Inspired by Scholastica

The Standing Rock Indians are protesting an oil pipeline near their reservation on  the Missouri River in North Dakota. They are peacefully resisting the  pipeline because it encroaches on sacred lands and burial grounds and would likely pollute the Missouri River which provides the tribe's drinking water. These "water protectors" have been joined by over 200 tribes, and thousands of religious leaders and representatives who have endured water hoses in freezing temperatures and rubber bullets. The Sioux Indian Nation has filed a lawsuit againt the Army Corps of Engineers and also pleaded with President Obama to intervene for them. In spite of the huge show of support, the media has largely ignored these protests which have gone on for months. Actually, if oil leaks into the Missouri River it will affect not only the Sioux Indians, but all those who depend on this river for their water supply from North Dakota to Louisiana. This oil fracking could also cause earthq

  We ought to be thankful every day, but a special day of thanks is a good reminder that everything we have is a gift from a loving God who never tires of giving. We are called to be imitators of God’s generosity to all whom we encounter and those we hold in our hearts. Gratitude should be an essential part of our lives. We need to be grateful for the air we breathe, the clean water at our disposal, the food most of us have in abundance, the health care we receive, families and friends who love us, employment that provides for our needs and contributes to the community. An attitude of gratitude is also good for your health. Recent research shows it can "improve sleep and self-esteem, reduce pain, alleviate anxiety and depression, and increase your overall satisfaction with life." ( Prevention , Nov. 2016)  We often take our freedoms and blessings for granted. We have never had to experience war on  our soil. Most of us have never gone hungry, homeless, or suffere

While I was walking outside the other day, I saw a dead leaf hanging by a thread from a branch twirling in the breeze.  It was attached by such a fragile filament, yet dancing around and around as if it were not ready to die just yet. It reminded me of our current situation in the U.S. Some of us are like that leaf, holding on for dear life after the recent election. We may not feel like dancing, but the winds of change around us are putting us in motion. We are not ready to give up yet. We are praying, resisting, signing petitions, speaking out against injustices, especially against Trump’s immigration decree. His decision to deport about three million  undocumented immigrants, to split up families, to oust students from their schools, is deplorable. These are not just numbers, these are human beings, many of whom have fled violence, drug lords, and extreme poverty to seek freedom. They could not wait years before they would be eligible to be admitted.   The U.S. Catholic

"The source of spiritual wisdom is to hold questions and contradictions patiently, much more than to find quick certitudes, to rush to closure or judgment, as the ego and dualistic mind want to do."                                                                                                                       —  Richard Rohr After this 2016 election, I was full of questions and contradictions. I was quick to judge that this was a catastrophe for our country. How could voters choose a man so unfit and so xenophobic to be our president.  So I prayed for insight and understanding. I am trying to be patient and not look for “quick certitudes” as I try to live with the reality of a president-elect who seems so far from what I hoped for and opposite of what I believe in. Maybe I need to take time to feel more of the pain that the unemployed, the rejected, and the marginalized experience daily. Maybe I need to ponder the plight of those who have not achieved the

Last night I saw the movie "Iron-Jawed Angels" which portrayed the women's suffragist movement in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th century. I was inspired by these women who protested for their right to vote in front of the White House and were jailed for obstructing traffic.They suffered police brutality, imprisonment and hunger strikes to demand justice. They were willing to die for their belief in equal rights. The 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote was passed on August 18, 1920. Susan B. Anthony Susan B. Anthony was one of the women who fought for this right. When she voted illegally in 1876, she  was imprisoned. She did not live to see the 19th Amendment passed. This month some women are putting "I voted" stickers on her tombstone to pay tribute to her. I wonder if people today appreciate how long and hard these women fought for that right. We take it for granted and many will not vote for one reason or another. We ough