Preparing for the Light: Tenebrae

Throughout the 40 days of Lent, the Church has repeatedly echoed the invitation of Jesus: “Repent!  The kingdom of God is at hand…”  We have fasted and prayed, done acts of penance and works of mercy, and perhaps have stumbled and failed in some way.  But even these failures are gifts of God grace, when we offer them to Him, He uses them to draw us more deeply into Himself and our knowledge of Him and His mercy. 

Now, we enter Holy Week and the Triduum.  The Triduum is a liturgical season in and of itself, the three days of the year marked profoundly by the passion and death of our Lord and Savior Jesus.  The days are marked with special liturgies, full of silence, lamentation and sorrow.  Through these liturgies the Church looks on the face of Jesus and sees the reality of sin, and also sees her hope and deliverance through His offering of love.

In the monastery, the last days before Easter, the Holy Triduum, are spent as days of retreat as much as possible – all but the most essential work stops as the sisters are given more time to complete their tasks for the Triduum and Easter preparation, such as reviewing and practicing the liturgies, cleaning, decorating and cooking for Easter, but most importantly, spending extra time in prayer and meditation.  You are invited to join us in prayer and reflection, in the celebration of the liturgies and in time of silent prayer in our chapel.

Most people are familiar with the afternoon and evening liturgies of the Triduum: Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday, and, of course, the Easter Vigil Mass the night before Easter Sunday.  But there is also another powerful time of liturgical prayer during the early morning of these three days: Tenebrae.

Tenebrae is traditionally prayed in complete darkness, with the only light coming from a hearse holding burning candles.  As the hour of prayer proceeds, at various times, the candles are extinguished, representing the disciples abandoning our Lord.  Chantresses intone passages from the Lamentations of Jeremiah, which describe the sins of Jerusalem (representative of the Jewish people, and also of the Church) and entreat her to return to the Lord, her God.

Eventually only the center, or Christ candle, remains burning, until near the end of Tenebrae when its flame is also removed after the chanting of the Benedictus.  Then, in Dominican tradition, two chantresses stand at the front of the choir, two more chantresses stand in the middle of the choir and all face the altar as the chantresses and choir pray for Christ’s mercy.

May God’s grace pour out on us all during these holy days of Triduum as we prepare for His Resurrection and the triumph we share with Him over the captivity and death of sin.

In Silence and Waiting Is Our Salvation

The Annunciation by Fra Angelico

In the midst of Lent, we celebrate the beautiful Solemnity of the Annunciation, the pivotal event which turned our world upside down, at least from our perspective. From God’s perspective, this was His plan all along, but if we stop and consider His plan - that the Divine would take on the flesh of a lowly creature, so as to secure their eternal salvation - it should leave us awestruck.

What was Mary doing in the moments just before the Archangel Gabriel appeared? Artists have usually depicted her doing ordinary things in serene silence - sewing, praying, reading (or in the East, drawing water). Ordinary, mundane things of life. But then, the announcement: she, full of grace, was chosen to be the mother of God. And then silence as heaven waited for her response. God awaited her agreement to this divine plan “because,” says Saint Thomas, “she represented the whole human race to whom God, in honor, left the merit of concurring freely in the work of salvation.”

Scarcely did Mary say her “Fiat”, when heaven descended to earth and men became capable of attaining Heaven - a moment unique in the world’s history. It is therefore not without good reason that on the Solemnity of the Annunciation, when mention is made of the Incarnation, we kneel, to give thanks to the great mercy of God, Who alone can work such miracles.

God forms an alliance with us through Mary. Yet we must understand, that which is done for us cannot save us without our own consent. God waits for us, for our humble concurrence to His plan for our lives. Through Mary’s intercession, may her humble “Yes!” become our own, and may her Son grow and be made manifest in our own hearts and lives.

Prayer: “O my God, You are Beauty, I am deformity. You are Light, I am darkness. You are Wisdom, I am folly. You are Life, I am death.” - Saint Catherine of Siena

Something to consider: It is tradition in the Church to stop three times each day and pray the Angelus, in the morning, at midday, and in the evening (usually about 6 a.m., Noon, and 6 p.m.). If you haven’t made this part of your daily devotional/prayer life, consider starting today (just schedule a daily reminder for the times you want to pray). For those of us who already practice this custom, we can ask ourselves, with what fidelity, devotion, and external reverence do I recite the Angelus?

Meditation quotes in part “March 25: The Annunciation” from Saints and Saintly Dominicans edited by Rev. Thomas a Kempis Reilly, O.P. (John Murphy Company, 1915).

Saint Joseph: A Special Kind of Crazy

Picture it: a man in love with the most wonderful woman he’d ever met. He considers himself especially blessed because he’s only a poor, simple carpenter, and she’s to be his wife! She went away abruptly a few months ago to visit her cousin, but you expect her return any day. Then she arrives. With news. She’s pregnant. And you know you’re not the father. You’re heartbroken. And you hold the fate of her and her baby in your hands, because in your religion and culture, fornication is a sin punishable by death. Stoning. You’re mind reels. This just does not fit with the woman standing before you. This is too much. So, you decide to break it off with her quietly. At least that way she will not be stoned to death and you can both go your separate ways.

Then God speaks to you in a dream. Take her as your wife. Raise the son she carries. You wake with peace and resolve and immediately obey what God has asked of you. To the rest of the world, it sounds crazy. But faith is a special kind of crazy.

“Faith is confident assurance concerning what we hope for, and conviction about things we do not see.” This is the first verse of Hebrews, chapter 11. After going through many examples from the Old Testament of men and women of faith and their actions, the passage closes with this:

“All of these died in faith. They did not obtain what they had been promised but saw and saluted it from afar. By acknowledging themselves to be strangers and foreigners on the earth, they showed that they were seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking back to the place from which they had come, they would have had the opportunity of returning there. But they were searching for a better, a heavenly home. Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”

Joseph, too, was a man of great faith. When God spoke, he did not look back. He did not lament the life he had envisioned and expected with his bride, a life that would now never be. He humbly and immediately obeyed God through the grace of faith. And because of his trust in God and his obedience to His promptings, he was now the husband of the Mother of God, the foster father to the divine Son, guardian of the Holy Family.

“There is a general rule concerning all special graces granted to any human being. Whenever the divine favor chooses someone to receive a special grace, or to accept a lofty vocation, God adorns the person chosen with all the gifts of the Spirit needed to fulfill the task at hand.” So begins a sermon of St. Bernadine of Siena. Faith, as with all graces from God, is a gift. But how often do we spurn this and the many other graces God offers to us? God seeks us, calls us, arms outstretched with overflowing graces, asking us to take up the vocation, the task, He’s set out just for us…yet we hesitate and ask for sign after sign, thinking we surely didn’t hear God clearly. We leave Him hanging there with His treasures. Are we crazy?

God’s ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts higher than our thoughts. To follow Christ means we are embracing the cross, a stumbling block and foolishness to the rest of the world. So the question is, are we trying to think with the world or think with Christ? Are we willing to embrace our own cross, letting God determine the size and the weight of it, and trust that He will abundantly provide the graces we need to carry it until the end? Where are we making our home and storing our treasure?

St. Joseph, humble man of faith and guardian of the Holy Family and Church, pray for us.

Private Audience with a Saint

It goes without saying that by living a cloistered life, we have made the choice to forego going outside our monastery walls, even for good causes, such as a liturgical or devotional event within the local Church. Because of the graces and blessings of this life, we are usually not too troubled by this fact. But our community is especially blessed to have a local Church that is mindful of our cloister and “goes the extra mile.”

Last week, the heart of Saint John Marie Vianney was in the Bay Area and was to visit various parishes for veneration by the faithful. Naturally, we could not go to Saint John Vianney, but we were asked if we wanted him to come to us! So on Thursday, our community was blessed with the privilege of a private audience. Shortly after our midday meal, instead of recreation, we met in the choir to await the arrival of Saint John Marie Vianney’s heart. When the heart arrived, the community intoned the Te Deum, then each sister had a quiet moment of veneration. To end our hour of prayer, we prayed three litanies - a litany of Saint John Vianney, a litany for priests and a litany for vocations.

We are so grateful the Archdiocese of San Francisco and the Knights of Columbus who arranged this special visit, and for all our priests in our Archdiocese. Please join us in praying for all our bishops and priests, and those preparing to be ordained. May God bless them and keep them and grant them many years!

Jesus' Second Birthday

Today we celebrate Jesus’ birthday. “Wait a minute?” You might exclaim. “Didn’t we do that a couple weeks ago?” Saint Maximus of Turin can explain.

At Christmas he was born a man; today he is reborn sacramentally. Then he was born from the Virgin; today he is born in mystery. When he was born a man, his mother Mary held him close to her heart; when he is born in mystery, God the Father embraces him with his voice when he says: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased: listen to him.” The mother caresses the tender baby on her lap; the Father serves his Son by his loving testimony. The mother holds the child for the Magi to adore; the Father reveals that his Son is to be worshiped by all the nations.

But why would Jesus, a holy man, indeed, sinless, seek to be baptized by John, a baptism of repentance. Saint Maximus goes on:

Christ is baptized, not to be made holy by the water, but to make the water holy, and by his cleansing to purify the waters which he touched. For the consecration of Christ involves a more significant consecration of the water.

Jesus was baptized to cleanse the water - He was consecrated so that the water would be consecrated for our consecration into him. As the Israelites followed the pillar of cloud and fire through the Red Sea when they left the slavery of Egypt, we follow Jesus through the waters of baptism and are made free from sin - we become marked as God’s own and undertake a new path of life to holiness.

In three weeks, we will celebrate another related event in Jesus’ life - his presentation in the Temple. It was Jewish law that every firstborn male belonged to God and had to be redeemed by offering a sacrifice. Presentation, consecration, sacrifice. This is still how we grow in love of God and holiness today. Jesus’ life is re-presented (or should be) in the life of every baptized Christian.

It is also on the Feast of the Presentation that the Church celebrates World Day of Consecrated Life. As we celebrate Jesus baptism and give thanks for our own, let’s prepare to recognize consecrated men and women who follow Him in a very particular way. Beginning Friday, February 1st at 4:00 p.m. Pacific, a worldwide 40 Hours for Consecrated Life will begin! Will you offer to the Lord one hour for consecrated life? Take the pledge and invite your family, friends and parish to do the same! Also, be sure to follow this event on Facebook!

The Gift of the Fourth Wise Man

How many Magi visited the Holy Family? We don’t actually know, because Scripture doesn’t specify exactly. Tradition tells us there were three because Scripture mentions three gifts they brought: gold, frankincense and myrrh. But legend speaks of a fourth. Here is his story.

Far to the east of the sea, lived a small group of men known to be wise. They had studied the teachings of their forebears and watched the signs of nature, intuiting hidden secrets discovered only by those patient and watchful enough to see them. But no matter how much they learned, they still thirsted for more. It was as if true wisdom was still veiled, hidden, from their sight. They felt they were closest to this eternal wisdom at night when they could watch the stars. When the world was covered in silent darkness, the stars seemed to be pinpricks in the fabric of creation, letting through the true light of wisdom.

Four of these men were assembled together one night, as was their custom, on the roof of a house. Suddenly, something caught their attention - a star, brighter than the rest. But not just any star, they knew in their hearts. THE STAR. Someone very great, a king, had risen in the world, and they felt compelled to follow it and do him homage. So they prepared for the long, arduous journey, not knowing exactly where they would end up or how long it would take. Along with all their provisions, they packed gifts fit for a king, priceless treasures. And off they went.

But as they traveled, they met poor and desperate people along the way. And the fourth wise man’s heart was moved with deep compassion for them, and he began to give away his treasures and possessions. His friends smiled and shook their heads, and his heart was lightened at the joy in the faces of those whose suffering he was able to relieve.

Then, the star stopped! They had arrived! As his friends unpacked their gifts, the fourth wise man was grief-stricken and sorrowful - he had given everything away! His treasures, all his provisions, he had nothing to present to this great king! This was an immense sign of disrespect in his culture, but he simply could not turn back now. His heart held a great yearning to see this new king. And so, with head lowered and heart heavy, he followed his friends into the little house. Each of the first three presented their gifts and did him homage: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Kingly and priestly gifts indeed. The room was still as everyone turned to the fourth Magi. He could not bear to raise his head but simply stepped forward and held out his arms to show their emptiness. Tears welled up and began to stream down his cheeks as he stumbled over the words to explain.

But before he could say anything, his empty arms were suddenly weighed down with a soft, sturdy bundle. He blinked away the tears and the face of a tiny baby, nestled in blankets, came into focus. And as he looked deep into the infant eyes looking up at him intently, he saw the light of the stars.

Dominican Joy (with Our Latest Video)!

Our crocheted Holy Family, made by one of the sisters, traveling to Bethlehem.

A young woman recently completed her aspirancy with our community. As she was nearing the end of her month-long stay, one of the sisters asked her, “Has anything surprised you during your time here?” The young woman smiled and exuberantly responded, “You’re all crazy – in a good way! I didn’t expect you to have so much fun!”

She’s not the first to be surprised by our Dominican joy. While Dominicans cannot claim to be the only joyful religious (thanks be to God!), it is something that marks us in a special way, just as it marked Our Holy Father Dominic. Why is this? Christmas and the origins of our Order can give us a few clues.

We are familiar with fairy tales where Prince Charming swoops in and rescues the beautiful maiden from a life of hardship and poverty. But what if the poor maiden was bound to that life in such a way she couldn't just be swept off to the castle? Would Prince Charming set aside his crown and riches, roll up his sleeves and toil and sweat for the love of the maiden? God did, only infinitely more. That first Christmas…after thousands of years of waiting, in the fullness of time, God gave us His Son, born tiny and helpless and poor. God became man. In the midst of our suffering and darkness, God became one of us, one with us, so that we might become one with Him. Our suffering became His suffering. And His joy becomes our joy… His peace, our peace… His love, our love.

Blessed Margaret of Castello and Saint Francis of Assisi escorting the Baby Jesus to meet Joseph and Mary.

Fast forward a little over 1,000 years later to Midi-France. Saint Dominic and his bishop Diego encounter a particular poverty and darkness: the rich seem only interested in their wealth and the poor were suffering immensely with little hope. To make matters worse, a group of people are spreading beliefs which include the teaching that the physical world was created by an evil “god” and that Jesus did not really suffer with us, for us. It seemed to them too unbelievable that God, a good God, would have any part of sin and suffering. There are many consequences to believing this, and here is one: we know the proof of love is the willingness to set oneself aside and endure hardship and suffering for the beloved. If God did not actually become Incarnate, did not actually die on the cross and rise again, but it was all "just a show", where is love? Where is hope and redemption? It was to these suffering poor that Diego and Dominic, and a growing number of others, sought to offer hope and joy of the Good News – God is with us! He is one with us – with our work, our suffering, and He came to give us hope and love.

Like our Holy Father Dominic, we Dominicans are exuberant in rejoicing in this Good News – it is all grace! A free gift of love from God! His answer to our suffering was not to keep His distance, or simply pat us on the head with a slightly patronizing “There, there.” His answer to the deepest suffering, the darkest night of humankind was to become Emmanuel. How can this Good News not cause us to leap up and shout with joy?

But Dominican joy has one more facet – we are compelled to share the reason for our joy with others and to invite, urge them, to share our joy! We must preach, we must proclaim to others this Good News. How we do this varies with our specific vocation – friar, nun, apostolic sister or laity – but do it, we must. And so, in proper time and measure, we fast from the good things of God and mortify ourselves in various ways so as to proclaim that “we do not live by bread alone,” and to make evermore room for Him in our hearts. But when the time comes to feast, there is no celebration like a Dominican celebration!

In honor of Christmas and the reason for our hope and joy, we are delighted to share with you our latest video. The chant, “Verbum Caro” is part of our Vigil Office as we wait and pray in preparation for the Christmas Mass at Midnight.

Merry Christmas and may God bless you throughout the New Year!

Saint John - He Saw and He Believed

He saw and he believed. St. John saw an empty tomb and burial cloths rolled up and folded; he believed the mysterious words of his Master, “on the third day he will rise again”. St. John did not need to see Jesus. It was enough that his body was no longer in the tomb.

In the same way, Simeon, years earlier, had been satisfied at seeing and holding in his arms a tiny baby: “Now Lord you can let your servant can go in peace. Your word has been fulfilled.” Simeon did not need to see the child advance in wisdom, age and favor to carry out his saving mission. It was enough that he had come into the world to fulfill the promises so long awaited. Simeon died and waited among the just. How glad he must have been when Jesus triumphantly threw open the gates of heaven: “I knew it was just small a matter of time!”

John had waited those three days with Mary who knew how to believe the impossible with God. “Three days, we will see him again. It is just small a matter of time.” They did see Him. We see a figure in a nativity scene, but we believe that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we too shall see his glory when the time comes. 

A Day For Those Who Pray

Today we remember an event passed down to us through tradition – the presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple. The stories passed down through tradition reflect the earliest years of Mary’s life were much like Samuel’s of the Old Testament. Anne and Joachim were childless, which was a sign of disgrace in that culture. They prayed to God and He answered their prayer by giving them Mary. At the age of three, Mary’s parents, Anne and Joachim, took Mary and presented her to God at the Temple, where she remained until (or shortly before) her betrothal to Joseph.

Artists have long painted this scene with a joyful Mary climbing the fifteen steps to the temple, where the high priest waits in astonishment at her mature demeanor for such a little child – her footsteps are graceful and sure and she doesn’t look back. It is also said she danced with joy in God’s presence once she reached the top. Her parents see her off at the bottom of the steps, faces full of joy and gratitude for their child, yet laced with sorrow at the parting.

Today is also the day dedicated by the Church to celebrate World Day of Cloistered Life, an ecclesial event for all Catholics to commemorate the hidden lives of cloistered and monastic religious. Like Mary, cloistered religious have left all to dwell in the house of God and seek His face on behalf of His people. Some wonderful ways to honor the event include prayer (participating in a novena, offering up Masses, etc.), encouragement (writing letters to contemplative communities, visiting them, calling to thank them, etc.), and giving material support (financial and in-kind donations).

A few years ago at a general audience in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis reminded the Church, “Let us give thanks to the Lord for the powerful testimony of cloistered life.” He also urged the faithful to lend their spiritual and material support to these brothers and sisters of ours “so that they can carry out their important mission.” Our community is grateful for all of you who have so generously supported us with the generous giving of prayers, time, talents, and treasure. We humbly ask for your continued support, as you help make possible the life we live for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. Deo gratias!

Prayer in Support of the Cloistered Life

Eternal Father, We praise and thank you for those sisters and brothers who have embraced the gift of the cloistered and monastic life. Their prayerful presence is indispensable to the Church’s life and mission, and is the foundation of the New Evangelization. As we celebrate World day of Cloistered life, let us honor the holiness and glory of the Blessed Virgin. May she, who was presented in the Temple, intercede so that many young people might dedicate themselves entirely to Your divine service by hidden lives of contemplative prayer and selfless sacrifice. May all of us be mindful of the spiritual and material needs of those who commit their lives to seeking God by fixing their gaze on those things which are eternal. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

How We Spent Our Summer Vacation, Part 5: The Labor Day Week Finale!

Each year around Labor Day, we have the privilege and joy of extending hospitality to one of our Dominican friars, Father Luke Buckles, O.P., before he returns to the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) in Rome, where he is a professor of theology. This year, as part of his visit, we were treated to a two-session seminar on Dominican and Carmelite mystics. Father wove together insights from St. Catherine of Siena, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. John of the Cross. One common thread that emerged was the unity of life bestowed by grace in the lives of the mystics. Each of these Doctors of the Church experienced a profound sense of God’s presence at every moment and in every circumstance, whether sacred or mundane.

While we make think that mysticism is too lofty for everyday life, Father reminded us of a few lessons from these great saints: St. Teresa of Avila taught her sisters that prayer is never interrupted by charity. If one is called out of choir to help a sister in need, there is no break in one’s prayerful union with the Lord. St. Therese of Lisieux found heaven in doing little, mundane tasks, such as picking up a pen from the floor, with great love for God and neighbor. St. Catherine of Siena is famous for her discovery of the “interior cell,” in which she constantly dwelt with God even in the midst of a crowd.

And to quote another Dominican, Meister Eckhart, we are challenged: “Don’t go around doing holy things. Make everything you do holy!”