Isaiah 9: 2 – 7Psalm 96Titus 2: 11 – 14Luke 2: 1 – 20 When I came to the community now slightly over thirty years ago, we had just begun the process of writing our new Rule of Life. The old Rule had been respectfully laid aside, and we were experimenting by reading portions of the Rules of Life of…

Isaiah 7:10-16; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25 Worlds apart, though not a great distance, Mary and Joseph bear parallel but private burdens. What thoughts must have raced through their solitude? Oh God, what would he say if I told him the truth?What will he do if I say nothing?Oh God, what will happen when he begins…

St. Thomas, the Apostle John 20:24-29 “Unless I see I will not believe.” These are words of the Apostle Thomas whom we celebrate today. These words have sadly clung to him in a negative way so that he is often called “Doubting Thomas.” But calling him “Doubting Thomas” seems not only ­­­­­­­­­­­unfair, but inaccurate. Thomas…

“We often read this passage of the Good Shepherd not because we know ourselves to be fluffy, wooly, little lambs, but just the opposite. We know ourselves too often to be, swarmed by flies and weighed down by muck and filth; we know ourselves too often lead astray, or lost, tempted by something just beyond our reach. Yet still the good shepherd goes after us, gathers us in his arms, and brings us home.” Br. James Koester reflects on the meaning hidden in the familiar image of the Good Shepherd.

“Patience is hard, sometimes excruciating. Wait patiently by slowing down from squirm to stillness, from noisy chatter to silence. As anxiety lessens, we can see and hear more, including graced surprises. God comes in unexpected ways that may at first confuse us.” Br. Luke Ditewig offers wisdom to help us move from squirming to stillness in this season of waiting.

“The days and hours of Advent continue to invite us to the work of waiting and watching: by lamplight, by starlight, and in the darkness before dawn.” Br. Keith Nelson invites us to draw close and breathe in the rich fragrance and truth of three bold blooms, pointing toward the God for whom we wait in Advent.

“In looking at Mary we gaze not outwardly, or even upwardly, but inwardly to our own adoption as children of God because it is there that we find Mary’s true vocation, and ours as well, to be the adopted daughters and sons of God.” On the feast of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Br. James Koester connects our vocation to that of the Mother of God and Queen of Heaven – Mary of Nazareth – who began, as we all do, as a simple child of God.

“ There is nothing wrong with the desire to give gifts to one another, per se. There is nothing wrong with warming the dark, frigid nights of a northern December with song, festivities, fellowship, and lights, per se. These are all good things, to be sure, and doubtless God can speak some word of life to us through it all. Nevertheless, the moment our culture attaches the name of Jesus Christ to this prolonged cultural season of excess, I have to wonder if we are really being adequately prepared for the significance of Christmas.” Br. Sean Glenn invites us to experience the full-blooded, lean, and demanding season that is Advent.

“ In a moment when things are bleak, when hope is lost, when the future is unbearable, when all that is left is a dead, lifeless stump, Isaiah reminds God’s people that God will act, that a shoot shall come out of the stock of Jesse. This, after all, is the way of God. Life does emerge from death. Hope does spring up, when all seems hopeless. God will act, and righteousness and justice will be restored.” Br. James Koester unpacks Isaiah's vision of the peaceable Kingdom, which is the hope of Advent.

“We do not yet see the peace of God reigning among the nations of the world. We do not see that peace with justice that God has promised taking root in our own country, in our communities, or even in our churches. We may be tempted to complain and despair. But God calls us to live by God’s light, and not to dwell in the present darkness. God calls us to faith in this soaring promise of peace, and asks us to become peacemakers, wherever and however we can.” Br. David Vryhof reckons with Isaiah's vision of universal peace, which still beckons to us in our strife-torn world.