We believe passionately that God has given us a mission: to draw others to know and experience in their lives the love of God in Christ. Sharing this “Good News” is at the center of our call and our life. In our chapels and retreat houses, and our online teachings, we hope to offer a still point in the midst of the chaos of contemporary life. We hope that as you explore these pages, you’ll find “Good News” that will help you live authentically, responsive to God’s call of love.
Mary’s Brain – Br. Lain Wilson
“Of all the young women God could have chosen, God chose Mary. And what is the first thing we find out about her? That she hears the angel’s news, is perplexed, ponders over his words, and questions him. The first thing we find out about Mary is that she responds to God by using her own God-given faculties of reason and intelligence.”
Br. Lain Wilson celebrates how, like Mary, what we offer back to the Lord is our unique response to God, our unique way of bearing God into the world.
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SSJE at CAROA Gathering
Brs. Luke and Lain, along with our novice Jamie Nelson, attended the CAROA Gathering in Duxbury, MA in late October.
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Humility, Allowing Our Hearts to Soar – Br. Curtis Almquist
“We are people in need, all of us and all of our lives. Remembering that, practicing that will invite the gift of humility to grow. Along the way and in the end, humility is giving up.”
Br. Curtis Almquist invites us to fall into humility, which is our true human condition.
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Saturday Workshops Return
It’s great to be back with Saturday workshops. Missed Br. Curtis last week on “Loving Listening?” Register now for “Silence and Solitude” with Br. David on 11 Nov.
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Everyday Saints – Br. Lain Wilson
“Jesus doesn’t quantify or set thresholds. Blessed are those who mourn great and small losses. Blessed are those who broker peace on the global stage and around the dinner table. Jesus calls us to respond to whatever life gives, whether it seems earth-shattering or insignificant, with the quiet, confident, persistent faith that what we do in this life and how we do it matter—that there is a connection between this life and the next.”
On the Feast of All Saints, Br. Lain Wilson urges quiet confidence that we are reaching toward the saints in imitating their lives (even on the tough days), and that they are reaching back toward us in prayer.
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The Good News of Hope – Br. James Koester
“In the face of everything that is going on: the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East; yet another mass killing, this time in Maine; the inability of Washington to function; and the very deep divisions in this country, never mind what may, or may not be going on in your individual life, it is no wonder we may feel hopeless.”
Br. James Koester remembers that no matter how hopeless we may feel, there is hope in the promise that God seeks us even in the very worst places of our brokenness and decay.
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Back to the Basics – Br. David Vryhof
“So how are you doing? Would you characterize your love of God as ‘wholehearted’? ‘all-encompassing’? ‘unconditional and sacrificial’? If not, what’s holding you back?”
Br. David Vryhof takes us back to basics and the heart of our faith, rooted in love.
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Becoming Whole; Becoming Holy – Br. Curtis Almquist
“We wake up each morning on a mission to bear the beams of God’s light, and life, and love as only we, uniquely, can do. It’s why we are still alive. Which turns life into such an amazing adventure. This is the core meaning of “sanctification”: living our lives according to God’s unique design and purpose for our life.”
Br. Curtis Almquist marvels at the true meaning of our life-process of sanctification.
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Everything You Do Matters – Br. Lain Wilson
“We, each of us, have put on the uniform of the Church, have clothed ourselves in Christ, and we can’t take it off again in this life. Everything we do matters.”
On the Feast of James of Jerusalem, Br. Lain Wilson encourages us to consider what it means that we have clothed ourselves with Christ.
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Holy Meltdowns – Br. Jim Woodrum
“How often do we project the very things we don’t like about ourselves onto our neighbors—judging them, punishing them, and stripping them of the dignity bestowed on them by God? How often are the motives of our neighbors lost on us, and our impatience lost on them? When feeling triggered by another’s actions, it may serve us well to step back and look at the bigger picture to see if there is anything we’re missing.”
Br. Jim Woodrum considers God’s mercy and the ways that we, in the legacy of Moses and Jesus, mediate it to others.
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