Caterpillar Steps
What are the next best steps for any group whether the universal Church, a government meeting, a town hall, a parent-teacher gathering, a trustees meeting, or a family discussion? I have no degree in human relations or psychology, but I have observed the caterpillar. The caterpillar is unpretentious. It moves forward slowly with care, balancing […]
Our Days of Encounter in Columbus
We Sisters of Notre Dame will soon be meeting in Columbus in person or via zoom. As I wonder what will happen there, I imagine—expect—to see the influence of Pope Francis. Over the past several years we have studied Laudato Si’ and have made integrity of creation part of our thought and lifestyle. Certainly sharing […]
Shocking Effect
“The Gospel needs to keep its shocking effect. . . It should always keep you on edge and never satisfied” (Tony Walsh, founder of Benedict Labre House). Hundreds of words have described the Gospel, but “shocking” seems …well, rather shocking! I imagine the first listeners of Jesus’ teaching were often shocked. “Love your enemies” Really? […]
We Keep on Keeping On
Today we celebrate the life of one of our sisters, the third funeral in three weeks. Have you heard/read that Catholic Sisters are diminishing in numbers? Math and shaking heads suggest we are a “dying breed” or a “species becoming extinct.” Not true! If we’re counting heads, we need to gather data from around the […]
That Should Have Been Obvious
We are in the “Good Shepherd Season” of the Church year. Often we read about sheep going through gates, grazing in pastures, hearing the voice of the leader, even following the shepherd. Homilists instruct us to be like sheep. Pope Francis exhorted us to smell like sheep. Too often, though (at least it seems so […]
On Waking Up
When Pope Leo XIV woke up this morning, what were his first thoughts? “Oh, that was an interesting conclave.” Then with more consciousness, “Oh, I’m the Pope.” Because he knows several languages, were his waking thoughts in English, Italian, or Spanish? Perhaps our waking thoughts were also on the Pope. Excellent news casts brought Rome […]
Jesus Christ Is Risen Today
I imagine you sang “Jesus Christ Is Risen Today” complete with trumpets on Easter Sunday morning. I hope you sing it again regardless of the date on the calendar. After all, Jesus is risen. Jesus is always risen. What we sing about is the reality. It’s the perennial, non-stop Paschal Mystery. Whatever Jesus did is […]
Easter Week’s Verbs
A good strong verb, even a little one, adds color to a written composition. Which is better: (a) He made demands as if he were a king or (b) He pontificated? Your answer is a matter of opinion. One thing I’ve noticed about the Resurrection stories is that they have good verbs—not that they’re the […]
The Emmaus Story – My Favorite Story
Do you ever look forward to your favorite Scripture story, waiting for it to be read in church? Well, I do. I anticipate my favorite Gospel story on Wednesday in Easter Week. Remember the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus? Every year I sympathize with Cleopas’s dejection over Jesus’ crucifixion and […]
It Isn’t Over Yet
Easter isn’t over yet. It’s hardly begun—even if you’ve already devoured the chocolate bunny from your Easter basket. Every day this week is just like Easter. And each day is a solemnity with all the festivity of Easter Day. For the rest of the week, we sing the Gloria at Mass, and the dismissal adds […]
