Reflections for the Mass of Resurrection February 11, 2008 Memorial for Susanne Zeller, O.S.B. by Patricia Crowley, OSB.

I. Introduction

Three basic themes are woven through this liturgy tonight:

· Love
· Being clear about one’s relation with one’s God
· Being ready and awake

These themes are simple; they are profound; they are appropriate.

It is both serendipitous and fitting that this Mass of Resurrection is being celebrated on this day when we, as Benedictine Sisters are also celebrating the feast of St. Scholastica. As the Trib highlighted this morning, what Susanne loved best was being a Benedictine! Several specifics about this….

i. Our program for our feast day Mass was well prepared ahead of time, and, indeed, we are using some of the elements of that preparation tonight. Susanne was an organized person and would have liked that fact.

ii. The program features a piece of art that hangs in our school’s entrance outside the ground floor office. Susanne taught biology at SSA for many years. How fitting it is that this piece is exceptionally fine art. Susanne would have been pleased with that choice!

iii. Last but not least, we had a feast day meal planned for tonight….Susanne, who excelled as a cook, would have enjoyed that fact.

II. Readings

Two of the three readings were originally chosen for Scholastica; the other by her niece, Fran. Each presents one of the three themes I cited at the beginning.

a. The first reading is from the Song of Songs and is a vivid description of the power of love. Love is something that cannot be purchased. The writer speaks of symbols of that love – a seal that bears the beloved’s sign or image; the writer describes the strength of love – love cannot be quenched even by a flood. Susanne was a woman who loved well. As I walked these last eight months with her through many, many difficult moments, I seldom left her presence without her telling me that she loved me. In that I am sure I am not alone.

b. The second reading from the second letter to the people of Corinth aptly describes some of the qualities needed in our daily relationship with God:

· Courage as we walk through the hard points on our life’s journey,
· A faith-filled desire to please God,
· An awareness that each of us is held accountable for who we become during our lives,
· Trust in the eternal dwelling that awaits us in heaven.

Susanne had all of these things.

1. She was a faith-filled woman, who had courage in the face of adversity and challenge.

2. She sensed keenly the accountability to which we are each called. In a very humble way, she would ask us over these past months if we thought she was worthy to go to God. The prayer that she asked me to pray with her several times in the last week was the Centurion’s prayer which we pray right before Communion in the Mass each day: “O Lord, I am not worthy to receive you. Say but the words and I shall be healed.”

3. She never doubted the reality of life after death even when she joked with us that she might not be able to return to tell us what it was like because she just might get lost.

c. The gospel reading

The gospel parable of the ten virgins is found only in Matthew. It is part of a chapter that presents several stories of the end time, the judgment. It is a parable capable of almost infinite variation in interpretation.

This reading was chosen for the feast of Scholastica and it, too, is so fitting for this celebration of Susanne’s life.

Here Jesus describes the reign of God (the kingdom of Heaven). The reign of God will be like ten virgins ready to meet the bridegroom. They all come with lamps and oil but the time of arrival drags on and on. Five of them run out of oil……

You know the story and you just heard it read……

The other virgins will not share their oil. Commentators tell us that the oil is passion or good deeds or faithfulness. Whatever it is it is unique to the person. It cannot be loaned; it cannot be bought. Those who have it, have it because they have lived well.

The message is “Stay awake”! Live life as you are called to do. Your “oil” is your life in relation to God.

III. Susanne

Susanne’s “oil” was rich. She was amazingly gifted! The more people spoke of their memories of her, the more that reality grew for me.

She was a wonderful combination of

1 the scientist who needed proofs in order to be sure,
2the administrator/ principal who was well organized,
3 the artist who relished the beauty of our earth,
4 the cook who loved to prepare well her meals (we were recalling yesterday the elegant student council Christmas dinners that she and Lizzie Kohl prepared each year.),
5 the baker who excelled in cinnamon rolls topped with caramel,
6 the kindergarten teacher who had a wonderful balance of discipline and the celebration of life, (she used to send the kindergarteners who were sad to cry their tears into the kindergarten fish pond!!!),
7 the beautician who excelled at cutting people’s hair,
8 the seamstress who made matching curtains for her bedroom,
9 the artist who taught most of us to do calligraphy, who designed our community Christmas cards, and who kept up our necrology chart for years,

She had so many amazing qualities:

1 a great sense of humor,
2 a terrific appreciation for colors and harmony in choice of clothes,
3 a love of nature from

o the glaciers of Alaska (where we spent a week together in the late 90’s)
o to the splendor of the Grand Canyon or
o the coast of Maine or
o the tropical beauty of Florida
o to the more frequent moments of wonder at the rising of the moon or the setting of the sun

4 a keen awareness of God as neither male nor female…..and rich in love – In prayer or conversation about God, she would often correct the sole use of the pronoun “HE” for God and say strongly “SHE”!
5 a person who could recite long poems by heart (Francis Thompson’s The Hound of Heaven was a favorite and that is not short!),
6 a person who was generous with her talents and, at times, seemed unflappable,
7 a person who was clear about what she thought and was forthright in her speech (she was always her own person!),
8 one who had a peacefulness about her that seemed to flow from her acceptance of herself for who she was,
9 a deep love of her family

Her final months were a journey filled with difficult decisions and hard things. She experienced many different stages and had many different reactions as she came to the infirmary and needed to give up her independence. It was not easy for her as it is not easy for most of us! She graced so many people in her last few weeks as she was clear – minded to the very last day and said good-bye so gracefully to many.

I feel very privileged to have been one of the people who accompanied her during these last months of her life.

IV. Conclusion

And as we reflect on Susanne’s life, we say, in the words that Franny shared with Susanne this past week.

God says: I love you. You are beautiful in my eyes and I created you to be just as you are.

We, as Susanne, are each called

· to love and to know that we are loved,
· to know our relation to our God and
· to always be ready and awake.

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