Posts by Sr. Mary Valerie Schneider

The rite of Baptism has one phrase about original sin being taken away. Yet many people think the removal of original sin is the main purpose of baptism. Actually, there is much more richness in the ceremony. The ritual starts with the questions “What name do you give your child?” and “What do you ask…

From the moment of creation God ceased to be alone. God became totally involved with his creatures. Down through billions of years to this very minute God remains close at hand. God is always available. God is here in us as our deepest reality—ours and everyone else’s. With God so completely present to us, it…

Today’s lectionary Gospel shows Jesus withdrawing to a deserted place. Perhaps the past few weeks have been filled with unusual activity: putting up decorations and taking them down, cooking treats and exercising off the calories, shoveling snow and writing thank-you notes, getting back into a routine or wishing for some normalcy. Withdrawing to a deserted…

Today’s lectionary Gospel reading tells of Jesus who regularly taught in the synagogues. “According to his custom. . .he stood up to read.” He selected a passage from Isaiah that we have come to call Jesus’ mission statement. In the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus would give sight to the blind, free the oppressed,…

As a Christmas present, I received Bead Attitudes, the polymer clay artwork of Dan Roth in Sandusky, Ohio. The ten prayer beads can be prayed in multiple ways as the accompanying paper suggests. I will share a few of these ways with you. If you don’t have Bead Attitudes, a decade of the rosary or…

In this Christmas Season we read the prelude to the Gospel of John: “In the beginning was the Word.” This reminds us of the first line in Genesis: “In the beginning when God created the heavens and earth.” The Incarnation, in effect, began with creation. The whole purpose of creation was to let God share…

As you pack away the manger scene, consider the wooden feeding trough in which the Infant lay. Joseph softened it with straw, and Mary wrapped the Baby in whatever softness she could. Were these holy parents embarrassed by such a poor crib? There’s a lovely Christmas song by Francis Patrick O’Brien titled “Wood of the…

On the day of the winter solstice many of us looked to the western sky to see Saturn and Jupiter in their closest proximity in 800 years. Unfortunately, thick cloud cover made seeing any star impossible.  It made me think of a line from an Advent song from the Saint Louis Jesuits: “darkness covers the…

Mary could have reacted with fear many times—the startling message of Angel Gabriel, no vacancy in the inn, Simeon’s predictions of swords piercing her heart, a caravan of camels and kings, a flight to a foreign country—all within a couple years and while she was still a teenager! Though her heart was racing, Mary reacted…

St. Paul writes, “Our inner nature is being renewed every day” (2 Cor. 16). Yeah, 365 days to renew our spirits! How can I “re-new” my spirit? Could my New Year’s resolution be to make a “new me”? How can I make 2021 a year for good things? Here’s a thought. Take your new calendar…