Inspired by Scholastica

When I read of all the murders, cruelty, wars, and hate crimes in the news, I become depressed and sad.  So it warmed my heart to read of Robert Flores in Kansas City, Kansas, who repairs houses without charge for people who cannot afford to hire someone. In 2016, he began a charitable organization called Habitaciones Para Latinos Association to aid Hispanic residents in Wyandotte County. With the help of a part-time assistant, he adds railings, renews worn out steps or porches, patches roofs, and other minor repairs. He uses his own money and some donations to pay for materials.  I also read about a young mother who gathered a few other women to help furnish apartments for new immigrants. They collect furniture and other household items to make the bare rooms habitable and attractive. They take joy in decorating the rooms and welcoming the new residents.  These people live the Christmas message of bringing good news for all the world. I'm sure there are many other examples of peop

At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Christ as a baby in Bethlehem. More significantly, we celebrate that Christ is born in us. How do we understand this mystery? Christ is pure love, poured out abundantly to the whole world. When we love, we want to be like a vessel spilling over, never running empty. We can only love like this when Christ is born in us and we become his hands and feet and body. As Teresa of Avila once said: Christ has no body but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which He looks Compassion on this world, Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good, Yours are the hands, with which He blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, Yours are the eyes, you are His body. . . The holy ones have let Christ take over their lives so that he is loving through them. It is an awesome responsibility to carry out this mission, but Jesus is there to be our strength and courage. He guides and carries us as we go about our

Many of us have a tendency to want to look good and capable to others. We don’t exactly want to come across as perfect, but we don’t want to appear weak. We make an effort to look strong.   Being vulnerable is hard for most of us. Yet vulnerability is necessary for true friendship. When you trust the other with your feelings and weaknesses, it shows that you are honest and unafraid to reveal your inner personhood. It means taking a risk of being misunderstood or considered weak.   Vulnerability, however, also tells others that they do not have to be perfect, that you will understand their shortcomings and weaknesses too.   It makes them feel comfortable in your presence and able to share their own limitations. It tells them they can trust you to know how it feels to be an ordinary human being with imperfections.   Vulnerability is actually an asset rather than a hindrance in human beings.   People are drawn to those who are not afraid to “let their hair down.” If we always put on a ven

Mary was truly a woman for others. First, she traveled to help her cousin Elizabeth, who was also pregnant and much older, to prepare for her baby’s birth. She stayed for three months, probably making baby clothes and decorating a room for the child.   Then she helped Joseph with furnishing their new home, perhaps with drapes and rugs, while he made tables and chairs. I’m sure she delighted in preparing a room for Jesus, not knowing that he would be born in a stable in Bethlehem.   When Mary heard there was no room in the inn, she was content to make a bed of straw in the stable. I’m sure she must have welcomed the shepherds and let the children kiss the new-born Baby Jesus. She even let the sheep keep Jesus warm with their breath and wooly coats.   As she watched Jesus preaching and healing, Mary fought away her fears and probably brought people to hear his words and experience his touch. She wanted people to know her Son and to have their lives changed for the better.   After Jesus w

We find ourselves in the wilderness, a dark and threatening world of lies, evil, threats, and war, looking for a path of safety, truth.  Then we hear a voice crying out, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” How do we prepare, make ready, when there is no map, no direction? Soon a man appears in sackcloth, crying, “Lower the mountains, straighten the road, take up your walking stick.” John, shows us the way to cut through the morass, smooth the buckled highway for our Savior. Then  the Son will appear who will strengthen our faltering steps and bring peace to our world. Come, Emmanuel!

 As I was meditating on the Annunciation story recently, I thought about Gabriel, the angel who visited Mary with a special message. Gabriel, who had been with God from all eternity, knew God's plan of redemption. He knew that Mary would say yes to the request to give birth to the child Jesus, even though she did not fully understand how this would happen. Gentle and encouraging, Gabriel told Mary that she had found favor with God and explained that Jesus would be born of a virgin, not the normal way.  How delicate Gabriel must have been in explaining this to a teenager who was so innocent. "How can this be?" she asked. The angel explained that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and she would conceive. Mary's closeness to God enabled her to have the courage to say, "Be it done to me as God wills." Just as Gabriel was a "ministering angel," we are called to take on that role in our world. We can be "ministering angels" to those who are fe

Thanksgiving is a special time of year  for many reasons. Families get together and share stories and memories of the past year. It is a time to give thanks for the many blessings we have received. It is also an opportunity to share from our abundance with others who live in poverty and need.  If our families have been protected from the coronavirus, we have extra cause to be grateful. Not all families are so fortunate. Some are missing a family member who was with them last year. We can take a moment to remember that person and the way he/she has been a blessing to others. Some people spend part of the day serving others in a homeless shelter or food kitchen. It is good for us and our children to see how hungry and poor some people are because of job loss or other circum-stances beyond their control. Being of service to the needy increases our gratitude and gives us joy too.  We also can remember the thousands of immigrants and refugees who are living in camps and makeshift shelters a

I just read about a group promoting the canonization of six Black Catholics. One of the six is Sister Thea Bowman, a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration. I was excited to see this because I had met Sister Thea in person about 40 years ago and have read about her ministry in the U.S. I remember when she addressed the bishops of the United States, challenging them to practice justice and getting them to rise and sing "We Shall Overcome" with her. She was dramatic and dynamic as a speaker and the bishops responded. This group of Baltimore Catholics challenged the committee in charge of the canonization process, saying the process is not working for Black Catholics. They think these six people: Mother Mary Lang, founder of the Oblate Sisters of Providence; Julia Greeley, the city of Denver's "Angel of Charity;"  Mother Henriette De Lille, founder of the Sisters of the Holy Family; Fr. Augustus Tolton, and Pierre Toussaint should be recognized as saints and are

 COP26, the United Nations Global Conference on Climate Change, is still going on in Glasgow. Representatives from about 120 nations are gathered to pledge major changes in order to decrease global warming. Unfortunately, Russia and China, big contributors to this crisis, are not represented. And developing countries will depend on richer nations to help them fulfill their goal. The evidence of climate change is all around us: increased hurricanes, wild fires, flooding; higher temperatures, melting icebergs, arid lands, and the dying out of hundreds of animal species. We can see the problems, but what can we as ordinary individuals do about them? One thing we can do is travel less by car and instead ride a bicycle or use public transportation. Another thing is to eat less beef which will cut down on methane gases in the atmosphere. In addition, we could use more solar and wind energy to heat our homes and buildings instead of coal and gas. And we can grow vegetable gardens to decrease

  “No matter how sophisticated and complex and powerful our institutions, we are still exactly as dependent on the earth as the earthworms,” Wendell Berry once said. It is quite astounding to think that our individual well-being is dependent on the earth’s health and the good of all humanity. We are all connected so what affects the earth affects all created things. That is why care of the earth is so important and climate change brings with it such destructive forces. Arid ground or flooded ground is unproductive and useless. Extreme heat or cold destroys all living things. So our very survival is dependent on a well-cared for earth. We may think our modern discoveries and inventions can protect us from the devastation in other parts of the world. But people in areas that are no longer habitable will migrate to better places, maybe places where we live. If food can no longer be grown where the climate and earth is optimal, that eventually affects all of us. Many of us live in a

Colin Powell's death touched me deeply. He was a true hero in so many ways: in his military service to his country, in his position as secretary of state, in his role as head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  He was the confidante of several presidents and an advisor of many world leaders. He was distinguished and admired in so many areas, yet his support of the war with Iraq was a black mark on his exemplary career. He was not sure if Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, and yet he approved the decision. Later he publicly admitted that was a mistake.  I admire his openness in acknowledging his error. It took courage and humility to admit that he was wrong about such a critical issue.   He considered running for president on the Republican ticket when Bill Clinton ran on the Democratic side. He decided against it since he admired Clinton. In recent years he became a Democrat because he no longer believed what the Republicans stood for. Another thing I admire about Powell is when he w

 Sometimes I find myself anxious about my mistakes of the past: things I wish I had done differently, neglect for family members, kindnesses I was too busy to do, time I wasted, people I ignored. Other times I worry about the future: When will I die? What illnesses will befall me? Will I be a grumpy old person? Will I lose my sight or my ability to care for myself? Someone once said that mistakes of the past are called experience. We are meant to learn from them. That is a healthy attitude. And God will provide the strength we need to handle what will happen in the future. God holds all of us in his loving hands, caring for us when we are weak, lifting us up when we are discouraged, rejoicing with us when we succeed. The past is over and I have no control over the future. All I have is NOW. So now is the time to do those things that are important to me, that have significance in my life. Now is the time to write the letter I have been putting off. Now is the time to call old friends an

  Jonah in the Old Testament had a problem that most of us can identify with. God tells him to warn the Ninevites to repent or they will be destroyed, but when they repent, he is disappointed. In his heart  he wanted to see them punished for their evildoing. We might pray for someone to change their evil ways, but when they do, we have regrets because we feel they should be punished for their sins. We do not understand the bountiful, unlimited mercy of God. He rejoices more over one sinner who repents than over 99 who have no need of repentance. He lavishes his mercy on those who do not seem worthy of it in our eyes.  Although we may pray for those who have gone astray, we still have a bit of resentment when they are blessed by God. Our hearts may have some love and forgiveness, but there is a limit to how readily we will wipe away every trace of sin. Even if we have prayed for someone for many years, we still think he or she ought to do some difficult task before they are forgiven. I

 Many religious communities own extensive acres of land for beauty, conservation, and perhaps gardening. As communities age and have fewer members, they are undoubtedly concerned about future uses of their land. If they sell it to have more financial resources for their members, it is likely to be used for commercial purposes and encroach upon their buildings.  Some women's communities are choosing to put part of their land in the hands of a land conservancy agency. The agency agrees to preserve the land when the sisters can no longer care for it themselves. This allows the religious community to ensure that their land will continue to provide beauty and be cared for in perpetuity even if the sisters have to close their doors.  This is a striking example of choosing conservation over economic gain. They evidently feel that it is more important to keep the land intact than to sell it for real estate. This is taking into consideration future generations who will have oases of beauty

  Self-love is often misunderstood. It sounds like we don’t care about other people. It sounds selfish and self-centered. Yet it’s the most important step we can take toward health and happiness. Health care professionals talk a lot about self-care. They tell us to be aware of our needs and take care of them. Otherwise, we will not be able to care for others in a healthy way. My uneducated mother used to tell me not to be a door mat for others, to stand up for myself. She had the right idea. Sometimes it’s hard to love ourselves when we make mistakes or look at our weaknesses. Everything looks bleak, and we see others as so much better, so much more loveable. Negative self-talk can be very debilitating.We need to look at our mistakes as opportunities to learn from, our weaknesses as steps to build on. Many of the world’s great leaders tell how they acquired self-knowledge from their mistakes. Sometimes we need help from friends or counselors to see ourselves as worthwhile and valua

 Whenever I am tempted to get on my pity pot, I go to visit the sisters in our nursing facility. They are mostly in their 80s and 90s and have various disabilities due to aging and illness. There's Sister Jeremiah who is confined to a wheelchair after having a stroke. She has a brilliant mind but can no longer navigate on her own. Then there's Sister Rose who is also confined to a wheelchair after a botched surgery. In addition, she now has cancer on her nose. There's Sister Vera who had a stroke and is now in and out of reality. Then there is Sister Adele who is confused most of the time. She was a college professor and poet before drifting into senility.  Sister M arlene has Parkinson's disease and her hands tremble most of the time. Sister Nancy has rheumatoid arthritis in her hands and feet and has fallen several times. Sister Bertha is confined to a wheelchair due to weakness in her legs. Sister Imelda has dementia and is always wants to visit her parents. Sister G