April 5th is fast approaching!

To anyone interested in exploring the possibility of a Dominican Vocation ..

whether to our Brothers, our apostolic Sisters, our Lay Dominican brothers and sisters, or ourselves the nuns ...

Doesn't it look interesting? 

Who are these people? 

What do they do? 

What is so attractive about being a Dominican? 

And what does OP stand for? 

Did you know the Dominican Family is as expansive as it is?

Why not consider having your questions answered, by coming along to the day and meeting some of us?

Do be sure to get in touch beforehand, as places are limited, and we can get to know you a little before you come.

Dare to Believe?

Inspiration ...

Next Sunday's Gospel from Matthew speaks about 'your virtue' going 'deeper than that of the Scribes and Pharisees.'  This is prompted a very interesting reflection just a while ago, as Sisters in our Community shared a little, the words of this Gospel with which they have been praying during this week.

You will remember that in Luke's Gospel, when the sisters Martha and Mary welcomed the Lord to their home, Mary sat at his feet and listened to Him (cf Lk 10:38-42).

Well, the connection in my head and in my reflection was that Jesus is our virtue - God is our virtue.  We believe and we know that the source of all goodness is in God ... in fact is God working in us, with our free desire to be and to do good.  We are not by any means puppets or marionettes!  But the thought that came to me was simply that Goodness, and consequently virtue and wisdom, along with all that we associate with God ... is a Person: is personified in God Himself.

How amazing!  Jesus, then, is telling us that He is our virtue and more .. He who is God wants us to possess this virtue - to possess Him.  Almost as though He would like to be a marionette for us, 'our puppet.'  He wants to dwell very deeply within us, within YOU ... you are as essential as that to Him.  

Why?
LOVE.  The love of the Lord is utterly mind-boggling, that He would make Himself small enough to fit inside us. 
It is a very amazing gift to have been called like Mary, to sit at His feet and listen to Him.  And when we listen, sometimes what we hear is overwhelming.

Maybe it would be worth giving Him a little extra thought ... who knows?  He might whisper that He loves you; and from where we are here, in the monastery, it seems as though there are not enough of us giving Him the chance to do just that:  and very very very many of us need to hear it. 

Who doesn't like hearing how precious they are?

5th Sunday of the Year

 

LIGHT for the World

... YOU!

 

This morning in all the readings at Holy Mass, we heard that the effect and the fruit of all our acts of charity is light.

And throughout the books of the Bible, we come across this idea or image of light as being always something by which we can see the truth, see in truth. 

Light and truth, then, go together ... and when we meet Jesus, at last, in the Gospels ... and when we are aware of His nearness to us in our own lives - we know that Light and Truth are a Person:

the One who is our God.

 

So, God who is Light, is also the Creator of all light, and in this morning's Gospel, Jesus said to His disciples:

 

"You are the light of the world ...

No one lights a lamp

to put it under a tub ..."

 

These words are very striking and powerful if we put God in the place of the "one" who "lights a lamp," because in doing so,

you see ...



 

YOU are the lamp He has lit - YOU are the light of the world ...  God did not 'light' you up so as to hide you under a tub!  God created you to shine, and to shine for everyone.

 

So, it seems that in a world where belief in God is not often highly regarded and is at times even scorned - for us who believe, Jesus is setting before us an invitation and a challenge. 

 

 

We are to believe fearlessly and unashamedly in the Light - Light that is Him, and also Him in us.  We have been so filled with Him that He cannot be contained in us.  He dares us to know, to believe and to accept, that despite all the sin and imperfections, He has made us to shine for His glory:

for His love embraces all our weakness

and fear and makes us to shine ever more

brightly,

offering to us and to everyone around us life, hope and divine love.

 

 

      

 May the LORD grant us to dare

     to do and to be

        goodness:

     in a world that seems

     overwhelmingly attracted

      to darkness and to death.

 

     May the Light who is Christ,

     the Light in us who is Christ,

    grant us to see the way of Truth

    and hold fast to His promise

     of light and life without end.