Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center

LOOKING INWARD Sweeping lines paint the waves which make up my nature, Punctuated by the conversation of raindrops, Here and there, placing thoughts where they will.... And a small leaf, shows reality as I see it, Yet not as others see me. "Lent: Not just a Time for Penance" As we move into the deeply important Lenten season, we gain another chance to reflect in a different way than the rest of the liturgical year. Lent represents a time of giving something up as recognition of 40 days of penance; at least for many of us. However, it may well be that we could do better this Lent following the advice from an old Pastor of mine. During Lent, he suggested we give up gossiping and other seemingly small sins which often given passed by in the confessional and our own examination. He made the case it was undoubtedly more important to revise our normal behavior rather than giving up chocolate once more. I think he has a point. These seemingly small behavior changes can have a tremendous effect. It is not just changing how we deal with Lent, but passing this new change in our lives into the rest of the calendar. Perhaps this year, we can consider some of our more small but annoying traits. Examine them and see what is possible to change them. Maybe two additional acts of kindness during the day. An extra prayer for the person who you don't want to pray for; holding our tongues when discussing other's lives. I think we all have something to consider. Perhaps this week, you can decide what you might want to change more permanently after Lent is done. After all, the chocolate will still be there! Poem, reflection, and photograph 2021 Dr. Michael J. Cunningham, O.F.S. To subscribe to A Spiritual Break, visit: https://materdolorosa.org/spiritualbreak

Mark your calendars! Mater Dolorosa is hosting an outdoor event for Young Adults on Friday, May 28th at 7pm. We hope to see you there!

"Valentines Revisited" A few months ago we celebrated Valentine's Day. A day, in the past, reserved for romantic love. As it once again roared up and passed by on the calendar I was brought again to reflect on one of my favorite subjects. The topic of love. As I recall my teenage years and early 20s, (in the late 70s and 80s) a relationship with the opposite sex was different than today. Interaction with girls was limited to those who were either friends of my male friends or... an actual girlfriend. That is it was hard for me and my peers to just have friends who were girls. Now, with the years of hindsight, I can see this example is how we have managed to categorize love. In this case, a relationship with the opposite sex was, in the main, viewed as romantic love. Whereas the other types for brotherly/sisterly love, parental love, love for everyone it’s a long list. This got me thinking about how much we categorize love. Even if we love someone with one category of love, then others concern themselves if they are missing another type of love. It is almost as if we forgot there is only one source of love. God. We often refer to the six types of love defined in the Greek language. Each one has its own name. Perhaps because some of our Christian heritage comes from Greek philosophy. We feel short-changed that we didn’t get all the words to describe love. Perhaps a good reason for this is the indescribable nature of love. Love is difficult to describe, yet we know it by its presence or absence. Love is limitless. A classic example is a parent after the birth of a first child, they never seem to think they will love the second one as much, or the third. Of course, we love them all, and the expansive nature of the ocean of love God provides us with is beyond understanding. However, it is real. The fact we only have one word for love is not such a bad thing. There is only one source for love, and one place where it resides. In our souls. We may not have the ability to expand many aspects of our personality or skills, but we have an unlimited range in our capacity for love. That is if we recognize it and release it. In the same way that God loves us unconditionally, we are called to do so with God and others. The great commandment is to love God and each other. We are also asked to do what seems impossible, to love our enemies. This is a little harder, for most of us at least. So this week, let us ask ourselves the question. How do we see love in our lives? and Do the categories of love, as they are known in the world, help or hinder us? Image: Mary and the Flowers Reflection and photograph 2021 Dr. Michael J. Cunningham, O.F.S. To subscribe to A Spiritual Break, visit: https://materdolorosa.org/spiritualbreak

So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. --Luke 11: 9-10 "Finding God"... Man’s best chance of finding God is to look in the place where he left him. --Miester Eckhart, 14th Century mystic As I consider this wisdom from Miester Eckhart, the 14th century mystic it both mystifies and illuminates the words. Before I bring you into my own spiritual journey, and what this means to me, I think its worth exploring what Eckhart was getting at way back when. My first impression on this saying is it asking us a question. A great question. When, and how often did I leave God. Like a friend who wants to come with us on every excursion, regardless of weather conditions, mode of transport, or even how difficult it may be. Always on. That is our God. The only experience I can compare this commitment to is the dogs I have owned over the years. Everything with my dog was my favorite thing. Waking up. (My favorite thing!) Going for a walk. (My favorite thing!) Having breakfast. (My favorite thing!) Playing ball. Running. Sleeping on your lap. Licking your face. (My favorite thing!) Every dog I have owned has been a living, breathing, loving example of unconditional love. Right to the very end, even when I was bringing them to the vet for that final inoculation, where we said goodbye to each other. Now, of course, God is not a dog, and that was not my point. But dogs don’t have much of an agenda other than wanting to be close to you. They will endure hunger, pain, tiredness and much more if they are in your presence. How much more does God feel for us? How many journeys have I taken in my life when I didn’t invite Him into the room, or if He was there, introduce Him to someone who needed Him? How many times was he left at home, without food or water? How many times did I deny him, not by saying it out loud, but by not saying anything at all? So, perhaps this was what Eckhart was saying. He never left, but we made a deliberate attempt to not bring him with us. What do you think this saying means? If you were offering advice to others? And what it means to you? Reflection and photograph 2021 Dr. Michael J. Cunningham, O.F.S. To subscribe to A Spiritual Break, visit: https://materdolorosa.org/spiritualbreak

Today marks the beginning of the season of Lent. It is a day of penitential prayer and fasting. Let us begin this season with the ashes you may receive as a visible symbol of penance as well as the dust from which God made us.

"Pope Francis Weighs In" This Fall, I signed up to develop a retreat based on the latest encyclical of Pope Francis, Frattelli Tutti. Frattelli Tutti literally means, All Brothers, but the description of the contents is focused specially on fraternity and social friendship. In the early parts of this significant work, he illustrates, from his perspective, how he sees the impact of the global economy and how it has affected the poorer regions of the world in a negative way. He...Continue reading

UPDATE: Friday evening Adoration will no longer be live-streamed from the Mater Dolorosa Chapel on a weekly basis due to the return of weekend retreat programming.

Join our Young Adult ministry and Mater Dolorosa family for outdoor Mass this coming Sunday, Oct. 25th at 4:00pm. Masks will be required and we ask that you please bring your own chair. See you there!

Awakening at the Monastery

Morning breaking in the gardens at Mater Dolorosa