In total we were 10 people from 7 different countries; Norway, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Belgium, South Korea and Czech. We read and talked about gospel of John 14, 1-6:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where (I) am going you know the way.” Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

She writes:

The same Holy Spirit that was given to the apostles and to those women and men who first journeyed with Jesus is given to us. Do we truly know the gift that is ours?

(…)

The Spirit’s gift of patience and endurance can help us in those times when the going is rough, when hurts and wrongs rupture relationships, when misunderstandings seem to rule the day, when life asks more of us than we think we have the ability to manage. God does not leave us on our own; God does not expect us to do it alone.

In this article she wants to help us discover, recognizing and use the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Here are some pictures from the BBQ:

If you decide to use this program with a group or alone, we’d be thrilled – and we’d like to know, so please drop us a line in the comments if you do!

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

Father brings in the Sacrament. We kneel and adore Him.

Together: Most Holy Trinity, I adore You! My God, my God, I love You in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Apostle’s Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.  He descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from there he shall come to judge the living and the dead.  I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.  Amen.

Our Father
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  Amen.

Hail Mary
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.  Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.  (three times)

Glory Be
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.  As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

Fatima
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy.

First Glorious Mystery: The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. And the angel answered and said unto the women: “Fear not ye! For I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here. For he is risen, as he said”. (Mat 28,1-6)

The risen Jesus has proved that man, together with Him, can have power over sin and therefore death. Jesus, help raise us, deliver us from sin, from evil, give us Your light, give us Your joy. Rekindle inside us the love, the faith, the hopefulness, and the gift of prayer. Let us ask Mary for the gift of an unshakeable faith. (Source: http://www.theholyrosary.org/glorious.html)

Silence and time for reflection before the prayers begin: one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, one Glory Be, one Fatima

Second Glorious Mystery: The Ascension of Jesus to Heaven
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. Jesus, You have not deserted Your apostles in anguish, but have given them the joy of knowing Jesus “glorified” over 40 days . After Your Ascension, You granted to all those who seek You the gift of receiving You in the Eucharist. Through Mary we trust in you. Mary, give us the gift of hope. (Source: http://www.theholyrosary.org/glorious.html)

Silence and time for reflection before the prayers begin: one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, one Glory Be, one Fatima

Third Glorious Mystery: The Descent of The Holy Ghost
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Act 2,1-4)

Jesus, infuse us with the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, enlighten us with the light of Your Spirit, with His strength enter in the deepest parts of our hearts and heal us. Deliver us, fill up our hearts with Your love. Make us apostles of Yours, dear Lord. Let us ask Mary the gift of true love, the gift of prayer from the heart.
“Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.” (Source: http://www.theholyrosary.org/glorious.html)

Silence and time for reflection before the prayers begin: one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, one Glory Be, one Fatima

Fourth Glorious Mystery: The Assumption of Mary
After the apostles have dispersed, the Blessed Mother goes to live with John, the beloved disciple. Mary lives many years on earth after the death of Christ. She is a source of comfort, consolation and strength to the apostles. As she had nourished the infant Jesus, so she nourishes spiritually the infant Church. Mary dies, not of bodily infirmity, but is wholly overcome in a rapture of divine love. Her body as well as her soul is taken up into heaven. After her burial the apostles go to the tomb and find only fragrant lilies. Jesus does not permit the sinless body of His Mother to decay in the grave. Corruption of the body is an effect of original sin from which Mary is totally exempted. The bodies of all mankind, at the last judgment, will be brought back and united again to the soul.

Now that Mary is raised into heaven, She prays for Her sons and daughters, those sons and daughters Jesus left Her when He was on the cross. Mary, pray for us, You know our fears, take us into Your Heart, the Heart of a Mother. Help us now and in the time of our death to be with You in Heaven. We ask of you a devotion to Your Immaculate Heart, where we may take refuge in times of trouble. (Source: http://www.rosary-center.org/glorious.htm)

Silence and time for reflection before the prayers begin: one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, one Glory Be, one Fatima

Fifth Glorious Mystery: The Coronation of Mary in Heaven
As Mary enters heaven, the entire court of heaven greets with joy this masterpiece of God’s creation. Mary is crowned by her divine Son as Queen of heaven and earth. More than we can ever know the Hearts of Jesus and Mary overflow with joy at this reunion. Only in heaven will we know the great majesty of that coronation, and the joy it gave to the angels and saints. Even the angels, who by nature are greater than humans, hail Mary as their Queen. Mary shares so fully in the glory of Christ because she shared so fully in His suffering. Only in heaven will we see how central is the role of Mary in the divine plan of redemption. The angels and saints longed for the coming of her whose heel crushes the head of the serpent. Mary pleads our cause as a most powerful Queen and a most merciful and loving Mother. A great sign appeared in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. (Source: http://www.rosary-center.org/glorious.htm)

Let us trust in Mary, Let us call to Her, let us love Her, let us confide in Her, because She gives Her all to us. We have a Mother in Heaven who is also a Queen; thus we need to turn to Her with full faith and hopefulness. If we ask for something while praying the Holy Rosary, it will be granted to us. Ask Her for the gift of prayer, a prayer of the heart, said only for love, a love for Her and Jesus. Let us also ask for a consistency of prayer, to always be joined to Her Heart, and therefore to the Heart of Jesus. (Source: http://www.theholyrosary.org/glorious.html)

Silence and time for reflection before the prayers begin: one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, one Glory Be, one Fatima

Prayer for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit, divine Consoler, I adore You as my true God, with God the Father and God the Son. I adore You and unite myself to the adoration You receive from the angels and saints.I give You my heart and I offer my ardent thanksgiving for all the grace which You never cease to bestow on me.

O Giver of all supernatural gifts, who filled the soul of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with such immense favors, I beg You to visit me with Your grace and Your love and to grant me the gift of holy fear, so that it may act on me as a check to prevent me from falling back into my past sins, for which I beg pardon.

Grant me the gift of piety, so that I may serve You for the future with increased fervor, follow with more promptness Your holy inspirations, and observe your divine precepts with greater fidelity.

Grant me the gift of knowledge, so that I may know the things of God and, enlightened by Your holy teaching, may walk, without deviation, in the path of eternal salvation.

Grant me the gift of fortitude, so that I may overcome courageously all the assaults of the devil, and all the dangers of this world which threaten the salvation of my soul.

Grant me the gift of counsel, so that I may choose what is more conducive to my spiritual advancement and may discover the wiles and snares of the tempter.

Grant me the gift of understanding, so that I may apprehend the divine mysteries and by contemplation of heavenly things detach my thoughts and affections from the vain things of this miserable world.

Grant me the gift of wisdom, so that I may rightly direct all my actions, referring them to God as my last end; so that, having loved Him and served Him in this life, I may have the happiness of possessing Him eternally in the next.

Amen.

Let us pray for our Pontiff, Pope Benedict.
ALL:  May the Lord preserve him, and give him life, and bless him upon earth, and deliver him not to the will of his enemies.

Our Father.  Hail Mary.

ALL:  O God, Shepherd and Ruler of all Thy faithful people, look mercifully upon Thy servant Benedict, whom Thou hast chosen as shepherd to preside over Thy Church. Grant him, we beseech Thee, that by his word and example, he may edify those over whom he hath charge, so that together with the flock committed to him, may he attain everlasting life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for priests by Therese of Lisieux
O Jesus
I pray for your faithful and fervent priests
for your unfaithful and tepid priests
for your priests labouring at home
or abroad in distant mission fields
for your tempted priests
for your lonely and desolate priests
for your young priests
for your dying priests
for the souls of your priests in purgatory

But above all, I recommend to you
the priest dearest to me
the priest who baptized me
the priest who absolved me from my sins
the priests at whose Masses I assisted
and who gave me Your Body and Blood in Holy Communion
the priests who taught and instructed me
All the priests I am indebted in any other way

O Jesus, keep them all close to your heart
and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity, Amen.

Closing rite: Tantum Ergo Sacramentum (Adoremus number 246, verse 5 and 6)

P.Al started with  a short prayer to the Holy Spirit. Remembering the passage from Matt 18,20:  (…) For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” The fact that He is in our midst is the presupposition and basis for the Bible meditation. We read a part of John 20 and shared with each other witch words or phrases that caught our eyes, heart and thoughts.

On coming Wednesday (5th of May) we’ll continue our Bible journey. This time we’ll read from the Acts of the Apostles, more precisely Paul’s speech on Areopagus (Acts 17,22-31) We’ll focus on Acts 17,22-28.

Picture of Areopagus with the Acropolis of Athens in the background from Wikimedia

Some of you may have noticed the new function in the right column with links to today’s Mass readings, psalm and reflection. This is a good way both to find the daily readings and at the same time you can get some words of reflection over the readings. Daily reading the Bible can surly deepen our faith and our relationship with God – the Bible is the word of God that speaks to us in our lives. That is why it is so important to get to know the Bible better and better.

In the Student Group we will have a Bible Study this semester. We want to know more about the Bible and how to read it. The goal with this Bible study is precisely to encourage the use of the Bible in our daily life, by educating us and helping us to start. Like Mary Elizabeth Sperry writes:

The Bible is not addressed only to long-dead people in a faraway land. It is addressed to each of us in our own unique situations. When we read, we need to understand what the text says and how the faithful have understood its meaning in the past. In light of this understanding, we then ask: What is God saying to me?

This Wednesday, the 24th of March, we will start with an introduction to the Bible study. Bring your Bible with you if you have one and join us in some hours of studying, listening and talking. I’m positive that this is the beginning of something interesting,  educational and fun. But most importantly this is a way to grow deeper in our faith and relationship with God.

The Psalms are recited as the wind endeavours to lift the Church and carry it away. We are here today, five students or young adults, going into the desert to pray like Jesus prayed, to listen to him in silence and love. As we leave Church, still no words are spoken, only a gentle nod and smile as we hurry from the cold wind inside to our breakfast.

A curious scene, really: two young women, friends, usually laughing and talking, having their coffee and bread in complete silence, both encapsulated in the same story: the gospel according to Mark. Usually on top of our assignments, this time is different. The task was set by sister Anne Elizabeth the previous evening: to read the Gospel of Mark slowly, focused, as if for the first time, looking for references of Jesus’ humanity, actions, emotions and the relationship to his father. Completely immersed in Mark’s narrative we spent three hours after Compline, in our own chambers, but are still only half way. Seeing the text with a new pair of eyes, we couldn’t read slowly enough, capturing the details, letting God speak to us with Mark’s voice.

Seven times a day I praise you the Psalm (119,164) says and so our coffee and reading is continued by Lauds first, then Mass, the Eucharist ending the Great Silence. During vigils, the view from the window behind the altar is black. Watch as the light of a single car drives slowly along the road on the other side of the fjord. The yellow light flickers by the curves of the road. Here now, gone now. Now only the black remains. Soon a single tree is visible as the light grows. Then another, and by the time Mass is finished, both the fjord and the mountain across the water is seen. In the same way our Lord is unveiled, first a flicker of light, a star on the heavens, a path is laid and by his teaching, his prophecy and his suffering, the Lord’s plan for us is brought to life and reaches its climax at the foot of the cross and resurrection: the Body and Blood of Christ is presented to us, a gift we do not deserve, but are given nonetheless.

Nourished both in body and spirit, we share a cup of tea, still the voice of Mark sounding in our hearts. Not used to being so quiet and focused, we take a break. A disposable plate quickly becomes a glory behind Andrea’s head, as we take silly pictures of each other. We are children after all, and have let our energy out when sister Anne Elizabeth joins us again.

We share our findings in the gospel, and notice that sister has read it with new eyes over and over again as she pours of her knowledge, explaining any passages we had trouble understanding (Mark 9,43-50). She hands us a list of signs of humanity in Christ and where to find them in the Bible, the perfect companion for when we find ourselves too taken up with our everyday lives to see the greater picture: that God knows us better than we do and still find us worthy of giving his life for.

As the Church bells ring for Sekst, we have an extra spring in our steps, for soon dinner is served. The priest, an Irishman, sings a Norwegian grace as Pole, Italian and Norwegian eat together in silence as we listen to classical music, thus having our bodies and spirits fed at the same time. At first the silence may feel pressing, awkward, then becomes a relief: nobody is forced to fill the silence with interesting or uninteresting conversation. The gospel of Mark and the Psalms are still heard in our hearts.

We are encouraged to leave our cell phones and iPods untouched for the duration of our stay, but there are nobody to check. Nobody will know if an iPod is played during the Great Silence. Our refrigerator has meat inside, but nobody is there to check if it is eaten on Friday. We are told we are welcome to celebrate Vigils at 4.20 in the morning, but nobody will wake you up, in fact they are astonished if you come. And that is the wonder of being on retreat, and also of Christ’s sacrifice: it is his to give and it is given freely.

We gather to talk about the psalms. These 150 songs for every occasion speak of every human emotion, even though they are up to 3000 years old. For learning, for complaint, for joy and celebration. Parts of them are perfect as short one-line prayers for strength, perseverance, comfort and praise (“Create a clean heart in me, O Lord” – “For God alone my soul waits in silence” – “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord” – “Bless the Lord my soul, and all that is within me”). We are encouraged to stay with those that touch us.

Showered with hospitality, friendliness, encouragement, smiles and advice, our time is up. Outside the monastery walls Norway has won one olympic medal and lost another to the Swedes, us none the wiser. It matters little now, for our weekend was ours to give and was given freely to the Lord. I hope we’ll be back soon!

From John 14,1-21:

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.

(…) I am the way and the truth and the life.

I will not leave you orphans; (…)

On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you.

First meditation of Blessed James Alberione:

“Jesus invites me to enter more deeply in a personal relationship with him, a relation that can hold any difficulty, any joy or any sorrow. He desires that I experience this security which can be tasted when we are loved faithfully, wholeheartedly: “’Do not let your hearts be troubled”. Though mysterious, Jesus’ words, “I am the Way; I am Truth and Life”, are a beautiful promise of his loving fidelity and friendship.”

“The wish of God for me” of Blessed James Alberione

Your wish, o my Lord, is to come into my heart and to transform me by Your divine life.

Your wish is to purify me, to liberate me from my selfishness and my faults.

Your wish is to create me again and again, to make me a new person, in Your image.

Your wish is to fill me with Your love, for I love the Father and all my sisters and brothers as You love them.

Your wish is that I get united with You by the most intimate ties, to unite our hearts for they become one.

Your wish is to strengthen me, to give me Your divine power for I can overcome evil and be constant in doing good.

Your wish is to set my soul on fire with a tireless enthusiasm to work at the growing of Your kingdom in this world.

Your wish is that I belong to You in this life and in the life to come.

O my Lord, may Your wish become reality in my life. Help me to give You everything freely.

After the adoration in the chapel we had some time to socialize and get to know each other better.

It was a very nice evening, both spiritually and socially!