A retreat grounded in the image of a householder who knows how to bring forth both old and new to meet the needs of the time. What is in our spiritual storehouse? How is it filled and replenished? How can we live in the world after pandemic?
Bringing Forth New Things & Old - Treasures for a Post-Pandemic World
1. Bringing Forth
New Things and Old:
Treasures for a Post-Pandemic World
Sister Edith Bogue
Retreat at St. Walburga Monastery
Elizabeth, New Jersey
June 20-24, 2021
2. 2
What to expect on Retreat
Introduction
A mixture of content
• Words and stories
• Images
• Scripture, saints, Rule, tradition
Various ways to process
• Thinking and pondering
• Creating
• With nature
• Deep stillness
3. 3
3
Benedictine since 1999,
professed Aug. 15, 2001
Social worker and
sociologist
Oblate Director and
Vocation Ministry
Spiritual Direction
program, St John’s Univ.
Benedictine Sisters
Retreat Center in
Cullman, AL
A little about me
5. 5
A word about retreat
Both
images:
Leunig
cards:
https://www.leunig.com.au/shop/cards
6. 6
6
The one appointed
[prioress] …must know
how much more fitting
it is to provide for
others than to preside
over them. She should
therefore be learned in
divine law, so that she
knows how to bring
forth new things and
old (Matt 13:52).;
Bringing Forth Old & New
Stained
glass
window,
St
Benedict
and
St
Scholastica.
Chapel,
St
Emma
Monastery,.
7. 7
7
“Do you understand all
these things?” [The
disciples] answered,
“Yes.” And Jesus replied,
“Then every scribe who has
been instructed in the
kingdom of heaven is like
the head of a household
who brings from his
storeroom both the new
and the old.”
Matthew 13:51-52
https://gutenbergtimes.com/cobro-107983-unsplash-landscape-web/
11. Bringing Forth
New Things and Old:
Treasures for a Post-Pandemic World
Sister Edith Bogue
Retreat at St. Walburga Monastery
Elizabeth, New Jersey
June 20-24, 2021
14. 14
14
Promise of Progress
Comfort of the
familiar
Pace of life
Entropy
Our feelings about
changes change
Pre-Pandemic Change
Holy
Name
Cathedral,
Chicago.
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/532925594883747841/7ufTYA-k.jpeg
16. Affluenza: The Culture of More
1
6
affluenza, n. a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition
of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged
pursuit of more. (de Graaf)
17. Culture of Perfection
Need to have top quality
Always seeking best deal
Latest edition or style
"You deserve better"
"It's not fair"
Easily offended
Often unhappy with service
24. 24
24
Koyaanisqatsi: Hopi term for “chaotic life” or “life
that calls for another way of living”
“The economy”
Complex family relationships
Life is fast, pressured,
scheduled, controlled
Polarization and hate is normal
Koyaanisqatsi
24
Koyaanisqatsi
and
Powaqatsi
http://www.koyaanisqatsi.org/films/powaqqatsi.php
25. This culture leads to
Constant sense of
dissatisfaction with life.
Constant anxiety that
one should be better
Constant attempt to
make the right choice
Constant sense that
change is needed
30. 30
Jesus & Troubled Times
http://restoringpangea.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Jesus-cures-the-
servant-of-the-centurion-mosaic-in-the-upper-gallery.jpg
32. Bringing Forth
New Things and Old:
Treasures for a Post-Pandemic World
Sister Edith Bogue
Retreat at St. Walburga Monastery
Elizabeth, New Jersey
June 20-24, 2021
38. 38
38
The one appointed …should therefore
be learned in divine law, so that she
knows how to bring forth new things
and old (RB 64.7a,9)
Bringing Forth Old & New
Stained
glass
window,
St
Benedict
and
St
Scholastica.
Chapel,
St
Emma
Monastery,.
39. 39
39
Whether the works she
enjoins concern God or
the world, she is to be
discerning and
moderate, reflecting
on…examples of
discretion (RB 64.7a,9)
Bringing Forth Old & New
Sister
Mary
Feehan,
St.
Walburga
Monastery,
Elizabeth
NJ.
Prioress.
40. 40
40
By means of
discernment, she
is to regulate
everything so that
the strong have
something to
yearn for and the
weak are not
frightened away.
(RB 64.19).
Bringing Forth Old & New
Stained
glass
window,
St
Benedict
and
St
Scholastica.
Chapel,
St
Emma
Monastery,.
41. 41
41
The fruit of the Spirit is
love,
joy,
peace,
longsuffering,
kindness,
goodness,
faithfulness,
gentleness,
self-control
(Galatians 5:22-23).
“Live by the Spirit” (Gal 5:16)
Photo
by
Bruna
Branco
on
Unsplash
https://unsplash.com/photos/7r1HxvVC7AYv
45. Bringing Forth
New Things and Old:
Treasures for a Post-Pandemic World
Sister Edith Bogue
Retreat at St. Walburga Monastery
Elizabeth, New Jersey
June 20-24, 2021
56. 56
“The external
practices of monastic
life are directly
connected with our
search for God. In
and through these
practices we express
our spiritual values
and ideals, & daily live
out our commitment
to God.”
Cummings, Monastic Practices
Obedience is not about rules
59. Bringing Forth
New Things and Old:
Treasures for a Post-Pandemic World
Sister Edith Bogue
Retreat at St. Walburga Monastery
Elizabeth, New Jersey
June 20-24, 2021
60. 60
A Man for All Seasons, 1966 (Paul Scofield, actor)
65. 65
65
Community life
Personal prayer
Appreciation of other
community members
Deeper sense of call
Blessings of technology and
surprising ease in learning
More time for nature
More reading and solitude
New community projects
Blessings in Monasteries
66. 66
66
“Is there anything
more painful than
realizing you did not
know the right
questions to ask
at the only time
on earth you would
have the opportunity
to do so.”
Alice Walker:
The Way Forward is
with a Broken Heart
Black Lives
69. Bringing Forth
New Things and Old:
Treasures for a Post-Pandemic World
Sister Edith Bogue
Retreat at St. Walburga Monastery
Elizabeth, New Jersey
June 20-24, 2021
70. 70
Prayer: Places of Simplicity
Michael
Leunig,
Places
of
Simplicy.
From
A
Common
Prayer.
Image:
https://mystoryisyours.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/leunig-live-in-heart.jpg?w=700
71. 71
The Spirit Guides Us
Young
Benedict,
Monte
Cassino,
Italy
“But I tell you the truth,
it is better for you that I
go. For if I do not go,
the Advocate will not
come to you. But if I go,
I will send the Advocate
to you. …When the
Advocate comes, the
Spirit of truth, the
Advocate will guide you
to all truth.”
John 16:7,13a
73. 73
The Spirit Fills Our Storerooms
Image:
John
August
Swenson,
Pentecost
at
https://www.johnaugustswanson.com/default.cfm/PID%3D1.2.30.2-13.html
“This holiness of the
Church is unceasingly
manifested, and must
be manifested, in the
fruits of grace which
the Spirit produces in
the faithful.”
Lumen Gentium §39
74. 74
Charisms
Not natural talent
Given by the Holy Spirit
Given for common
good.
Achieves its goal
Outcome above
expected
Sense of “born for this.”
More than one
84. 84
84
“There is labor and great
struggle for the impious
who are converted to God,
but after that comes
inexpressible joy. One who
wants to light a fire first is
plagued by smoke, and the
smoke drives [her] to tears,
yet [she] finally gets the fire
[she] wants. It is written:
Our God is a consuming
fire. Hence we ought to
light the divine fire in
ourselves with labor and
with tears.”
Amma Synclectica
https://citydesert.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/st-syncletica-4th-
century-virgin.jpg
84
85. Bringing Forth
New Things and Old:
Treasures for a Post-Pandemic World
Sister Edith Bogue
Retreat at St. Walburga Monastery
Elizabeth, New Jersey
June 20-24, 2021
86. 86
86
She ought, therefore, to be learned in
divine law, so that she has a treasury of
knowledge from which she can bring
out what is new and what is old.
(Matt 13:52)
RB
translation
of
Christ
in
the
Desert.
Image
from
https://s4.thingpic.com/images/Ga/WErQuYQoLNDvgGL4WnXFGwQx.jpeg
87. 87
Living in the Spirit
Image:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/558d0369e4b01bf7271c9565/t/5af4bde9
758d46dc7bca3a17/1525988854053/IMG_1845.JPG?format=2500w
“This holiness of the
Church is unceasingly
manifested, and must
be manifested, in the
fruits of grace which
the Spirit produces in
the faithful.”
Lumen Gentium §39
88. 88
88
How dowe
understand the
meaningand the
purposeof our
monasticway of
life?
Advice from Abba Joseph
Merton,
Wisdom
of
the
Desert,
Shambhala
Pocket
Classics,
p.
85
Image
1:
https://oca.org/saints/lives/2013/09/15/102623-venerable-joseph-abbot-of-alaverdi-georgia
Image
2:
Flesh
and
flame,
http://ellipticalglory.blogspot.com/2014/11/fire-and-flesh-midweek-message.html
89. 89
89
“Scripture arouses us
saying: It is now time for us
to rise from sleep (Rom. 13:11).
And let us open our eyes to
the deifying light; let us
attune our ears to what the
divine voice admonishes
us, daily crying out: Today
if you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts (Psalm
95:7-8). And again, You who
have ears to hear, hear
what the Spirit says to the
churches (Rev. 2:7).”
Spirit Life in the Rule
90. 90
90
“There is labor and great
struggle for the impious
who are converted to God,
but after that comes
inexpressible joy. One who
wants to light a fire first is
plagued by smoke, and the
smoke drives [her] to tears,
yet [she] finally gets the fire
[she] wants. It is written:
Our God is a consuming
fire. Hence we ought to
light the divine fire in
ourselves with labor and
with tears.”
Amma Synclectica
https://citydesert.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/st-syncletica-4th-
century-virgin.jpg
90
91. 91
Living in the Spirit
Image:
https://www.globalsistersreport.org/news/coronavirus/news/second-
pandemic-benedictine-turns-107-too-old-be-set-back-very-muc
96. 96
God help us to change.
To change ourselves and
to change the world.
To know the need for it.
To deal with the pain of it.
To undertake the journey
without understanding
the destination.
The art of gentle revolution.
Amen.
Prayer
and
Art
by
Michael
Leunig
Art:
Pilgrim
II
from
https://shop.leunig.com.au/collections/all/leunig-print
97. Bringing Forth
New Things and Old:
Treasures for a Post-Pandemic World
Sister Edith Bogue
Retreat at St. Walburga Monastery
Elizabeth, New Jersey
June 20-24, 2021
100. 100
100
“Scripture arouses us
saying: It is now time for us
to rise from sleep (Rom. 13:11).
And let us open our eyes to
the deifying light; let us
attune our ears to what the
divine voice admonishes
us, daily crying out: Today
if you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts (Psalm
95:7-8). And again, You who
have ears to hear, hear
what the Spirit says to the
churches (Rev. 2:7).”ra
Spirit Life in the Rule
Rule
of
Saint
Benedict,
calligraphy
by
Meredith
Schifsky,
OblOSB
and
illustrations
by
Mary
Charles
McGough,
OSB.
101. 101
Work of Transformation
Funk,
Discernment
Matters,
Ch
1
“When I first engaged in this interior
work, I underestimated the
effort entailed. I didn’t take
up the edges that words like
“combat” and “athlete”
connote… I thought those
military words were not
necessary… The trick is to be
focused and ready like a
warrior or a world-class athlete,
but at the same time be meek
and docile like a fawn at daybreak.”
Mary Margaret Funk, OSB
102. 102
Transformation
A thorough or
dramatic change in
form or appearance.
A metamorphosis
during the life cycle of
a living being.
Def:
Google
Dictionary
https://www.google.com/search?q=
transformation+definition&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS771US771&oq=transformation+
definition&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i60l3.5796j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Image:
http://www.marketingjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Screen-Shot-
2018-08-17-at-7.32.22-AM-720x294.png
103. 103
What Spiritual Transformation is Not
Transfiguration
Sudden
Self-help
Solely a decision
Strategic Plan
Image
:
http://www.pravmir.com/the-scandal-of-the-transfiguration/
104. 104
104
Teresa of Avila
Thérèse of Lisieux
Teresia Benedicta of
the Cross
Mother Theresa
Lives Transformed by Love
Window
in
St.
Edward
Catholic
Church,
North
August,
SC.
By
Beyer
Studio
https://www.beyerstudio.com/portfolio.php?jawn=SESC
110. 110
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on
earth, where moth and decay destroy, and
thieves break in and steal. But store up
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor
decay destroys, nor thieves break in and
steal. For where your treasure is, there also
will your heart be.
(Matt 6:19-21)
111. 111
“Tradition is the
guarantee of the future
and not the container
of the ashes.
Tradition is like roots
[of a tree], which give
us nutrition to grow.
You will not become like
the roots. You will flower, grow, give fruit.
And the seeds become roots for other people.
The tradition of the church is always in
movement.”
Pope Francis
June 2, 2019
Francis
criticizes
traditionalist
Catholics
who
'safeguard
the
ashes’
of
the
past
by
Joshua
McElswee
NRC
Online:
https://www.ncronline.org/news/vatican/francis-criticizes-
traditionalist-catholics-who-safeguard-ashes-past
113. 113
The Christian Path
Anguish comes with loss,
death, change.
What is lost may be real,
good, true and beautiful.
What is lost may be our
false self.
God meets us in this loss,
shares it, weeps with us.
Our loss is often the
place where we most
clearly encounter God.
Source
of
painting
is
not
known.
114. Bringing Forth
New Things and Old:
Treasures for a Post-Pandemic World
Sister Edith Bogue
Retreat at St. Walburga Monastery
Elizabeth, New Jersey
June 20-24, 2021
117. 117
A Spiritual Organ
God in the Old
Testament
Jesus
Augustine:
“The heart is the
primary spiritual
organ.”
https://s-media-cache-
ak0.pinimg.com/originals/f0/27/2b/f0272bc7e68643d47c609d1b324eb64a.jpg
118. 118
The Heart
Life itself.
Attend to its
beats and pauses.
Mysterious.
Religions:
Center of truth,
conscience,
moral courage, emotion, knowledge,
wisdom and understanding.
http://www.andrewkeithpsychicmedium.com/communities/0/000/001/509/810/images/14444563.jpg
120. 120
“Guard of the Heart”
Scripture
Long tradition
Rare now
Brené Brown:
whole-hearted
people
121. 121
“With all vigilance guard your heart,
for in it are the sources of life.” Proverbs 4:23
“The heart, from
which issues the life
of grace, is like a city,
every moment liable
to both inward
commotion and
outward assault.”
The Works of the Pious and
Profoundly-learned Joseph Mede, 1677
The
Works
of
the
Pious
and
Profoundly-learned
Joseph
Mede
122. 122
Preserve the treasures
“Within the city
are many
treasures,
including its
history and its
symbols.”
Preserving is
active.
Image:
http://www.drawneartogod.com/ArtDetail.asp?ID=20030527&art
=holy-holy-holy-24-seven-series
123. 123
Clean and renew
Cities are busy.
Sanitation and
garbage are
essential jobs
in a city
http://www.drawneartogod.com/ArtDetail.asp?ID=20020224b&a
rt=hearts-connected
124. 124
Training our Hearts
Practice matters:
We build habits.
Desert Ammas
and Abbas trained
their hearts
Training is means, not end
“Turn our hearts” means “Seeking God more
deeply tomorrow than I do today.”
Partnership
Training:
http://www.partnersdogtraining.com/images/img_sendsitgroup_HI.jpg
125. 125
Nurture new growth
“Bring forth
from the new
and from the
old.”
http://www.drawneartogod.com/ArtDetail.asp?ID=20020613&art
=heart-released
126. 126
Draw on the riches of the old
“Tradition is like
roots of a tree,
which give
us nutrition to
grow.”
Pope Francis
June 2, 2019
Francis
criticizes
traditionalist
Catholics
who
'safeguard
the
ashes’
of
the
past
by
Joshua
McElswee
NRC
Online:
https://www.ncronline.org/news/vatican/francis-
criticizes-
traditionalist-catholics-who-safeguard-ashes-past
127. 127
Rest in the heart
“Taste and see.”
Gratitude comes
when we pause
long enough to see
and to savor
http://www.drawneartogod.com/ArtDetail.asp?ID=20070909&art
=sway
129. 129
Heart and Deeds
Abba Poemen said,
“Teach your mouth
to say what is in
your heart.”
He also said, “Do
not give your heart
to that which does
not satisfy your
heart.”
131. Bringing Forth
New Things and Old:
Treasures for a Post-Pandemic World
Sister Edith Bogue
Retreat at St. Walburga Monastery
Elizabeth, New Jersey
June 20-24, 2021
132. 132
132
Go into the Storehouse…
https://gutenbergtimes.com/cobro-107983-unsplash-landscape-web/
133. 133
…where treasures are found
Jeanne
E.
Arnold,
Anthony
P.
Graesch,
Enzo
Ragazzini,
and
Elinor
Ochs
Life
at
Home
in
the
21
st
Century
https://ioa.ucla.edu/press/life-at-home
134. 134
The kingdom of heaven is like…
• A sower + explanation + discipleship
• A field with weeds and wheat together
• A mustard seed
• Yeast that leavened a whole batch of flour
• Why parables? Whoever has ears, hear!
• Treasure buried in a field
• A pearl of great price
• A net catching fish of every kind; the good
are kept and the bad thrown away
“Do you understand all these things?”
Matthew
13:1-54
outline
as
chiasm.
135. 135
135
“Do you understand all
these things?” [The
disciples] answered,
“Yes.” And Jesus replied,
“Then every scribe who has
been instructed in the
kingdom of heaven is like
the head of a household
who brings from his
storeroom both the new
and the old.”
Matthew 13:52
Matthew 13:51-52
https://gutenbergtimes.com/cobro-107983-unsplash-landscape-
web/
139. 139
Guard of the Heart
Watch at the boundaries
Protect vulnerability
Preserve the treasures
Train our hearts
Clean and renew
Nurture the new
Rest in our hearts
http://www.drawneartogod.com/ArtDetail.asp?ID=20020613&art
=heart-released
143. 143
https://seasgb.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/communionofsaints.png “Do not store up for
yourselves treasures
on earth, where
moth and decay
destroy, and thieves
break in and steal.
But store up
treasures in heaven,
where neither moth
nor decay destroys,
nor thieves break in
and steal. For where
your treasure is,
there also will your
heart be.”
145. Bringing Forth
New Things and Old:
Treasures for a Post-Pandemic World
Sister Edith Bogue
Retreat at St. Walburga Monastery
Elizabeth, New Jersey
June 20-24, 2021