Christmas ends

Sunday marked the (liturgical) end of the Christmas season and a return to Ordinary Time Monday morning. Our celebrant for Sunday's Mass made a wonderful connection that I had never heard before. He noted that the final scene of the season, the day's gospel, was set at the Jordan River for the baptism of Jesus by John----and that the season had begun in a lowly manger. The Jordan River, he said, is a very small, quite insignificant body of water, hardly ever mentioned in stories or history. Thus, we find the Messiah, Jesus, beginning and ending the season in lowly, insignificant places--among the poor and powerless, not in castles or rich men's palaces. Make your own deductions!

Closer to home, we de-Christmased the monastery Sunday evening, with the welcome help of the seven Canisius students who arrived to spend their winter service week with us. Now we move into a very short period of Ordinary Time--only 4+ weeks.

A number of sisters have been musing in table conversation on whether or not this is the earliest Easter can fall. Answer:Both Wikipedia and the Catholic Encyclopedia agree (!): in modern times Easter falls between March 22-April 25 inclusive. So this year is surely early, but not the earliest.

The chapel poinsettia await "adoption" in offices, bedrooms or other spaces.

Our lone chapel Christmas tree remained beautiful throughout the season and now it has the spotlight all to itself.

Wintry scenes

Here are a couple wintry scenes that caught my eye recently. The first is one of the Horseshoe Pond houseboats that we saw on a ride around Presque Isle State Park, aka "the peninsula," aka "the beach." It just looked so pristine with the large Christmas "wreath" (lights on a buoy) and the quiet water that day.

The second shot was taken right out back, I perched on the patio in sub-freezing temps trying not to laugh so the camera wouldn't shake as I had been told that there were two snowmen in our backyard. O, to be a novice once again (with a helper)!

When we were in the novitiate (all 20 of us) we were taken out of Erie to one of our cottages for an afternoon in early winter. We were expressly told to be careful tobogganing, but of course, although we'd all grown up sledding the hills of Erie, doing such in full length black habits and accompanying veils and "headgear" was another trick. So, down we went over and over again on a mildly-inclined hill until one of us fell off rather awkwardly and, voila, a sprained ankle and the end of our fun day!

Maybe we should have stuck to snowman building.

Finally---snow.

January 1st finally brought us enough snow to look like winter...about 5" already this month, which equals the total of November and December together. Wild winter here!

Indoors we have been greatly blessed with some gorgeous and deeply moving prayer and liturgies over the past week: Vigil prayer and then Mass for New Years/Feast of the Mother of God, a Mass of Christian Burial for the cousin of one of our sisters (attended by over 100 people outside of ourselves who were so very complimentary about our liturgy for their friend/relative), Feast of the Epiphany with so many favorite once-a-year-songs and a special homily on the gifts that "foreigners" bring and the welcoming stance we should have toward them.

Monday morning brings us all back to the "ordinary," which at this point is greatly appreciated!

On the eve of 2016

To end the year, two of my favorite things: Google Doodles and Mary's poems.

"Don't Worry"

Things take the time they take.
Don't worry.

How many roads did St. Augustine follow
before he became St. Augustine?

Mary Oliver, from her new book Felicity.

The week between

The week between Christmas and New Year's Day brings a different pace to our lives. The most obvious difference is that Morning Prayer is at 8:30 am, a full two hours to sleep in! Secondly, a number of sisters have an abbreviated ministry schedule--some go in part time and some just take turns "holding the fort" as the ministry itself is not in full swing. And third, a number of sisters who have family out of town take this time for a 4-5 day visit--and with the weather allowing perfect travel in our part of the country this year--they are stress-free trips!

There are dozens of little holiday arrangements on every free table top. Some are religious, some secular.

Christmas comes to the Mount

The electric train in the community room.

A huge wreath above the receptionist's desk.

A bowl of Christmas tree balls in the hall.

Our lovely community room tree, really the top of a dying tree
from Glinodo.

The children's nativity in a display case. Mary, Joseph and the angel await the baby Jesus. Don't miss the footwear.

The beautiful chapel tree, another Glinodo "top."

The annual Dicken's village.

Stella Steff's ever-growing magnolia tree all lit up
in the inner courtyard.

The community room's manger set.

In the midst of the holiday and holy days celebration--everyday life: Go Cavs!

Our First Snow

FIRST SNOW
by Mary Oliver

The snow
began here
this morning and all day
continued, its white
rhetoric everywhere
calling us back to why, how,
whence such beauty and what
the meaning; such
an oracular fever! flowing
past windows, an energy it seemed
would never ebb, never settle
less than lovely! and only now,
deep into night,
it has finally ended.
The silence
is immense,
and the heavens still hold
a million candles; nowhere
the familiar things:
stars, the moon,
the darkness we expect
and nightly turn from. Trees
glitter like castles
of ribbons, the broad fields
smolder with light, a passing
creek bed lies
heaped with shining hills;
and though the questions
that have assailed us all day
remain-not a single
answer has been found-
walking out now
into the silence and the light
under the trees,
and through the fields,
feels like one.

Our first snow: December 18.

Seven-Mile Creek is running well with the fast-melting snow.