Inspired by Scholastica

God pours out his grace upon us even when we are unaware, even when we resist, he drenches us with love beyond our deepest longings, floods us with goodness we have not earned or deserved. We stand open-mouthed, stunned at the wonder of such bounty, filled with the mystery of God’s extravagance that extends farther than the vast universe, beyond the most distant star. We are used to tiny hints of grace, fleeting glimpses of earthly love, but this deluge bowls us over and we can Courtesy of Vine and Branch World Ministries only hold out our hands and receive.

I recently read an article in Discover, a scientific magazine ,  about the progress scientists are making in finding a cure for Alzheimer's. For years they had been mystified by the two signs of the disease: amyloid plaques and tau tangles. These are clusters of protein fragments that interfere with relaying messages between neurons in the brain. Until recently they could only study the brains of dead people who had the disease, but with new imaging tools they can now study living people who are at risk. They found that errant genes are causing the disease. Now they are studying what these genes do and developing therapies to stop the disease. During their research they uncovered bits of DNA "that seem to halt the development of the disease." They also found that they need to treat the disease before people begin to show symptoms. Current studies are testing drugs that shrink plaques in the hopes of preventing the disease. Rudolph Tanzi, a neurologist  at Harvard Medical ...

In his book  No Problem, Robert Wicks conveys gems of wisdom for those who try to live life more fully. One of his gems is walking mindfully. Instead of dwelling on problems or situations while walking, he recommends taking a word to focus on as we walk such as "peace" or "praise," and really seeing and hearing the world around us. How often we miss the ordinary beauty of leafing trees, birdsong, dew on spider webs, and ripples on ponds. Don't think you've seen it all a thousand times. Each day is new and fresh. This is especially true in the spring. Walking then becomes a prayer of praise, good for one's soul as well as one's body. Be conscious of each step as walking on holy ground. Wicks calls it the "luminescence of the ordinary." We don't always need outstanding events to inspire awe. Delight in the ordinary can fill us with wonder too, if we take the time to really look and listen. So take off your blindfolds, unplug your ears...

Wide open faces with owl-like eyes they are full of questions, curious about bugs and snakes and caterpillars, jumping with springs in their feet, giggling at nothing and everything, in perpetual motion. Their enthusiasm is limitless, their energy boundless. Wish I could find a way to siphon off some of their vitalilty, graft it onto this deteriorating body to turn somersaults again, restore my eagerness to learn new things, take delight in each adventure no matter how mundane and ordinary. 

-Huffington Post photo As we age, many of us have struggles with health and energy. We used to be able to do ordinary activities without much effort like shopping, walking, reading, cleaning, etc. Now we need hearing aids, canes, magnifying glasses, and other paraphernalia to navigate. Yet we still have much to be grateful for every day. A doctor who advocates holistic treatment suggests that her patients name five things they are grateful for before they go to bed each night. I tried it and found it a good reminder of how blessed I am. I thanked God for the gift of life, friends, intelligence, a sense of humor, and spring the first night. The next day I expressed gratitude for green grass, flowers, trees, books, and eyes to see. The following day I was grateful for computers, coffee, fresh fruit, homemade bread, and chocolate. As I enumerated things I was was thankful for, I thought less about my aches and pains. It made me more optimistic about living in this day and age with s...

Fra Angelico-Women at the Empty Tomb The tomb opened and lightning blazed forth, the earth shook  with a rush of wind. The guards, blinded by the brilliance, covered their faces, trembling in fear. How would they explain the empty tomb, the discarded wrappings? Who was this man that trampled death, ignored the stone, discarded burial cloths, throbbed with life again? How foolish to think his breath could be stifled, his body bound! His love cannot be shackled, nor his spirit snuffed out. Jesus lives!

Older women are not generally esteemed in Western culture. They are often ignored or discounted as insignificant in our society. Yet in many cultures they are considered wise and in their fullness of power. We have many examples from history. Sarah, Abraham’s wife, was considered too old to bear a child, yet God chose to make her the mother of a great nation. Naomi, a widow in a foreign land, found friendship and courage in her later years. Anna, another elderly widow, was able to prophesy about the divine nature of Mary’s baby. Teresa of Avila, 16 th century reformer, started a whole new religious order in her old age. Mother Teresa of Calcutta engendered public acclaim for her work among the destitute as an older woman. Maya Angelou gave lectures and performed well into her 80’s. Eleanor Roosevelt was an delegate to the United Nations and a strong advocate for human rights long after being First Lady.   In our culture, we tend to prize independence and individualism as sig...