Bryan Sherwood

Front Yard Shots, Tools Matter and Sr. O'Daly

I thought I'd get my camera out and take a few shots around our front yard tonight.  It's a beautiful evening in Kentucky - not too hot, not too cold.  The close-up shots aren't too bad considering I took them all freehanded.  Unfortunately, the grass and tree pollen are "very high" and that's causing me and lots of other people all kinds of allergy problems.

I'm reading (slowly) a book called Tools Matter for Practicing the Spiritual Life by Meg Funk.  She gives a good overview of the book and its direction on page 1 of her introduction:

This book is a brief presentation of tools found in the Christian tradition and how they worked for the early monks and nuns.  These monastics were people like you and me.  They felt the same impulse we do--they needed help.  To find that help, they went to visit the early hermits, quiet dwellers in the desert, and asked them, "How do you do it?"  "How can I do it?"  These wise persons taught them to guard their hearts, to watch their thoughts, to spend time in vigils, to fast, to confess, to practice ceaseless prayer, to practice the prayer of the heart, and to do manual labor, to name a few of the recommended practices.

If you're interested in monastic spirituality, I'd recommend picking up this book.

There is a beautiful reflection about the passing of Sr. Monica O'Daly at Sr. Eleanor's Cistercian Vocation blog.  May she rest in peace.  If I'm ever in Ireland (and I hope to be one day), I'd like to stop by St. Mary's Abbey and visit with the sisters there.  Cistercians in Ireland - does it get any better than that?

Peace to you.

Gethsemani Sundays at Joseph-Beth - Update

Hello all. I thought many of you may be interested in listening to the podcasts of the various monk talks taking placing at Joseph-Beth Bookstore here in Lexington. I didn't make it the first week but had the privilege of listening to Br. Paul share some of his poetry from his book, Monkswear. Really good stuff. I also snapped a few photos. Enjoy!

Pax.

Things I Like . . .

Some things I like . . .

> Matt Maher's Music. Brandon tells me he has a new album coming out in a week or so. He's a young Catholic musician who I think is pretty talented and his music has depth. I think I originally discovered him on Brandon's blog a year or two ago. Thanks Brandon.

> Icons. Praying with icons has helped add a physical dimension to my prayer life. I like what Jim Forest writes in his book, Praying With Icons:

One of the odd things that has happened to prayer in much of western Christianity — in some churches with the Reformation, in others more recently — has been the drastic erosion of the physical dimension of spiritual life. Prayer has become mainly an activity of the head. Many of us have become like birds trying to fly with one wing. Icons can help us grow back the missing wing, the physical aspect of prayer.

I agree. Check out his website for more great info. on icons.

> Spending time at the Abbey of Gethsemani. Since I first visited Gethsemani for a retreat in 2005, that place and the community of monks there have meant a great deal to me. Seeing men faithfully live out the Gospel is encouraging to me. I find that when things are the darkest for me, Gethsemani is a place of refuge. I never go there that I don't feel better about life. Somehow, in the quiet this place offers, the Spirit does His work.

> Photography. Since I was a kid I've always had an interest in photography and cameras. Anyone remember Kodak's "disc" camera? I had one of those. It was all the rage back in the 80s. It took crappy photos though. The negative was teeny tiny. Anyway, I do enjoy photography. I think my photos tend to be of a contemplative nature.

I guess that's enough for now. I could go on and on (I like . . . Mary, Prayer Books, the Liturgy, etc.). Maybe I'll tackle a few more in another post (or maybe not).

Pax.

Questions on Monastic Life

I come to monasteries like Saint Meinrad's and I can't help but feel drawn here.  The Spirit seems to call out to me about monastic life.  I'm sure I'm quite the mystery to many people.  They ask questions like "Why do you go to the monastery so often?"  "What do you do there?"  Some seem interested in my responses while others just think I'm strange.

Why do I come to the monastery?  That is actually a very good question to wrestle with.  As I said before, this life, this ancient way of being Christian speaks to me deeply.  Yet, I'm not going to be a Benedictine or Cistercian "monk"--at least not in the common way that's understood today.  After all, I'm happily married with a secular job, a house and a mortgage to pay.  I don't think the Cistercians are going to let me put on a habit and start living with them.  So, where does that leave me and others who ask similar questions?

It seems to me that the understanding of monastic life must broaden.  The current definitions of monastic life are too small and narrow.  The Holy Spirit is calling many like myself to this way of living.  You can certainly see it in the Cistercian tradition.  Lay Associate programs have popped up near Cistercian monasteries all over the US and all over the world.  For many years, they weren't aware of each other.  Like me, they too have this yearning for monastic life.

Like the monks at Gethsemani, I've adopted a Rule of Life for myself that helps me structure my daily life, in the spirit of Saint Benedict.  I too live in community with others:  my family, my wife, those in my work place and those in my parish.  I too value the hours of prayer and the Work of God.  Like any good monk, I'm doing my best to love others.  Each day I'm learning to love God and my neighbor.  I've entered into a way of life that is transforming and has been lived out by generations of Christians before me.

Why do I come to the monastery?  Because I've been called there and it's a calling that I can't ignore. 

Peace.

Prayers for the Community of Victoria in Kenya

From the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance Website:

This message was sent Sunday, January 20, to the Generalate by Dom Bernardus of Tilburg who has been in contact with Dom Dominic of Victoria Abbey in Kenya and Mgr. Lebeaupin, the Apostolic Nuncio to Kenya.

“The Monastery has been surrounded since Saturday, January 19, by a group of young men who want to attack the monastery and the some 600 refugees about 125 families living in the monastery. These people are members of the Kikuyu and Kisii tribes who live in the neighborhood of the monastery. These people took refuge in the monastery when the political disturbances began. The young men who want to attack the monastery presumed that the refugees had vacated the area completely. When they became aware that the people are in the monastery and that they will return to their property, the young men burned all their homes. The police who were present to protect the people and the monks took sides with the young men.”

Monday, January 21, Abbot General was able to phone Dom Dominic. It seems that the situation is worsening. Let us pray for the Community and the refugees and the situation in Kenya.

Thoughts from Epiphany Sunday

I was fortunate to spend most of Epiphany Sunday at the Abbey of Gethsemani. The Lay Cistercians of Gethsemani, which I am a part of, met together today and attended Mass followed by a potluck meal. Talk about food! Lots of food!

We also had the privilege of having a wonderful cellist play for us after our meal. I believe that mini concert may have been my favorite part of the day. Br. Paul read some of his newest poetry which was a real treat. All of that followed by a reflection on Epiphany written by St. Basil, shared by Fr. Michael. I thought I'd share my favorite part of Basil's thoughts:

Stars cross the sky, wise men journey from pagan lands, earth receives its savior in a cave. Let there be no one without a gift to offer, no one without gratitude as we celebrate the salvation of the world, the birthday of the human race. Now it is no longer, Dust you are and to dust you shall return, but "You are joined to heaven and into heaven you shall be taken up." It is no longer, In sorrow you shall bring forth children, but, "Blessed is she who has borne Emmanuel and blessed the breast that nursed him." For a child is born to us, a son is given to us, and dominion is laid upon his shoulder.

Come, join the company of those who merrily welcome the Lord from heaven. Think of shepherds receiving wisdom, of priests prophesying, of women who are glad of heart, as Mary was when told by the angel to rejoice and as Elizabeth was when John leapt in her womb. Anna announced the good news; Simeon took the child in his arms. They worshipped the mighty God in a tiny baby, not despising what they beheld but praising his divine majesty. Like light through clear glass the power of the Godhead shone through the human body for those whose inner eye was pure. Among such may we also be numbered, so that beholding his radiance with unveiled face we too may be transformed from glory to glory by the grace and loving kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be honor and power for endless ages. Amen.

It turned out to be a very nice Epiphany. I hope you had a blessed day as well.

Peace.

Shopping, the Abbey of Gethsemani and a Prayer

Life is certainly quieter now that Christmas celebrations are mostly over. I think Heather and I are going to take a drive to Louisville to take advantage of a gift card she received at Christmas. We're going to make a stop at the Abbey of Gethsemani on our way down as well.

I don't have a lot to share today but this prayer grabbed my attention this morning and thought it worth reproducing here.

Merciful God, as we do our daily work teach us to question the rule of money and might and trust in your name alone; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Peace.

A Regional Gathering of Lay Cistercian Communities

I spent this weekend at the Abbey of Gethsemani for a regional gathering of Lay Cistercian communities.  It was an interesting experience to meet representatives of various Lay Cistercian groups from all over the US.  There are a few things I've taken away from this weekend. 

• I've learned that I am not alone.  It's helpful to meet other people who have some of the same desires as me.  They too sense a calling from the Holy Spirit to be lay monastics whose primary calling is to prayer and contemplation for the good of the world.  I'm glad to know that I'm not crazy; that others living in different states and even different countries long to live this life of prayer "in the world."
• I've learned that a lot of diversity exists among these groups.  I was a bit surprised to learn how different the various expressions of Lay Cistercian groups were.  Some are highly structured.  Some hardly have any structure at all.  Some are geographically based.  Others like Conversi have members from all over the world.  Some groups require each member to be Roman Catholic while other groups are ecumenical. 
• I've learned that many of us Lay Cistercians have great affection for our local monasteries.  We care about these Trappists and must be careful not to place unreasonable expectations on them. 
• I've learned that I have a lot to learn.  I have a lot yet to learn about prayer, about lectio, about Cistercian tradition, about what it means to live this vocation in the world. 

I should probably clarify that I wasn't invited to Gethsemani as representative of our local Cistercian community.  I was there as a "host" to assist others in making their way around the monastery and to take a few photos of the weekend.  I was privileged to be able to sit in on these group sessions and found them both inspiring and informative.

You can see the photos of the weekend on my flickr page.

Peace.

All Saints Day: A Few Thoughts

Thursday, November 1 is All Saints Day. Wikipedia describes it this way:

The festival of All Saints, also sometimes known as All Saints' Day, All Hallows or Hallowmas ("hallows" meaning "saints," and "mas" meaning "Mass"), is a feast celebrated November 1 or the first Sunday after Pentecost in honour of all the saints, known and unknown.

I've been thinking about some of the saints who have been helpful to me by their example and the lives they lived. I thought it might be fun to mention a couple and invite you to do the same. Feel free to leave a comment and share with us your favorite saint or write your own blog post and link back here.

Let's get started.

1. Saint Thomas Merton(January 31, 1915-December 10, 1968). Yes, this monk of Gethsemani was dead four years before I was born. Yet, he continues to impact my life through his writings. The first book I read was a book given to me by Alan entitled Thoughts In Solitude. That book gave me a taste for Merton and gave me reason to read more of his writing. I soon read his autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain and followed that up with my favorite of Merton's writings entitled The Sign of Jonas. What is it about Merton that speaks to me? That's a question I've asked over and over. Certainly, I feel called to a monastic way of living life and although I'll not live a celibate, cloistered life like Fr. Louis did, we share many of the same deep longings for silence, solitude and prayer. I think he was on the search for his true self and that's one journey I resonate with.

2. Saint Benedict of Nursia (480-547). St. Benedict is often referred to as the founder of Western monasticism and wrote a "rule" for monks called The Rule of St. Benedict. His writing was heavily influenced by the writings of John Cassian and another piece of writing called The Rule of the Master. Benedict was able to write a rule that was very balanced and ultimately full of love for all monks who chose to live under this rule for the last several centuries. It's hard to imagine what monastic life would be like today if Benedict hadn't written his rule.

3. Saint Charlie Gillis. (August 26, 1920-March 24, 2003). You won't find him in a list of canonized saints. He was my grandfather and definitely a saint. He won't be remembered as an author or theologian but he will be remembered as a man of faith, love, and compassion. He'll be remembered as a husband, brother, father and grandfather. He had much to teach others whether it was how to change the oil in a car or how to work hard and love your family above all else. I miss my grandaddy every single day. He will always be remembered and loved.

I'm sure there are others I could mention. Three seems like a good number to stop with. Now it's your turn. What saints have impacted your life?

And finally, this prayer:
Saint Thomas Merton, Saint Benedict and Saint Charlie Gillis, pray for me.

I'm Back

I had the privilege of spending the weekend at the Abbey of Gethsemani for the Annual Lay Cistercian Retreat. It was great. A good balance of activity and silence. The topic was spiritual companioning and the group spent some time looking at Aelred of Rievaulx's writings.

What did I enjoy the most? Giving myself to the monastic schedule as much as I could. Rising before daybreak to pray with the monks. Gathering in the abbey church every few hours to chant the Psalms. Spending time in silence--no tv, no computer, nothing to distract me. I am always reminded of how much noise I have in my regular life when I spend a few days at the monastery.

I did do some hiking and of course, I took my camera along. You can view some of those moments from the weekend on my flickr page.