A Nun’s Life is blessed to have today’s post written by guest blogger Karol Bartlett.
I have always loved reading about food; be it the history behind recipes, food culture, food memories and all the places in-between. Recently, I picked up the summer issue of Gastronomica: the Journal of Food and Culture and was unexpectedly delighted to find an article entitled “Of Raspberries and Religion” by Susan H. Swetnam, a Professor of English at Idaho State University.
Professor Swetnam writes about the Benedictine Sisters at the Monastery of Saint Gertrude in Cottonwood, ID, from their arrival in Cottonwood in 1909 through the present. Integral in her discussion is the importance of a raspberry patch that started with canes donated by laypeople about the time of Vatican II. Through dedicated hard work and loving care, the patch grew and began to produce more raspberries than the nuns could consume.
Surplus berries are now made into jam and are also the main feature at the Saint Gertrude’s Annual Raspberry Festival where people come from miles around to enjoy raspberry shortcake. All proceeds go to support the work of the Sisters.
The story of the raspberries offers a glimpse into how these Benedictine women embraced the challenges set forth by Vatican II. With a joyfully optimistic theology based on God’s unconditional “loving kindness,” to use Saint Gertrude’s word, the sisters have incorporated the raspberries into their Benedictine lives of work, hospitality, ecospirituality, and even the story of Saint Gertrude herself, “taking delight in the sweetness of God’s love.” Professor Swetnam writes “Every time the sisters enter their garden, kitchen, and dining room, they are invited to enact a hybrid sense of vocation, simultaneously affirming their loyalty to the spiritual concerns of their tradition, to temporal priorities, and to the spirit of their founder.”
As I finished reading the article, I found myself going back to something the author had quoted—a single sentence from the Philosophy of Land Use, written in 1993 by the Sisters of the Monastery of Saint Gertrude: “Listening with the ear of our heart to the wisdom expressed through creation opens us to the deeper reality of God in our lives.”
What is the “raspberry” in your life that continues to draw you to God? When was the last time you worked physically close to the earth and heard God’s voice? Do you remember the message? Do you have something in abundance that can be shared with someone?
Archived Comments
- August 27, 2012 at 9:11 am
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Did you write this for me today? An old friend, who is part Indian has always told us, “if you don’t share at least a third of your garden blessings you won’t have a good harvest next year.” We have always tried to adhere to this and share our abundance with friends, family and neighbors. Whether it is in fresh produce, eggs, or products made from them. So far it seems to be working for us. Thanks, KB, for a great post. LOVED, loved, loved the raspberry story.
- August 27, 2012 at 12:34 pm
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This was not what I set out to write about. I love it when what I had in mind has to change because of the delight of the unexpected. When I purchased the magazine I remember checking the table of contents but I don’t remember seeing this article. So it really was a surprise to see the title and begin to read. I loved this article so much I even used a highlighter! LOL! I have to find out more about St. Gertrude! And right now I have an answer for “what raspberry” continues to draw you to God – it would be the friends from the anunslife community that I have come to know and love and look forward to “seeing” whenever I can.
- August 27, 2012 at 12:47 pm
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Ditto, kbart, about the friends from aNunsLife community!! Another “raspberry” that continues to draw me to God is bicycling, because it takes me on paths through God’s Good Creation–trees, cornfields, prairie grass and more
- August 27, 2012 at 4:08 pm
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I’m with Sr. Maxine on bicycling. And there are hummingbirds that visit my garden that put me in mind of the Holy Spirit.
- August 27, 2012 at 6:14 pm
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I remember one time when the earth spoke to me. It was a time many years ago when I was living with someone who heated their home with wood. I chopped a lot of wood that fall. I remember though that I would stop after each chop and smell the wood. The smell of that freshly chopped oak has never left me. During times when I am feeling chaotic I remember that smell of wood, and I think of the roots that held the big tree up, and I think of the strength. I know now that God is in that tree and holding me in place so I don’t get lost.
