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Benet Hill Monastery

We are a contemporary Benedictine Monastic presence. We provide the sacred space of hospitality and the use of our human and material resources in education, spirituality, and other viable ministries. We do this with all God's people and with a special emphasis for women.

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While they were still speaking about this, he stood
In their midst and said to them,
“Peace be with you.”  But they were startled and terrified
and thought they were seeing a ghost.” Luke 24:36

At first they thought Jesus was a manifestation of death.
They had to learn that he is a manifestation of life…

Love Conquers Death

Recently, I sat with those words, “love conquers death.”  Does it?  I pondered on this idea as I reflected on my own life.  I realized that this is truly correct for me.  How often have I been angry, judgmental and self- righteous about the happenings in the world, the Church and even in my own community and family?  Holding onto those feelings only created separation from those who were most important to me.  Holding onto those feelings only led to my own isolation and loneliness; it ultimately led to my own spiritual death, my own soul death and my own emotional death. 

This past month, we have celebrated the Easter event; the memorial of the death and resurrection of Jesus.  In his dying he could have held onto his hurt, anger of betrayal and his despair of giving his all, only to know what appeared to be failure in a horrific death.  Yet, he gave himself as a total act of love and out of that came life and hope.  His love was not conquered by darkness, by aggression, by the law of the land or by the religious leaders of his time, but rather his act of love gave us life.

May each of us find hope in the darkness of these challenging times in the suffering of the many men, women and children in our communities who have lost the basic needs of life, in our churches or in our social political stances of the moment (be that republican or democrat.   Love, kindness, and acceptance are the redeeming words for hope in these troubling times; in these days of darkness.  Jesus’ act of love conquered death and reminds us of the hope we find in the hearts of those who are loving, kind, and accepting rather than angry, judgmental or self-righteous.

In Peace and Love,

Sister Clare Carr, OSB