Prayer Quote from your Prayer Fraternity

We may think we have never heard God speaking to us.   But he has been talking to us from the moment he spoke the word that created us....  From our birth to the present, he has been putting thoughts in our minds and desires in our hearts.   So whether we realize it or not, all of our prayer is really a response to God's initiatives.

 

Prayer, then, is an opening to God, who wants to speak with us.   We want to encounter him so that he can engage us in conversation.   If that is to happen, when we pray we must first make ourselves aware of God's presence.  Coming into God's presence is like looking up from reading the newspaper and noticing your best friend has entered the room.  He has been sitting by the fireplace, desiring a visit.  You say his name and acknowledge his presence.  Then you begin to converse with him.

 

(This quote comes from  Everyday Encounters with God,  by Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R. and Bert Ghezzi -- it appeared in the Aug. 31st  Living Faith  daily devotional.) 

Prayer Quote from your Prayer Fraternity

All Christian prayer is basically the experience of being filled with the Spirit, and so, in any talking or thinking about prayer, we should fix the spotlight firmly on the Spirit, not ourselves.   In Romans 8: 26-27, Paul puts it this way: "We do not even know how to pray, but through our inarticulate groans, the Spirit Himself is pleading for us, and God, who searches our inmost being, knows what the Spirit means."

 

This experience of prayer, of being filled with the Spirit, increases our capacity for wonder and our capacity for understanding the transcendent potential of our own being.   There is a sense in which we can say that before prayer our principal conviction about reality is of its limitations.   We see everything in its transient dimension passing away from us.   We feel ourselves caught in the unavoidable cycle of birth and death.   But after prayer, our principal conviction about ourselves and the whole of creation is of the infinite capacity in everything to mediate the wonder and splendor of God.

 

A marvelous thing then happens.   With this growing sense of wonder at God's power within us, there comes an ever-deepening awareness of the harmony, the creative wholeness that we possess, and we begin to feel that we know ourselves for the first time.   But the truly transcendent nature of this discovery is that we do not begin to appreciate our own personal harmony alone, but we begin to experience it as a new capacity for true empathy, a capacity to be at peace with others, and indeed at peace with the whole of creation.

 

(This quote is taken from the book, Word into Silence, by John Main, OSB. The book is published by Continuum Publishing Group -- New York -- 2004. The quote is found on page 13.)

What is your prayer -- for forgiveness?

 

A  METHOD  OF  PRAYER  FOR  FORGIVENESS 

A recent book by Paula Pearce, SFO, published in 2007 by St. Anthony Messenger Press is PRAYERS FROM FRANCISCAN HEARTS.   On page 75 in that book, Sr. Mary Veronica Ceniza, O.S.C., shares a method of praying for the gift of forgiveness.   She shares:

 

"During the singing or recitation of the Our Father in the Divine Office and most especially during Eucharistic celebrations, I silently and sincerely insert the name of the particular person that I need to forgive or that needed to forgive me.  After the phrase, 'forgive us our trespasses as we forgive....',   I attentively insert the name of the person.  I continually repeat this practice.  Then the time just comes when I already feel that I no longer have to do it for I already feel peace in my heart with regard to this person, however near or far from me physically.  I may not have forgotten what and how the incident happened, but my reaction is no longer pain or anger or whatever negative emotion used to follow each time it was remembered.  I have attained the peace my heart desires.   Then later, at any time of the day or night that I pray, I continue to praise God and sincerely bless the person concerned." 

Assumption Abbey celebrates 60 years!!

 

 

60 YEARS OF BEING BLESSED & BEING A BLESSING!!!

 

 

Our Franciscan Prayer Fraternity is situated on property belonging to the Trappist monks at Assumption Abbey near Ava, MO.   We read snippets of the foundation of the Abbey in the 60^th anniversary booklet:

 

It was Joseph Pierson, a newspaperman who started the first overseas edition of the Chicago Tribune at Paris during WWI, and his wife, Josephine (Lily), who offered their 3400 acre property in the rough "hills and hollers" of the Ozarks to New Melleray Abbey (near Dubuque, IA) if they would begin a contemplative monastic foundation there.  Mr. Pierson had seen and was impressed with the ancient monasteries in Europe and had also been inspired by reading Thomas Merton's Seven Storey Mountain.

 

New Melleray Abbey accepted the gift and the first six monks arrived on September 24, 1950 to begin the foundation here. The early monastery was the 3-story hunting chalet that Joseph Pierson and his sons had built on the property during WWII. The name Assumption Abbey was chosen since in the year 1950 Pope Pius XII proclaimed the dogma of Our Lady's Assumption into heaven.

 

Over the course of these 60 years the monks supported themselves first with farming efforts: raising sheep, a dairy, orchards and vineyards.   They soon learned that these Ozark hills were not well suited for such.   Utilizing the sand and gravel found in plentiful supply in the local creek beds, the monks next turned to making concrete blocks.   As that market decreased, they turned their efforts to a very successful venture making fruitcakes.  This continues to be a means of support for the monks today. 

 

This past August 15^th, the Feast of the Assumption, the monks of Assumption Abbey here in Ava, MO not only celebrated their patronal feast, but also celebrated with gratitude the 60^th anniversary of their founding. The retired bishop of Springfield/Cape Girardeau diocese, Bishop John Leibrecht, D.D. was the main celebrant for the Mass.  Present for this special celebration was one of the daughters of Joseph and Lily Pierson, Mrs. Mary Garrick, and two of her sons, Fr. David Garrick and George Garrick, pictured above with the bishop and Fr. Cyprian, the Superior of the Abbey.

 

In his homily at the Mass, Bishop Leibrecht quoted the 1^st reading from the Book of Revelation which spoke of God preparing a place for Mary.   He then spoke of how Mary has prepared and guided and watched over this place, Assumption Abbey, for the past 60 years. He remarked how a place has also been prepared on this property for the hermit sisters at Nazareth Hermitage, one section of the land, as well as our Franciscan Prayer Fraternity which occupies another corner of the property.

 

Bishop Leibrecht spoke of many of the monks he has known in the 20 years that he has been associated with the monks.   He told the story of his first visit to the monastery when he was greeted by Fr. Donald (Hamilton) who threw his arms wide and said: "Welcome to heaven, Bishop!"    More recently, visiting Fr. Donald who now resides in the Ava Nursing Home,  Fr. Donald exclaimed: "Welcome to heaven!"    Bishop Leibrecht encouraged all of us gathered to see the places where we reside as our heaven here on earth.

 

On this 60^th anniversary of the foundation of Assumption Abbey, the Franciscan friars here congratulate our Trappist monks on the peace of heaven they have created here in the Ozark hills.   May God richly bless and guide your next 60 years!

Lutz Woodworks Provide Gift

A wonderful gift was bestowed upon our Prayer Fraternity in early August with a donation of cabinets for the sacristy in the friary and the utility room in the guest wing. Fr. Francis' sister, Betty, her husband, Charles, and their son, Greg, own a commercial cabinet firm, Lutz Woodworks, in Wylie, TX.

 

Last year, while visiting Fr. Francis and our community, Betty and her husband decided it'd be good to add cabinets and a table top with a sacrarium in the sacristy and other cabinets and storage closets in the utility room. The cabinets were made, and then delivered and installed August 9-10.

 

In the picture above is Brad Ford who came with his wife, Rhonda, and did the installation.  We offer a big voice of THANKS to the Lutz's for their gift to our community here. We also thank Brad and Rhonda for sharing our community for a couple days as they installed the cabinets.

　

What is your prayerbook?

A comment overheard from a pastor who was on retreat here recently:

 

"I told the people of the parish as I was leaving that one of my primary prayer books during my retreat was going to be the parish directory.  I also told them that if they weren't in the directory and wanted to be prayed for, they needed to get their names to me ASAP.   Several did!"

 

This is a quite novel idea for prayer on retreat, but offers something for all of us to think about for our daily prayer time and possibly a number of other moments in our lives, etc.  It felt like something that needed to be shared ... a great thought!

Prayer Quote from your Prayer Fraternity

This PRAYER QUOTE for August is wonderfully written by Patricia Sanchez as part of Preaching Resources for the past 17^th Sunday in Ordinary Time -- Cycle C (pertinent readings: Gen 18:20-32, Col 2: 12-14 and Luke 11:1-13).   This homily help is published through Celebration, P.O. Box 411009, Kansas City, MO 64141-1009; you can reach them at the address above, or by the website: www.celebrationpublication.org, or by calling 1-800-333-7373.

 

Why Pray?

 

Why do we pray? This question, asked by believers (and non-believers) throughout the centuries, speaks to one of our most essential human needs.

 

Some argue that if God is omniscient, God already knows all our desires -- so why speak them in prayer? God also knows every human suffering and is aware of every act of violence, injustice, war and hatred, so why do we petition God to help the tragedies of the human condition? God knows the future; therefore, what purpose do we serve by praying about what lies ahead? And God certainly doesn't need our praise, gratitude or repentance, so what good are such prayers?

 

We pray not for God's sake, but for our own. We pray because voicing our praise, expressing our need and offering our thanks and prayers helps us to know who we are before God and all others. We pray not to inform God of anything but to sensitize our own hearts and minds and souls to the many overtures of God, be they large or small. We pray in order to cultivate a disposition of welcome and trust. We pray to acknowledge that we are not the center of the universe. We pray to surrender ourselves to the Creator, who brought us to life, and to our Redeemer, who has saved us from death.

 

We need not be tidy or formal in our praying. No one time is more opportune than another, because God always listens. Pray at midnight; pray at dawn. Pray when you are happy and when you are sad. Pray especially when you are mad and fed up. When Abraham (Gen 18:20-32) prayed for the people of Sidon, he didn't kowtow; he dared to barter with God like a merchant trying to make a sale or a lawyer attempting to win a case. Abraham's familiarity with God was rooted in a relationship that he renewed daily in the conversation we call prayer. Prayer is not a monologue but a dialogue, and it must be punctuated by many pauses and silences so that we might be open to hearing words and thoughts other than our own.

 

Jesus (Luke 11:1-13) knew that his disciples needed to share in the relationship he had with God, so he taught them the prayer that we continue to pray. Simple, honest and profound, Jesus' prayer welcomes us in and establishes our reliance on God, our trust that God forgives, forgets and continues to love and care for us, in spite of ourselves.

 

We pray because the words we utter in God's presence are the breathing that sustains our lives. We pray because although God is ever present, we must make a conscious effort to center our minds, our hearts and our energies on the nearness of the divine. God is nearer to each of us than our own heartbeat, more precious than our own breath.

 

Why Pray?    Because the day that I cease to pray, I cease to live and to be who I am before God and others.

　

Franciscan Soap Making

Br. Joe Manning, OFM, one of the friars in the core community here at the Franciscan Prayer Fraternity, helps in the support of the Prayer Ministry by making our Franciscan soap products. 

 

There are varieties of soap that are made:

 

    Oatmeal, Milk, and Honey

    Lemon

    Honeysuckle Hollow

    Woodland

    Lavender

    Sage, Sweetgrass, and Cedar

    Lavender and Cedar

    Fragrance Free

    (and seasonal ones at Christmas)

 

The bars contain goat's milk.  All varieties also come in a liquid handsoap form.

 

 To see a video of the process, and samples of the products, click on the link below.

 

 http://animoto.com/play/750twFO3fx037cJ0E3mUMA

 

To purchase and check on costs of these soap products, email Br. Joe at   brojofm@aol.com.

Put 'soap' in your subject line.