communitas et caritas

...but it's not here yet! As life gets hectic as Christmas gets closer and closer, I invite each of us to remember what Christmas is really about.  It's not the presents or the decorations, the food you'll prepare or the cookies that are already baked. Meister Eckhart reminds us that Christmas is about Jesus, the birth of God in our world, and our role in making God present to those we encounter. We are all meant to be mothers of God. What good is it to me if this eternal birth of the divine Son takes place unceasingly, but does not take place within myself? And, what good is it to me if Mary is full of grace if I am not also full of grace? What good is it to me for the Creator to give birth to his Son  if I do not also give birth to him in my time and my culture? This, then, is the fullness of time: When the Son of Man is begotten in us. Ah.  One of my favorite Christmas quotations. But what does it mean?  How am I to gi...

Last night I heard a homily for Our Lady of Guadalupe (and also Advent) that focused on the phrase -- Estoy esperando contigo. I am waiting with you.  We might offer, "I'll wait with you." In Spanish, esperar also means to hope for, or to expect--which always seems (to me, not a native Spanish speaker) to make waiting a more positive thing.  We do not wait in vain. This idea of waiting together got me thinking about friendship, and that being a friend is about being with someone.  Caring enough just to be there, without agenda or anything.  Waiting with someone might be easy (waiting for a plane to take you on vacation) or it might be very hard (waiting at their side through sickness or death).  It doesn't require any special talents or skills, just the ability to be . I woke up this morning having dreamt of a friend. We lost our friendship when (as she told me) she realized she couldn't "help" me and had decided it was better if we went...

From today's first reading, Isaiah 26:4: Trust in the LORD forever! For the LORD is an eternal rock. That image of God has been with me for years--God as the bedrock, the rock that lies beneath the earth, below our feet, entirely solid and unshakeable.  It's an image that helps me get through hard times and reminds me of the solidity of my own call to be God's own. I just read another image of Advent--one that contradicts the image of bedrock, or, rather, makes that rock an earthquake.  It comes from Alfred Delp, SJ, who died a martyr, executed by the Nazis in 1945 for his resistance. In a sermon for the first week of Advent, Delp describes the "shaking" that the Advent lectionary discusses, shaking that anticipates the coming of the Lord at the end of time.  He says we need to be shaken, to feel instability, so that we know "inner movement and restlessness of heart" that bring us to God and to clear knowledge of our world.   Delp says,...

Most of us don't particularly enjoy time spent in a waiting room, or the anxious anticipation of news that concerns our lives, such as a job offer, acceptance into a school or study program, results of a test. Here we are in Advent, waiting on God. The good news is just that--Good News, the gospel message that God has come into our lives and our world, forever altering the course of history. So what, then, do we wait for? What are you waiting for? Or, what is being born in your life or your heart at this time? In Advent language, we wait for three things:  the coming of God into our world in the Incarnation (which already happened, and which we celebrate at Christmas), the coming of Jesus into our lives in the here and now, and the coming of Christ at the end of time to usher in a new age.  That new age is described in today's reading from Isaiah 25:6-10a: On this mountain the LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples A feast of rich food and choice wines, j...

(Leonardo da Vinci, Head of St. Andrew) For a couple of weeks now, the lectionary has focused on the end times.  I have to admit that it's my least favorite part of the liturgical year.  It's confusing and misleading!  I want to sit down with Jesus and say, "explain this to me, in plain English."   So, I was especially delighted to find the readings for St. Andrew in my prayer book this morning.   The Apostles are rather extraordinary--but they are also very ordinary.  We do not know a whole lot about Andrew.  However, we know that he's the one who brought his brother, Simon Peter, to meet Jesus, and Peter becomes rather well-known among the Apostles. It's important for us to see Jesus' companions as ordinary people. Jesus did not choose the most intelligent, or the best preachers, or those in influential positions in society.  He chose men (and women!) who were just like us.  They were doing what they knew how to ...

Hello after a lovely Thanksgiving holiday!  I hope each of you has had a week full of blessings and delicious food. In the midst of the festivities, the Giving Voice November newsletter was published with a reflection by me.  It's a variation of the homily I gave a few weeks ago ( and posted here ) , on vulnerability.  Only, in this one, I focused more on the role of vulnerability in religious life these days.  Giving Voice's full version of the reflection is posted on their website, here .   If you're not familiar with Giving Voice, it's a way for women religious of the younger generations to connect with one another and find support and friendship across the boundaries of our separate congregations.  It's a wonderful community for me, and I am grateful to be part of it.  If that interests you, explore their website!  And then, sign up for an event!  The women in their 20s and 30s meet every year over Martin Luther King weekend for a retre...

Two images to close out the days celebrating the feast of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne. This first window is from a church in St. Paul, Minnesota, clearly from before Philippine's canonization in 1988.  I don't fully understand all the symbolism, but you can see St. Charles in the upper left, and the Native Americans in the lower left. And, finally, I love this image, in part because it ties in major pieces of my life.  I had just graduated from Saint Louis University when I began my journey into the Society of the Sacred Heart and started learning about Philippine.  In many ways, she was someone I could relate to, and her story touched me deeply.  This image is in the old library room of Saint Louis University (now called Pere Marquette Gallery, but still part of the campus). In that room, they have four depictions of more contemporary saints (small "s") -- Gerard Manley Hopkins, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Elizabeth Ann Seton, and Philippin...

Though the feast of St Rose Philippine Duchesne was yesterday, it can't hurt to keep celebrating it! This is a newer statue of Philippine, commissioned by the city of St Charles, Missouri, just a few years ago.  It can be found at the corner of the property of the Academy of the Sacred Heart in St. Charles, the first school Philippine founded in the United States, in 1818.  I love the way it captures her affection for the child and the child's affection for her! Do you want more??  One more day--the grand finale will be posted tomorrow morning!

  Happy Feast of St Rose Philippine Duchesne! This is one of my favorite images of Philippine, which I posted just a couple of weeks ago.  It is from the Cathedral of the Angels in Los Angeles, California.  I like it so much because she is so real to me in this picture--she has such a beautiful, normal human face (rather than any glorified saintly face (though it's that too) and rather than the cold solid material of a statue).  As I stood in the aisle of the Cathedral taking this picture, I stopped and talked with her, which couldn't be more natural at that moment.  I felt her presence in a way that I didn't expect, especially since I've been to her Shrine and prayed in the presence of her body, on the property where she lived, ministered, and died.  But in this image, there was something about the kindness in her face, the joy at watching the altar (because that's what the image faces), and the wrinkled yet gentle hands of an old woman that made ...

Continuing to celebrate the feast of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne.  This statue stands outside the Old St. Ferdinand Church in Florissant, Missouri.  It was there in Florissant that she started her second school, in 1819.  She is often depicted with two students, one Native American and one of European descent, to show the populations she served.  While she only served the Native Americans for a brief time, the desire to be with them was in her heart for most of her life. Come back tomorrow for another!

The feast of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne is being celebrated in Sacred Heart communities around the world this weekend (the official day is Sunday).  In Philippine's honor, I'll be sharing some images associated with her over the next few days. This image is a stained glass window from Sacred Heart Schools - Sheridan Road in Chicago.  The oak leaves come from her name -- Duchesne -- which means "of the oak."  The quotation around it (Philippine's own words) reads "God does not require great achievements, but a heart that holds back nothing for self." Come back tomorrow for another image of Philippine!!

I preached today at mid-day prayer on the gospel passage Luke 17:11-19. As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying, "Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!" And when he saw them, he said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, "Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" Then he said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you." My preaching follows: Today’s story hinges on the experience of a leper – his encounter with God, being healed, and returning to thank Jesus...

Now we pray~ for a country badly divided, that we may find a way to work together for a president who faces decisions that will affect our lives, that he choose pathways of wisdom that all leaders guide with wisdom for those who see this election outcome as hopeless, that they might quickly recover their hope that the needs of each citizen and non-citizen be met for patience, love, and generosity in our interactions with others for understanding and the ability to communicate, even with those with whom we do not agree Loving God, look with kindness on your people, and help us to place our trust in you every day anew. Watch over our country and all those who live in it.  Lead us on the path of peace and mercy, always closer to your kingdom. We pray in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Do you remember how exciting it was in 2005 when Iraqis voted in their first open election in over 50 years? This election season has not been an exciting one, really.  It has been divisive, expensive, and depressing.   Yet, it is our responsibility to vote.  We need to play a part in the democratic process, because while it is a right, it also carries responsibility, as all rights do. So, pray , listen to your conscience about the issues, and cast your vote . Yesterday's first reading can help guide your conscience:  Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also everyone for those of others. (Phil. 2:4) That's right.  Paul is telling us to look after the common good, to seek the best for all of us together in this world.    So, vote today. And then, when the election is all over, pray some more, tha...

I was asked about a close-up of yesterday's photo of Philippine Duchesne in the tapestry at the Los Angeles Cathedral.  Here's a bigger picture.  The tapestries are so big, and they hang so high, that it is very difficult to get a close picture, but this isn't bad! St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, Woman-who-prays-always, pray for us!  Teach us to pray!

At mass today, the homily was about Our Lady of the Angels, the cathedral in Los Angeles--and it reminded me that I have pictures from there!  If you don't know about the cathedral, it was only built 10 years ago, and it's a little different.  The architecture is unlike any cathedral you've seen before, and the majority of the artwork is found in tapestries. The tapestries line the walls, and in them are depicted saints in profile, looking toward the altar at the front. They are extraordinary, both in their size and in their detail.  The artist, John Nava, chose to use real people as models for the images, and so they are very life-like.   In some of these, I was just so delighted to see favorite saints depicted--such as Augustine above.  They are depicted so normally, with the skin tones they probably had (Augustine was African, after all), and in clothing appropriate to their time period and role (notice, for instance, John the Baptist's cloth). ...

I am preaching on the first reading today, for a mid-day prayer service.  The reading is Ephesians 3:2-12, and can be found here .  And here is my reflection!             When I was in graduate school, there was another student who was agnostic, studying theology but from the outside looking in, while the rest of us were on the inside looking at something we already believed.   She was a great student, very bright and eager to learn.   When she started teaching, she gave it her all, and became a good teacher.   As we got to know each other, our friendship taught me two things.   First, she was a seeker, always looking for God, even though she would not have spoken of her search in that way.   It was like she could see that the beauty of creation pointed to the divine, but she wasn’t yet ready to say that the divine exists.   That seed of desire for God was deeply implanted in her ...

Hello, everyone! So, there are some things I've been thinking about: 1.  The world can be very confusing to me, especially when I'm in transition .  That's one of the reasons my posts here have been few and far between lately--and by "lately" I mean for the past two years!  The noviceship was a great journey, but it was just that--a journey that kept me moving, and one that kept me self-reflective.  Most of that self-reflection is way too private to share on a blog!!  So, I'll keep posting what I can, while keeping some of this stuff to myself and my close friends. But let me say that transitions are hard.   So hard.  Moving is hard.  Starting a new job and a new life in a new city (albeit one I've lived in before) is hard.  But at the same time, it's good.  Which leads to the next point........ 2.  If there's one thing I've learned in the last two years, it's that sometimes the best things are the hardest .  From our ...

Well, it has taken me a month, but I think I'm finally ready to write about making my first vows!  I'm really not sure why it's taken so long, except that I was traveling, moved, and started a new job in that one short month, so I've been distracted and busy! The day was beautiful--but a sweltering 104 degrees.  Thank you, St Louis!  My poor Montana family might have died, but, fortunately, everything is air-conditioned.  The celebration took place in St Charles, Missouri, at the Shrine of St Philippine Duchesne, the Religious of the Sacred Heart who brought the order to America in 1818.  The chapel was beautiful, as you can see in the pictures, and I think everyone was very happy to be there.  My whole family came, my one sibling and his family, my parents, and my two living grandparents (I'm sure the others were with us, too).   I'm really happy.  That must be a good sign.  At the same time, I'm struggling with the transiti...