Inspired by Scholastica

I just read a story that gave me a whole perspective on perseverance. It told of a mountain climbing experience that seems almost unbelievable. An expedition of glacier experts set out to try to find a camera bag left behind 85 years ago by Bradford Washburn, a world famous scientist and photographer, who had to abandon it when his life was endangered on the mountain. He has since died, but a group of experienced explorers decided to see if they could find it using new scientific methods to trace movements of glaciers.  The members of the expedition knew the camera had valuable photographs that would aid in this highly exclusive science. Dora Medezyka, a glacier specialist who knew how to trace the movement of glaciers, had pinpointed the area where Washburn had left the bag. At first, they were disappointed and were ready to leave, but Medezyka searched her data once more and was able to locate the bag frozen under thick ice. Miraculously, the contents were still usable. Most of us wo

Autumn is a time to contemplate nature. The brilliant hues of trees are especially enthralling. There are a number of trees on our campus that make me catch my breath in awe. I know trees are more glorious in Vermont or New Hampshire, but Kansas has its own special loveliness. One maple tree behind St. Cecilia's is always so majestic, shining in the sunlight. I look forward to seeing it every year. It makes me feel the all-embracing warmth of  God's love. I can imagine God's paintbrush adding a touch of gold here, some orange there, a tinge of scarlet in between. The Great Artist makes trees come to full stature and glory. Every season has its beauty, but autumn seems to be especially enticing. Spending time with nature often inspires prayer. Who but God could decorate our world with such magnificence?   Of course, there is a time for splendor and a time for leaves to dry up and fall, just as there is a time for us to shine and a time for us to let go of our life on earth.

“I find ecstasy in living. Living is enough for me.”   - Emily Dickinson   We generally think of the poet Emily Dickinson as a recluse, a woman who did not socialize with others. Yet the quote above seems to indicate that she lived a vibrant life. To find ecstasy in living is quite a remarkable statement. To find wonder and joy in life one has to really be aware, to be ebullient. She once wrote that she felt like she was “struck by lightning every day.” Many of us go about like dead people walking. We fail to really see the world around us, to hear the sounds of leaves, of bees sucking sweetness from flowers, of birds twittering in trees. We are rarely jarred by the surprises in our paths, of the uniqueness of the people around us. Although Emily rarely left her house, her images are vibrant with life. Dickinson considered herself a poet of liberty and “the voice of America.” Born in 1830, she was anti-slavery and an advocate of freedom for women. Although she lived during the period o

When  I was growing up, I heard about seeking God, searching for him, desiring him, praying that he would reveal himself to me. I often felt that I was groping in the darkness for some sign that he was really present.  St. Paul assures us: "You must know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is within -- the Spirit you have received from God." (1 Cor. 19)  If God is within us, we need look no further. Pope Francis, in a recent Apostolic Letter, reminds us, "Before our response to his invitation --well before! -- there is his desire for us."  So long before we searched for God, he was seeking each one of us. He doesn't care if we are losers, criminals, uneducated, depressed, lame, sick, elderly, gay, Black or white - he wants to be with us. Remember the story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector, who climbed a tree in order to see Jesus passing by in a huge crowd? It was Jesus who saw him in the tree and told him to come down, so they could share a meal t

Cool crisp air fills my nostrils mixed with the scent of grape vines and sunflowers, a hint of yellow in the trees. Nothing remains the same as fall creeps in.   People too look more jaunty as they step into cooler places enveloped in a bit of sunshine.   There’s a calmness in the air this early October morning, an expectant hush among faded petals and tawny-tinged grass.   This is just the beginning, we know, there’s always something new to surprise us as seasons change.   Don’t miss the crunchiness, smells, and tapestry as summer fades into a wondrous splash of color.