communitas et caritas

I've been asked to reflect a bit about commitment, and so I share some of my thoughts here. The following quotation from Pedro Arrupe, S.J. has been finding me lately: "Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way . What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything . It will decide what will get you out of bed in the mornings, what you will do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart,  and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything. " How does that relate to commitment?  Well, I've fallen in love, and my world changed.  I get out of bed in the morning to pray and go to mass before work.  I spend my evenings and weekends with community (though I also spend time with friends).  My Sister introduced me to my new favorite novelist (P.D. James!).  I kn...

This is, admittedly, a very random post, but one of my students did a presentation on Dorothy Day today, and she cited this quotation: Knitting is very conducive to thought. It is nice to knit a while, put down the needles, write a while, then take up the sock again. Amen to that!  She was an amazing woman -- I didn't know she knitted too!

Ford Madox Brown. Jesus Washing Peter's Feet. 1852-56. "What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later." Poor Peter--always lacking in understanding.  Who can blame him?  His teacher has just said he wants to wash his feet, which is not such a pleasant task in a world of dust and sandals. The sentence above is what sticks with me today.  I feel surrounded by mystery lately--the mystery of living in community, the mystery of Jesus' great love for me, and the mystery of God's calling me to a new way of living.  I don't know how to find the words to express the depth to which I feel that mystery in my life on a daily basis.  (That's part of the reason for silence on this blog.) What I do know is that it's okay that I don't understand.  Theology is like that--studying God because you can always know more.  You can never fully understand God because God is so much bigger / greater / more than our human minds can compr...

Photo was taken at the Shrine of Our Lady of Snows in Belleville, IL. So, it seems that this blog is now a monthly event for me...  for right now, that's just how it is. Today is the feast of the Annunciation.  I'm planning the prayer for the evening, so I thought I would share the reading that I've chosen, from Mother Janet Erskine Stuart, on the Immaculate Heart of Mary.     Serving God gratis means with no conditions at all, here or there, in this or that employment, in health or sickness, consolation, uncertainty, repugnances, [in] God’s will and God’s service.  I, His little servant, need nothing else.  That is Our Lady’s spirit, and the word that came out of the depths of her Immaculate Heart at the great moment of her life was, “ ecce ancilla Domini. ”     If she were now in our midst, what would she be like and what would be her “gratis service?”  Willing service of God and of others, untiring, constant and devoted. Wh...

I'm sorry to have neglected the blog!  Life gets crazy sometimes, and you could say that about the last month. Today, my community is doing a day of formation centered on the life and teachings of Mother Janet Erskine Stuart, the fifth Superior General of the Society of the Sacred Heart.  She's most known for her ideas about education, and in fact, you can find her work The Education of Young Girls in its entirety online here .  (Another work, The Life and Letters of Janet Erskine Stuart , by Maud Monahan is also available as an ebook.) One quotation to share, which I find fits with my understanding of a teacher's role: "What do we want to bring up? Not good nonentities, who are only good because they are not bad. There are too many of them already, no trouble to anyone, only disappointing, so good that they ought to be so much better, if only they would. But who can make them be more?… Those who have to educate them to something higher must themselves have ...

Visit the Giving Voice website! Well, spring semester has officially begun.  Life here is pretty busy--first week of classes is always exhausting, even if I'm well prepared.  I have a total of 75 students in three classes, and I think it will be a good semester.  I'm thankful that the three classes are the same, and that I have a good head start on the preparations, since I've taught it before (though I will still update the class a bit). Life otherwise is good, and also busy.  I leave this weekend to have some fun with other young nuns!  I'm excited to see everyone, and to have some relaxing times in a warmer climate!  Thank you, Giving Voice!

From today's first reading, 1 John 4:18: There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. My mind was already on the relationship between fear and love this morning, when the priest began to ask about it. He posed some questions, most of which I've forgotten.  One was, Do you think that you can be in love and still be fearful?  Do you think that fear and love are mutually exclusive? He answered that he didn't think so, and I think he's right.  But on the other hand, both fear and love affect each other.  Fear is diminished when we love and when we know that we are loved.  How much easier is it to deal with challenging circumstances when we know that our loved ones are with us? And also, it takes courage to love freely, to offer yourself to another without knowing what you will receive in return.  It's so easy to get to know another person only ...