↧
Welcome, Victoria!
↧
"You are an enclosed garden": Upcoming Discernment Retreat
Single Catholic women, ages 18-35, who would like to take a weekend to pray about a possible vocation to the monastic or religious life, are invited to inquire about attending our upcoming discernment retreat, Thurs., Oct. 15 – Sun., Oct. 18, 2015. Experience our life of prayer, listen to talks on prayer and discernment, make use of the opportunity to get to know us, and receive healing through the Mystery of Holy Repentance (Confession). If you are interested in this retreat, or a future retreat or discernment opportunity, fill out the online Vocation Inquiry Form. Space is limited for the retreat, so be sure to fill out the form by October 8. Mother Theodora will call you to talk about availability. With questions, call 440-834-0290 or email christthebridegroom@gmail.com.Visit our "Discerning?" page for the schedule and more information. Or check out the retreat brochure!
↧
↧
Entrusted to God and to the Church
Here are some beautiful words from our bishop's homily:
“Entrusting: what a beautiful concept…on this Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God. Jesus entrusted his good friend, John, to His Mother. He said ‘Here is your mother. Trust her.’ And we know that Mary is that image of the Church, and God entrusts us to this beautiful instutition, organization, family: the Church. And so we do trust and we do have to have that kind of faith, and today is an opportunity for us to entrust ourselves into the hands of: a superior, into the hands of those who have been given to us for support. …We know that Victoria has in the past and will continue to thank her family, and we in the name of the Church thank her family for showing her that right to trust, that ability to trust. [This trust] comes from living in a strong family, or it comes later in life with the grace of God. …We take a moment to be reminded of those to whom we are entrusted. …We thank God for the gift of His Mother, whose mantle is held over us, to show us that indeed it is a mantle of love, a mantle of interest and care for us. And so, how appropriate we do trust, and we indeed want to maintain that newness in our life and not lose that first fervor that is easy to lose. …I am sure that God has great things in store for [Victoria] as she continues her discernment now to determine if in fact this community is where she will find God’s plan for her.”
↧
Life Profession, November 8
 |
| Mother Theodora hands the bishop the scissors at her profession in 2011 |
A stavrophore nun experiences the fullness of monastic life, sharing in the passion, death and resurrection of her Bridegroom. She is given the title of “Mother” to express the fruitfulness of her union with Christ. Before the nun is tonsured as a stavrophore she relinquishes all monies,possessions and property. At this point, the nun is committed to remain for her lifetime in Christ the Bridegroom Monastery. Many people ask, “Is the life profession the same thing is ‘final vows?’” Yes, but Eastern monastics do not make “temporary vows” as other types of religious communities do, so there is no need to specify that these are the “final” vows. To read more about the stages of monastic life, visit the “Discerning?” tab. Please pray for Sr. Cecilia and Sr. Gabriella as they prepare for this serious, yet exciting and joyful day!
Please note: The profession and Divine Liturgy will last approximately three hours (but it will be timeless joy!). Unfortunately we are not able to invite everyone to the dinner reception that will follow, but the Eucharistic banquet is the most important of all!
You are also invited to join us at the Sisters' respective home parishes on the two following Sundays as we celebrate in Thanksgiving for the gift of their vocations!
Mass of Thanksgiving for Sr. Gabriella
Sunday, November 15, 2015
11:00 a.m.
St. Francis de Sales Church
4019 Manchester Road
Akron, Ohio
Divine Liturgy of Thanksgiving for Sr. Cecilia
Sunday, November 22, 2015 (Feast of St. Cecilia)
10:30 a.m.
St. Joseph Byzantine Church
8111 Brecksville Road
Brecksville, Ohio
↧
Congratulations Mother Cecilia & Mother Gabriella!
It's been quite busy here at the monastery this past month, so we are finally getting around to a short post to congratulate our new mothers, Mother Cecilia and Mother Gabriella, who made their life profession and were tonsured as stavrophore ("cross-bearer") nuns on November 8, at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Parma, Ohio. About 500 people joined us to witness this profound moment. Mother Cecilia and Mother Gabriella are happily getting accustomed to being called "Mother," wearing a wedding ring and a klobuk, and growing deeper in union with their Bridegroom, Christ!We plan to post the beautiful pictures soon! Please keep all of us in your prayers! You are in ours. May God prepare your heart for His coming as we approach the feast of His Nativity.
↧
↧
Hot off the Press!
A new design, twice as many pages, and a beautiful reflection from each one of the six members of our monastery about our new steps in monastic life this year. Please enjoy our Winter 2015/2016 edition of Pomegranate Blossoms!
↧
Bearing Christ in the ordinary
I have been reflecting the last several weeks on my call to spiritual motherhood, which made itself profoundly manifest at my profession. The weeks following the profession have been a time of learning from Jesus, through the example of the Mother of God, what it means to be a spiritual mother.In my search to learn more about Mary’s maternity, I was led to pick up a book called The Reed of God by Caryll Houselander, which has been teaching me much about Mary’s example of motherhood. I was pondering Mary’s pregnancy and how we are all called, nuns in particular, to be pregnant with God. We are called to bear Christ to the world, not through extraordinary means, but through the ordinariness of everyday life.
“Yes, it certainly seemed that God wanted to give the world the impression that it is ordinary for Him to be born of a human creature.Not much has changed outwardly in my daily life since my life profession. I still have the same work to do, I still have the same sisters to love, I still must respond ‘yes’ every day to all the calls that Jesus makes. What is different is that I now interiorly have the grace to fulfill my vows to Him, if I just turn to Jesus in every ordinary situation and allow Him to unite Himself to me through the very mundaneness of everyday life. I must surrender in each situation to His will and allow Him to love through me each person I encounter – filled with Him within me and bearing Him, not myself, forth to the world.
Well, that is a fact. God did mean it to be the ordinary thing, for it is His will that Christ shall be born in every human being’s life and not, as a rule, through extraordinary things, but through the ordinary daily life and the human love that people give to one another.” (Caryll Houselander, The Reed of God, ‘Fiat’ p. 18)
“The surrender that is asked of us includes complete and absolute trust; it must be like Our Lady’s surrender, without condition and without reservation.So here is my challenge to you in the final days of the Nativity Fast or Advent: Remember… that it is more important to come bearing Christ rather than gifts to all the festivities you will be attending… that you should share the joy of a life lived in union with Christ along with your Christmas cookies… that you should love each person you encounter in these final days of preparation, from the UPS delivery man bringing your last minute Amazon purchases, to your kids who may do more to hinder your holiday decorating than help. Each of these moments is an opportunity to incarnate Christ, to experience the true meaning of Christmas and to receive the promise of God’s love as Mary did, in the very normalness of life.
We shall not be asked to do more than the Mother of God; we shall not be asked to become extraordinary or set apart or to make a hard and fast rule of life or to compile a manual of mortification or heroic resolutions; we shall not be asked to cultivate our souls life rare hothouse flowers; we shall not, most of us, even be allowed to do that.
What we shall be asked to give is our flesh and blood, our daily life – our thoughts, our service to one another, our affections and loves, our words, our intellect, our waking, working, and sleeping, our ordinary human joys and sorrows – to God.
To surrender all that we are, as we are, to the Spirit of Love in order that our livesmay bear Christ into the world– that is what we shall be asked.” (Ibid, p.19)
Mother Gabriella
↧
Teen girls: you're invited to a sleepover at the monastery, Jan. 16-17!
↧
"Blow upon my garden..." Newsletter Reflection 1 of 6
We published our winter newsletter in December, but if you, dear online reader, didn't have a chance to read our reflections (or were overwhelmed by the number of pages...), we decided to offer them each individually on our blog! So here is the first:
"Blow upon my garden that its perfumes may spread abroad."
Song of Songs 4:16
An Update from Mother Theodora
Our monastery underwent some major transformations from buildings to spiritual formation. When the needed major renovations were in full force from February to July, it seemed at times like a whirlwind of noise and distractions and moved us to seek even more stillness in our hearts in order to hear God’s voice in the gentle breeze (1 Kg 19:12). This stillness is necessary for the perfume of our garden to become concentrated in order to await another breath of God to spread His intoxicating grace within and beyond the monastery.
The Bridegroom’s caressing breeze profoundly affected the monastery’s spiritual development. Jacqui, now Sr. Emilia, and Moki, now Sr. Iliana, have joyfully taken the next step in their monastic vocations and became rasophore nuns (novices) on September 7. Our new dokimos (postulant), Victoria, who entered on September 30, has been an enthusiastic and delightful addition to our family.
It was a glorious and awesome experience of heaven on earth when over five hundred people witnessed Mother Cecilia and Mother Gabriella make their life profession on November 8 at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Parma, Ohio. During the profession, Bishop John gave us a beautiful surprise by officially appointing me as hegumena (abbess) for the monastery. He gave me a pectoral cross he received from Pope St. John Paul II. I can’t describe the joy and excitement I experienced when he placed the cross over by head. One of my greatest joys since then is being able to give a blessing to my daughters every morning and night. I hope that the reflections in this newsletter may be a waft of perfume for you from our spiritual experiences this year.
Our monastic garden is growing, and in order for it to thrive, we need your prayers and financial support to bloom, to be fruitful and to spread its perfume abroad. In addition to our daily needs, we are also in need of additional funds for our renovations which have not been completed due to the cost of unforeseen repairs. We appreciate any financial assistance you are able to give. If you are not able to help us at this time, we sincerely ask for your prayers. Thank you for walking with us in our monastic garden as the Bridegroom continues to blow new life upon it. We thank God and all of you for your faithful love, prayers and support! Be assured of our prayers for you and your loved ones. God is with us!
↧
↧
"For the sake of the joy that was set before Him He endured the cross"
Happy Feast of St. Anthony of the Desert and First Sunday of the Triodion: the Sunday of the Publican & the Pharisee! Newsletter Reflection 2 of 6
A Reflection from Mother Cecilia about her Profession on Nov. 8
After our profession, Sr. Iliana commented to me, “At the beginning of the profession you were very serious, but at a certain point you were suddenly smiley and didn’t stop smiling!” I knew exactly what she was talking about. As I stood before the bishop and responded to each of his questions, “Yes, Master, with God’s help,” I felt the weight of these life-long promises I was making. Then the bishop began to read to us the catechesis that follows his questions. These instructions, too, are very serious. But then the bishop said the following words, and everything changed in my heart:
“Always be sensible and mature, ever inspired by the vision of the good things of eternity, which are the desire of everyone who lives for God. Think of the martyrs and all the holy ones who have pleased God since the world began; think of their sweat and labor, of the blood they shed, and how they obtained these eternal riches only through death. Endure difficulties as a loyal soldier of Christ, for because of us He became poor, and dwelt in our midst so that we might share the riches of His Kingdom.”
At that moment, God held out the Kingdom to me. I understood its immense joy, both in the next life and in this life, for “the Kingdom of God is within you” (Lk 17:21). I wanted to give everything—my whole life and my whole being—to receive this Kingdom. I wanted to sacrifice everything to live for this Kingdom, not only for myself but in order to draw the whole world into it as well. I wanted to give myself totally to the One who was offering Himself to me. I did, as best as I could, and I was filled with incredible joy.
It is monastic tradition to remain in the monastery chapel for five days after the profession, “resting from all work, except reading, and abiding in spiritual contemplation and mental prayer.” When this profound experience of union with my Bridegroom was completed, the first piece of news I heard was about the attacks in Paris. For the first time in my life, it occurred to me that I might be called to be a “red” martyr—to literally shed my blood for Jesus. I realized that the “white” martyrdom of monastic life is training for that. Each day as we “die” to ourselves in the little moments, setting aside our own wills and desires for love of God and others, we are preparing to give the bigger offering of our lives.When I came out of my five-day retreat, or “honeymoon,” I also experienced another reality: I really felt like a mother! I instantly received a great motherly concern and tender love for every person, all of whom are my spiritual children. Monastic life makes even more sense to me from the vantage point of a mother. A mother sets herself aside for her children. She “dies daily” (1 Cor 15:31) for them, and this is her great joy.
Martyrs and mothers teach me so much, but it is ultimately Jesus, my Bridegroom, who will help me to die for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. Just as God held out the Kingdom to me during my profession, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews says, “For the sake of the joy that was set before Him He endured the cross…” (12:2). Jesus’ infinite love compelled Him to run to the cross, and it is only by transforming me into this love that I will be able to be the offering of love that I vowed to be.
↧
A Gaze of Merciful Love
A reflection for the Sunday of the Prodigal Son by Sr. Iliana“And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20).
On the last day of my pre-tonsure retreat, my director gave me one more assignment: to “go and review all that God had taught me during the retreat.” As I sat in the chapel and closed my eyes, I could see the image of the prodigal son and his father. At first I dismissed it because I had not prayed about this parable on the retreat, so I thought it would not be a good “review.” As hard as I tried though, I couldn’t shake the image, so I finally gave up and asked the Lord what He was trying to teach me. There were two things that struck me as I imagined the scene of the prodigal son. I noticed the father gazing at the road, waiting for a glimpse of his son, and I noticed the son turning around to return to his father. I would later realize that this story was the best review possible, since it summarized everything the Lord was teaching me about His mercy.
During the retreat I had given my life confession. I had told the priest everything I had ever done, and in response he told me that I was “innocent and pure.” I was shocked. I realized that somewhere in the back of my mind, in a place I had refused to look, I had never really believed that I had been forgiven. I felt pretty confident that I was absolved of my little weekly infidelities, but I thought that if the priest really knew everything I had ever done, that would be a different story. Yet here I had revealed everything I had ever done and I found a father who saw only innocence and purity. I had found a Father who ran to wrap me in an eternal embrace, who rejoiced at my coming, who saw my return, who saw only through the eyes of merciful love. I could suddenly see myself as the Father sees me – He doesn’t see my sin, all He sees is my return to Him. Even when I was still very far away, He saw me coming and already rejoiced and ran to embrace me.
The Sunday of the Prodigal Son is one of the preparatory Sundays for the Great Fast. Bishop Kallistos of Diokleia says, “Repentance is the door through which we enter Lent, the starting point of our journey to Pascha. And to repent signifies far more than self-pity or futile regret over things done in the past. The Greek term metanoia means ‘change of mind’…repentance implies action: ‘I will rise up and go.’” The word conversion comes from the Latin convertere, which means to turn towards. There is something significant just in that action of turning around, of rising up and going towards the Father.
Pope St. John Paul II said, “From [Christ] we must learn the loving gaze with which he reconciled men with the Father and with themselves, communicating to them that power which alone is able to heal the whole person”(Orientale Lumen). I had always longed to “feel” forgiven, as I was sure the prodigal son had felt forgiven when the father embraced him, but soon I realized that the forgiveness was not in the embrace, but long before. The forgiveness was in his gaze. That’s what made the father run. Living in the knowledge of His loving gaze brought incredible healing to my soul. In the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete we sing, “You see me weeping and You run to meet me, like the Father toward his Prodigal Son.”
↧
"...For the children of the desolate one will be more..."
Newsletter Reflection 3 of 6
A Reflection from Mother Gabriella about her life profession on Nov. 8
A couple months ago, a priest-friend of mine joked about my upcoming life profession, saying, “Your name is going to be Mother soon! I am going to call you ‘Mom’ – and I’m coming to YOU for spiritual direction!” Thankfully he was only kidding, but his words did strike a chord in my heart. It was true! Soon I would be making my life profession and setting aside biological motherhood to fully embrace my vocation as a nun and spiritual mother of priests and of souls.
The more I reflected on spiritual motherhood, the more I felt confident that it was intimately connected with two other realities in my life – being a daughter of God the Father and a Bride of Christ. I realized that I could not give myself fully to Christ without a deep knowledge of the Father’s love for me and that I would have no love to offer Jesus as my Spouse if I had not first received the love of the Father. The gift of spiritual motherhood really seemed to flow from my relationship with the Father and my union with Christ as His Bride, and from this communion, I sensed a great potential for fruitfulness.
 |
| With her Goddaughter, Grace |
The rest of the evening was incredibly blessed, from the greeting line in the church to the beautiful reception where so many of our family and friends gathered to celebrate our profession. As the evening came to a close, I had an opportunity to talk with some of my dear friends, a married couple, who had approached me with a question. They have been married for several years and had trouble conceiving, but through God’s grace they are preparing to give birth to a boy early next year. We stepped to the side and they took the opportunity to ask if I would be the godmother of their little boy! My heart was elated! Due to community constraints, I am not able to be the official godmother, but I assured them that I would be honored to be his spiritual godmother. Then suddenly my eyes filled with tears – Jesus had shown me the fruit of our union! This little boy, who had been conceived through much prayer and patience, was now conceived in my heart on my profession day! I had a spiritual son! Just as surely as I knew I was espoused to Christ, I knew that this little one was His gift to me. God is never outdone in generosity. Thanks be to God for the gift of my vocation and spiritual motherhood!
↧
Aleteia article makes a fitting conclusion for our Year of Consecrated Life!
The Year of Consecrated Life, which the Catholic Church has been celebrating since November of 2014, concludes today on the Feast of the Encounter of Our Lord with Simeon (the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple). It has been an epic year for us, as Mother Theodora wrote about in her newsletter update, with major renovations, our first fundraising event, two Rasophore tonsures, the entrance of a new dokimos (postulant), two life professions, the appointment of Mother Theodora as Hegumena (Abbess), and more!
And today this beautiful and fruitful Year of Consecrated Life comes to a close, but not without a finale! Enjoy this article published today on Aleteia.org about our monastery. And keep us in your prayers as we find out what God has in store for us this year, and as we seek to persevere and remain faithful to Him!
↧
↧
A bit of Super Bowl Sunday fun with nuns...
In honor of Super Bowl Sunday, we wanted to share a bit of our "experience" playing football. In this video, you will witness what we learned from a dear priest-friend about the virtue of fortitude through the analogy of football. Using the technique "repel and drive," we represent literally the need to "repel" off the temptations of the devil and use that momentum to "drive" forward towards Christ. Also, when we do fall because of sin, we must always "fall forward" so as to lean into Christ to gain those "extra yards" in perseverance and grace. (Note how well Mother Cecilia illustrates this technique!) Perhaps these techniques will help us as we begin the Great Fast tonight!
↧
Before we step into the desert
Today is the first day of the Great Fast, and in exactly one month from today I will turn 30, the age of Jesus when He began His public ministry. And before Jesus began this ministry, the Spirit led Him out into the desert for 40 days where He was tested by the devil. So as we begin the Great Fast, which commemorates in part these 40 days of Jesus in the desert, I am putting myself in the shoes (or sandals, I should say...) of the Son of God who came and put Himself in mine by taking on my human nature.A friend pointed out to me recently that after Jesus was baptized and before He went out into the desert, He heard the voice of the Father saying, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased" (Lk 3:22). What consoling, strengthening words! In the devil's temptations of Jesus, he challenged Jesus' trust in the love of God the Father and of Jesus' identity as His Son. The Israelites were tested in the same way during their 40 years in the desert, but they failed in their trust in God. Jesus did not.
Jesus heard the Father's words of love and did not doubt them, and He remained faithful in the desert. If Jesus, the Son of God, needed to hear these words, how do I think that I can remain faithful to God without accepting these words? How can I step into the desert of the Great Fast, or even step any further into the desert of monastic life, if I do not pause and simply let God love me? If I continue to think that I have to earn God's love, that I have to do the right things in order to be pleasing to Him, or that I am not of priceless value just as a child of God, then how will I not succumb to all of the devil's temptations?
Before I can fast, I need to know God's love for me in a deeper way. Fasting is not what draws God's love to me; the poverty of my humanity and my existence as His child does that. Before we step out (or step further out) into the desert of Lent, let's give God a chance to speak these words to us in the unique way that He speaks to each of our hearts: "You are my beloved son (or daughter); with you I am well pleased." And then our fasting will open us even more to His love and mercy.
Mother Cecilia
↧
The Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, March 10 in Parma
Thursday, March 10The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
1900 Carlton Rd. Parma, OH
5:00-5:45 Dinner in the St. Nicholas Room (see signs)
6:00-9:30 Great Canon in the church, including the reading of the Life of St. Mary of Egypt and the veneration of her relic and the opportunity for the Mystery of Holy Repentance (Confession)
Facebook Event
Join the nuns of Christ the Bridegroom Monastery in a deeply-moving, once-a-year Lenten experience on Thursday, March 10, at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, 1900 Carlton Rd., Parma, OH. The Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete takes us on a journey through the entire Bible, placing us in the shoes of the penitents of the Old and New Testaments and teaching us from their examples. The hundreds of prostrations unite our body and soul as we repent of our sins and experience God’s mercy. We will also listen to the life of St. Mary of Egypt and venerate her relic. The opportunity for the Mystery of Holy Repentance (Confession) will also be available. A simple Lenten meal will be served 5:00-5:45 p.m., and the Canon will begin at 6:00 p.m. All are invited to come for part or all of the Canon, even if you are not physically able to participate in the prostrations. The duration of the Canon is approximately 3.5 hours. Please RSVP by Monday, March 7, to 440-834-0290 or christthebridegroom@gmail.com so the nuns know how much food and how many booklets to prepare.
↧
"And you will be called by a new name..."
Newsletter Reflection 4 of 6A reflection from Sr. Emilia about her tonsure as a rasophore nun, Sept. 7, 2015
"And you will be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD will give" (Isaiah 62:2).
While on my retreat the week before I was tonsured and given the name Sr. Emilia, I realized that the theme of my retreat was “the Father’s gentle love.” As I prayed with Scripture, talked with my retreat director and sat in the presence of God the Father, allowing Him into wounds and areas of my heart I had never opened before, I began to be filled with healing and the awareness of how loved I am. A while before I left for retreat, I had to give Mother Theodora my three name requests and I struggled with deciding which one to choose as the third name. My heart greatly desired Emilia, but it was already my name because it was the name I took for my confirmation. I just couldn’t write it down…but oh, how desperately I loved that name! So I left it up to God. I prayed, “I took that name at confirmation, so if You want me to be Emilia, You have to tell me by inspiring Mother Theodora to choose it without me requesting it!” I wanted the Father to name me. He did!
Since my retreat, the Father has not ceased to show me His particular love for me. So many connections have arisen with the name Emilia. I chose it in eighth grade to honor my mom. She had died just months before I was confirmed, and that was the name she had chosen for my youngest sibling if he had been a girl. Secondly, I chose that name in eighth grade in honor of St. Emilia, the “Mother of Saints,” and also in honor of Pope St. John Paul II’s mom, whose name was Emilia. I love the connection of the name with motherhood, because I love children and a huge part of my heart is full of motherly love for them. The day of my tonsure, I also found out that Bishop John’s mom was also named Amelia. As he said my name for the first time, tears streamed down my face because of all of the ways this name has always been God’s name for me. A huge part of my retreat was about how motherhood will be fulfilled in my heart as a nun, and then I received that name and all of these motherhood connections haven’t ceased coming up. God spoke to my heart in a clear way the day of my tonsure, letting me know that He had chosen me years before and that I was His.As I sat to write this article, I reflected on Bishop John’s homily from the tonsure. In his homily, he was talking about our tonsure and about motherhood. What he said touched my heart in a very special way: “It is truly a blessing for a bishop to receive two daughters, two spiritual daughters…Someday, I look forward to calling you ‘Mother’ and realizing how marvelous your vocation is to be not a biological mother, but in truth a mother, not circumventing nature, but expanding on it–expanding on your nature to indeed give life; give life to those who come to the monastery, who come to realize the glory of God.” He went on further to express that not every nun who makes the step into novitiate will necessarily conclude that step, but that we (the Church) hope and pray for each sister in formation, that God-willing she will become “Mother” someday.
“Ask the Father to speak your name. The Father can say your name like no one else. When the Resurrected Jesus said, ‘Mary,’ she recognized Him instantly. Listen for His voice. One whisper from the Father can change everything, just like it did for Mary” (Neal Lozano, Abba’s Heart).
↧
↧
Eternal Memory, Regis Strohmeyer
Mother Theodora's Father, Regis Strohmeyer, fell asleep in the Lord on Wednesday, February 24th. Below is the funeral information, taken from his full obituary. Regis was the father of 11 children, Mother Theodora being the 5th. Please keep Mother and her family in your prayers! May God grant eternal repose to the soul of His servant, Regis.
The family will receive friends from 4PM-8PM on Monday, February 29 at Lane Family Funeral Homes, Mineral Ridge Chapel, 1350 N. Canfield-Niles Rd., where closing prayers will be held on Tuesday March 1 at 9:30AM. Funeral Liturgy will take place Tuesday, March 1, at St. Mary's Byzantine Catholic Church, 356 S. Belle Vista Ave., starting at 10AM. Interment will follow at St. Mary Catholic Cemetery.
↧
The Sunday of the Cross: Our “pacer” for our goal of union
A Reflection from Victoria for the Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross
As supposed lovers of Christ, it must seem to many an absurd tradition for us to even look upon a crucifix, much less venerate (kiss) one. Isn’t a cross, without the murdered body of Our Lord, enough to remind us of His sacrifice? Do we really need the added, gruesome detail of a bloodied, naked corpus? In the Canon at Matins every Friday, we express the anguish felt by the Theotokos: “Seeing Christ sacrificed on the cross as a lamb, His Mother cried out: O long-suffering and eternal Son, where has all your beauty gone?” Imagine the awful sight it must have been for the Bridegroom’s own mother to have momentarily lost perception of His beauty.
The crucifix should be embarrassing. This is when Jesus, the Anointed One, who was expected by the Jews to come in waging war, emerging victorious, appears to be at His weakest, most human moment. Yet therein lies the beautiful sacrifice of our King! At any time He could have snapped His fingers, descended from the cross, and sent all around Him into the pit of Hell. Instead He chose to be in the muck of humanity, to take on every aspect of being human…even death…even a humiliating, public death. He nailed our sins to the cross and yet we struggle to even look at the scene. Our attention should certainly be on the crucifix, a constant reminder of our goal to climb up onto the cross with Him, our nuptial bed. If we truly want to be in union with Him, this means union in every way. As Catherine Doherty wrote, “Christ occupied one side of the cross—you must be crucified on the other side. From its height, you will get a first glimpse of the land of love.”
Now, it may seem that to venerate the cross the third Sunday of the Great Fast is a bit…premature. He won’t be crucified for nearly four more weeks! But as we sing during Matins this Sunday, “Today we have the joyous veneration of your life-giving Cross as a foretaste of your holy Passion, which you endure to save us, O Christ our God and almighty Savior.” So you could say this feast does something to whet our appetites, to really help us hunger to reach out and take Christ’s hand on the cross. Often, however, I view this feast as more of a reminder, a time to refocus on our goal. If any of you have ran a marathon, you’re familiar with “pacers.” These are the people who run the marathon at a much slower pace than they’re actually capable of running, holding up a sign with a time on it. If you stick with the “3:50” pacer, you’ll finish in 3:50, etc. In truth, though, I find the pacers real job to remain peppy, encouraging, and ever-optimistic. They strike up conversations with runners, cheer them on, and remind them of all the intense training they went through to prepare for this very moment. This is how I see the crucifix on the third Sunday of the Great Fast. I hear our Bridegroom calling down to me, “Keep it up! Run the race! Keep your gaze fixed on Me, purge yourself from sin, and we will forever be one.” Then I get to respond to that call with a big old smooch and a renewed zeal to take on whatever cross He wishes for me to bear.
I encourage you all to gaze upon the crucifix today with new eyes. Examine our Savior’s face, touch His wounds, and fall in love. Let Him be your “pacer,” constantly calling you on to keep running the race. Know that He is the best of all pacers because He never leaves your side and always desires to whisper words of encouragement into your heart.
↧
Discernment Retreat, April 21-24
"You are an enclosed garden my sister, my bride” (Song of Songs 4:12). Single Catholic women, ages 18-35, who would like to take a weekend to pray about a possible vocation to the monastic or religious life, are invited to inquire about attending our upcoming discernment retreat, Thurs., April 21 – Sun., April 24, 2016. Experience the life of prayer at Christ the Bridegroom Monastery, listen to talks on prayer and discernment, make use of the opportunity to get to know the nuns, and receive healing through the Mystery of Holy Repentance (Confession). See the Retreat Brochure for the full schedule and more information. If you are interested in this retreat, or a future retreat or discernment opportunity, fill out the online Vocation Inquiry Form. Space is limited for the retreat; be sure to fill out the form by April 11. Mother Theodora will call you to talk about availability. With questions, call 440-834-0290 or email christthebridegroom@gmail.com.
↧