Dear Family Members, Friends, and Benefactors,

Blessed Easter to you! The spring has finally arrived and there are many gifts of grace which we would like to share with you at this time. In this post you will find:

An Easter Reflection: The Good Shepherd
Prayer Corner: Elijah - Prophet of Carmel - “By the Brook Cherith” (We pick up once more with the narrative of Elijah’s Journey.)
Construction Update
Around the Monastery: In the Greenhouse

Please know that we are deeply grateful for your friendship and support. As construction begins once again for the year, we hope to make these posts to keep you updated and to provide you with material for prayer and reflection. We pray for you! And may God reward you for all the good you do for us.

Blessings and Peace,

The Carmelite Hermits

An Easter Reflection: The Good Shepherd

"I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep." (Jn 10, 11).

Anonymous, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Jesus closes the Passover meal in typical fashion: he and his disciples sing the Hallel Psalms as they make their way to the Mount of Olives. While walking with his friends along the way he tells them that "You will all fall away from me tonight, for the scripture says: I shall strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered." (Mt 26, 30).

This is exactly what happens when Jesus is crucified. The shepherd of the flock is struck and all his sheep scatter. Judas betrays his shepherd, Peter denies him three times, and his other disciples would flee for dear life. Only Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and John the beloved disciple would remain at the foot of the Cross. As Jesus is led to the slaughter like a lamb that is silent, the other sheep no longer hear his voice and for fear run each in their own direction. They will eventually attempt to find safety behind the locked doors of the upper room where they had celebrated the last supper with their master and teacher on that fateful night before his death. Others would leave Jerusalem altogether having hoped but hoping no more.

After three days the good shepherd rises from the dead and he is now ready to gather his straying flock. He will appear first to Mary Magdalene and the other women who will be commissioned as apostles to the apostles, announcing the resurrection of the Lord. The message of these women to the other disciples is: "He has risen from the dead and now he is going ahead of you to Galilee; that is where you will see him." (Mt 28, 7). The voice of the good shepherd can be heard in the witness of these women. The shepherd is calling out to his flock. He is going before them to pasture his sheep in Galilee. He will gather his flock back together now as he finishes his earthly ministry and goes to the Father. Jesus will watch over his flock from the right hand of Majesty and the Church, God’s flock, will not be left without a shepherd.

The promise to us is the same as what the disciples heard from the women. You will see him. Does it ever seem that the good shepherd is absent or silent, especially when you need him most? It is at these times that he goes ahead, leading us to a place of better pasturing. This is when we must believe and follow him in faith and love. Our shepherd is good because he laid down his life for us. He did not flee from our sins, from the evil that threatens our lives, from the wolf which wants to destroy the flock. This shepherd did not run, but went and laid down his life for us. There is no greater love than this.

Psalm 23 is especially consoling as we consider the love of our good shepherd. It says everything:

"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. In grassy meadows he lets me lie. By tranquil streams he leads me to restore my spirit. He guides me in paths of saving justice as befits his name. Even were I to walk in a ravine as dark as death I should fear no danger, for you are at my side. Your staff and your crook are there to soothe me." (vv. 1-4).

There are many times when we have to travel through dark valleys: times of suffering and hardship, of sickness, and the experience of death. In these moments we must believe that the good shepherd is by our side. He will not leave us to ourselves. Take time in this season of Easter to reflect on the presence of the good shepherd in the Resurrection narratives. See all the different places where he shows up: at the tomb, on the road to Emmaus, the upper room, and the sea of Galilee. Notice all the different people to whom he reveals himself: Mary his Mother, Mary Magdalene, the other Women, his disciples, and the Eleven. He gathered his little flock together after they were scattered by the tragic horror of his death on the cross. What does he say to us? We who are so often scattered by life's events? Jesus, the Risen Lord, says: “be not afraid, little flock! I care for you and will gather you up into my arms and take you to heaven where you will have a life that never ends.”

Prayer Corner

- Prophet of Carmel -

“By the Brook Cherith”

In past articles, we introduced the prophet Elijah and witnessed his initial encounter with Ahab, the king of Israel. He confronted the king for his infidelity to the Lord and announced a devastating drought. He has become a national threat and so God will provide him a means of escape: the Lord will hide his prophet in the brook Cherith…

Departure:

The first command that Elijah receives after his encounter with King Ahab is to:

“Depart from here and turn eastward…"(1 Kgs 17, 3).

God instructs his prophet to leave the scene of confrontation and to find a solitude which the Lord will show to him. Elijah begins a journey of faith with the Lord very much like the journey that the patriarch Abraham had made long before him in the land Canaan. The father of the Hebrew peoples was led out of his homeland of Ur into a country which he did not know. The journeying in itself in these instances of salvation history is a kind of divine pedagogy by which God teaches trust in his loving care. Elijah will begin his first lesson in abandonment to Divine Providence. In cases such as these, God never permits the use of roadmaps (imagine no GPS!). The word of the Lord is guide enough! There are many figures in the Old Testament who had to travel in such a manner.

Moses in his flight from Egypt to Midian, for example, comes to mind immediately. Moses seeing the plight of his people and witnessing firsthand the injustice of Pharaoh’s policy of oppression against the Hebrews, stands up to an Egyptian aggressor caught in the act of beating one of his own. Moses kills the unnamed Egyptian, hiding him in the sand. Fearing retaliation on the part of Pharaoh, Moses ventures into Midian, northwest Arabia, where he will spend 40 years. In other words, he will go East. This will not be lost time for the future leader of God’s people. It will be a time of learning: he will marry, begin a family, wait for God’s direction, and become a shepherd. Solitude is time away from all that is familiar. It is space in which God and his unfamiliar ways are contemplated. It seems that all God’s prophets come to recognize the following truth:

“…my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the lord...” (Is 55, 8)

Before moving on from the example of Moses and his personal plight, it is worth noting God’s attentiveness. God attends not only to Moses but also to the whole Hebrew nation. Moses could not hide from God just as Adam and Eve could not hide from God. Divine solicitude seeks out the lost and the frightened. God overcomes our fear by coming to us. God made the human person (you and me) for himself, and he knows each one of us intimately – we are fearfully, wonderfully made (cf. Ps 139). God knows us and follows all our movements. We can never escape him because he enfolds us in his love and surrounds us with his presence:

“Where shall I go from your spirit? or where shall I flee from your presence? if I ascend to heaven, you are there! if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! if I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” (Ps 139, 7-10)

Elijah must now place himself in the hand of the Lord his God, who will lead him. God’s right hand and the strength of his grasp are images of his ability to act powerfully in the lives of those under his watchful eye. To be spiritual, one must realize that you can never be outside the all-encompassing presence of the Spirit. Heaven is not high enough, Sheol not deep enough, not even the expanse of the Seas or the distance of lands on the face of the Earth can separate us from the presence of God. This is important to understand because a three-year drought is about to begin in Israel. God will not fail his prophet. The Lord will provide. God has Elijah covered.

Elijah does not flee out of fear. That will come later under the threat of death coming from Queen Jezebel. Now as the prophet of Carmel begins his journey to Cherith, he responds in obedience to the Word of the Lord which has come to him. Elijah has already declared himself to be the servant of the Lord. God is the One before whom he stands. That he is the servant of the Lord is proved true by his “immediate and meticulous obedience to the divine word.” (New Jerome Biblical Commentary, 1 Kgs 17, 2-7).

God Provides Because He is the Lord:

“Elijah by the Brook Cherith” by Washington Allston, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

As we follow the story of Elijah, we will notice how his journey will correspond in certain aspects with Israel’s time of wandering through the wilderness – the forty years during which God taught, and formed his people into a holy nation (i.e., a people who obeyed his word). When the people murmured in the desert against Moses and Aaron about the lack of food, Moses would complain:

“…what are we? Your murmurings are not against us but against the Lord” (Ex 16, 8).

So, the complaint about the want of provisions in the desert was ultimately directed against God – a demonstration of the people’s lack of faith. God responds:

“I have heard the murmurings of the sons of Israel; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat flesh, and in the morning, you shall be filled with bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God” (Ex 16, 12).

The drought which Elijah has now called upon the land of Israel is a divine utterance. God speaking through the mouth of his prophet brings about this time of hardship. He will make Israel a desert land (…and the desert will become a Carmel – “a garden wilderness”). It will become a classroom in which faith and trust in the Lord alone are learned. Will Ahab and the kingdom of Israel turn to God in their time of want, or will they turn to the Baals? In the meantime, Elijah demonstrates in his person the proper attitude – confidence and adherence to God’s command with simplicity and trust. He takes up his place by the wadi Cherith, he dwells there, and drinks from the brook while the ravens feed him “bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening”. Most importantly, the prophet did not complain although the food was brought to him by animals which were considered under Hebrew custom to be unclean. Elijah teaches us to trust and to wait in solitude. God provides by mysterious means. He will not allow his faithful servants to go without the necessaries of life (natural and supernatural).

Construction Update

Welcome back to our updates on the hermitage chapel! Construction has begun for the year. And we are picking up where we left off…

For the past couple of weeks the contractors have gradually resumed work on the construction site. The first major task this year is the installation of the beautiful Italian marble columns and arches in the sanctuary and the nave of the chapel. In preparation for the installation of the arches in the sanctuary area, a sturdy scaffolding base was erected to support the marble pieces as they are installed. When fully built, the arches will be self-supporting. Until then the additional support is needed.

In the second image above, we see the careful measuring and marking needed to ensure that the arches are placed correctly. The margin for error is…zero.

Elsewhere on the chapel, the masons continue to build the outer walls of the structure. The builders will add onto this wall after the nave arches are installed, meanwhile it provides a unique look… a work in progress!

Please continue to follow these updates in the coming months. This is going to be an exciting year.

Donate to the Chapel

Around the Monastery

In the GreenHouse

I was once told a joke that has remained with me for many years in the monastery and still makes me laugh when I think about it. A friend asked me: “How many seasons does Minnesota have?” I responded, “four” and then named the typical seasons in our area of the country: spring, summer, fall, and winter. My friend responded in turn saying, “there are four seasons all right, but in Minnesota they are called: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road work!”

As winter attempts to stick around for a little longer here in Minnesota, we are springing into action. Hopefully, you enjoyed the initial photos above of the work which has begun on our chapel construction. In addition to all that labor, there are the chores which are part of the ebb and flow of life in the monastery. Br. Gardener is hard at work in his greenhouse and here are some photos capturing what he hopes will be the fruits of his labors later in the summer and fall (i.e. the seasons of road work and almost winter).

Brother is in the background potting plants, while his seedlings grow under artificial lights for the moment.

Brother is waiting for it to warm up before he puts the plants out in the garden. Meanwhile, the plants wait patiently indoors.

“Now be patient, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. Think of a farmer: how patiently he waits for the precious fruit of the ground until it has had the autumn rains and the spring rains!” (Jas 5,7).

This is great advice for anyone. Good things come to those who wait! God bless you all! May the Risen Lord fill you with his joy!

Blessed Easter! Construction Begins!