Inspired by Scholastica

  God Lightens our Burdens   They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength, They will soar as with eagles’ wings; They will run and not grow weary Walk and not grow faint. (Is 40:31)   During these long winter nights that seem endless and drain our energy, these words bring encouragement. They give us reassurance that God will renew our strength and lighten our spirits. Darkness can affect our mental alertness and emotional well-being. When bad things happen, like wars, shootings, abuse, and illness, a dark cloud seems to hover over our world. We can feel overwhelmed when our burdens seem too heavy to bear. But Christ’s birth has pierced the darkness and brought light and goodness to our world. On that first Christmas, God renewed Mary and Joseph’s strength to continue their journey through the darkness. Surely traveling must have been hard and painful for Mary who was about to give birth, and Joseph must have been worried and frustrated when he could not find a pl

  Piercing the Darkness The world seems very dark these days, dark from evil, revenge, 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:   the boldness of people who risk their lives to save those in danger, especially during war; the moral stature of those who speak out against injustice and evil;   the courage of those who overcome prejudice and adversity with non-violence; the bravery of those who protect those shunned by society even when it means rejection by their friends and co-workers. Millions of stars are barely visible in the night sky. Millions of good people also go unnoticed. We hope they will continue to have the courage to speak the truth whatever the consequences. Jesus tells us to overco

    The Interconnectedness of All Richard Rohr, the Franciscan writer, always stresses, “Everyone belongs.” That is, we all have a place at the table. Moreover, everything is connected. If we believed this, we would have to accept everyone and to see everyone as valuable. This would eliminate racism, sexism, elitism, feelings of superiority, attitudes of rejection and condemnation, and violence against others.   Of course, this would be an ideal world. We would all want to live in this kind of world, but what are we doing to help create such a place? For one thing, we could accept and welcome people, whether they are black, white, brown, or yellow. We wouldn’t have segregated neighborhoods or special privileges for certain races. Some of this prejudice comes from the way we were raised, but it doesn’t have to continue. Women have proved that they are just as capable as men in most fields. Why can’t women be heads of corporations, presidents of their countries, or defenders of o

  Wait for the Lord Advent is a time of anticipation, not for the presents we will receive but for Christ coming more fully into our lives. Each year the church provides this time to prepare, to focus on what the birth of Christ really means in our lives. So it sets aside four weeks to make ready our hearts, to be more open to receiving him, to let him be born in us anew. All the readings and prayers in the liturgies invite us to focus on how the coming of Jesus changes our lives. Paul reminds us on the First Sunday of Advent: “The testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 1:3-9) We have all the spiritual gifts we need to reach our full stature as followers of Christ while we wait in hope.     In Isaiah we read: “I, the Lord your God, teach you what is for your good and lead you on the way you should go.” (48:17) The scriptures encourage us to open our hearts, re

  The art of Kintsugi There is a Japanese tradition called Kintsugi that makes damaged objects such as broken pottery into works of art The artists put together the broken pieces by using a lacquer resin mixed with powdered gold. They highlight the damaged parts to call attention to the repair work. The pot can be used again since the lacquer makes it stronger than before. This art reminds me of how God repairs us when we are broken in some way. By his loving touch and mercy, he can make us whole again and more beautiful than before. We might have fallen into some bad habits, such as addictions, abuse, or alienation in families. These causes us to become “broken,” and many would just throw us away. But God with his loving mercy can heal our brokenness and with his “resin” of kindness make us even more beautiful. This new kind of beauty can be a gift to our families and communities. By God’s piecing together our wounds and shattered lives, others can see what the Divine Artist c

It is with a heavy heart that I read about the situation in Gaza. When I hear that the two biggest hospitals in Gaza can no longer operate and that food and medical supplies cannot get through, my heart breaks. Just recently, I heard that a three-year-old child was being held as a hostage. Even though brief periods for food and medical supplies are allowed to the Palestinians, it is not enough. It is not surprising that fear keeps people trapped in whatever shelter they can find. Many lives have been cut short due to this inhumane treatment. This is not a Jewish, Christian, or Muslim way of treating enemies, most of whom are innocent youths. Already 5,000 children have been killed or are missing in Gaza. Thousands have been maimed or disfigured by the constant bombardment. Leaders from the United States, England, and other countries are trying to negotiate a cease-fire; but so far, their efforts have been in vain. The United States and other countries are sending humanitarian aid to Ga

    “Wonderfully Made” When I took a college English course, our first assignment was to write an essay about whether we would rather lose our sight or lose our legs. It was a thought-provoking choice. If we became blind, we would miss seeing our loved ones and all the beauty of our world. If we could not walk, we would be hindered from traveling and moving around without help. I chose to keep my eyesight since I love to read and write and enjoy the variety and beauty that surrounds us.   Of course, I’m glad I didn’t have to make that choice in real life, but it was a thought-provoking assignment. It made me think about how much we take our bodies for granted. I began to think about all the organs, veins, arteries, canals, nerves, and bones we have in our bodies and how they all work together to keep us alive and healthy. It is not until we lose one of them that we realize how magnificent we are, created in the “image and likeness of God.” God loves each and every one of us as if

Becoming a Cheerful Giver In a reflection on the gospel for August 10 (John 12, 24-25), our chaplain offered some suggestions on how to be a cheerful giver like St. Lawrence. According to a legend about this saint, when his persecutors placed him on a fiery grate, he said, “I am done on this side; turn me over and roast the other.”   The homilist suggested that we become like a mop to clean up the spills of others or a pencil, which when sharpened, can be used to help others. These don’t sound very heroic, but they can be a way to be instruments of God’s love. o be used to show how much God loves us.   A mop is such a lowly, mundane thing but useful to clean up messes. Are we willing to be used by God to clean up the messiness around us? To become a pencil willing to be sharpened, to suffer pain for others is another way God can use us. Can you imagine allowing yourself to be like a pencil in God’s hands? I thought of another image to show how God can use us – a piece of cloth th

  Overcoming Discouragement Sometimes discouragement and failure take over our lives, and we cannot seem to crawl out of our hole. Even if in reality they are not a true picture, we can be blinded by the seeming darkness.  It often takes another person to uncover what is hidden from us and to see through the cloudy picture.  I am reminded of a story about Bill Wilson, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. He tells of how he felt his dream of starting a group for people with drinking problems was not going anywhere. Then unexpectedly Father Dowling, a disheveled priest, came to his door in the middle of a snowstorm. Bill’s caretaker told him that a “damn bum” was at the door. Bill was tired but agreed to see him and in doing so had his “second conversion experience.” Bil and Father Dowling talked way into the night, and Bill told of his “high hopes and plans, and spoke about his anger, despair and mounting frustrations.”  It turned out that the elderly priest had had similar feel

  Everyone Belongs Richard Rohr often speaks of the oneness of things. He emphasizes that everything belongs and everyone belongs. He says that every person is a “holy child of God.” Julian of Norwich, a 14 th century mystic, also speaks of oneness: “The love of God creates in us such a oneing that when it is truly seen, no person can separate themselves from another.”   That sounds good in theory, but I have a hard time seeing certain people as holy children of God, especially corrupt politicians, abusive people, murderers, tyrants, persecutors. etc. I can pray that they will change their evil ways, but how can I love them? Then I begin thinking about my own sinfulness, my own failure to be the kind person I want to be, to be holy.   What if God stopped loving me because I do not measure up to be loving or at least accepting of all? I would be in a miserable state. In fact, I would be in the depths of despair. If everyone belongs, then I have to learn to love those who thin

  Boat Tragedy Recently, I read the news story of the Pakistani refugees on the overloaded boat that capsized on the way to Greece. Of the over 700 occupants, only about a hundred survived. Most of the migrants were desperately poor people who were seeking a better life. Of all these tragic victims, one that moved me the most was    a 14-year-old boy whose father had spent all his savings and sold their tiny home to pay for his son’s fare. The father could feed his other children only a scrap of bread once a day. The family had heard of other boys who helped their destitute families by migrating to Greece, getting work, and sending money back home. The boy wanted to do the same. Now the family has nothing, plus they have lost their oldest son. When I read this, sorrow and anger filled my heart. Sorrow for all those who died and anger that such a tragedy could happen.   I’m afraid I was also angry at God for letting this tragedy happen. Yet who can know the mind of God? I want t

  Can our Planet Survive? Weather patterns are changing around the globe. We hear reports of extreme heat in France, Italy and much of Europe., widespread flooding in Vermont and the Northeast, and high temperatures in Texas and the Southwest. Recent hurricanes have struck in Illinois and Iowa. Environmentalists say these drastic happenings are the result of climate change.   Another sign of climate change is the melting ice sheets which are endangering animals and their habitats as well as our quality of life. Ocean temperatures off the coast of Florida reached 91 degrees last week. Evidence of a warming planet can be seen in natural sources, such as rocks and tree rings, as well as through scientific equipment. Polluted streams, coastal erosion, and forest fires are all attributed to our changing climate. So what can humans do to save our planet and life as we know it? Here’s a start: Eat locally-grown foods, consume less meat and dairy, and shop at farmer’s markets. Plant

  The Genius of the Human Brain Did you know that there are almost the same number of neurons in the brain as there are stars in the Milky Way Galaxy? Each brain cell has several thousand spider-like projections extending out to other brain cells. These projections are called synapses and billions of new ones are created each second in early childhood. Newborns have nearly 100 billion neurons, all they will ever need in their lives.  (See www.onecussion. Com) It is astounding to realize that the neurons in the human brain are as complex and numerous as the stars in our galaxy. No wonder it takes so long to find solutions to the millions of questions and problems facing our world today. We are bombarded with such issues as racism, sexism, wars, human trafficking, and a myriad of diseases. Thank God for the scientists, physicians, and researchers who are trying to find the answers to these challenging issues. As I grow older and my brain begins losing some of those synapses, I am

  Shaper of our Journey While we are living our lives, we make decisions, have jobs, make friends, travel, and do all sorts of activities, and think we are directing our lives. We don’t realize how God is shaping us until we look back. “God shapes us on our journey,” Daniel Horan once said. God uses all we do to make us into the persons we are. He puts us in the family we have, with all its problems and shortcomings. Our jobs and college degrees influence our lives. All our decisions and people we have known have made us who we are. Even the mistakes and hardships are part of us and God uses all of these, shaping who we become.   While we are living day to day, we don’t think about God molding us into the unique persons we are. But when we look back, we can see how it all fits together, the good and the bad, the ups and the downs.   Sometimes we have to change our paths due to circumstances we did not anticipate. Often, we observe this in other’s lives, like Stephen Hawking who

  Juneteenth Thoughts On June 19, we celebrated Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States in 1865. President Abraham Lincoln actually signed the proclamation in 1863, but many white slave owners didn’t tell their slaves because they wanted to keep them as their property. The injustices and cruelty against Blacks continued long after that even to the present day.   One of the most noteworthy examples was the brutal lynching of Emmet Till, a 14-year-old Black teenager, accused of flirting with a white woman in Mississippi in 1955. Another is the murder of Medgar Evers, a civil rights activist, who challenged the segregation at the University of Mississippi in 1963. The most famous is the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.in 1968. The most recent was George Floyd, the innocent Black man killed by police in Minneapolis in 2022. Perhaps the most egregious example of prejudice was the destruction of a wealthy Black neighborhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma,

  Refreshing the Soul When I am beleaguered by the political situation or troubled by the controversies in the Church or disgusted by the lack of concern about environmental crises, I turn to poetry, particularly Mary Oliver’s poetry. She has a way of filling me with wonders of nature that calms my soul. In her poem “Messenger”, she says, “Let me keep my mind on what matters,/ which is my work/ which is mostly standing still and learning to be astonished.” And she has all matter of things to be astonished about, “the phoebe, the delphinium, the sheep in the pasture, the moth and the wren, the sleepy dug-up clam.” In other words, all the seemingly inconsequential things that make our world livable and astounding. It takes time to see into the heart of things as Oliver does. In her poem Invitation, she says: “Oh do you have time/to linger/for just a little while/out of your busy And very important day/ for the goldfinches/ that have gathered/ in a field of thistles.” Most of

    Overcoming Barriers Change is hard. Most of us like to keep our regular routine rather than begin something new. When we are used to our job, our home, our town, our space, we feel comfortable. To step out into the unknown is often scary. Overcoming barriers to achieve a better world is hard work. There are some people who like new challenges, and can adapt to changes whatever they may bring. They like the excitement and adventure of what lies ahead. These are the risk takers and leaders who can generate new ideas and make hard decisions. I think of people like Ghandhi who was able to overcome British domination and lead his people with peaceful resistance. He caused India to change from a British colony to an independent country. I remember Wangari Maathai who started the Green Belt Movement, which succeeded in planting over 51 million trees in Kenya, making her country more economically and environmentally successful. She had to undergo imprisonment and other setbacks but

  Staying calm and peaceful Mental health experts have simple suggestions on how to stay calm and peaceful. In this violent, chaotic, divisive world we live in, we need to seek ways to escape. One suggestion is to take a walk outside and enjoy nature. We have beautiful grounds at our monastery where we can view a variety of trees, a vegetable garden, a flower garden, and grassy fields. Another recommendation is to watch birds. We have a variety of birds that come to our feeders. There are doves, cardinals, blue jays, sparrows, finches, wrens, and sometimes orioles. Of course, the squirrels are around too, and they are fun to watch. We also have astonishing sunrises and sunsets in Kansas. A medley of reds, oranges, pinks, purples, and golds make breathtaking views. I’m sure other places have beautiful sunrises and sunsets too. Reading a good book is also calming. It is easy to get lost in a story and forget all about our worries and woes. I like novels, but biographies and oth

  Lessons from Bees Honeybees can teach us some important lessons about living together. They are amazing in their capacity to work together for the common good. Honeybees can reflect and acquire knowledge. They collect nectar from flowers, learn how to store it in their stomachs, and bring it back to the hive.   They work together as a team. Some bees gather the nectar; worker bees chew it and turn it into honey. Each has a job, and they do it diligently. Since each honey bee produces only about one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime, they have to work very hard. We can learn efficiency from bees. According to The Bee Conservancy newsletter, a large hive can house up to 60,000 bees, travel 55,000 miles and visit two million flowers to produce one pound of honey. They know how to build relationships. They not only take nectar from flowers, but they pollinate flowers by transferring pollen to other flowers. Every bee has a role to play: the queen lays the eggs, d

        A Poet for All   Although Emily Dickinson was considered a recluse, she says she found ecstasy in living and felt likeshe was “struck by lightning” every day. Nature was her church, and it filled her poetry with rich images.  Although she lived during the period of the Civil War and slavery, these events never entered her poetry.  Actually, most of her poetry was sent to friends and was published only after her death. Her relatives found poems written on scraps of paper all around her house. Her poems are very uncomplicated and direct, very poignant and stirring. Although she was not a church-goer, many of her poems have a spiritual or ethereal air to them. Many  people relate to her simple poems like “I’m nobody/Who are you?/ Are you Nobody too?” Her acceptance of being unknown and ordinary resonates with ordinary people. One of my favorites is ”Hope is the Thing with Feathers.” It speaks of a bird singing all through the night, perched on a limb. It conveys a me

    LIVING IN THE NOW   Not to look back with regret, nursing the slights, pondering   what ifs, wallowing in the failures, nor to look forward with dread, projecting the worst to happen.   Just to be present to the now with all its undefined borders, its humdrum activities, its ordinary scraps of conversation that make up most of our lives. It is enough to be aware of the tidbits that fill our days, an insight, a song, a quote, a kindness, a smile, a sinking sun – precious things we take for granted yet worth the trouble to notice, to delight in, to be grateful for.

  Living with Regrets Many of us have made wrong choices or mistakes in our lives. Some may have married the wrong person, chosen the wrong career, gotten in trouble with the law, or become alienated from their family. None of us lead perfect lives, and we all need second chances, or maybe third. Even if we can’t undo our decisions, we depend on the support of others to carry us through the difficult times. There is nothing that is unredeemable. We need to stop beating ourselves up and find a way to move past our mistakes. I’ve heard of people who earn a degree in prison and are able to start jobs or careers when they are released. There are many divorced people who find a second partner with whom to share their lives. There are those who flounder a while in miserable jobs and eventually find new opportunities. And sometimes families can be reunited when some circumstance brings them together again. Often because of insecurity or low self-esteem or immaturity, we make a bad decis

  Psalms of Lament Benedictines pray the psalms every day in the Liturgy of the Hours.   When I was a young sister, I did not appreciate the psalms of lament. I had not experienced enough sorrow, enough pain, enough grief. I thought these psalms dwelt too much on darkness and feelings of abandonment.   Now that I am old, I understand better the psalms of lament.   They provide words when the loss is so overwhelming we cannot find our own words. Those who undergo the horrors of war and brutality must feel utter despair, that there is no way to escape the pit of pain, terror, and devastation. Psalm 69 gives voice to those feelings: Save me, o God, for the waters threaten my life, I am sunk in the abysmal swamp where there is no foothold I have reached the watery depths; the flood overwhelms me. (New American Bible)   Those who have lost a child, often feel like their very heart has been wrenched from their bodies. They know the sorrow of Rachel weeping for her children who ar

  Richard Rohr once used the story of Jonah to speak about God’s mercy. He said that when Jonah preached repentance to the Ninevites, they repented by putting on sackcloth and ashes so God did not destroy them. But Jonah became angry at God. He thought God should have punished the Ninevites because they had done terrible things. One translation of Jonah says, “Don’t you know me, Jonah, that I’m mercy within mercy within mercy?” Jesus too was sent to preach repentance to the Jewish people, yet they crucified him. Still God forgave those who killed Jesus and did not destroy them. God does not bear grudges. He is a God of mercy. We, too, have a hard time understanding the mercy of God. We want people to pay for their sins, their wrongdoings. Even if they repent, we still think they should be punished in some way before they are forgiven. We can’t seem to fully comprehend the abundant mercy of God. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter , is a noteworthy example of how the

  “Prayer is taking a chance that against all odds and past history, we are loved and chosen, and do not have to get it together before we show up.”  Anne Lamont I stopped and reread that sentence when it appeared on my screen. It seemed so real and true, yet it was something I don’t always think of. Even when we are scattered and ashamed and broken, God loves and chooses us. Such a comforting realization. I wonder how many people in prison for a terrible crime, or who have done a shameful deed, or who have yelled at God for letting their child die or allowing them to have a deadly disease, or who have endured other awful experiences believe that they are still loved by God. I wonder how Judas felt after betraying Jesus. He did try to give back the 30 pieces of silver, but he still hanged himself. He could not undo his terrible deed, but if we believe in a loving God, we know that God forgave him. Each one of us is loved by God, who like a doting mother, loves us not as clump o

We hear so many terrible things happening in the world today—mass shootings, wars, discrimination, hate crimes, racism, sexual exploitation. We sometimes feel very afraid and unsafe and hesitate to even venture out of our homes. Yet we cannot live our lives in fear. We must look for reasons to hope.     There is still much kindness in our world that sometimes we are not aware of. I was struck with a front-page story in the Kansas City Star recently that warmed my heart. It told about a man who was out jogging and collapsed on the street with a heart attack. One woman stopped to assist, then called two more women who performed CPR. A cardiologist driving by in his car also stopped   to help. They were able to save his life because they stopped to care. The jogger is very grateful and is trying to find the first woman who called for assistance to thank her. I also read about two teenagers in Australia who saved two younger girls caught in an ocean rip tide. When the little girls’ mo