Pope Francis makes a plea for human solidarity and fraternity. But how does he tell the world what it needs to do when he spearheads an institution grounded in patriarchy, hierarchy and ontological differences?
Horizons - What we once thought would be a momentary interruption to everyday life is in fact a cataclysmic shift. Our work now is to discern — as our first sisters once did — where God is calling us.
Venerable Mary Ward believed that "women in time to come will do much." Her legacy inspires us to be "seekers of truth and doers of justice," in all our ministries, including education and health care.
The only thing that we religious carry from place to place is our mission — to look lovingly, listen carefully, discern prudently and accept respectfully. I often turn to the Lord, and ask him to show me the way.
I am living outside of my home country of India for the first time, and I often get homesick. Yet I am following the footsteps of Jesus, Blessed Mother Mary and St. Francis of Assisi to adapt.
Recently one of our sisters who had served on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation shared a photo of a monument called "Kindred Spirits." It reminds us of mutual compassion after bitter hardships.
Horizons - Pain and tension invite us to ask important questions about what it means to be Catholic — truly Catholic — in these times when so many are suffering without solace.
India's nationwide lockdown severely damaged the lives of its migrant laborers, leaving them without work or food. The suffering of the migrants moved me to stand with them.
The stories behind "A League of Their Own" and "A Secret Love" show that sometimes injustices drag on, but there is strength in hope, as Isaiah promises.
The virus blocked us. Like a sudden stop in the face of an unexpected obstacle on the road. Many things that seemed essential went on hold. So many others that we believed unnecessary became vital.
I would like to offer a distinctively Catholic interpretation of this practice of "taking a knee" during the playing of the national anthem, looking at its cultural context and causes through the hermeneutical lens of the Catholic sacramental tradition.
Horizons: As I write about apathy, a memory from my teenage years rises to the surface. Though an unremarkable event overall, I've never looked at an acorn pile the same way since.
As the years go by, I understand that breath is life and life is holy. Sometimes breathing feels like being anointed with oils of gladness, sometimes like receding waves of darkness into depthlessness
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep economic inequality, systemic racism and the destruction of greed. Yet the pandemic also showcased humanity's ability to love and help one another.
In our retirement, the days are past when we served meals to the hungry, or joined marches protesting injustice. But we are still people of faith who have lived long enough to have seen and felt the power of prayer.
Our community could be a great witness if we succeed in living harmoniously together, in spite of our differences; but if we cannot, our community could be a real scandal to the secular world.
Horizons - I'm afraid the war has already started. We've sorted ourselves into echo-chambers online and in real life and succumbed to a mentality that our disagreements make us enemies. The good news is that we have a formula to move forward.
Living in the timeline of sheltered in place has given us more time to connect with family and community. How will all these experiences of distancing and connection become unforgettable, lived realities when the new normal returns?
What should our prayer be at this dreadful moment in United States history? We must realize that this is not a time for blame — or for violence. Reactions like those must be left in the past. Let us face this.
I would like to know the plans God has for us in this pandemic. And as critical as social distancing is, I am struggling with it. But what if all this is to draw me into an intimate relationship with God?