Inspired by Scholastica

    Inspired by Scholastica Advent Pauses Before Advent gets swallowed up in the mad rush of Christmas shopping and decorating, I invite you to take a few moments each day to reflect on what Advent means for you personally. We know it is a season of waiting for Christ’s coming, but how does he come to us now is this world? Christ comes to us mainly in the poor who are hungry and abandoned. How can we see Christ in the starving child, the lonely elderly, the lost teenager, the drug-addicted man or woman?   How can we respond to their needs?   In a recent retreat, I heard the invitation: “Behold and Be Held.” When we really behold  the smells, the tears, the wounds of those around us, we are Be Held by God. We can also pray to the holy ones to accompany us on our Advent journey, those who had the courage to live out the invitation to love the suffering no matter what the cost. I think of Oscar Romero who spoke out about injustice and was shot while sayin...

Dark Times (Pictured in photo: Harriet Tubman) The world seems very dark these days. Dark from evil, hatred, and violence. Martin Luther King lived in a similar world. He admitted, “The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land. Confusion all around.” But he told the people, “Only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars.“ We need to look closely to see the stars around us, to see the boldness of people who risk their lives to save those in danger, especially war. To observe the moral stature of those who speak out against injustice and evil. To see the courage of those who overcome prejudice and adversity. To observe the bravery of those who protect those shunned by society, even when it means rejection by their peers.  There are many stars barely visible, not yet in the public eye. These people go about doing the right thing, give the honest response, often unnoticed by others. We hope they will continue to have the courage to speak the truth whatever the consequences. Jesu...

  Spiritual Growth A lot of people make resolutions to do better, overcome their addictions, help others, treat others with kindness, be charitable, love our enemies. They ask God to help them change their ways.  Yet they often give up and go back to their former ways. That’s usually considered human frailty. Then regret and shame fill their lives and make them feel like failures.  We know Jesus promised to send us the Holy Spirit who would be with us all our days and teach us all we need to live a good life. In Romans 8, St. Paul reminds us: “If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you.” If the Spirit has been dwelling in us all our lives, why do we feel like we have made so little progress? Our culture may have conditioned us to feel like we are not good enough, that our faith has failed us.  According to Vinita Hampton...

  For the Good of the People “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Ps. 34:18 ) The United States has been a democracy since 1776, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Americans elect representatives to carry out the Constitution. Eventually two major parties developed, Republican and Democrat. Most of the time the government worked pretty well except for the Civil War period and a few other upheavals. Despite some rough spots, we maintained our democracy. Hopefully, we can continue to do so. The election we just had was very divisive. Each of the two persons running for president had very different views. But if we are going to live together in peace, we will have to try to understand each other and learn how to cooperate even when we disagree. We need to acknowledge each other’s viewpoints and discuss our disagreements without becoming antagonistic or violent. We have one of the strongest democracies in...

  Break Open Puffy clouds blush, reflecting dawn rising in the east, a splendid beginning of a new day full of possibilities, of encounters with unknown people and adventures.   Welcome sunrise! Spread your many-hued rays across our sleepy world. Awaken in us all we can behold as day breaks.   Open our eyes, our ears, to embrace all that comes-- surprise encounters, unique and unrepeatable, challenging us to enlarge our limited horizons blurred by unclear vision.   Yes! Make our spirits blossom-- renew our often hesitant hearts.   By Barbara Mayer