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Being Benedictine

Jodi Blazek Gehr, Oblate of St. Benedict

Month

March 2021

Love is Stronger, Human One

A Holy Week Gift from Alana Levandoski

Inspired to learn more about Mary Magdalene and especially by Cynthia Bourgeault’s book, The Meaning of Mary Magdalene, Alana Levandoski puts words and music to what she imagined in a journey with Jesus. See Easter through Mary Magdalene’s eye in song. Links below.

“In thanks to the example of Mary Magdalene, we won’t be hiding out somewhere waiting to see what happens. Instead, we can walk with Mary, who never left Jesus, through it all, and go to the very heart of this planet, reconciling all things, and come Sunday, find out that we are more involved in the resurrected presence than we think.”

-Alana Levandoski

I would know those feet

Anywhere

Like you would know mine

Human one

And it breaks my heart

To see them so

Like it would break yours

Human one

I feel helpless

You feel forsaken

But love is stronger

Love is stronger

You said follow

And I will follow

Wherever you’re going

I will go

There go those feet

Descending

And so will my feet

Human one

Into the heart of the world

Reconciling all things

I will hold fast with you

Human one

And all the hell that ever was

Has nothing on us

‘cause love is stronger

Love is stronger

You said follow

And I will follow

Wherever you’re going

I will go

What’s this I see

Your feet again

Here in our garden

Human one

But I cannot cling

The ripple’s gone out

Beyond the stars and back

Human one

But neither death nor life

Can separate us

‘cause love is stronger

Love is stronger

You said follow

And we will follow

Wherever you’re going

We will go

Human One directed, filmed, and edited by Alana Levandoski song written, performed, and produced by Alana Levandoski

Follow Alana on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/alanalevandoski

Listening to the sweet and soulful songs of Alana Levandoski is prayer itself. I discovered Alana through the Center for Action and Contemplation and have used her contemplative songs and chants in retreats I have led and in my own prayer practice. Whether setting music to her own words, or lyrics drawn from poetry or scripture, her singing is elevated prayer.

Ring Out, Wild Bells, a poem sung by Alana, is a heartfelt, prayerful intention to ring out the old of 2020, a year of great challenges, and to ring in the new of 2021. The poem, In Memoriam, (Ring out, wild bells) was written during a time of grief, nearly 150 years ago by Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892). The lyrics ring true for both letting go and welcoming in—letting go of the false, feuding, dying, grief, pride, partisan divide, and civic slander WHILE welcoming in the new, true, noble, sweet, pure, love, truth, light, and peace. Read more HERE.

The Gift of Good Works

March 2021 Lectio Divina and Oblate Reflections

Sources: Luke 18: 9-14; Good Work; Teaching and Learning—Always We Begin Again by John McQuiston II

We begin our Oblate Meeting with Lectio Divina practice by reading Luke 18:9-14.

We began our discussion with the question: Can I find myself in both the Pharisee and the tax collector? There is no doubt that we have each of them within us, not just one or the other.

We can dig deeper by asking: How can I come into relationship with Jesus and others knowing I am a multi-faceted person, not all good or all bad. This parable is addressed to those who feel their righteousness (I’m a good guy), and may despise others for not being as good. We compare ourselves to others—our good works become a score card rather than a gift from our heart. We must avoid creating a tally of our good works or making comparisons with others about how good or bad I am (or how good or bad someone else is)—we  are ALL sinners and in need of God’s mercy; not one of us is more worthy than another.

Continue reading “The Gift of Good Works”

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