Gone fishing!

Beginning today I am on pilgrimage. Therefore, I will be unable to offer any posts until after my return on April 29.

Please check back after that time.

Thanks for visiting Monastery Daily Photo.

Happy Easter

Resurrexit Sicut Dixit! Alleluia! Alleluia!

He has risen as He said!

The lighted Paschal candle represents the illuminating light and presence of the risen Christ! It is the first light to enter the darkened Church at the beginning of the Easter Vigil (Saturday night before Easter). All present light their candles from the main flame of the Paschal candle. The word Paschal comes from the Hebrew Pesach which means Passover. The Paschal candle is also referred to as the Easter candle or the Christ Candle.

Passover Round-up 2009

Not long ago, I posted a picture of our buffet table as prepared just before the evening meal. A couple of you asked, "What's in the pot?". Well, usually our meals are pretty simple. However, on Holy Thursday, our meal is a little nicer than usual. On that night, we remember Jesus' Passover Meal (the night before he died) and the night he instituted our Eucharist. We don't imitate the Seder meal, but we do remember that Jesus was an observant Jew and that he would have celebrated the Passover just as Jews have done throughout the ages. As Roman Catholics, we are proud to look at this as our heritage.

So, in order to share our meal with you, and also to participate in my friend, Lori Lynn's Taste with the Eyes "Passover Round-up 2009" I share a glimpse of what was on our supper table last Thursday.

The Menu

Spinach Salad

with Mandarin Oranges and Oakwood Smoked Bacon on the side

Roasted Leg of Sonoma Lamb

with fresh Rosemary from our garden

Scalloped Russet Potatoes

with Cheddar Cheese

Fresh Asparagus

sauteed in Butter and Garlic

Click on the Passover Round-up icon to go to Taste with the Eyes

Good Friday

The Stations of the Cross is an ancient ritual of the Church (started by St. Francis of Assisi) which commemorates the last hours of Jesus' life - His passion and crucifixion. It is also called Via Dolorosa or Via Crucis (the Way of Sorrows or Way of the Cross).

In an annual Good Friday custom, we pray the Stations of the Cross on our 1/3 mile driveway. (Usually, we have about three hundred people join us.) These Station markers were donated by friends of our monastery. They have brass plaques on each one stating the name of the donor. The closeup is of Station 9 - Jesus falls the third time.

It rained all day yesterday, so we are hoping and praying that it will be clear today so that we may continue with the outdoor Stations of the Cross.

For more great skywatch scenes go to:

Skywatch #39

Holy Thursday

Then He said to them,

"My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch with me."

Matthew 26:38

On Holy Thursday, after the Mass of the Lord's Supper, the Holy Eucharist is reposed in a separate location, apart from the main altar. We remain there with the Lord in prayer, as the Apostles did some two thousand years ago on the night before Jesus died.

Christ the King statue

The monastery is especially quiet these days as the Fathers and Brothers are taking their individual "hermit days" to spiritually prepare for the Sacred Paschal Triduum which begins tomorrow evening. The Paschal Triduum is the three days of liturgical ritual (Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday) which commemorates the Last Supper, the Passion and Death, and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Happy Passover to our Jewish friends, especially my good friend

Lori Lynn of San Pedro Daily Photo and her family.

The Desert

Monastic life has been inspired by the "desert fathers" since the very beginning, for they sought union with God in the simplicity of the desert. Carmelite spirituality is steeped in this simplicity of the desert. We are reminded that we do not need go away to some far off place to find the desert; we find it in solitude.

Shadow Arches

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday opens Holy Week. It is the commemoration of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem just days before his passion and death on the cross.

Trio of Italian Cypress Trees

Although these are Cypress trees, I can't help but recall Psalm 92 which prays,

"The just shall flourish like the palm tree,

shall grow like a cedar of Lebanon.

Planted in the house of the Lord,

they shall flourish in the courts of our God.

They shall bear fruit even in old age,

always vigorous and sturdy".

SkyWatch Friday #38

This is the view of our monastery from a neighboring hilltop. Although I've already posted a similar picture this shot gives a differerent perspective with the whole of Santa Clara Valley behind it...and I like it for SkyWatch Friday, too.

For SkyWatch photos from around the world go to: www.skyley.blogspot.com

Supper's ready

Lazy Sunday

A couple of weeks ago I posted a picture of our faithful watch dog. Today I introduce you to our two cats, Oscar and Felix. Oscar and Felix are blood brothers and, like the watch dog, have a job around the monastery. Their main duty is to control the mice problem. They are star employees. No "live" mouse will be found near or in the monastery. However, unlike Stella the watch dog, who naps only on Sunday, these guys take every opportunity to take a break.

Okay, truth be told...Stella is often found sleeping on the job.