A Monk is NOT a spiritual 'superman'.
He is - a very ordinary person.
It is only that God has given him
the grace of a 'vocation',
Now this gift of grace may be described as
a divine 'invitation' or 'attraction',
and it usually begins to make itself felt
only gradually and vaguely.
Even he who is receiving it
can be very uncertain about it.
It is by living his Christian life in real earnest
that a person allows this divine call
to grow stronger and more compelling.
But what fosters its growth most of all
is to pray about it.
If you think you might have a vocation to be a monk,
seek advice preferably by contacting a monastery.
If you can answer 'yes' of the following questions there is a real possibility that you might have a vocation
Do you want―
to give your whole life to God?
Even though you might not be able
to understand fully what that means―
is that what you feel?
Do you want―
to draw closer to God?
to respond as fully as possible
in making your life all that He wants it to be?
to love Him with all your mind and heart and strength?
Do you feel that your present way of life
deprives you of time and energy
you would like to have
for prayer, wider and deeper reading,
Mass and Communion?
Would you like a way of life
designed under God's inspiration
and guaranteed by the Church
to help you in all these things?
The monastic life in the Cistercian Order
is centred around the community Mass
and the "Prayer of the Church",
and a daily arrangement of
spiritual reading and instruction,
private prayer
and work - principally farming by which we earn our living.
Cistercian monks follow the Rule of St. Benedict,
and live essentially. the same kind of life;
all have the same basic rights and duties―
both spiritual and temporal;
everyone is simply a member of a monastic family,
everyone is simply a monk.
Do you think you could fit into such a family,
and such a way of life?
Are you prepared to withdraw from the world?
to get down each day to regular periods of prayer?
to live in an atmosphere of silence?
to try to develop the habit
of turning your mind and heart to God?
To whom more is given, from him, more is expected.
Therefore, a monk is NOT
running away from life's responsibilities,
in fact, by his vows, he is undertaking
a far greater obligation to strive throughout life
to grow in likeness to Jesus and so draw closer to God.
He is undertaking the responsibility
of developing a ready willingness
to accept to the fullest
the share God wishes to give him
in the Redeeming Passion of Jesus Christ.
The sacrifices asked of human nature
by the monastic life are great,
but God is not outdone in generosity.
The reward he has promised, even for this present life,
is a hundredfold.
A peace and contentment that the world cannot give;
a sense of playing a part
in the life and growth of the Church;
a sense of personal fulfilment―
of living a truly meaningful life
of union with God's will, of security in his love.
A monastery is NOT a sad and miserable place. It is a peaceful place, a happy and cheerful place.
Joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
We do not take a Vow of silence.
We have a Spirit of silence
This spirit of silence however,
is rightly regarded as
a special characteristic of the Order,
since, in one way or another, it covers the whole day.
Nevertheless, during our normal day,
there are many times when a monk may speak.
Education to at least school-leaving age is necessary.
But 'common-sense' is what is required
rather than 'intelligence'.
There is ample scope however,
for the satisfaction of any intellect,
in the study of philosophy, theology, etc..
if one is so inclined.
A monk does NOT have to know Latin―
the liturgy is sung in English.
We do not practice extremes of fasting and austerity.
Although our life is austere,
any normally healthy man is quite able for it.
And though we do not eat meat and the diet is plain,
it is sufficient in quantity and quality.
A Cistercian monk is not cut off absolutely
from his family; they may visit him
three or four times a year, and,
for serious reasons, he may visit them at home.
A Cistercian monk is not confined
to a narrow enclosure; his work takes him out
into the fields and woods of the monastery.
Finally
the contemplative' life means
aiming at a spirit of recollection
and is best described as :
a growing habit of seeing all things in life
as God sees them,
and of acting always in harmony with His divine will.
It is―
a gradual surrender of one's every thought and action
to the secret influences of the Holy Spirit.
Let us now close by adding that
a vocation has the nature of a 'seed'.
It will grow and come to fruit
if we care for it.
It will fade and die away if we neglect it.
God will not insist, it is a free invitation of love.
Only a free response of love can satisfy it.
For further information please write to Father Abbot (Vocations),
Sancta Maria Abbey, Garvald, Haddington, EH41 4LW, Scotland
Following a set back in Ahasia, it is remarkable to enable from the Roman Mass as a therpathy in the cognition and new understanding from beautiful graphics, Latin language of Rubrics and Text of the Canon.
There is a wonder to the genius of the classic Litugists.
As example:
The Holy Mass – Dom Eugene Vandeur OSB, Maredsous Abbe, revised 1953.
ON every page of this small book, theology, history and symbolism point to one practical consideration. It is this: there is no more important work than Holy Mass ; that is why we must take part in it more fervently and more often.
There is no greater action than Holy .Mass. Every time it is celebrated it carries on the work of our redemption: opus nostrae redemptionis exercetur.
“Grant, we pray Thee, Lord, that we may worthily and often take part in these rites, for each and every offering of this memorial sacrifice carries on the work of our redemption”.‑ That is a wonderful prayer and a complete theological synthesis of the "mystery of faith."
Souls of such nobility have at all periods been honoured with the name of Christian. And if there are several ways of training up such characters, true Christian souls, for our part we know no more certain, more direct way than intelligent assistance at the holy sacrifice of the Mass with its complement of Eucharistic communion which effects by the power of God that one real union which is strength.("Where there is no Mass there is no Christianity." - St. Vincent Ferrer?).
Cardinal Bona
CHAPTER IV
The Celebration of Mass
The Sacred Vestments
The Holy Mass – Notes on the Liturgy
Eugene Vandeur OSB 1956
A few words more concerning the symbolism of the sacerdotal vestments.
The sacred vestments are intended to remind us of the different sufferings and insults endured by our blessed Saviour at the different stages of His passion. They are likewise intended mystically to signify the different virtues which should adorn the life of a priest.
The Church instructs us on this subject through the prayers which she bids priests to say while they are vesting. As we have said, the priest at the altar is the substitute of Jesus Christ. In order to appear worthily in the presence of God the Father and before the heavenly court, his soul ought to be adorned with the virtues of Him whom he represents.
As a new Jacob, wearing the garments of Esau the first-born, he will appear before the heavenly Father; and God will be pleased again by the sweet-smelling savour that rises up from the heart of His only Son hidden in this priest.
The Amice, which covers the head of the priest, represents the humanity which conceals the divinity of our Lord. For our eyes could not look upon the splendour of the Sun of Justice unless concealed by the veil of His humanity. Therefore, when the priest receives it he kisses it and puts it upon his head, and is reminded of the most sacred humanity of Christ.
The Amice also signifies that the priest should have his mind occupied with the consideration of eternity and the things of heaven, and should keep it disengaged from all transitory cares and fortified with hope and confidence in God, as with the helmet of salvation against the attacks of the enemy.
While the celebrant is putting on these vestments he begs from the Lord the virtues which they call to mind. As he puts on the amice : Put on my head, Lord, the helmet of salvation, so that I may withstand the onslaughts of the devil. This helmet is the symbol of Christian hope, so necessary to the priest as he approaches the holy Mysteries; never more than at this moment does the devil try to deprive him of his peace of soul, peace of understanding and of heart.
The Alb, which covers the whole body, indicates innocence, simplicity, purity, and the brightness and purity of soul which ought to cover the priest entirely both within and without, and which should shine in all his actions, that he l11ay be holy and immaculate in the sight of God, and prepared to celebrate the divine mysteries,
As he puts on the alb: Cleanse me, Lord, and purify my heart so that washed in the Blood of the Lamb I may come to everlasting joy. The alb is the emblem of innocence. It symbolizes the man who has conquered his unruly passions, and is now worthy, in his innocence, to appear before infinite Purity. For the Lord has said: "He that shall overcome, shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his .name before My Father, and before His angels" (Apoc. iii. 5).
The Girdle designates the chastity which ought to shine so resplendent in a priest. As a figure of this, God formerly ordered those who ate the lamb to gird their reins; and Christ Himself says, "Let your loins be girt" (Luke xii. 25) . Christ, moreover, appeared to St. John in the Apocalypse girt with CL belt of gold, doubtless to give us to understand how necessary it is to purify all our affections, and to overcome carnal love by spiritual love, which is the gold of charity.
As he puts on the girdle: Gird me, Lord, with the girdle of purity and quench in my loins all lustful desires, so that the virtue of chastity and continence may abide in me. The girdle is the emblem of mortification. It is mortification which ensures innocence of life. Without it a priest is not a minister of Jesus Crucified, for "they that are Christ's have crucified their flesh, with the vices and the concupiscences " (Gal. iv. 24).
The Maniple, with a cross upon it, which the priest kisses and puts on his left arm, shows the grief and penitence wit h which he ought ever to bewail his sins. It signifies also the mortification of the flesh and of the spirit, and the humility requisite worthily to approach the altar. Moreover it typifies the future reward of goo d works, as the psalmist sings: "Going they wept, casting their seeds, but returning they shall come with joy, carrying their sheaves." (Ps, cxxv. 6, 7).
As he puts on the maniple : May I be worthy, Lord, to bear the sheaf of tears and sorrow so that I may with great joy receive the reward of my toil. Whenever the priest goes up to the altar he ought to renew the resolution he took on his ordination day to exert himself, to sacrifice himself for souls. The sacrifice of Calvary that he is about to renew recalls to him every morning that great rule of priestly self-sacrifice.
The Stole, which is put upon the neck and crossed over the middle of the breast, shows that the priest must live united with God, and in some measure bound to Him ; moreover that he must bear his cross patiently for God's sake, that he must subject himself in all obedience to the divine law, and bear God's yoke with cheerfulness, always keeping in mind those precepts of God by which these things are commanded.
As he puts on the stole: Give back to me, Lord, the stole of immortality which I lost through the sin of our first parent; and although I am 'unfit to approach. thy holy mysteries grant that I may yet win everlasting joy. The stole is the emblem of immortality. The priest who puts it on should be mindful of the glorious ministry that he is about to carry out. His holy office transports him, so to say, into glory before the Majesty of God, to the eternal Priest, Jesus Christ our Lord. If he would be united to the eternal sacrifice of the Only and Immortal Priest according to the order of Melchisedech, the priest, in celebrating, must rise to this great height.
The Chasuble, which is more splendid and costly than any of the other vestments, is put on over all the rest as a symbol of charity; for charity excels all other virtues, and gives to them their perfection, and is the fulfilment of the divine law. As charity is twofold, regarding both God and our neighbour, so the Chasuble is divided into two parts. As charity produces various emotions in the heart - joy at the thought of God's infinite perfections, gratitude at the thought of His benefits, and sorrow at the thought of our sins and the sins of others - so the Chasuble is of different colours, according to the various seasons of the year and the different festivals.
As he puts on the. chasuble : Lord, who hast said: My yoke is sweet and My burden is light; grant that I may bear it in such a manner as to obtain Thy grace. The chasuble is the symbol of charity, emblem of the love of God and of our neighbour. In sacrificing the Divine Victim the priest resolves to become holy himself, to make others holy. Holiness is the fruit of charity. Now charity is carrying out the laws of God. We must love this yoke, this burden of God.
Such arc the chief virtues which are signified by the sacerdotal vestments, and which the priest should bear in mind whilst he puts them on and recites the appointed prayers.
Cardinal Bona, The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, B O & w, London 1903.
Vesting Prayers in Latin and English
Cassock
Dominus, pars hereditatis meae et calicis mei, tu es qui restitues hereditatem meam.
O Lord, the portion of my inheritance and my chalice, You are He who will restore my inheritance.
Fascia
Praecinge me, Domine, cingulo puritatis, et exstingue in lumbis meis humorem libidinis; ut maneat in me virtus continentia et castitatis.
Gird me, O Lord, with the cincture of purity, and quench in my heart the fire of concupiscence, that the virtue of continence and chastity may abide in me.
Washing Hands
Da, Domine, virtutem manibus meis ad abstergendum omnem maculam ut sine pollutione mentis et corporis valeam tibi servire.
Give strength to my hands, Lord, to wipe away all stain, so that I may be able to serve Thee in purity of mind and body.
Amice
Impone, Domine, capiti meo galeam salutis, ad expugnandos diabolicos incursus.
Lord, set the helmet of salvation on my head to fend off all the assaults of the devil.
Alb
Dealba me, Domine, et munda cor meum; ut, in sanguine Agni dealbatus, gaudiis perfruaresempiternis.
Make me white, O Lord, and cleanse my heart; that being made white in the Blood of the Lamb I may deserve an eternal reward.
Cincture
Praecinge me, Domine, cingulo puritatis, et exstingue in lumbis meis humorem libidinis; ut maneat in me virtus continentia et castitatis.
Gird me, O Lord, with the cincture of purity, and quench in my heart the fire of concupiscence, that the virtue of continence and chastity may abide in me.
Maniple
Merear, Domine, portare manipulum fletus et doloris; ut cum exsultatione recipiam mercedem laboris.
May I deserve, O Lord, to bear the maniple of weeping and sorrow in order that I may joyfully reap the reward of my labors.
Stole
Redde mihi, Domine, stolam immortalitatis, quam perdidi in praevaricatione primi parentis: et, quamvis indignus accedo ad tuum sacrum mysterium, merear tamen gaudium sempiternum.
Lord, restore the stole of immortality, which I lost through the collusion of our first parents, and, unworthy as I am to approach Thy sacred mysteries, may I yet gain eternal joy.
Dalmatic (Deacons and Bishops)
Lord, endow me with the garment of salvation, the vestment of joy, and with the dalmatic of justice ever encompass me.
Chasuble
Domine, qui dixisti: Iugum meam suave est et onus meum leve: fac, ut istud portare sic valeam, quod consequar tuam gratiam. Amen.
O Lord, who has said, ‘My yoke is sweet and My burden light,’ grant that I may so carry it as to merit Thy grace.
William has been very closely connecting my Holy Land Chronicle and he uncovers the H. V. Morton's classic, "In the Steps of the Master". My brother recalls how Morton's book was read in the community refectory reading in the monastery in the 1950s. The hospitality, we enjoyed the monastic guesthouse 2004, seems to re-echo the same welcome that H.V. Morton experienced at Tabghe.
Now I know from whence the engraved stone came... (Morton, page 204ff)...
"The most beautiful spot on the shore is a bower of trees and flowers known at Tabgha....when I awakened on the first morning and looked at the Sea of Galilee, I felt such an unutterable sense of peace and so great a detachment from the world".... and then he writes of the discovery of the little Roman church of the Loaves and Fishes.
With the treasure you brought me beside me, to bed to dream.
William goes on:
PS...
Holy Sepulchre
I so enjoy references to and excerpts from your Holy Land Chronicle on your Blog... I am still reading H V Morton, absolutely fascinated! I found reference (page 51) to the Chapel of the Apparition of Jesus to His Mother, and a lovely comment (page 49) that "only in the chapel of the Franciscans is there that chastity of decoration". To bring your Chronicle and Morton's journey alive, I have been onto "google earth" (now that I have broadband), and visited Jerusalem and Galilee. Resting on the book by my bedside is the engraved stone from Galilee and the Emmaus pebble, treasures!
You must so often relive your memories.
From: William.
The previous note on the Apparition of Jesus to His Mother by the Franciscan, Fr. Eugine Hoad, can be appreciated by Pilgrims to the Holy Sepulchre.
The latest Edition of the Dominican Archaeologist, Fr. Jerome Murphy-O'Connor's, "The Holy Land, An Oxford Archaeological Guide", names the chapel as that of St. Mary Magdalene.
“In the C4 the area north of the rotunda was part of the Patriarchate; buildings one room deep surrounded an L-shaped courtyard, and all the cast-west walls at ground level are Constantinian. In the C:11 the courtyard was transformed into the chapel of St Mary Magdalcne (John 20: 11-16) [15 J with its narthex [16] from which one passed via a two-column entrance into a small atrium [17]. The atrium was reduced to virtually nothing in the C 12 when the Crusaders erected a stairway leading to what is now Christian Quarter Road; its monumental entrance, whose decoration is identical with that of the main door of the Holy Sepulchre, is still partially visible (D in fig. 11) from the street”. (See Plan. Fig. 14. The Holy Sepulchre . . . 15. Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene, 16. Franciscan choir, 17. C11 atrium).
This text is only some inkling of the knowledge of Fr. Jerome. I learned too late of his regular each week archaeological walks on the ground of the Holy Places.
His activities from Ecole Biblque continue. Most recently Fr Jerome Murphy-O'Connor was invited to the Pauline Year 2008–2009 » Diocese of Westminster. His lecture, “The Life of St Paul”, can accessed in the Video at www.rcdow.org.uk/paul/
We celebrate the feastday of Blessed Maria Gabriella Sagheddu.
April 22nd.
Booklet published by Trappiste, Vitorchiano (VT), Italia. December 2006.
ISBN 978-88-6139-002-7
Chronology
17.3.1914 - Birth at Dorgali (Nuoro)
22.3.1914 - Baptised in the parish of St. Catherine 29.3.1924 -Receives First Communion
31.5.1931 -Receives Confirmation
1932-33 - After the death of her sister Giovanna Antonia, she is "converted" completely.
30.9.1935 -Arrives at the Trappistine monastery of Grottaferrata
5.10.1935- Enters as a Postulant
13.4.1936- Receives the monastic habit
31.10.1937- Makes temporary vows
18.4/29.5.1938 Spends 40 days in the St. John'sHospital, Rome
23.4.1939- Dies in the monastery infirmary at Grottaferrata
25.1.1983- Beatified by Pope John-Paul 11
Principal books published
M.G. DORE, Dalla Trappa per l’Unita della Chiesa, Suor Maria Gabriella, 6thed., Morcelliana, Brescia 1983
B. MARTELET, La petite soeur de t'unite. Marie Gabriella 1914-1939, Mediaspaul, Paris 1984
P.BELTRAME QUATTROCCHI, A Life for Unity - Sr Maria Gabriella. New City Press, New York 1990
M. DRISCOLL, A Silent Herald of Unity, Cistercian Publications, Kalamazoo 1990. PEARSE CUSACK, Blessed Gabriella of Unity, Cistercian Press, Ros Cre - Ireland 1995
M. DELLA VOLPE, La strada della gratitudine, 2nded., Jaca Book, Milano 1996.
BEATA MARIA GABRIELLA SAGHEDDU, Lettere dalla Trappa, Ed. San Paolo, Cinisello. Bal. 2006
Night Office Reading
BLESSED GABRIELLA APRIL 22nd.
Born in Dorgali, in Sardinia, in 1914, Maria Sagheddu is very representative of the strong shepherd's stock from which she sprang, with all their good characteristics - fidelity, a deep sense of duty, strength of character and intransigent purity as well as their more negative ones - stubbornness, wilfulness and a streak of violence. Her most prominent personal trait as a child and an adolescent was her indomitable temperament, typical of her people.
At the age of 18, a personal encounter with the Lord, the exact circumstances of which are unknown, completely changed her life, leading her to lead a deep life of prayer and to devote herself to works of charity. At 21 she decided to enter the Cistercian Convent of Grottaferrata, near Rome. There her life appears to have been dominated by very few but very essential elements. The first and most visible was gratitude for the mercy that God had shown her in calling her to the Cistercian Life. The second element was the desire to respond to this grace with all her strength. After her profession she was inspired to offer her life for Christian Unity.
The impulse came from a request for prayers and spiritual offerings for this cause during the Prayer for Unity Octave, of which Fr Paul Couturier was the great apostle and guiding spirit. Sr.Maria Gabriella had never studied the problem of separation or the history of ecumenism and, in fact, knew very little about it. She was simply dominated by the desire for Christian Unity. During this time the Convent at Grottaferrata had contact with the Anglican Benedictine Abbey of Nashdom which still possesses a card signed by Sr.Gabriella during her final illness.
The fatal sickness that assailed her twenty-three year old body on the very day of her offering (up until then she had always enjoyed perfect health) brought her to her death after fifteen months of suffering. On April 23rd. 1939, her long agony ended in total abandonment to the will of God. It was Good Shepherd Sunday and the Gospel proclaimed: "There will be one flock and one_shepherd.”
Prayer for Blessed Gabriella.
Lord God, eternal Shepherd,
you inspired the Blessed Virgin, Maria Gabriella,
generously to offer up her life
for the sake of Christian unity.
At her intercession,
hasten, we pray, the coming of the day when,
gathered around the table of your word
and of your Bread from heaven,
all who believe in Christ
may sing your praises
with a single heart, a single voice.
Through Christ, Our Lord. . .
Given the blessing of having several months in the Holy Land it is not to be sure that the focus must be on the Holy Sepulchre. The Plan of the Basilica lists from 1 to 57 churches, chapels, shrines and unique places One of the places I felt especially, for the frequent occasions drew me there, namely the Franciscan Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. It is only to think about the worldwide Franciscan of pilgrims in the Holy Land inevitably find the warm welcome by the Friars.
In the Franciscan Chapel, one of the moving traditions at Easter time is the memory of The Apparition of Jesus to His Mother.
Around the Holy Sepulchre was the garden of Joseph of Arimathaea where, on the morning of the resurrection where Mary Magdalene was searching for the risen Redeemer, (Jn 20:1-18). In the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, the FranciscanChurch is known as the Chapel of the Apparition of Jesus to His Mother. Of the apparition the Gospel does not speak, but longstanding tradition has perpetuated its memory on the Church. The Most Blessed Sacrament is reserved in this chapel and the Franciscan day and night recite the Divine Office here. On the altar to the right is the Column of the Flagellation. This is probably the column that was revered on Sion from the 4th century, but from the 10th century has been in the church of the Holy Sepulchre.
(Eugene Hoade OFM. Franciscan Prinitng Press, Jerusalem) Michael
"Most high, glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my heart. Lord, instill in me a faith that is unerring, a hope that is certain, a love that is perfect; a sensitivity and a knowlegde that I may accomplish your holy and true command". (Prayer before the Crucifix by St. Francis of Assisi)
Christ Appearing to His Mother
Fr. Michael Morris, O.P. Professor of Religion and the Arts, given us an admirable account of the tradition highlighted in the famous painting.
There is no mention in Scripture of her whereabouts and she is not singled out as one of the specific individuals to whom Christ made an appearance. But while the Gospel says nothing, Christian tradition has long taken it for granted that Christ appeared to his mother first. For it is logical that she who had shared most in his passion should also share in his glory. This opinion has been held by the Doctors of the Church and by the faithful at large from the earliest times. In the fifth century, the author Sedulius maintained that in the splendour of his risen life Christ first revealed himself to his mother. For at the annunciation she was the means by which he entered the world; likewise she would be the first to witness his entry into glory. Bathed in that glory of the Risen One, she anticipates the Church's splendour.
According to a popular thirteenth-century work called Meditations on the Life of Christ, the Virgin was alone kneeling in her room when her resurrected Son appeared to her. That is how the artist has portrayed her. But in light of Sedelius' balanced equation of the annunciation with the appearance of the resurrected Christ to his mother, it is intriguing to note that the artist has arranged the composition in a way that has a deeper meaning. The two figures here are posing in the same way as the figures would pose in an annunciation scene. In place of an angel bringing the Virgin glad tidings that she will bear the Son of the Most High, Christ himself stands and brings his kneeling mother the glad tidings of his resurrection. The two events act as bookends of revelation in Mary's life, and the artistic rendering of the scene here evokes that earlier event.
Christ shows Mary his wounds, and she raises her hands in wonder with tears of joy running down her cheeks. She is dressed in blue, signifying her unshakeable faith in God, and her cloak is trimmed with the words of the Magnificat emblazoned in gold: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices [in God my Saviour] For he has looked upon his hand maid's lowliness; behold [from now on] will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me. . .” (Lk 1: 46-49). Above her in the arch, and also colour in celestial blue, floats an angel bearing a crown. The banderole flowing from it has an inscription alluding to a passage found in the Book of Revelation (6: 2): “This woman endured and conquered all; to her was given the crown."
Each of the three panels of the Miraflores Altarpiece is shaped like a church door, arranged as a portal to paradise. Each of the doors is similarly decorated with sculptural flourishes. Painted in grisaille, the decorative archivolts on this right panel painting contain little scenes of episodes in the life of the Virgin: three holy Women with the Virgin, the Assumption, Pentecost, the announcement of Mary's death, the death of the Virgin, and Mary's coronation in heaven. On either side of the arch we see figures standing on pedestals with elaborate baldachins over their heads. On the right is Saint Paul with a sword in his hand, and on the left is Saint Mark with his attribute, the lion, resting at his feet. They are part of an overall decorative assemblage within the altarpiece that evokes the four evangelists along with Saints Peter and Paul who all attest to the resurrection appearances of the Lord. Through the window in the background one can see a landscape in which the resurrection is actually taking place. Christ rises from the tomb as guards lay all around him. And in the distance beyond that, the three women begin their journey to the sepulchre bringing spices to anoint Christ's body. The Blessed Mother had no need to join them. His glorified body was already with her, in this first of over five hundred apparitions made by Christ to his disciples between the resurrection and the ascension.
The Miraflores Altarpiece was painted for the Carthusian monastery of that name which contained a royal mausoleum. Thus the theme of the triptych, the cycle of life, was fitting for a chapel devoted to the dead. And it is to Mary that we pray for help at the hour of our death. That association recalls the words of the late Pope John Paul ll who, at a general audience made on May 21, 1997, spoke the following words:
"Present at Calvary on Good Friday (see Jn 19: 25) and in the Upper Room on Pentecost (see Acts 1: 14), the Blessed Virgin too was probably a privileged witness of Christ's resurrection, completing in this way her participation in all the essential moments of the paschal mystery. Welcoming the risen Jesus, Mary is also a sign and an anticipation of humanity, which hopes to achieve its fulfilment through the resurrection of the dead.
"In the Easter season, the Christian community addresses the Mother of the Lord and invites her to rejoice: 'Regina Caeii, laetare, Alleluia! Thus it recalls Mary's joy at Jesus' Resurrection, prolonging in time the 'rejoice' that the Angel addressed to her at the Annunciation, so that she might become a cause of 'great joy' for all people."
Illustration: Christ Appearing to His Mother (c. 1435),
right panel painting of the Miraflores Altarpiece,
A Monk is NOT a spiritual 'superman'.
If you can answer 'yes'
Finally
For further information please write to Father Abbot (Vocations),
