Inspired by Scholastica

Flight into Egypt The Holy Family’s flight into Egypt shortly after Jesus’ birth made me think about the refugee families today fleeing their homelands. Herod’s decree to kill all boy infants in and around Bethlehem  must have been terrifying for Mary and Joseph, forced to flee in the dark of night to protect their child. We do not know if they encountered barriers, but apparently they found safety in Egypt. The refugee families today fleeing violence and drug cartels in countries like El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico, are also fearful. When border patrol separates parents from their children, the parents do not know if they will ever see them again. At a time when children need warm relationships, special care, and nutritious food, they are being treated inhumanely. What will happen to their newly forming brains and bodies? They may experience trauma that can affect or follow them for years to come. Some people can easily say these families are here illegally a...

I used to like to walk in fluffy snow, to hear the crunch of packed mounds of white under my boots, to taste icy flakes on my tongue, to see my breath make foggy clouds, to make angels in the powdery flakes. Now I’m no longer excited at a forecast of six to eight inches of white precipitation, no longer thrilled at a possible free day. It just means hours of shoveling or plowing streets and sidewalks. I guess that's what happens when age creeps up on you, and you worry about slipping on slick paths and keeping warm as you clean off the car or search for the hidden newspaper. I try not to be too irritated when I see gleeful children sliding down hills in makeshift sleds, or throwing icy balls at random. I just hope they don’t cross my path and knock me down. So don’t expect me to jump for joy when the next flurries appear. I’m ready for greening sprouts and forsythia gold, for gentle rains and soft breezes. Enough ...

“We do not exist for ourselves alone, and it is only when we are fully convinced of this fact that we begin to love ourselves properly and thus also love others.”  -Thomas Merton I have a friend who is always ready to help others. She sees a need and automatically responds. I admire her ability to be so aware and so concerned about others. Those of us who are more wrapped up in our own needs have to work harder to be aware of the needs of others. Yet s ometimes people who give themselves so completely to others, fail to take care of their own needs.  We know people who think the world revolves around them. Sometimes we want to tell them, "It's not all about you." Others prefer to stay in the background due to humility or shyness. They may need to extend themselves more.  Merton says that it's all about loving ourselves properly while also loving others. Sometimes we find it hard to love ourselves when we look at our weaknesses, our imperfections, our fa...

The candles of the Advent wreath remind us that Christ the light of the world is coming. The candles signify that Christ breaks through the darkness to bring light to our broken, war-torn world. Jesus said to his apostles, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." We are called to be people of  Light. There are certainly many dark places in our world to brighten. We have homeless people who need the light of kindness and warmth. There are people carrying the cross of sickness and pain who need the light of caring and compassion. Those imprisoned could use the light of companionship through letters and visits. Those who are unemployed or underemployed need the light of food pantries and/or soup kitchens to survive. We also have immigrants seeking asylum who need the light of justice and humane treatment. In order to be light-bearers we have to nourish light in ourselves. We have to be filled with peace, joy...

In Georges Bernanos' novel, Diary of a Country Priest , I learned a lot about humility and self-knowledge. The author tells of a newly ordained priest (who is nameless) who decides to keep a diary for a year. He is a pastor of a poor parish in northern France in the early 20th century. He has high ambitions to serve his parishioners, and plans to visit each family once every three months. His big drawback is that he is sickly and can only digest bread dipped in wine. On one occasion the priest visits a woman who has been grieving the death of her baby son for 11 years and is unable to love her daughter. He is concerned about the teenage daughter who hates her mother. In his quiet, simple manner, the priest is able to bring the mother to repent and be at peace. He has other encounters with people and shows great understanding of their human weaknesses. However, he is looked upon as an alcoholic by some and incompetent by others. The priest himself lacks self-confidence and feels...

I read recently in th e New York Times that Dr. Scott Warren, a teacher from Arizona, faced federal charges for the third time this year for providing humanitarian aid to migrants crossing the border. He  was  providing life-saving aid, not smuggliing people into the U.S.  This is just one example of the governments's ongoing prosecution of aid workers in the midst of a crisis of death and disappearance. Is it illegal to give food water and clean clothes to people in need? Dr. Warren, a member of No More Deaths, gave aid to two migrants and was arrested. This can intimidate people who offer care and compassion to victims of discrimination and persecution. These acts should not be criminalized in a country that used to welcome those seeking freedom and safety. Thankfully, Dr. Warren was acquitted.  Aid workers are carrying out the mandate of Jesus. In the story of the Good Samaritan a young man asked Jesus:"Who is my neighbor?" Jesus told of the actions of a...

. India has the highest rate of recycling plastic waste in the world. India recycles 60% of its plastic waste whereas developed countries like the U.S. recycle only about 10 %. According to data, 91% of plastic waste isn't recycled. By 2015, 6.3 billion metric tons of plastic waste had accumulated. Scientists are estimatinig that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. An entrepreneur in India wanted to do something about plastic waste several years ago and found that there were 2,000 informal recyclers on street corners in Hyderabad alone. He decided to form them into groups and train them to separate the pure plastic from the pollutants. He then set up a milk cooperative to make plastic milk bottles. India became the best recycler of milk in the world. If a poor country like India can recycle plastic waste into a money-making industry, how much more developed countries like the U.S. ought to be able to do this. We certainly have the scientists and busin...

A friend of mine would sometimes start to laugh at nothing in particular and everyone around her began to laugh too. She told us it was good for one's health. A good belly laugh was even better. Norman Cousins, a political journalist, author, and world  peace activist, developed a debilitating disease that rendered him immobile. He was taking 38 aspirins a day to aleviate his execruciating pain, but this caused internal bleeding. He began reading books about his illness and found that extremely high doses of Vitamin C could combat the bleeding in his adrenal glands. He drank orange juice to relieve the inflammation in his body. For his unbearable pain the doctor told him to read humorous books and E.B.White's  Subtreasury of American Humor. He discovered that a mere ten minutes of  hearty laughter would provide about two hours of painless sleep. Norman Cousins From other books he had read on the disease he learned that frustration and su...

This Friday Catholics celebrate All Saints Day and on Saturday, All Souls Day. It’s a day we remember   the holy women and men who have gone before us, especially our deceased relatives and friends.   It’s a time to recall with gratitude all those who have influenced our lives in some way. I remember my high school English teacher who encouraged me to write and to enter speech contests. I was a shy student, but she brought out the best in me. I once had the leading role in a contest for a play about an aging actress who was chosen to return to the stage. We did not win the contest, but the experience was great   for my self-confidence. Another influence in my life was a priest who was my spiritual director for a time. He helped me through a difficult time with his psychological insights into my struggles and problematic relationships.There was also a therapist whose wisdom and guidance assisted me in dealing with some past experiences.These people are all de...

We have all been battered and bruised, hollowed out, maybe reached throes of despair. We’ve been overlooked, passed by, others get chosen even when we could do better, or so we think, life isn’t fair, but we have survived. We wear bandages to prove we have not been unscathed even if no one notices. Scars have made us stronger, more humble, more compassionate to those who still bear open gashes, who still struggle to endure, to overcome. Wounded healer is our call, our place in this dog-eat-dog, overpowering world we inhabit. We bring our warm touch, our tender embrace to the burdened, the forgotten, the broken-hearted. We lift each other up and become one.    

As the days grow shorter and colder, and we retrieve sweaters and coats, we look for places of warmth and light. Usually the kitchen is a cozy, bright space where families gather. I remember    when I was growing up, our kitchen was such a place. My mother was always baking bread or cookies, or cleaning vegetables, or darning socks, or ironing clothes -- always in the kitchen. And if a neighbor dropped by, she would serve coffee around the kitchen table. Back porches are also usually warm places in the fall. I used to sit on our back porch steps to read or fold clothes as the sun filtered through the clouds. Our back yard was quiet except for the birds stealing grapes from our arbor with gluttonous glee. Walkers like to catch a few rays of sun in parks that are usually filled with trees in brilliant autumn colors. Even when the leaves have fallen, it is fun to walk on the crunchy carpet. Fire places are also warm places to gather on the chilly fall days. They ta...

Women have come a long way both in society and politics. It's hard to believe they did not have the right to vote until 1920. And there were only a few serving in Congress until the late 20th century. Today women make up about 24 per cent of Congress and several have leadership positions. They are now serving in the military, many as superior officers. And this year six are in the presidential race for 2020. In the religious world women have also made progress. Many women are pastors in various Protestant churches and a few have been ordained bishops. In the Catholic church they now have more leadership roles. Women are the mainstay of most churches although they are often taken for granted and underpaid. But more and more women are making their voices heard. They are speaking out for their rights and the rights of immigrants, trafficked women, people of color, and other minorities. They are no longer looked upon as sscond class citizens, but as equals in most sectors of U.S. s...

We cherish heirlooms, period art, antique furniture, classic literature, but often fail to find the beauty in old people. They are usually brushed aside, ignored, discarded.                                         All we see is faded glory, faces crinkled with lines of past joys and sorrows, successes and failures. Eyes a bit sunken and dimmed, straining to see who comes by, Hands now gnarled and veined but graced with aged loveliness. Age brings a new beauty that takes time to appreciate, requires patience to draw out the stories of years spent raising children, cooking meals acquiring knowledge, playing games,   praying rosaries,   going fishing, and becoming a beloved elder. Older people may be frail and slow, sometimes hesitant in speech, but they are unique individuals well-s...

Some of us wait for change to happen and then respond; others take the lead and create change. If you are a waiter, you may wait too long and lose touch with the reality around you. You may think you will be ready to respond, but you can get distracted or lazy or indifferent. Some wait because they are afraid or think their efforts will not make a difference. Activists see a need and do something. Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old Swedish school girl, is definitely an activist. She sees the climate crisis and decided to take action. She went on a school strike and is credited with raising global awareness of the risks posed by climate change and with holding governments accountable for their lack of action on the climate crisis. On September 21, Thunberg led an international climate strike with over four million participants around the world responding. Most of them were young people who feel that adults are standing by just waiting for the world to destroy itself with gas emission...