As I look back over the series of Ordo’s* that marked this Advent and Christmas Season, I am amazed at the wealth and depth of the liturgical seasons. This is a unique grace of living in a monastery and one that is not as readily available in the busy world outside the monastery. In the monastery, we live the life of Christ in the liturgy. We long for his presence in Advent,

If you step inside a monastery or view a monastic choir, one thing that may strike you is that we do a lot of bowing.  What is this bow all about? We bow when entering the Church, during the liturgy, and to each other and to guests.  Bowing becomes part of our custom and way of life.   It is a way of giving respect and honor to the other - a letting go of my own self importance.  Like the sign of the cross, the bow is a body prayer.
As I bow, I am reminded of the earth and my own littleness

Today we celebrate Benedictine saints.  As Cistercians we include our saints as well, the famous ones like St Bernard and the many unknown holy monks and nuns who have lived their monastic life in fidelity and love.  At Lauds (Morning Praise) this morning, we read the following proclamation from the Rule of St Benedict:
As we progress in this way of life and in faith, we shall run on

These nuts are simply wonderful. Sweet and spicy. They will be a welcome addition to any holiday buffet. This recipe was developed especially for Honeycooks by Bob, a friend of the monastery and a retired caterer.


1.c Original creamed honey

¼ c sugar

1 tsp ground chipolte chiles (or powder)

2 c pecan halves

course kosher salt


• In a heavy frying pan, bring honey sugar & chipolte to a boil (med-high), stirring until sugar dissolves.

This dressing is very easy to prepare and can be used as a salad dressing as well as a sauce or dip for vegetables. Great for Miso lovers.

1/4 cup olive oil (can substiture canola oil)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Mellow White Miso
1 1/2 TBS brown rice vinegar or lemon juice
2 level TBS Original Creamed Honey
1 TBS green onion or shallot

Blend together in a blender until dressing is smooth