As I walked our neighborhood yesterday morning and shuffled through the leaves that seem to be everywhere these days, I couldn’t help being struck by a few things. The many types of leaves that have fallen were a good reminder to me of the many “little deaths” each of us

Perhaps you also know what it’s like to have one of those “you don’t want to miss this” messages from God. As I was driving in for an early morning meeting this morning, I stopped at a stoplight on Secor Road. My mind, of course, was racing through the day’s

S words: Sugar, salt, starches, and second helpings. Not good—at least for some people. Other S words: simplicity, sacredness, serenity, sincerity. Good—at least for most people. S: the letter that multiplies and makes abundant through plurals. What words characterize your life? How can you let your good qualities multiply

As we celebrate the Feast of Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) today, I can’t help but wonder what a mystic’s life is like. Mysticism often seems beyond reach, after all it involves a direct encounter with God! I’m reminded of various places in the Old Testament where we’re told that

The United Nations has declared October 11 the International Day of the Girl, establishing a day to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. The action follows a multi-year campaign by activists in Canada and the United States. In reserving a day for advocacy and

As I sat here looking out the window at the night sky, just still light enough to see cloud formations, I noticed a giant footprint in the sky, but before I could type this sentence, it disappeared. What if I hadn’t looked out at that precise moment? I would have

As we celebrate today the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, I’m pondering the call he received to “build up the Church.” So often in his New Testament letters, St. Paul exhorts us to build up the Body of Christ, and certainly the Church is the Body of Christ. Francis

Today is a “double header” for us as Sisters of Notre Dame! Not only do we join the Church in celebrating the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux, but we also celebrate our congregational Foundation Day. Both celebrations highlight for me the importance of doing little things well. Hilligonde and

“Humility, a little virtue, because it loves the shade and annihilation, blossoms only in great souls.” (Mgr. L. Giraud) I was given this quote thirty-five years ago by my novice director and wondered what on Earth she was thinking! I’ve been reading the Rule of Benedict and the other day

This morning I sat with Psalm 23. It’s a familiar one to all of us, a psalm of comfort. “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” Most of us could recite much of it by heart. Today what struck me was the line “You prepare a table before