What I need now from God is the grace to come to terms with the inevitability of pain and suffering, and the challenges of aging. I need infinite patience with myself and my current physical ineptness.
Sr. Claudine Dumbi teaches women in the Congo to grow and sell produce. The farming and marketing skills help their families and keeps the soil healthy and productive.
Scripture for Life: In an interesting combination of Scripture passages, the story of Abraham's test prepares us for contemplating Jesus' transfiguration.
What if this Lent, instead of holding tight to a roadmap of tasks or rules, the invitation was to a more free-range traveler's point of view, to explore the art of accompaniment as it plays out in our everyday lives?
After two years, Ukrainians' "race against death gets harder with each new day of war," writes Sr. Teodozija Myroslava Mostepaniuk. "And without continuous help, Ukrainians will not be able to outrun death."
Studying to become postulator for Nano Nagles canonization cause required Sr. Anne Lyons become proficient in theological, historical and legal procedures, as well as Italian.
In response to Russia's war on Ukraine, clergy and consecrated people in Ukraine have sought new knowledge and skills, "recognizing that those who have experienced the hell of combat require a special approach."
"Conversation in the Spirit through listening and dialogue is the mission of the synodal church today," writes Nameeta Renu, a member of the Order of Consecrated Virgins in Bombay.
Scripture for Life: As we begin Lent, rather than choose something to give up, a more radical approach could be to commit to taking the leisure that allows us to dream beyond our current horizons.
Horizons - As we've kept in touch with graduates of the program, we hear sisters share about their presentations and articles. Sisters are building infrastructure to welcome migrant families at their own motherhouses.
Retirement is a time of blessings and I have learned that wisdom and gratitude go together. As I look back over my life, all I can say is, "Thank you." This is a good time to look back on our life and see it as a whole.
Life should be all about love — an unconditional love as modeled by Jesus, St. Francis and St. Benedict, with all its varied expressions — and the practices we engage in during this Lent can enrich that love for all.
There are times when our world seems to be falling apart at the seams. All the good being done seems to do nothing. And so, the haunting song question becomes my question, too. I have no answer.
"We have been taught that the poor have nothing to offer," Sr. Lavina D'Souza writes. "True hospitality, however, is a privilege of interacting with the poor, and considering them as carriers of gifts."
Scripture for Life: Be imitators of Christ. Imitate the one who responded first to the marginalized, to society's outcasts, to the ones who feel they can never measure up.
Horizons - The International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking calls us all to stay vigilant for our neighbors. Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit and other sisters have also taken action.
Holy Union Sisters living in Cameroon's conflict areas "share our mission of education, standing firm in our commitment to our children while facing many challenges," writes Sr. Josephine Nko Ndindi.
Writing is a prophetic ministry leading to reflecting on the inner workings of the Holy Spirit. I have come to realize that when a woman writes, she is a powerful catalyst for awakening and personal growth of the readers.
Will women religious choose to consciously move from an institutional to an interindividual level of development? Judging from their earnestness, sincerity and integrity throughout the centuries, they probably will.