what the Rubrics say in Liturgy...

For Benedictines, Liturgy is very powerful. The way we celebrate our Liturgy of the Hours and the Liturgy of the Eucharist reflects our monastic tradition and well being without going astray from the rules of the Rubrics. Our Experience of Liturgy is the heart and soul of our Christian faith and thereby feeds and empowers our further integration into the SACRED MONASTIC TRADITION handed to our community...


Anyways, our Superior, the Abbot of our monastery arrived last Saturday night from his visit to our dependent monasteries in Mexico City and we were relieved from anxiety brought about by some issues that he only can address...

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pondering on the Abbot's email.....

1/6/08

Dear Brothers,

Blessings to you! We have to find a way to get the rice prepared the night before. Beginning the rice after Vigils simply will not work.

The point of doing the jobs that you are assigned to is to serve the community, not just to get a work done. When there is no rice prepared in the morning, this is a dis-service to the community.

Brother Cecilien and Brother Lawrence, I am not blaming either one of you, but I am saying that we must find a way.

If there is no rice outside of the locked pantry at night, then you, Brother Cecilien, need to phone Brother Lawrence, who is usually in his room, and he MUST come to the kitchen and get some rice. If that is not possible, then you must catch Brother Lawrence at Vigils and he himself must go out after the Hymn and prepare the rice. Let us try this for a while and see if it works.

Always I am grateful for the work that each of you do. But as I mentioned above, preparing breakfast or managing the kitchen is a service to the community--and the abbot has to insist that the service be done in a way that benefits the community.

Be assured of my prayers for both of you.

Your brother in the Lord,

Abbot Philip


=====================================================================================>>
I am wordless and a bit anxious ( *&^%$#*&^%^&*) about this email..... this incident is the second mishap--the first time was with father Mayeul, who was still the one assigned to do the breakfast setup- and he phoned the Abbot early early morning before the first prayers instead of calling me up directly.... this second incident is worse as Brother Cecilien (from Madagascar) did not phone the Abbot nor me, instead, he did not do anything to inform me about the rice bucket being empty ( we have tons of rice inside the locked panty , and he could have notified me the night before as I was at the kitchen then mopping the kitchen floor as the assigned kitchen cleaner for the week....hhhhhhmmm, I can only do so much for my community. hhhhmmmmm.)

Brother Cecilien (from Madagascar)

health issues on Brother Leander

Subj: Br. Leander gets a flu!!!

Dear Abbot Philip,

Greetings in Christ!

This is a short report about Br. Leander's health.

-- Dec. 29th, 2007, Br. Leander began to feel having a cold and thus
then we learned later that he caught flu.

-- Dec. 30, 2007 - Jan. 2nd, 2008, Br. Leander continued staying in
bed and the flu remained the same, and he had some cough. He
started to experience some 'weasy' (spelling???) sound on his chest,
especially he lay down.

-- Jan. 3rd, Br. Leander continued to take antibiotics, cough syrup,
and flu medicine. For the whole day he looked better and he
actually felt better and the cough seemed gone.

-- Jan. 4th. No more sound on his chest. This morning he felt more
or less OK. He ate lunch as normal as the other days. But, this
evening he felt that the flu seems to 'strike' him again. His body
temperature this evening is up to 38 degrees. He normally eats
alright. However, this evening he had nothing. He did not feel
like eating.

I visited him again after Compline and to wish him well and soon
recovery; and he wants to send you and the brothers greetings.

Please do keep him in your prayers. I should have informed you and
the community sooner. At the Curia, we all thought he would get
well pretty soon. But, apparently, this evening Br. Leander's
health seems to go back to the stage when he first had the flu.

Fr. Valenti says that the earliest Medical visit would be on this
coming Monday.

Thank you for your prayers!

Yours,
Br. Dominic.


Brother Dominic is a Vietnamese monk of my community who is in his mid-thirties and is currently studying in one of the schools in Rome taking his Doctorate in Divinity.

Brother Leander is an Irish monk of my community who is in his late eighties and is currently assigned as secretary at the office of the Subiaco Congregation's Abbot President in Rome. Please say a little prayer for him.

monks assignments for 2008

Name of Job January 1, 2008
Abbot D Philip
Abbot's Assistant for Phone Cards D Andrew
Abbot's Assistant for Vietnamese Foundation D Andrew
Abbot's Begging Letter-Newsletter D Caedmon
Abbot's Begging Letter-Newsletter D Marcus
Abbot's Secretary D Caedmon
Abbot's Secretary for Medical Appointments D Francis
Accountant D Gabriel
Accountant Assistant 1 D Rodrigo
Accountant Assistant 2 D Henry
Archives & History D Jerome
Away - England - Saint Meinrad's D John
Away - exclaustrated D Thomas-Benedict
Away - Polokwane D Mayeul
Away - Polokwane D PauLavang
Away - Prior Administrator in Polokwane P Joseph Gabriel
Away - Santa Maria y Todos los Santos D Luis
Away - sick leave D Esteban
Away - studies at Conception Abbey D Gerard
Away - studies at Mount Angel Abbey D Hugh
Away - studies in England D Anton
Away - studies in Rome D Dominic
Away - studies in Rome - Polokwane D Andre
Away - working in Rome D Leander
Beekeeper Rosy
Bell Ringer Assigned by Week
Breakfast Setup and Cleanup for Monks and Guests (1 of 2) D Cecilien
Breakfast Setup and Cleanup for Monks and Guests (1 of 2) D John Dat
Breakfast Setup and Cleanup Supervisor D Sipho
Cellarer D Christian
Cellarer & Work Manager Assistant 1 D Francis
Cellarer & Work Manager Assistant 2 D Benedicto
Choirmaster D Philip
Choirmaster Assistant D Patricio

Chores & Compost 1 D Rodrigo
Chores & Compost 2 D Cecilien
Clean Chapter Room, Library, Recreation Room, Parlor, Hallways of Phase II Assigned by Week
Clean Church on Saturday D John Baptist
Clean Computer Room, Accountant's Office and Craft Area Assigned by Week
Clean Cruets in Refectory Assigned by Week
Clean Grease Trap in Kitchen D Pierre Khoa
Clean Monks' Cloister and Steps to Monks' Cloister and Ramp and Portal Assigned by Week
Clean Refectory Floor and Tables and Windows Assigned by Week
Cleaning Supervisor for Guesthouse and Monastery D Francis
Computer - Answer Prayer Requests D Caedmon
Computer - Answer Webmail D Dominic Dat
Computer Maintenance D Philip
Computer Maintenance Assistant D John Paul
Cook D Andrew
Cook D Benedicto
Cook D Caedmon
Cook D Francis
Cook D Jerome
Cook D Lawrence
Cook D Marcus
Cook D Patricio
Cook D Pierre Khoa
Cook D Rodrigo
Cook Assistant D Anselmo
Cook Assistant D Cecilien
Cook Assistant D Dominic Dat
Cook Assistant D Henry
Cook Assistant D John Baptist
Cook Assistant D John Dat
Cook Assistant D John Paul
Cook Assistant D Paul
Craft: Incense D John Baptist
Craft: Incense D Pierre Khoa
Craft: Leather Craft D Anselmo
Craft: Leather Craft Supervisor D Marcus
Craft: Making balm and creams D John Dat
Craft: Making candles D Romualdo
Craft: Making Cards D Dominic Dat
Craft: Making photo cards D Bernard
Craft: Making rosaries D Andrew
Craft: Making Soap D Cecilien
Craft: Making Soap D Dominic Dat
Craft: Making Soap D Paul
Craft: Making Soap - if and when he wants D Gabriel
Craft: retablos and icons and other D Francis
Craft: tailor D Jerome
Craft: translations D Jerome
Craft: woodburning Fred
Credit Cards Assistant D Patricio
Credit Cards for Gift Shop D Lawrence
Credit Cards for Guest House D Henry
Cutting Wood for Winter Fred with assistants
Direct Mail D Odon
Dispensary, Toiletries, etc., in hall closet D Dominic Dat
Dispensary, Toiletries, etc., in hall closet--Assistant D Anselmo
Gift Shop Assistant D Lawrence
Gift Shop Manager D Christian
Guest Reservations D Henry
Guest Reservations D Sipho
Guesthouse Cleaner Assigned by day
Guesthouse Cleaner when assigned D Dominic Dat
Guesthouse Cleaner when assigned D John Baptist
Guesthouse Cleaner when assigned D John Dat
Guesthouse Cleaner when assigned D Paul
Guesthouse Cleaner when assigned D Pierre Khoa
Guesthouse Reservations D Patricio
Guestmaster D Sipho
Guestmaster Assistant D Pierre Khoa
Guestmaster in Monastery D Francisco
Hermit D Xavier
Housecleaner when assigned D Andrew
Housecleaner when assigned D Dominic Dat
Housecleaner when assigned D Pierre Khoa
Houseplant care D John Dat
Immigration Officer D Marcus
Immigration Officer Assistant D Caedmon
Infirmarian and Waker D Anselmo
Junior Master D Francisco
Junior Master Assistant D Gabriel
Keyboard for Choir D Henry
Kitchen Manager - make shopping list D Benedicto
Laundry Assistant D Jerome
Laundry Assistant D Pierre Khoa
Laundry Manager D Sipho
Librarian D Bernard
Library Assistant D Anselmo
Library Assistant D John Paul
Liturgy - making new Office Books D Patricio
Mailing List D Caedmon
Maintenance D Cecilien
Manuscript D Benedict
Mass Music - Collect and put away after Mass D John Dat
Mass Music - Distribute before Mass D Lawrence
Master of Ceremonies D Francisco
Master of Ceremonies Assistant D Benedicto
Novice Master D Romualdo
Novice Master Assistant D Paul
Photocopier D John Baptist
Porter - Afternoon Assigned by day
Porter - Morning Assigned by Day
Porter when assigned on weekdays or Sundays D Andrew
Porter when assigned on weekdays or Sundays D Rodrigo
Porter when assigned on weekdays or Sundays D Romualdo
Porter when assigned on weekdays or Sundays D Sipho
Power Systems Maintenance D Marcus
Power Systems Maintenance Assistant D John Baptist
Prior D Francisco
Propane, Diesel and Gasoline tanks--check and order Fred
Recycling D Rodrigo
Refrigerators and Ice Machine Maintenance Roger
Sacristan D Francisco
Sacristan Assistant D Henry
Sacristan Assistant D Jerome
Shopper D Benedicto
Shopper Assistant D Francisco
Shopper Assistant D Marcus
Shopping Assistant D Sipho
Subprior D Christian
Sunday Porter when assigned D Bernard
Teach English D Francis
Telephone System Maintenance D Philip
Telephone System Maintenance Assistant D John Paul
Tractors and Backhoe Fred
Tractors and Backhoe Assistant George
Vehicles: clean weekly D John Baptist
Vehicles: Maintenance Roger
Vocation Director D Caedmon
Water Systems Maintenance D Marcus
Water Systems Maintenance Assistant D John Baptist
Water Systems Maintenance Assistant D Sipho
Web Site D Christian
Web Site Assistant for Gift Shop D Lawrence
Weekly Liturgical Calendar for Divine Office D Marcus
Weekly Liturgical Calendar for Mass D Gabriel
Work Manager D Christian
Zelator for Solemnly Professed D Francisco
Zelator for those in Formation D Paul

new year's new appointments

In our community, a new set of appointments in a given period of time are assigned to the monks as our number changes.
Such appointments will stay and will only get to be changed (as if in public service' shuffling of posts) again when a monk lives for good or for his studies. take the case of what I got from the Abbot's email for this year's job in my community:

12/31/07
Dear Brother Lawrence,

Blessings to you!

Tomorrow I will make the assignments for 2008. This is your list:
- Cook
- Credit Cards for Gift Shop
- Gift Shop Assistant
- Mass Music - Distribute before Mass
- Web Site Assistant for Gift Shop

The only new thing is the responsibility of distributing Mass Music before Holy Mass begins.
Please do it immediately so that people have their music--especially me!

Thanks for your generosity!

I know that you will be going off to school in the fall at Saint Meinrad and so the assignments will have to change again.

Love and prayers for you.

Your brother in the Lord,
Abbot Philip

my Abbot superior speaks up...(to his monks!)

For general information, I have been sending commentaries on the Rule of Benedict to every brother in the community.
These commentaries are not sent just to one brother and are not at all meant to be advice for a particular brother.
If the commentary seems directed at you, as a particular brother, then perhaps you need to hear it.
But the idea behind this commentary was to provide a commentary on the Rule that each of the brothers can take the time to read.
Even for those who do not speak English, most can take the time to read the commentary and reflect on it. Thank you! Blessings to each one of you!
Your brother in the Lord,
Abbot Philip

Chapter 70. The Presumption of Striking Another Monk at Will

1In the monastery every occasion for presumption is to be avoided, 2and so we decree that no one has the authority to excommunicate or strike any of his brothers unless he has been given this power by the abbot. 3Those who sin should be reprimanded in the presence of all, that the rest may fear (1 Tim 5:20). 4Boys up to the age of fifteen should, however, be carefully controlled and supervised by everyone, 5provided that this too is done with moderation and common sense.
6If a brother, without the abbot’s command, assumes any power over those older or, even in regard to boys, flares up and treats them unreasonably, he is to be subjected to the discipline of the rule. 7After all, it is written: Never do to another what you do not want done to yourself (Tob 4:16).
++++++++++++++++++++
It is not easy to speak about excommunication or punishment or corrections today in much of the world. Because most of us don't want to be excommunicated or punished or corrected, we would often prefer that such realities not exist in our civil life and even less in the life of the monastery.

No community can exist if there is no insistence on following the norms of the community. Most of our Benedictine monasteries have their own house customs, their Constitutions, the Rule of Saint Benedict and the Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church.
All of these legal codes are in existence to help us live a community life in harmony with one another. They are all ways of trying to living out the Holy Scriptures, ways of trying to follow the Lord Jesus.

How often we find a brother in the community refusing to relate with some other brother in the community. This is the modern form of excommunication. It needs to be clear in our community that no brother has a right to cut out another brother from the community.

It also needs to be clear, however, that no brother can demand that everyone like him! Living in community is living out the "charity" of Christ, which means striving to follow the Lord Jesus.
Each of us must strive to truly love each other brother in the sense of preferring that brother's well-being to our own well-being.

Perhaps this Chapter of the Rule refers to sin in this phrase: "3Those who sin should be reprimanded in the presence of all, that the rest may fear (1 Tim 5:20)."
The reference could also mean simply the non-observance of the customs of the monastery. In either case, it is clear that the role of the abbot is to correct the sins or the failings. The abbot can also delegate that role to others.

For the good of our community, the abbot must correct the sins and faults of the brothers. How he does that in this modern age will quite likely be different from the time of Saint Benedict, but it must be done. The abbot tries to find other brothers who can help him in this task.

They must be brothers who can help the discipline of the community and who discover in time the ways of correcting that are effective in bringing about a good observance in the community without harming the sense of living in God's presence.

The goal is always to live in the peace and love of Christ, respecting one another and striving to live an inner life of prayer. We monks must always strive to keep our hearts set on the Lord.

Chapter 71. Mutual Obedience
1Obedience is a blessing to be shown by all, not only to the abbot but also to one another as brothers, 2since we know that it is by this way of obedience that we go to God. 3Therefore, although orders of the abbot or of the priors appointed by him take precedence, and no unofficial order may supersede them, 4in every other instance younger monks should obey their seniors with all love and concern. 5Anyone found objecting to this should be reproved. 6If a monk is reproved in any way by his abbot or by one of his seniors, even for some very small matter, 7or if he gets the impression that one of his seniors is angry or disturbed with him, however slightly, 8he must, then and there without delay, cast himself on the ground at the other’s feet to make satisfaction, and lie there until the disturbance is calmed by a blessing. 9Anyone who refuses to do this should be subjected to corporal punishment or, if he is stubborn, should be expelled from the monastery.
++++++++++++++++++++
So often we hear from others that obedience is really difficult. Saint Benedict wants us to have obedience at the heart of our monastic life because it is by obedience that we go to God.

If we take the Rule of Benedict seriously, then when we are corrected, we must accept the correction. Saint Benedict is clear that this concerns even minor corrections.
What a difference this would make in our community if we could all follow this one small teaching with complete sincerity.
More important would be the difference in the spiritual life of each brother if he could bring himself to live this teaching.

Whenever the Abbot corrects, the brother should accept the correction.
That is a clear teaching and once that is very, very difficult. We also see how important it is for Saint Benedict when he says that "Anyone who refuses to do this should be subjected to corporal punishment or, if he is stubborn, should be expelled from the monastery."

The point of the teaching from the Holy Rule is not that the Abbot is always right or our other superiors, but that the real struggle is within ourselves and the only way eventually to put our whole being at the service of God and in the work of prayer is if we can begin this struggle AGAINST OURSELVES.

Today we are so taken up with our own righteousness and our own rights that we have more or less abandoned any serious spiritual struggle. The Holy Rule in this Chapter on Obedience is inviting to take up this struggle once again.

If we want to be serious monks, we must learn how to fight ourselves and to allow ourselves to be treated in ways that we would not prefer and in ways that we even find unjust at times. Our responsibility as monks is to learn how to live with this obedience.

The abbot's responsibility is to strive to follow God's will to the best of his ability—and he will always have his own defects to fight against. May the Lord guide us all!

a Christmas greeting to my Ronito!

Dear Ronito,

I wish you a very blessed Merry Christmas...

May the good Lord shower you with His abundant graces on the day of His Son's coming!....
Merry Christmas also to your family, friends, and your loved ones!...
(I decided to post here this greeting as I did not get the chance to email you my Christmas greetings!...)


Blesssings from your Ronito,

Dom Lawrence, OSB
Monastery of Christ in the Desert
New Mexico, USA

a Blessed Merry Christmas to you!

The Benedictine monks of the Abbey of the Monastery of Christ in the Desert, New Mexico, USA, wish you a very merry and blessed Christmas..... This greeting comes from the bottom of their hearts through this blog of their very own brother monkblogger dom Lawrence, osb ...

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Vera_beautylies...
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Xixi

a short advisory...a birthday wish for a dear sister

Myspace Heart GeneratorsToday is the 22nd birthday of my very dear blogosphere sister Vera and it is just but fitting and proper to greet her a happy birthday and to wish for her a longer life, happy and peaceful heart..Sis Vera, may you have more birthdays to come...love from your Kuya Dom, OSB

On the other hand, a very good news for all of you dear friends:


I want to let you know that our very own Postulant Brother John Paul, who underwent three major surgeries sometime the other week, came home today and after almost four months of his hibernation (in his cell and in the hospital), he finally came to attend our 5:50Pm Solemn Vespers!....
Join me dear friends in thanking God for the graces and blessings He showered upon brother John Paul during his most critical stage...and let's keep him in our prayers for his continued recovery!

a friendly reminder to all 'BALIKBAYANS'

this was sent to me by one of my friends
which could be deemed very, very useful for
all of you who love to visit our homeland...
'better safe than sorry', take care and GOD BLESS!!!


U.S. Immigration , US Dept. of Homeland Security & TRAVEL ADVISORY
This information is very alarming and I think it's worth sharing to save you from trouble and embarrassment.

A Filipino friend shared this email. His friend who works for Homeland security as Immigration Inspector at LAX ( Los Angeles International Airport ) called him yesterday to share the information that happened last weekend. A FIL-AM citizen who was flying to the Philippines for vacation was apprehended by an Airport Immigration agent while she was checking in her baggage and going through the X-ray machine. For some reason, she was randomly checked and was told to open all the envelopes inside her carry-on Coach bag.

They found 10 envelops addressed to different people in the Philippines. When all the envelops were opened, a total of $11,000 cash was discovered. They asked the traveller if she knew the contents of the envelope. She said no, because all the envelopes are just "padala" and the senders didn't tell her whether or not there was money inside.

Immigration agents showed her a Policy and guidance stating that it is illegal to import and export over $10,000 in any Asian countries to prevent the possibility of supporting terrorism.

She was fined $500, her name was "red labeled" by Immigration (means every time she enters and exits the airport, she will be searched 100%),and she also missed her scheduled flight to the Philippines for being held almost 5 hours. Hard to believe that departing passengers from the U.S. are also subject to the policy but looks like it is being strictly enforced now.

The lessons learned is before you accept any "padala", make sure the envelopes are open and you physically see the contents of it or just plainly say "sorry but I can't accept any padala" for your own safety.


This email came from a former U.S. Embassy employee and this could be useful to all balikbayans

Subject: TRAVEL ADVISORY FROM AMERICAN EMBASSY MANILA
Please share this with your friends and relatives.
Please be informed of the recent travel advisory to the United States.
However, not only pirated VCDs/DVDs are on the hot list. Customs officials are also looking into fake bags like Louis Vuitton, Coach, etc. Please be informed that the American Association of Publishers (AAP) has also alerted the American customs officers to check out for pirated books. This information; was given to me by Patricia Judd of the AAP.

Please warn all nursing graduates who plan to take the NCLEX and CGF exams in the States not to bring in these pirated books because there will be a penalty of automatic deportation as violation of intellectual property rights. If you know anyone going from the Philippines and coming back to the USA , with "pasalubongs" and "padalas," please read this important enclosed advisory from the American Embassy in Manila.

Please share with your friends.
Just a friendly reminder: if you have plans of going to the U.S.,please take precautionary measures on all "padalas," especially those containing fake/pirated compact discs/DVDs. US Embassy employees have been given an advisory that as US Gov't employees, we should abide by the U.S.laws, including Intellectual Property Rights (anti-piracy) laws.

As an additional incentive, the Consular Section recently received a report that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) searched the bag of a Filipino entering the U.S. on NW 72 in Detroit.

During the search, 70-80 compact discs, 30-40 empty DVD jackets and 10-20 DVDs were found. Since the travellers were not American citizens, their visas were cancelled and they returned to the Philippines .

If they had been Americans, they could have been subjected to arrest and criminal prosecution in addition to civil fines and penalties.
Please remember even ONE pirated item can jeopardize your trip. Also, the fingerprinting system has successfully been instituted in all port of entries. I suggest you bring extra identification cards in addition to your passport to facilitate your entry in the US Immigration. I hope this is helpful to you.

a friend indeed!

The day I drove myself to Sta Fe, in Dec. 13th, I found myself inside an optical clinic inside De Vargas Mall for my new pair of eyeglasses. Little did I know that the clinic in which I randomly chosed to have my glasses refracted was a friend of the monastery!...

So, I found myself in the right place for a right price!... Monica, the owner-manager of Quintana Optical Clinic was a long-time friend of my community....And instead of paying my new pair of eyeglasses for 575 dollars, I got a big discount of 175 dollars. I only paid 400 dollars for my new pair of eyeglasses with a clip-on shades!....

an early gift from someone so dear to me...

I am speechless, wordless, tongue tied and etc etc... when I opened the link that Rebeccca sent me from her latest comment on my previous post....

It is a very endearing post feature on the greatest day of my life's existence here on earth: my birthday on the 13th! (that's tomorrow)... and without much further ado, let me bring you to her feature which you can find HERE .... read on my friends and be sure to leave some words for her!

the image above was taken during my last year's birthday (my 5oth one!) which was held at Dan's residence in Espanyola, NM.

BTW.... I will be off my keypad tomorrow as I will be leaving the monastery at 7:30Am for my big day!...( dental appointment at El Rito, Sta Fe appointments, and others--- yung Bday dinner ay kasama na doon sa others, nyahahahahahh ) ..

have a blessed day to all of you my dear friends!.....

some not very good news

hey my friends... from today and onwards, I shall be posting some updates of me and my community affairs here.

In this way, I shall be saving my time and effort writing email updates for my family and friends as well.

This will also give a fair chance to my email subscribers to know what has been going on in my life and the lives of my community brothers without having to go to my Abbot's link (where the daily events of our community are enumerated) in my site's sidebar.

So, 'tis a short update about my whereabouts and our whereabouts in general.

We are experiencing a steady snowfall as of this writing. It started snowing yesterday morning and if the snowfall won't stop tonight, we may find our cloister garden filled with a 12-inch thick snow on the ground!...

Today is the Prior's birthday. The abbot talked to me about giving him a surprise party tonight as he normally shy away from this type of events in the community (not that he is anti-social nor a KJ, but these won't appeal to him that much).

Just after the main meal (around 1:50Pm), the Abbot announced to his monks that Brother John Paul , an American postulant who has been sick for three months already with pains in his gallbladder and in his lower abdomen, and because of that, he hasn't been attending the regular 8 times-a -day prayers in Church, was in critical condition after undergoing surgeries in his gallbladder, in his intestines and in his lower abdomen from tumor, cancer, and hernia= eeeeewwww! these were indeed so tough on him....and so, with so much apprehensions, the Abbot had to leave and see what was really going on with Brother Johnpaul... The abbot told us that since Brother Johnpaul is high in Morphine (pain killer), he may be just hallucinating when he told him over the phone a minute before we started our main meal, that he is dying!....

Please join me in my prayers for Brother Johnpaul...

more news will follow!...

a short update

hey friends!

this is just a short note about my whereabouts tomorrow.

There was a misunderstanding about who is gonna be the substitute kitchen manager of the community for Dom Benedicto who went back to his country, Mexico for his US Religious Visa.

All the while, and I thought it was Dom Marcus, another Filipino Junior monk, who was given the task to manage the kitchen while Dom Benedicto is away. I was mistaken. Dom Marcus clarified to the Prior , and I myself, verified too, about the whole matter and I was taken aback when he told me without batting an eyelash that it was me who is the substitute kitchen manager....

No wonder, I was assigned to do the community's Wednesday grocery shopping for two consecutive Wednesdays already.

So folks, that would mean to say that tomorrow Wednesday, I will be away from my keyboard for one whole day and will not be able to give you the updates of the links for the Saint of the day and Bible Readings and Meditations for Wednesday.

I will be back online on Thursday morning after our 6:20Am Mass. Philippine time- 10:30PM of Thursday.

and also - tonight, we shall be having a welcome party for another Vietnamese postulant from the monastery of Thien Phouc who arrived this afternoon. So this is gonna be another photo session for me-- stand by for the party's images which I will be posting on Thursday morning ( New Mexico Daylight Saving Time )...

Bless you all my friends!....

BRB

hey buddies and friends....(and lovers?)

this is not another meme or tag.
but i just wanna tell you all that it's been wonderful to be keeping in touch with you every now and then thru your lnks and site, but as for now, i am gonna be away from y keypad and probably might be able to log in the next day.

Reason?....

I am doing the grocery shopping for my community today.

The kitchen manager Dom Benedicto is still in Mexico working for his application to the US embassy for his Visa...

Dom Marcus, the substitute is right now in Los Angeles and will only come back not until after today...

so, no one is gonna do the work but the former kitchen manager!....(that's me!)


so folks,

this is what i meant by BRB....... Be right back ....


bless you all!...

test blog from Flickr

great power comes with great responsibility

Tomorrow mornin' if you wake up
And the sun does not appear
I...I will be here

If in the dark we lose sight of love
Hold my hand and have no fear
'Cause I...I will be here

I will be here...
When you feel like bein' quiet
When you need to speak your mind
I will listen
And I will be here
When the laughter turns to cryin'
Through the winnin' and losin' and tryin'
We'll be together
'Cause I will be here

Tomorrow mornin' if you wake up
And the future is unclear
I...I'll be here

Just as sure as seasons are made for change
Our lifetimes are made for years
I...I will be here

I will be here....
You can cry on my shoulder
When the mirror tells us we're older
I will hold you

And I will be here
To watch you grow in beauty
And tell you all the things you are to me
I will be here

I will be true
To the promise I have made
To you and to the
One who gave you to me

I...I will be here

And just as sure as seasons are made for change
Our lifetimes are made for years
'Cause I...
I will be here....
We'll be together, forever

'Cause I will be here


I was talking to myself while walking out of the door of the Abbot's office saying, "yesterday, I left the monastery just for one whole day and when i woke up today, I was made Zelator of the community!"

what is this all about?

Well, in our community of monks in Solemn vows and Temporary vows who are still in formation, as well as the Novices and Postulants who are not in vows and who, also, are undergoing monastic formation, a Zelator- one in charge of the discipline of a community, is appointed by the Abbot himself with prior consultation from his Council of Deans (composed of older monks in Solemn vows).

At Christ in the Desert monastery, two brothers are appointed to be in charge of the discipline of the monks who are in formation. Their task is to insist on the observance of the Customary of the House and to work with those in formation so that they learn how to keep all the observances of the House.

The Zelators should themselves know the Customary well and observe it with gracious fidelity.

They correct any monk in formation who is not observing the life as it is outlined in our Customary but also strive to help that monk grow in his capacity of observance.

Each week, the Zelators give a report to the Formation Director about the conduct of discipline of the monks in formation.

All monks in formation will cooperate with the Zelators, but also have the right to appeal to the Formation Director or the Council of Deans if they feel and find out with sufficient evidences that the Zelators are being excessive of their power and authority.

At Christ in the Desert, we presume that those who are here have freely chosen this life and so will cooperate and are expected to live up to the expectations of the community with the disciplines and practices as they must be reflected on its observance as outlined in the Customary.

so, this is what it is all about....
and while i was going to my room after the Abbot has conferred with me about his appointing me as one of the two new Zelators of our monastery,(the other one who's appointed is Dom Andrew) I can't help but to remember my favorite phrase that says: ...in great power, comes with great responsibility. So, folks, wish me the best of luck for this new job! and hopes to earn more friends not enemies in the community of thirteen monks under formation, who will be under me and Dom Andrew's care, and whose discipline observance will lie in our hands!

Happy Sunday to all of you!