12-7-2024 Advent Retreat with Brother Denys Janiga and the words of Meister Eckhart, giving birth to God in our hearts and Benedictine midwifery.

Brother Janiga’s talk was rich for contemplation. He opened with Meister Eckhart. This talk centered around: Where the son is an image of God, from that imprint, the soul also receives its image. The human soul to Meister Eckhart is unique. He speaks of the “light” or “little spark of the spirit” and then says, the soul is the natural image of God and is like this nature but then goes on to say it is neither this nor that but more exalted, beyond the grasp of human language and must be approached as divine mystery just as with God. Birthing of the divine within means a union of the soul with God, a unity so profound that the soul gives birth to God within itself.

The second talk, Brother Janiga refers to The Rule of St. Benedict and the care of tools as midwifery in the birthing of God within. He chose an item to talk about that is broadly shared and the notion of care. Care which means a way that will contribute to the common good leading to a self that is receptive and open. Tools as merely a possession “bring about the stillbirth of God.” The item Brother Janiga highlights is the cell phone. He goes on to talk about the environmental and cultural impacts of producing this tool, as well as how this tool causes people to shut down rather than open. He highlights chapters from The Rule throughout this talk.

The third and last talk of the day is a short summation with the focus on rejoicing and joy; highlighting the actions according to Eckhart and Benedict that produce it. Embracing the ordinary and mundane within the quiet rhythms of life can result in a life attuned to God. Eckhart embraced the internal to connect with God. For Benedict the external tools of everyday living can also provide this outcome, as long as we approach them with moderation and balance.  This talk is available to those who attended the retreat, but can also be available be available for a small donation of $10.00 to the Benedictine Center.

12-10-2024 A Toast to Christmas Wine Tasting

This year’s wine tasting was presided over by Jason Kallsen of Twin Cities Wine Education. His website lists that his specialty is “wine education without intimidation.” This is very true to his work.

He had great information to share but also challenged some of the usual assumptions about wine by saying red wine is best served a bit above room temperature and he will often use ice cubes in his wine to achieve this. 

His offerings were historical and spiritual, helping attendees to focus on what those first moments of wine making were like with the processes of fermentation and heat gradually dissipating and becoming something delicious, helping those listening to realize why there is a connection between wine and God.

Attendees were engaged throughout and ended the evening by placing many orders of the wines tasted that evening.

Jason featured four wines while regaling guests with history, trivia, and fun stories. The four wines of the night:

• Altera Chardonnay, Pays d’Oc, France: Chardonnay from the south of France, from a property originally planted and controlled by the Knights Templar.
• Vincent Pinot Blanc, Willamette Valley, Oregon: Vincent the winery is named after St. Vincent, patron saint of winemakers. St. Vincent’s Day is January 22 every year, and I’ll explain why.
• Bouchon Pais Viejo, Chile: 100% Pais, i.e. “Mission,” brought to the Americas by the missionaries 500 years ago and planted up and down the west coast of the continents. We now know this is a grape from the Canary Islands originally.
• Cline Cellars Ancient Vines Carignane Contra, Costa County, California: 100% Carignane, an old grape variety brought to California in the 1800’s. Fred and Nancy Cline purchased an incredible collection of miniatures sculptures of the original Missions built in California for a early 20th century world’s fair. They are on display at the Cline Winery and it’s a regular stop for tourists, researchers, and school groups.