Today there are many opportunities to use our personal power for good. We all have the power to take actions to build up a loving force that counteracts the misuse of power in other circles.
Horizons - Three encounters at my motherhouse — involving significant differences of opinion — gave me pause and had me reflecting on progressive and inclusive authenticity.
It takes time and experience to find and see the values and gifts in life. Friendships are one of these gifts, as I was reminded when five important people in my life died during this past year.
Let's get rid of the old traps like: "Keep the rules and the rules will keep you." Instead, let's follow the advice of St. Francis of Assisi and, "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible."
Unless we grapple with matter — not only in scientific research but all aspects of world-unfolding life — we are missing out on the power of life itself, the power we name as God.
Throughout the world, an evil persists: human beings enslaving and abusing other human beings. Among anti-trafficking activists are our Medical Mission Sisters, working for a time when everyone experiences safety and well-being.
Horizons - The landscape of religious life is quaking. With every evolution of a tradition or new expression of a charism, the Spirit reminds us that our radical form of life is not about comfort and security.
One is violence-based, one is not. Recently an acquaintance asked me what it was like to be a nun. I said jokingly, "Religious life is a lot like the military except we don't carry guns."
Writing a story about the religious of "wild and wonderful West Virginia" is more challenging than ever in our current environment, but as I check in with sisters around the state, it's apparent that no one caved in and left their post or abandoned their works of service among the people.
Every person who walks in brings new experiences and realizations. Youth, consecrated persons, parents, wives, husbands, street vendors — all remind me of the value of a God-centered person's availability.
God thinks every human being can change. That's why in Bethany we don't have an age limit for entrance: Sometimes it takes a lifetime before the desire for a life as a religious grows.
Horizons - Lately I've been wondering a bit about kairos, this sense of God's time. Ever since Dec. 28, to be precise. That was the feast of the Holy Innocents last month.
Last spring, we took a solidarity and service trip to Peru to clean up trash and meet with women who are partnered with our Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio.
Remembering the Berlin Wall's fall stirred up vivid memories. I visited fellow sisters in East Berlin, back when the city was divided. The courage of the imprisoned to dream of a different future taught me the power of imagination, and the vitality of organizing for systemic change.
Contemplate This - So much is happening that points to humanity circling backward with no movement forward. But I have to have faith and hope in who we are becoming. Change is happening.
What are we seeing, hearing and feeling? How do we respond with vision and courage, giving our lives for freedom, healing, peace and love in society, church and the world in 2020?
Horizons - There are no simple solutions to systemic injustice and global inequality. Yet, my short Christmas visit to Milot, Haiti, and the witness of Sisters Ann and Maureen and Holy Name Medical Center, have deepened my understanding that doing something is better than doing nothing.
In addition to experiencing Cambodians' rich cultural heritage, we were invited by Br. Joseph Nguyen Thanh Tung to visit a parish that offers classes for 72 poor Vietnamese children living in Cambodia.
Praying first thing in the morning is not unique to my community nor to sisters in general. Faithfulness to such a daily commitment is strengthened by its purpose.
I don't think we were meant to treat each other mindlessly — rats included. And on and on, up and down the great chain of beings. Oceans included. And all our wild, wet kin.
