Sisters of Bethlehem

[Quasar]

43 minutes ago, genesisweavers said:

Fr Abbot asks "how we long to be made whole; to collect all the missing pieces of our lives...to get my act together. But Jesus is telling us - we cannot make ourselves whole - we cannot get our act together - by ourselves. Jesus comes to save that which is lost. He goes to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. If you find yourself feeling lost - not whole - Jesus is searching for you!"

 

So true and so beautiful!

[Gabriela]

6 hours ago, genesisweavers said:

Dear Friends - I wanted to write to you yesterday but unfortunately I didn't find the time in yesterday's happenings. I was eager to get a word off to you because I realized that my words were hitting on some wounds of those who were reading them. And unfortunately the texts that started this whole conversation were hitting on some wounds of my own. Just today some of those sore spots came into my consciousness and I thought I might share a little bit of that with you - not by way of an excuse but simply a hope that you will all understand.

I straddle the two generations of pre-Vatican II and post-Vatican II. Even though I was excited and welcoming to some of what the Council brought to the church I was also grieved by some of what we lost. So when I discovered Bethlehem I felt such a rapport with the atmosphere and environment with the monastery. I think what appealed to me the most was probably a balance that I felt there that restored for me a greater sense of belonging to something I believed in. And I do get the idea of being on the outside looking in. Just to take all of this out of the specific realm of Bethlehem - when I visited the Maronite Monks in Massachusetts the one thing that spoke to me the most of their authenticity was - each monk spends two hours a day in the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The same thinking can be applied to the Bethlehem. And this is the path to my conclusion - anyone who spends two hour each day in silent adoration of our Lord in the Eucharist has got to be on the right track. And so with the Monastic Sisters - anyone who can live in silence and solitude etc. I always said - there can't be any fakers in a Charterhouse. And the Carthusians themselves have a rather graphic saying - if a monk is unfaithful to his vocation to life in the cell - the cell will vomit him out.

Unfortunately the history of religious life is filled with all kinds of stories of abuse and wrong thinking. In the first post on this topic I quoted the Abbot of Guadalupe Abbey. In a sermon he gave on the first profession of Bro Scott recently Fr Abbot uses the Gospel of St Matthew as the source for his remarks. One of the Gospel stories was the woman cured of the hemorrhage. "She was made whole". Fr Abbot asks "how we long to be made whole; to collect all the missing pieces of our lives...to get my act together. But Jesus is telling us - we cannot make ourselves whole - we cannot get our act together - by ourselves. Jesus comes to save that which is lost. He goes to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. If you find yourself feeling lost - not whole - Jesus is searching for you!"

 

Thank you for sharing that with us, John. It took humility and I think we all understand you a bit better now because of it! 

[genesisweavers]

Thanks Gabriela +...I will go to the monastery in Livingston Manor tomorrow for the day.  Prayers for all my Phamily...

your brother

[Yaakov]

Our religious vocation is first and foremost to follow the Christ. The community is but a vehicle. In the monastic setting we do this as a group of friends, that after many years become family. Some of our fellow monks will become our closest soul mates because xe are on the same journey and undergo the same ups and downs along this particular journey.

Let's get real for a moment here: loving each other, encouraging each other, noticing when someone is down or tired or under the weather...here lies true monastic love. We travel and support each other every day little by little.

I don 't think hours and hours of adoration or prayers or fasting until one can barely stand up are psychologically balanced practices. Talking, encouraging, listening , is. More worrying is why?

Isn"t there a tinge of spiritual pride in all of this?

Seeking the beautiful in the other is a far more demanding and humbling affair.

The more we continue in this life the more we should become like the Christ in his overwhelming avalabilty to others in a simple and nature way.Loving your fellow monks(nuns) in all their frailties and trying to build ourselves up ito walk confidently in firm biblicall truth is our day to day sacrifice.

I seem to sense in some of the comments a tendancy to measure by the world's standards. The more one fasts the better. The more one prays the better. Almost to the detrement of the unique make up of every monk or nun.

For those special godly people who tried the life but chose otherwise, please realise how special you are in God's eyes and that the passage in the monastic life is only one way to live out an apostolic and holy devout life. I am convinced and humbled by the fact that many families living in difficult evonomic and emotional situations live out a witness a thoysand times greater than my own.

For those who have left this life wounded, humiliated, wounded and broken and feel lost as to theiir place in the world.

1. You are cheished by your creator just as you are.

2. Give yourself a lot of time to heal

3.Find someone you trust to open up to who is dependable

4. Learn to love yourself again. The way God made you with your talents, gifts , smile,charisma. These are all unique to you.

Al blessings in the only person worth following, The Christ

[mariepaix]

Finally the Prioress of Bethlehem has issued an apology for the wounds and deep  trauma caused by the dysfunctionality of Bethlehem and the many cultish elements they  employ.  https://english.bethleem.org/annonces/20210104_press_release.php

They have also set up a listening cell that will listen to the testimony of ex-sisters of Bethlehem.  You can email the cell and they will contact you.  If you are from another country you can set up a zoom meeting.  If you were a member of this community do not hesitate to contact the listening cell.  There is much that needs to be changed in this Order and many sisters who remain there suffer greatly. 

There is also a forum for ex sisters that you can request to join that is very helpful.https://english.bethleem.org/annonces/20210104_press_release.php

Please beware of recommending anyone to this Order or sending anyone to Sr. Amena in Livingston Manor.