Posts by Sr. Mary Valerie Schneider

Jesus was eating again! Apparently table conversation gave Jesus great opportunity to evangelize. Simon the Pharisee invited Jesus to dinner (Lk. 7:36-50). You remember the story in which a weeping woman anointed Jesus’ feet. When Simon, the host, noted this, he thought to himself that Jesus was certainly not a prophet. Jesus, knowing his thoughts,…

Jesus called Levi to follow him, and “Levi stood up and became his follower.” The reception for Jesus didn’t follow immediately, although it’s the next verse. Time was needed to prepare, but “after that” Levi invited Jesus and a large crowd to his home. Two important questions marked this gathering as a symposium meal.  First,…

Which pair of glasses do you wear when you read Scripture? One pair may help you see far; that is, you are able to read the passage with a view to the future when “thy kingdom come(s).” Another pair may bring Jesus and his teachings up close. “Oh my! That’s me in that story!”  Recently…

On August 14 the Sisters of Notre Dame in northwest Ohio were privileged to receive twelve new Associates as they made their covenant during the vigil Mass for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Associates are men and women, single or married, who feel called to the same mission as the…

Today is a perfect day for a picnic—no humidity, a gentle breeze blowing, temperature in the high seventies. It’s been a long time since we had such a beautiful day. I just had to go on a picnic. While making a roast for a later meal, I also prepared picnic food.  The other sisters in…

Having recently celebrated one of my favorite feasts, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, I was reflecting on stories about Mary, the Mother of God. While Luke’s gospel focuses on the call of Mary to be the Mother of God and the subsequent events related to Jesus’ birth, John’s gospel introduces Mary…

Fifteen hundred years ago some people living in the Four Corners region moved onto the Mesa Verde, where they lived and flourished for 700 years. I had the privilege of touring Mesa Verde National Park that preserves artifacts and architecture from these Ancestral Pueblo people.  The cliff dwellings show the skill these people had to…

Colorado National Monument and Canyonlands National Park are just two of the national parks covering much of the West. Both are remarkable parks for their peaks, plateaus, and canyons. The diversity of the etched rock formed from volcanoes, erosion, and floods leave the viewer wondering, “How did God do that?” Boulders sit precariously on top…

Our bus driver skillfully maneuvered the hairpin turns of the Trail Ridge Road, the highest paved continuous highway in North America. This was the first of several days that my sister Cathy and I toured in Colorado. Every day we marveled at majestic mountains and deep rugged canyons. We never tired of seeing mountains—we who…

My sister and I toured Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park in Colorado. My favorite adventure occurred when we trekked up a path to reach 12,000 feet above sea level from the place where the bus stopped at 11,000 feet. Less than half-way up my breathing became labored, but I got a second wind…