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 Farm, Pine County, John Ilg, pastel on paper, 2023 Monday, December 18, 2023 Daily Prayer Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Isaiah 60: 1-3  MINNESOTA ADVENT by Kathy Fleming, OblSB Advent time has a beautiful simplicity to it that reminds me to turn again toward home, a coming back to self. It is the only time of the year in Minnesota that always coincides with the change in seasons outside my doorstep. The trees are bare, and the winter garden is asleep. Winter snow has yet to fall. Cold and darkness draw me inside and slow my comings and goings. Night comes early bringing with it a vague longing. This season holds for me a rare time of “expectant” waiting. A waiting in new awareness. Even during the rush of the season around me, there is a part of me removed, an inner standing back as I watch and wait. It seems that in Advent I can cease my restless, spiritual wandering and, just for now, set it aside. I am able to rest in the knowledge that I am, “right now, right where I am supposed to be.” My spiritual “journey” that is so integral to who I am during the rest of the year is now just set aside. For me, Advent is a time of action and inaction. It is a time to make lists and cookies, and just sit and watch the snow fall. It is a time of warm fireplaces and hot chocolate; a time to reconnect with friends and hold family close. For me, it is a time to embrace time and wait with beautiful music and time-honored readings. It is a time when favorite passages lead me once again to become reacquainted with myself. During Advent, it is enough to just wait in the fullness of certain anticipation. It is a time to rest in the knowledge that Christ will come to all once again at Christmas. This anticipation is always rewarded. It makes Advent a time of certitude that I never feel during the rest of the year. In Advent, I again come into step with the natural world, with the Church’s year, and with myself. As each Advent candle is lit, I am carried steadily forward into the light and warmth that is just there for me. No need to strive, to work to deserve it. Once again, the quiet coming of Christ at Christmas is real for me in a special way. And just for now, I know where to find the face of God that I work so hard to know during the rest of the year. And so, in certain expectation, I wait. Schedule a Personal Retreat or Spiritual Direction  Benedictine CARE Wellness Program: How to Nutritionally Thrive this Holiday Season In one of our most recent emails, we talked about the Holiday Diet Blues together. How joyous anticipation fills the air as we all stand on the starting line of another holiday season with several weeks of navigating parties, comments from relatives, influences from co-workers, and a constant supply of left-overs! Oh, those left-overs! Keeping our health front of mind during this time can often feel more burdensome than nurturing, making it reasonable that we'd rather "sit it all down" until January. But what if there is a comfortable way to continue practicing Stewardship of our bodies without it creating internal conflict? In keeping with our Benedictine CARE spirit to focus on what to add versus restrict, let's talk through a few tips together. These tips all support better blood sugar regulation, digestive health, and immune support. Focus on what to add this holiday season 1. Don’t skip breakfast: Too often we think we can make up for indulgences the night before by skipping breakfast. Skipping breakfast sets you up for what is called ‘compensatory eating’. This could contribute to you eating more later in the day and increasing cravings for more sweets and treats by early afternoon. 2. Make breakfast really count: During the holidays, there are manytimes of day when you have less say on what is served, making it harder to find options that include produce. Start your day off with a nutrient-rich breakfast that is fiber-rich, balanced with protein and healthy fats, and lots of produce; get fruits and vegetables in early since you probably won’t get enough later in the day; have a breakfast blend made with kefir or Greek yogurt + flax + frozen berries, peaches, and cherries + fresh baby kale and/or spinach, and mint leaves. 3. Breathe and know that you can reset behaviors during the day: If you had cookies with your lunch, gently wait 3-4 hours before eating again to give your digestion time to work; you can save thousands of calories a day by not constantly grazing on dense holiday foods. 4. When it's been a few hours and you are excited to eat again - eat this first: 1) one servings of fruit or vegetable, AND 2) one additional fiber source (flax crackers, hummus or other bean dip, etc) PLUS a glass of water; fiber reduces the rate sugar is absorbed in our bodies – it won’t negate everything, but it will help you feel full faster and give you some strength to decline that third (or fourth) cookie; and by adding just one serving of produce each time you eat – you’ll automatically ensure a minimum of 4 servings; this becomes significant in helping support your immune system while the sugar is trying to suppress it; and I’ll whisper this part – this effort will help keep you regular (you know how important this is and how fast regularity leaves you as you eat more cheese and cookies!) 5. Give yourself permission to enjoy your traditional family recipes on the actual day of the holiday: Remember Christmas is only 1 day long not 4; I don’t even talk with clients about balancing traditional favorites; you should eat stuffing the way your grandma made it – just make them with as high of quality ingredients as you can; it’s what and how much we eat the 360 non-holiday days each year that matter way more. 6. Get up and MOVE!: Just 20 minutes of light activity right after a meal, like walking or playing catch outside, helps push blood sugar into working muscles bringing insulin levels down. This is the same insulin that makes you feel so sluggish after a heavy meal (it's not the turkey!); even though moving is the last thing you feel like doing, moving is the best thing you can do to help you feel like doing anything else for the rest of the day like playing games with grandkids, digging through old family pictures, and making new family memories - all of those things that the holidays are really about! So this year, focus on what to do rather than what not to do. Learning just a few key things to help you navigate each challenge will leave you empowered, confident, and energetic during this wonderful time of year. This year you can avoid those pesky Holiday Diet Blues progressing to New Year's Day Holiday Diet Regret! Learn More Upcoming Events  SEEING GOD: AN EXHIBIT OF SACRED ART January 15-April 11, 2024, St. Paul's Monastery GallerySacred art contributes to keeping us mindful of God’s abiding presence. The annual Seeing God Juried Exhibit features contemporary artists who work in that spirit. Over the centuries, Benedictines have encouraged women and men who use color, form, sound, and word to express the beauty one experiences in the encounter with God’s own creativity. Their work contributes to keeping us mindful of God’s abiding presence. The Seeing God Juried Exhibit features contemporary artists who work in that spirit. Participation is open to all regional artists able to hand-deliver their work, subject to the conditions and rules outlined below. All are welcome to visit the 2024 juried exhibit from January 15 through April 11, 2024, featuring the work of local artists working in various mediums. For those interested in submitting a piece, submissions are due January 7, 2024. Submissions are due January 7, 2024. All entries will be juried, and only those works accepted by the jurors will be exhibited from Jan. 15 through April 11, 2024. DATE AND TIME DETAILS: January 15-April 11, 2024 LOCATION: St. Paul's Monastery Art Gallery, 2675 Benet Road, St. Paul, MN 55109 CONTACT: benedictinecenter@caroljorgensen $20.00 – Entry Fee CLICK LINK BELOW TO REGISTER: https://benedictinecenter.secure.retreat.guru/program/submissions-seeing-god-2024-juried-exhibit-of-sacred-art/  Loneliness on the Spiritual Journey Facilitators: Lynda Gradert, OblSB Sister Paula Hagen, OSB “A Spirituality of loneliness is a movement from our false self to loving others in Community.”-Ronald Rolheiser, The Restless Heart Loneliness is a personal call from God for your renewed spiritual growth.Loneliness is a human condition that can motivate us to grow closer to God and others. A Christian Community lives and exists by the intercession of its members for one another.- Dietrich BonhoefferFaithful friends are a sturdy shelter. Sirach 6:14“ I am longing, so longing for everything. To talk, for freedom, for friends….I only know that I am longing. “ -Diary of Anne Frank Retreat Goals: Learn the difference between grief and loneliness.Learn to share your experiences of loneliness. Learn how others deal with loneliness. Learn how to make new choices with new ideas. Expectations: Time for lecture, time for silence Prayer, music and sharing DATE AND TIME DETAILS: January 26-27, 2024 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Friday evening session 8:30 a.m.-12:00 noon Saturday including lunch LOCATION: St. Paul's Monastery Art Gallery, 2675 Benet Road, St. Paul, MN 55109 CONTACT: benedictinecenter@stpaulsmonastery.org CLICK LINK BELOW TO REGISTER: https://benedictinecenter.secure.retreat.guru/program/2024-01-25-loneliness-on-the-spiritual-journey/ Ongoing Virtual Events Training the Heart Samuel Rahberg and Peter Watkins 8 Weeks Online. Begin when ready. Cost: $80 This 8-week course explores the big ideas Benedict and Ignatian shared, the practices that made them unique, and the kinds of suggestions that make it all practical today. Want to go deeper? Get personal support and encouragement with 1-hour, one-on-one conversations. Let Sam or Peter personally guide you through the retreat experience. Register here. |
Resources . . . Interested in spiritual direction or a Directed Retreat? Spiritual direction offers a non-judgmental environment for honest sharing about spiritual matters and an improved sense of how God is working in everyday lives. At this time, Benedictine Center spiritual directors are available to meet via phone or via Zoom or Skype. Benedictine Center Spiritual Directors are also willing to work with you to set up a virtual directed retreat (meeting daily for a series of days). Email info@benedictinecenter.org for a free initial consultation or learn more online.  Free Online Videos of Centering Prayer Introductory Program Contemplative Outreach Ongoing A Centering Prayer Introductory Program in five parts was recorded this summer and is available on the Contemplative Outreach YouTube channel. It includes the Centering Prayer Workshop with presenters Keith Kristich, Patricia Clough, Adam Gordon and Irene Chang presenting Prayer as Relationship, The Method of Centering Prayer, Thoughts and the Use of the Sacred Word, and Deepening Our Relationship with God, respectively. Parts 2 – 5 are four continuing sessions including Q&A, a time to pause the video for 20 minutes of Centering Prayer and a video by Fr. Thomas Keating. This Zoom-enabled program was sponsored by Contemplative Outreach and the Centering Prayer Introductory Program Service Team. Begin the program here.  Lectio Divina in the Ritual: Wellbeing App Kathleen Cahalan Ongoing Kathleen Cahalan is offering daily lectio divina practice with one of the lectionary readings on Ritual: Well-being. More information on how to download the app. Of Related Interest. . .  Mass at St. John's Abbey St. John's Abbey in Collegeville is livestreaming their Mass. You can participate here.  Minnesota Contemplative Outreach Minnesota Contemplative Outreach is an ecumenical group of women and men volunteers ministering together to support and nurture the practitioners of Centering Prayer in Minnesota. We do this by providing teachers, sharing resources and building community. At this time when we are not able to gather regularly in person, they are offering regular times for Centering Prayer and other resources online. www.minnesotacontemplativeoutreach.org Mission The Benedictine Center shares the monastic heritage of St. Paul's Monastery with all who seek to live with the Gospel as their guide. Donate info@benedictinecenter.org www.benedictinecenter.org 651.777.7251 |
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