not from God. But other areas of our life that challenge us can creep up on us without our being fully aware of what is happening. The good news is that humility is about growth. It’s about embracing new realities. It can open up possibilities for reaching for new horizons that we otherwise think might be unattainable or unimaginable. Humility engages us even when we do not realize it. When New Skete was founded, back in the 1960s, th...

By Sister Cecelia During our regular retreat times, some of the common works are put aside so that we have a bit more time for reading, reflecting, and meditating.  This morning as I was reflecting on the pictures and wall hangings here, I realized they each have a special significance to me. The different images symbolize something to me that would not mean the same to anyone else. Others would not see what I see in them. One is a handmade paper, slightly raised in various areas, that is in different shades of blue with little green and gold flecks. I doubt the artist intended what I see, which is a rowboat or canoe in the Everglades, or some area like the Everglades. I see an overhanging tree at an angle toward the boat, with accompanying overgrowth. The scene is symbolic to me of God looking over my journey into the unknown of everyday life. It isn’t clear where I am going, but God is near and with me. While life can be frightening at times, this depiction is peaceful a...

By Brother Christopher             During our winter retreat I had the opportunity to spend several days at St Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts. It is a community with which we have had a long friendship, and they have always been gracious in letting us spend a few days of retreat whenever one of us feels the need. As it happened, this year I was present for their celebration of Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Western Lent. Seeing everyone walk around that day with the cross of ash marked on their foreheads reminded me of the timeless truth that is spoken during the ceremony: “Remember that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.” It is a vivid sign of what Lent is all about.             One might think that because Great Lent starts for us so late this year (almost five weeks after Western Christians begin Lent), I would have felt something of a liturgica...