One of the most beautiful feasts in the Church’s Liturgical calendar is the Solemnity of the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary by the Archangel Gabriel, that she is to be the Mother of the Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ. The Annunciation marks the beginning of our salvation in Jesus Christ, and the Church rejoices greatly on this day.
For us monks of Christ in the Desert, the day also marks the Solemn Profession and Monastic Consecration of our Brother Chrysostom. Family and friends are on hand to celebrate with us. Brother has been a part of our community for over five years, and ready to “make the leapt of faith,” to commit himself “for life” to the Benedictine monastic life at Christ in the Desert. He has many talents and contributes much to our common life. Please keep him in your prayers.
We have been getting a fair amount of rain, sometimes mixed with snow, over the past days. While making the road in to the Monastery, Forest Service Road 151, muddy at times, the moisture is welcome for reducing the risk of forest fires and renewing the face of the earth as Spring has now sprung.
Today image is from the church of San Jose, in Los Ojos, New Mexico, just north of us on the way to Chama. The window is some ten feet tall and is over one hundred years old.
With assurance of our prayers for a blessed Solemnity of the Annunciation and a fruitful continuation of Lent,
Abbot Christian and the monks