Week of September 29-October 5
Elisabeth Meadows, OSB, Sacred Heart Monastery, Cullman, AL
Grounded
Yesterday, I walked up to our small Lourdes grotto to show Sr. Therese a ground hog burrow I had discovered the day before. (The ground hog is pictured at left, but difficult to see against the earth). As we watched one of the family members peer at us from within his earthen home, I realized this was a good image for earth day, this day of gratitude to God for the gifts of such a beautiful home, its bountiful fruits, and the many other created beings who share this earth with us.
You might say that every day in a monastery is earth day, or better yet, “heaven and earth day” as we daily bring fruits of the earth to the Eucharist to be consecrated for our spiritual sustenance. Also, the Rule of St. Benedict, with its sensible, often earthy, guidance, keeps us grounded in the daily, practical realities of living and working on earth, even as we seek our spiritual home in God. Here at the monastery, nothing happens on an earthly plane that does not have an underlying spiritual dimension. Eternal truths underlie our day-to-day incarnate lives.
As the seasons of earth unfold, the liturgical cycle grounds and roots us in transcendent events from the earthly life of Christ. The cycle also connects us with the saints, those holy men and women who lived exemplary spiritual lives in the midst of the challenges and joys of existence on our earthen home.
Our liturgy is filled with recurring expressions of gratitude for the countless gifts God has given us, including this beautiful earth. Every day is a good day for the canticle of Daniel –
Let the earth bless the Lord...
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord...
Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord...
Seas and rivers, bless the Lord...
All birds of the air, bless the Lord...
All beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord...
Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord...
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.
Sister Elisabeth Meadows is a Benedictine Sister at Sacred Heart Monastery in Cullman, AL. She directs the community's retreat center, serves in several other roles within the community, and finds great joy in the 'everyday' of monastic life and in the great gift of sharing life with her sisters in monastic community.
