Our Lady of the Annunciation of Clear Creek Abbey

Some wonderful news from Our Lady of the Annunciation Monastery of Clear Creek, Oklahoma (a monastic foundation of the French Abbey Notre Dame de Fontgombault; the Divine Office and Holy Mass are celebrated in Latin and sung in Gregorian Chant. The Liturgy of Mass is celebrated according to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite -- the Traditional Latin Mass. The monks also observe the complete Benedictine horarium).


Because the Monastery has grown significantly since its recent foundation, it has been established as an Abbey in its own right. From the website:

The Monks of Our Lady of the Annunciation of Clear Creek Monastery

Have the honor and joy of announcing to you

Their recent canonical erection as an Abbey sui juris

On February 10^th, feast of Saint Scholastica,

And the nomination and installation of their first abbot,

The Right Reverend Father Dom Philip Anderson,

On February 11^th, feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Please pray for the new abbot and his community.  


Take a look at the monks website (clearcreekmonks.org). Their story is quite impressive and inspiring. Too bad they are out west, it seems a wonderful place to make a retreat!

First Sunday of Lent -- Jesus is Tempted in the Desert

The Gospel reading for the first Sunday of Lent in both the Ordinary Form (Novus Ordo) and the Extraordinary Form (Traditional Latin Mass) recounts the temptation of Jesus in the desert after His forty days of prayer and fasting:


Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written, `Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" Then the devil took him to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, `He will give his angels charge of you,' and `On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'" Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, `You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'" Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them;  and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Begone, Satan! for it is written, `You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'" Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him. -- St. Matthew 4:1-11 (RSV translation)


It is interesting that many of the Fathers of the Church have extended commentaries on this passage and they are able to point out so many allegorical meanings to this event. One I found the most interesting was the observation that when Christ Himself suffered wrong at the hands of the Devil, being tempted by him he did not send him away, but only after the Devil usurps the honor due to God that the Lord tells him to begone. In other words, Jesus has given us the example to bear injuries and insults to ourselves with magnanimity, but never to tolerate insult to God.


How often do we look the other way when our society puts forward insult after insult to our God? While God clearly does not need His honor defended, we who love Him are obligated to answer and correct anything or anyone who takes from God what is His due.

Lent is fast approaching, so what are you going to do?

This Wednesday, the 17th of February is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent. During these forty days, the Church recommends that we renew and revitalize our relationship with our Lord in order to be able to celebrate well the sacred Easter Triduum. This renewal is to come about through our practice of the traditional trio of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. While many of us try to be attentive to fasting ("giving something up for Lent"), it is easy to neglect, or at least not concentrate on, the other two -- prayer and almsgiving. In a real sense, our fasting should easily lead us to prayer and almsgiving, by freeing up time (to devote to God through prayer and spiritual reading) and money (to ease the material suffering of others by what we save in not giving to ourselves). Try to make this Lent a time of taking up the three together in order to make Lent a real time of spiritual renewal. Fasting alone can be good for the soul, but it often devolves to being only good for our waistline; by adding prayer and almsgiving, fasting becomes good for body and soul!

Some ideas for prayer/spiritual reading during Lent:

1. Pray the Rosary daily, if you do not already do so.
2. Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy (ewtn.com/Devotionals/mercy/dmmap.htm)
3. Read a chapter of Sacred Scripture each day. I particularly favor the Prophet Jeremiah or the Gospel of John for Lent.
4. Read some writings of the saints. Fr. Jerabek has arranged various reading plans for Lent and are worth checking out. The advantage is that they can be accessed online so can be read anywhere without having to carry a book around. They are available here: www.lovethechurch.com/lent
5. Assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as often as possible during the weeks of Lent.

Whatever you choose to do, know that our Lord rewards richly those who seek Him with a contrite heart. A blessed Lent to all!