March
2008
3/18/08
The Easter “Triduum”
This week, our community will join with friends, family and Christians everywhere in celebrating the holiest days of the year: the Easter “Triduum”. These “Three Days”, Holy Thursday through Easter Sunday mark the solemn commemoration of the central mystery of the Christian faith: the Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the monastery, the liturgical services are solemn and prayerful, yet simple. The rituals surrounding the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion instruct us about service and sacrifice. At the Easter Vigil, a lighted candle, representing the light of Christ, illuminates a darkened Church and a world in need of hope. The triumphant Sunday Mass includes the renewal of our baptismal promises through which we share in the eternal life of Jesus.
We encourage our readers to consult with their local parishes and take part in as much of the Easter Triduum as possible. It is an extraordinary time of grace and prayer that can deepen our faith and love for God’s saving work in Jesus Christ.
Two More Become Full Members of our Oblate
Community
This past Saturday, March 8, two of our Oblate
novices – Fran Neuman of Auburn Hills and Jennifer Walsh of Ann Arbor –
pronounced their final oblation during our community celebration of
Vespers. These two ladies join the seven men and women who made
final oblation in January and our four Oblates who were received during
2007. We enthusiastically welcome them as spiritual associates of
our monastic community and companions on the path of prayer and
discipleship according to the Rule of St. Benedict.
Congratulations!
Video Series Helps our Lenten
Reflection
During the season of Lent our monastic
community has been gathering one evening a week to watch and discuss a
recent video series called “Nooma”. The Nooma videos are produced
by a small, not-for-profit company and distributed by Zondervan
Publishing. They are short, ten to fifteen minute films that
communicate a Christian perspective on various aspects of life.
We have found these features to be quite
relevant and helpful in examining our understanding of God, faith, and
discipleship. The videos we have viewed have all been presented
by Rob Bell, a young Christian minister from western Michigan. We
appreciate his gift for using ordinary life and family situations as
rich illustrations of gospel values and beliefs.
Meeting the “Man on the Shroud”
Beginning last fall, Holy Face Monastery, our Benedictine community in Clifton, New Jersey, has offered a monthly presentation on different aspects of the Holy Shroud of Turin. The shroud is an ancient relic, made of cloth, which contains the image of a crucified man. For centuries, Christians have venerated the shroud and it is believed by many to be the wrapping that covered the body of Jesus as he lay in the tomb.
The one hour reflections are given by Fr. Louis Marie Navaratne, O.S.B., a theologian and monk of our Sri Lankan Priory. Father has studied the shroud for many years and has been in residence at Holy Face Monastery the past six years. His talks tie together medical, historical and spiritual themes drawn from theology, scripture and scientific investigation. They are held in the main shrine chapel, which itself permanently displays a life size replica of both the front and back of the shroud.
Accompanied by photo slides and hymns of worship, these evening gatherings are as much prayer as they are lecture. And the sixty to eighty persons who have attended each presentation have appreciated this reverent encounter with our Lord Jesus, the crucified and risen “Man on the Shroud”.