Don't Try to Be God

A reflection by Mother Maria-Michael Newe, OSB.

Sometimes in life, things happen that make us ask the question: “How can that be?” And when we try to take control of it, we can hear God asking us, “Do you trust me? Will you ask me to take care of it and then believe it will be taken care of?” I think we need truly to trust that God can handle our worries, that we don’t need to get our finger in every pie and try to take care of it ourselves. I love the saying Sr. Genevieve often uses: “I’m not God, I only work for Him.” We all need to remember that! We aren’t God and we shouldn’t try to be—it’s beyond our scope and abilities. If you want to stay nervous try and play God’s role. If you want to be calm then give it to God, He can handle it!

Last week we sung a responsory in matins that is just perfect to meditate on:

He who knows what good things to give to His children exhorts us to ask, to seek, and to knock. The more truly we believe, the more strongly we hope, and the more ardently we desire, the more generously we will receive. In our condition we will receive more by sighs than by speech, more by tears than by words.

Why is this true? Because it’s the heart that cries out. Nothing is greater than the desire of our hearts.

So what do you really desire? Ask and you shall receive… when it is for your very good. And if God says ‘no’ then it is for your very good. He can only say ‘no’ to those who really love Him. He can only guide you when you want to be guided. If you want to be guided, throw yourselves wholly into His service. Keep nothing back. For what keeps you back ties you down. You’re only free when you can freely do God’s will. His will is life.

Being True to Your 'Yes'

A reflection by Mother Maria-Michael Newe, OSB.

“You are the salt of the earth.” (Mt. 5:13) Salt can be used for healing and our lives can bring great healing by being who we are and living it fully. I heard a similar message in the letter to the Corinthians where St. Paul says, “Our word to you is not ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ For the Son of God, Jesus Christ was not ‘yes’ and ‘no’... but ‘yes’ has been in Him.” (2 Cor 1:18f) 'Yes' implies an openness. When someone says ‘yes’ it’s as if the door has been open wide and there is a willingness to open to the Light, to see what is really there.

So much harm has been done by people saying they were one thing and then being another. This has happened in all kinds of areas in the Church, whether it be in persons of authority or in laity who aren’t faithful to the laws of the Church-- disregarding some of them as if they didn’t apply to them but to everybody else. Our faithfulness, our ‘yes’ to God is that first installment of the Spirit that will be brought to fruit by our opening ourselves fully to God, living in His presence, and being truly who we are called to be. We must be faithful, God will take care of the rest.

Living Now

A reflection on the Gospel reading for June 8, 2009, (Mt. 5:1-12) by Mother Maria-Michael Newe, OSB.

When I read the Gospel of the Beatitudes earlier this week, what was rather striking to me was that it didn’t say: "blessed are those who were poor in spirit, blessed are those who had mourned, or blessed are those who were meek." No it says, “blessed are those who are...” That little active verb ‘are’. It’s the present moment that they’re doing it. They aren’t looking at the past and saying, “O gosh I was that way.” Nor are they looking in the future and saying, “Well maybe I could be that way.” No, they’re taking the present moment and being that way.

I think that this can show us that we are to live virtuously the present moment. That helps everybody. Sometimes it’s the past that holds us fast and we can’t break out of it. Why? Because we keep staring at it. It’s like we live with review mirrors on us. Or else we let patterns inhibit us. But when we can just see the present moment then we’re living in the face of God who is there present—that I AM.

If we look in the future-- well who can say anything about the future? We can’t say what’s going to be in the future. Often the future will cause fear. That’s why God tells us that if we worry about the present moment He will take care of the future. So if we can just live the present moment fully, I believe we’ll be persons of peace.

Who Do We Look To?

A reflection on the Mass reading(Tobit 2:9-14) and the Matins reading (by St. Dorotheus) from Tuesday, June 2, 2009, by Mother Maria-Michael Newe, OSB.

In the reading from Tobit earlier this week we saw how when Tobit was put to the test his “true character,” at first, came out. This reading was complimentary with our second Matin’s reading that same morning. The Matin's reading by St. Dorotheus talks about how every situation that comes up can be used for our advantage and we can grow in faith in every circumstance. Instead of blaming everybody else for what’s happening, look to yourself and see how you are reacting and what is going on within you. I was especially thinking of the point of when we are put the test who do we look to? Do we look to ourselves to save us, or to we look to God? There is so much to learn from our own reactions in life.

We can be much freer if we trust in God. The less we trust in God, the more anxious we’re going to become within. But the more we trust, the more we give God the room to act. He won’t act without our giving. The greater we put our trust in Him, the greater will be His acts.

Love One Another

A reflection by Mother Maria-Michael Newe, OSB.

All throughout the Eastertide, we have been really exhorted by our Lord, “This is my commandment, love one another as I love you. “ In all the readings from the Acts of the Apostles which we’ve been listening to, we hear that the people were delighted with the exhortation. They thirsted to know what was right. They were ready to listen, to hear how they could fulfill the exhortation.

I think that this is what the Church is telling us too: look to learn of God. Learn of God from one another and above all, love one another. Non-violence doesn’t mean anything if we aren’t doing it out of love. We have to ask ourselves: do we draw a line where we say if such-and-such happens we won’t love anymore? And are we willing to challenge that; to constantly stretch the boundaries of our love until they reach eternity, until there is no boundary anymore? In the end, the only thing we’re going to be judged on is if we have loved. If we put that as our goal, we will want to keep learning of God.

Be Permanent in My Love

A reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, May 17, 2009 (John 15:9-17) by Mother Maria-Michael Newe, OSB.

We hear in the Gospel today: “Jesus said to His disciples, ‘As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love.” In Spanish the word remain is “permanente”. Permanent. Hearing that gives this verse a whole different sense. It’s like a permanent marker--it doesn’t matter what you do it’s not coming out, so when you make that mark make sure you want it there. “Be permanent in my love,” says our Lord.

Later He says, “If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love.” What an assurance! Love isn’t just a warm fuzzy feeling. It’s an actual doing, it’s an active verb—loving! And it means following the commandments. By doing that we’re sure we’re living in God’s love. There are days when we’re not feeling all warm and fuzzy and that’s when we put our mind to it and tell ourselves “I’m going to follow God’s law and by doing that I know I’m in His love.” By doing that we’re also remaining in the love of our community, our family, our Church.

Humility is Truth

A reflection by Mother Maria-Michael Newe, OSB.

I read the following verse this morning: “Beloved clothe yourselves with humility… humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due time.” (1 Peter 5:5,6) Living that will take a lifetime; and yet we can begin today.

Humility is simply truth. And to live in the truth means you never deny the gifts in yourself and also you never deny the gifts in others. This is what it takes to live in 'right order'. If we practiced this, the world would live in right order. The world itself would be in peace if there were true humility.

Humility respects and humility doesn’t try to be what it is not. When we see that, we find freedom. Imagine if you didn’t have to live up to the expectations you think others have for you or the expectations you have for yourself. If you could simply be yourself and be at peace with that, God would be pleased, because your true self is God’s gift. That is who you are before God. And He rejoices when He sees you. To discover that makes you youthful at any age.

Living in the Light of the Resurrection

A reflection on the first Mass reading for Wednesday, April 22, 2008 (Acts 5:17-26) by Mother Maria-Michael Newe, OSB.

In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles today, we can see the change in Peter from pre-Resurrection to post-Resurrection. Before, when Peter was faced with terror and fear he took off, he denied Jesus. This time, there’s no fear. He and John simply do as the angel bids them. We see the power that trust and faith in Christ Jesus have.

The difference in the disciple of the post-Resurrection era is that we know that evil can never over come us. It can test us, but it can never overcome us. By hanging on to that we live in the light of the Resurrection. It’s the time of the Holy Spirit. To be filled with that, to stand steadfast in the face of all evil, and to cling to Christ is the victory. If we can focus on that at this time we shall live without anxiety.

We need to keep focused on today. We don’t have tomorrow’s grace, so don’t stare at tomorrow. We only have today’s grace. Go ahead and stare at today, the present moment, for that’s where Christ is.

On Judging

A reflection by Mother Maria-Michael Newe, OSB.

I think we could all find ourselves a bit a fault at times for judging others. Yet, if we practice being in the presence of God at all times we won’t judge, we won’t have time. Most judgment comes from a past situation. So if we live in the present we aren’t going to keep bringing up the past. That takes real discipline of prayer and practice of the present moment. And yet I think we find most happiness in that.

Mother Francizka [the Abbess of our motherhouse in Eichstatt] was telling me one time that judging is like riding a bike: you have push another down in order for yourself to be up. If that’s the case then walk with God-- don’t ride a bike, simply walk.

Go To The Rock- Christ

A reflection on the first Mass reading (Numbers 21:4-9) from Tuesday March 31, 2009 by Mother Maria-Michael Newe, OSB.

We heard yesterday in Mass of the murmuring of the Israelites in the desert. They had no water to drink, they were watching their children suffer and their livestock dying.

Sometimes in our lives, sin appears this way as well. We are overwhelmed by legitimate sorrow and sufferings or we recognize it in the lives of others. We are tempted to murmur to one another. But if we dash our troubles against one another-- our anger, our suffering, ,our sorrows, our misunderstandings-- we are in essense stoning one another. Or if we should allow sin to unite us, we should stone or crucify, possibly, an innocent soul.

St. Benedict is considered another Moses and he tells us what to do. He says to take your evil thoughts and temptations and dash them against Christ. He alone can change our sorrow to joy. He won’t necessarily change where we are, where we live, who we live among, but He will give us the the water we thirst for. He’ll give us the refreshment to be able to go on, to be able to drink from the same cup as He did and live doing what is right.

When you feel like you’ve reached the end, go to the Rock that is so solid and the purest of water will pour forth. It will give us refreshment, new life, new zeal and the ability to let one another drink from our own stream given to us by Christ.