Posts by Sr. Mary Valerie Schneider
The Incarnation Started our Redemption
Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection are bound up with the mystery of the Incarnation. It was the Incarnation which began Christ’s kenosis, his self-emptying when he left heaven for earth. His death fulfills kenosis when his emptying became complete. By dying, Jesus rejoins the Father, sits at His right hand, and sends the Spirit. Our…
Read MoreThe Visit
The art of visiting has all but disappeared in our society. How regrettable as I think back to the weekly visits with dozens of cousins playing softball or hide-and-seek or singing and playing musical instruments. We are also missing out on the mystical act of finding Christ in one another, as that of the visit…
Read MoreDivisions
During the second half of the Easter Season several of the weekday readings from the Acts of the Apostles tell of the early Church’s hesitancy to admit Gentiles. That’s understandable enough, for the Jews had a history of being the Chosen People. Even Peter was reluctant to accept Gentiles until his vision of the sheet…
Read MoreRenew the Face of the Earth with a Smile
Who do you think you are? God’s gift to the world? You’re right! Just for a moment, accept that you really are God’s gift to the world. You can make a positive difference in the world. This is what we pray for when we pray “Renew the face of the earth.” Let the Holy Spirit…
Read MoreIndelible Memories
Do certain persons come to mind whenever you see a particular object or do a specific thing? When memories are of deceased persons, I appreciate the reminder of their unseen presence and recall the days I lived with them. Whenever I throw towels in the dryer, I hear the voice of deceased Sister Marilyn Kay…
Read MoreBreakfast on the Seashore
Jesus professed to be a servant as he washed feet and commanded his followers to continue his example of servanthood. The apostles should not have been surprised by Jesus’ unusual gesture. They had been with him three years, enough time to see Jesus putting others before himself. Once again, Jesus puts others before himself when…
Read MoreMother of the Word
The word: “Fiat” The Word: God become flesh. The word: “Flee.” The word: “You yourself shall be pierced with a sword.” The Word: “Why did you search for me?” The word: Silent compassion The Word: “There is your mother.” The word: Silent grief The word: Silent faith.
Read MoreChrist at the Border
On Good Friday I reflect on the suffering of Jesus as an individual, as one person stumbling to Calvary and hanging on a cross. However, I need to reflect more on Jesus’ solidarity with all the suffering and powerless people of the world before and after the first Good Friday. Jesus is with his people,…
Read MoreThe Last Supper and the Lord’s Supper
When eaten, food becomes us. Once external and on a table or in a garden or on a grocery shelf, food is internalized as nutrients. At the Last Supper Jesus gave to his apostles his very self, and this continues in the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharistic Sacrifice. How profoundly self-giving is the life-sharing that Jesus…
Read MoreBy Their Fruits
Jesus said that by their fruits we can know them. We know God by what God does. And what does God do? In Jesus we see God giving food and life and healing and forgiveness. We see the God-Man taking on the sins of the world, actually becoming sin. Could there have been any greater…
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