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"These people fear the Lord, and do not become elated over their good
deeds; they judge it is the Lord's power, not their own, that brings
about the good in them." (RB Prol 29)

Life at Mount Michael has a rhythm and orientation all its own.
Some aspects of our life are regular and don't vary much from day to day,
including:

The work of God (Liturgy of the Hours)
Daily Eucharist and observations of the church year
Gardening, care of livestock and maintenance of the grounds
Food preparation and taking meals together
Devotion to community through shared activities & prayer
Ministries to surrounding parishes
Teaching/Involvement in Mount Michael High School
Running of Guest House/hospitality/retreat center
Operation of the Gift Shop
Outreach to Hispanic communities in our area
Spiritual direction
Coordination of the Oblate Program

Yet each day, month and season brings unique emphases and opportunities to serve and to celebrate life in our Christian community. This month at Mount Michael, we are observing these special events:

Calendar of Events:

(Check back regularly for updates and other information)

Monastic Schedule

Calendar:

Mystery in White

 "My word is like the snow and the rain
that come down from the
sky to water the earth.
They make the crops grow
and provide seed for
planting and food to eat
. So also will be the word that I speak-
it will not fail to do what I plan for it;
it will do everything I send it to do."


Isaiah 55:10-11


Ask an artist, and he might tell you that the most difficult color to capture is…white. A trip to the hardware store paint counter confirms that it's difficult to say what "white" really is. If you're not careful, you can spend an hour in perplexed amazement, trying to decide which white that storeroom should be. Warm and cool whites, lavender- and pale-green tinted whites, eggshells and ivories. White is rich and complicated, soothing and engaging. It seems to be every color and, at the same time, no color at all…white is truly a mystery.

A look around the Mount Michael campus during this season is fascinating for that same reason. In the snow that spreads beneath and around the tree trunks and cornstalks, drifting like ocean waves against our red-brick chapel…countless whites dazzle us with their brightness and softness, their sparkle and their depth. We ponder snow in amazement. Are our eyes deceiving us? Do we see yellows, purples, blues and even oranges cast on the ground? Then they change as the sun rises and sets, spilling gorgeous light over drifts and valleys. White is dynamic, a feast that teases our eyes. White confounds us, moving us into silence. For many of those tints and shades, we don't even have words to express the beauty they reveal. All we can do is look, and look again.

In that same way, God's word is like snow on the ground, holding rich promise and mystery, slowly nourishing us for eventual revelation. As expressed in "Font of Life," inspired by Isaiah 55 and written by Abbot Gregory Polan, OSB, God's word both covers and reveals what we long for;

"Rain and snow blanket the earth,
giving seed to the man who sows
and bread to the man who eats."


When we abandon our preconceived notions of white and look at the snow, giving it our full attention, we see indescribable color, even hope for a new season. When we set aside our fears or impatience to ponder God's word, even past that point when comprehension fails us, we are assured that God's word "will not fail to do what I plan for it; it will do everything I send it to do." The word won't fail us, but will reward our patience with seed and bread.



In the courtyard by the chapel, near the cloister walk, there is another Word, both concealed and revealed, in the Abbey snow. The clear, pure white of the Virgin's mantle, the gray-white of the bleating lambs, and the changing drifts surround an image of the Word made flesh, the Christ child in a manger. Seeing him there, we can't help but recall the words of St. John about his coming. In light of God's promise through Isaiah, this Word stuns us with his immediacy, his daring, and his infant vulnerability in the winter's cold.

"And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father's only Son,
full of grace and truth."

John 1:14

In the chill of winter, take time to ponder the whites in a blanket of snow, and let yourself anticipate the colors white will bring to the ground in springtime. Take time, too, to ponder and give thanks for the Word that came, as promised. Then, consider well how this infant Word, in the coming seasons, will accomplish what God sent him to do.