From the Abbot for His love endures forever
As I write for this issue of Kansas Monks, our community has just finished our annual retreat given this year by Sr. Mary Irene Nowell, OSB. Sr. Mary Irene focused us on something central to our daily lives as monks, something that brings us together, that grounds us, that is a gift, yet something often take for granted: The Psalms. In particular, she focused us on the idea that the Psalms tell a story, and through the story telling of the psalmist, our own stories are being told as we recite and chant this Word of God. The rhythm, the consistency, and even repetition, all contribute to bringing stability to our lives that mirrors the stability that we have professed in our vows. This stability in the Word of God becomes not only our story, but it becomes a part of us, even as the air we breathe is so necessary to sustain our lives. At appointed times in the day, from early morning to evening, we gather to offer our time, our prayer, and, through our daily experiences, ourselves. Whether a particular day has been one filled with successes, or we have experienced setbacks and limitations to our hopes, we find in the words of the psalmist our own words to express ourselves at that particular moment in our lives and in our vocations as monks. Indeed, the story of any person who enters into the Psalms is told in his or her reading and offers a settling of life, a balance, a stability that is often lacking in our day-to-day living. This became very clear to me during our retreat when Sr. Mary Irene led us through a story-telling exercise with Psalm 136; a psalm that bids us to recognize God’s enduring love. Sr. Mary Irene began reading Psalm 136, asking us to offer the response for that psalm, “For his love endures for ever.” And after a certain point she began inserting moments from our own history as a community, with us continuing to respond, “For his love endures forever.” So it went something like this…
Give thanks to the Lord of Lords; for his love endures forever.
Who alone has wrought marvelous works; for his l o v e e n d u r e s f o r e v e r. W h o s e w i s d o m i t w a s m a d e t h e s k i e s ; f o r h i s l o v e e n d u r e s f o r e v e r.
Who fixed the earth firmly on the seas; for his love endures forever. Who made the great lights; for his love endures forever.
sun to rule the day; for his love endures forever.
The The m
oon
and stars in the night; for his love endures forever.
In 1855 Fr. Henry Lemke set out from Pennsylvania to Kansas and became the patriarch of Kansas monks; for his love endures forever. In 1856 he settled in Doniphan, the first site of the Kansas monastery; for his love endures forever. 4
Kansas Monks
