Today we celebrated the Feast of St. Placid and St. Maurus. Our chapel was lovely with an icon of St. Placid, patron of our monastery, surrounded by red vigil lights. It made me think of all the gifts we bring to community, and how we share them with each other and with the larger community. The gift of creativity, of making beautiful things and making our surroundings beautiful, is without price. Beauty helps us to pray, to be fully present, to celebrate.The closing hymn at Eucharist was "Sing a New Church," text by Dolores Dufner, OSB of St. Benedict's Monastery, St. Joseph, MN. The refrain is--
"Let us bring the gifts that differ
and in splendid varied ways
sing a new church into being
one in faith and love and praise."
Thanks be to God for each person's gifts, and the way we share them!
Beauty is a magnet- drawing people forward, toward it. Our chapel is a place where we readily see the beauty of God's wondrous world and its seasonal changes, just outside the windows. And it is so inside, too. I particularly like how the candles reflect off the windows, which are double paned. I saw at least eight glistening globes last night as I contemplated the painting of St. Placid, created by Sister Ebba, one of the two who departed this world before I entered the community. Thanks for writing, Sister Dorothy! Sister Monika
ReplyDeleteI have always been drawn to beauty, and until attending St. Martin's I was always a little ashamed of that. I was not trying to be shallow but I was drawn to God's grace portrayed in beauty --although growing up I did not realize this. Thank you for sharing.
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