Posts by Sr. Mary Valerie Schneider

Today’s gospel story is well known. Martha welcomes Jesus to her home. At the time of Jesus, men welcomed men into their home. I wonder where Lazarus was, that the honor fell to Martha. Yet the story of these two sisters gives evidence that the early Christians had much higher regard for women than others…

I could hardly believe my ears when I heard the new Holy Father take the name of “Pope Francis.” The name announced something new in our Church—something to create “our common home” and leading to the document Laudato Si. We’ve read numerous times in recent weeks and heard speeches at the UN that this decade…

There’s an aura of unreality about today’s celebration of 50 or 60 years of religious profession. Actually, some Sisters are celebrating 51 and 61 years, because the jubilarians of 2020 needed to postpone their celebration 16 months due to the pandemic. In my mind, there’s a juxtaposition of “It’s finally here” and “Is this a…

When Jesus was born, the angels brought the news of great joy! When Jesus rose from the tomb, the angels attested to the resurrection: “Surprise!  He’s not here! Why even look for him among the dead?” Have you experienced the angels as messengers of joy and surprise bringers? When I drive, I often ask the…

We Sisters of Notre Dame are 171 years young today! Our two founding sisters, Sister Maria Aloysia Wolbring and Sister Maria Ignatia Kühling, became the first Sisters of Notre Dame on this date in 1850. God has blessed us through the years, and we are doing well. So let’s call ourselves “young.” We are young…

Luke comes to the end of his gospel with a meal that looks to the future of the Church and its mission. This last of the ten meals in Luke and the first meal with the full assembly of the church is a “to be continued” episode. Those at this meal (Lk. 24:36-53) must accept…

Luke’s Gospel with its ten meals and eucharistic overtones ends with a three-part description of the Resurrection. The first story recounts two visits to the tomb, one by women and one by Peter. The second story is the Emmaus story, and the last story is the final meal with the community in Jerusalem. All three…

We hear “This is my body” and “This is the blood of the covenant,” phrases that mark the bread and wine with Christ’s name. Eating and drinking food marked with Jesus’ name isn’t enough. It’s not the food alone, but the mode of being food for others that validates the Lord’s Supper and allows it…

If Jesus were coming to your house tonight for dinner, would you be just sitting here reading this blog? Well, Martha had this experience, and we know how that went. Martha was “busy with all the details of hospitality” while her sister Mary sat at the Lord’s feet. Martha’s problem had a perfect solution: “Jesus,…

Luke’s gospel puts Jesus on a journey ever onward to Jerusalem where his mission will be fulfilled in his death, resurrection, and ascension. As we walk the journey we see how the Eucharist is part of the journey filled with reconciliation, miracles, evangelizing. In the famous story of the multiplication of the loaves at Bethsaida,…