My past spiritual experiences lacked an intentional connection with God. I was not ready for that relationship then. But now, as a Good Shepherd Volunteer, building a relationship with God feels more and more appealing.  

From Where I Stand - Every day, we find ourselves in a new political quandary that threatens us, unsettles us, divides us rather than unifies us. And worse, the split emanates from the top down.

Sr. Joan Mumaw is president and chief administrative officer for Friends in Solidarity, a partner to Solidarity with South Sudan, an African ministry that trains nurses, midwives and future leaders in South Sudan.

"How do we heal as a community?" the rabbi asked in the wake of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. We come together, we stand together, we march together, knowing that our task is to "repair" the world.

From National Catholic Reporter: Amid today's hostility and incivility, reflect on the sanctity of words. They are the way that we invite others in, to give them some understanding of who we are. If our souls are holy, then so too are words.

GSR Today - This year was gut-wrenching, but we found inspiration in women religious who confronted suffering by welcoming the stranger, helping the poor and building peace.

Contemplate This - I offer this meditation adapted from this Franciscan expression of the Beatitudes written by Capuchin Br. John Francis Samsa, "The Beatitudes of Christ: Embrace the Challenge." I encourage you to take some time as the old year ends and reflect on these lives as well as others for whom you are grateful. Reflect on those people or situations that gratuitously offer you hope and whose lives made our world a better place.

The Life - Sister panelists talk about how they and their communities are responding to Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate. In the document, they recognize a call to personal holiness, finding God in practical ways in everyday life, and its emphasis on the Beatitudes as an "identity card" for Christians.

Horizons - It's impossible to overemphasize the centrality of love in our beautiful tradition. The mystery of love is inexhaustible, present at the beginning when God brought forth all that is, singing in Jesus' incarnation, life, death and resurrection, pulsing through each of us as Spirit, and drawing us to a future where peace and justice will reign forever. This Christmas, I was reminded again what it's really all about: Love.

Sr. Wendy Beckett, the contemplative who became an unlikely television celebrity after hosting art programs on BBC and American public television throughout the 1990s, died Dec. 26 at a care facility near the Carmelite monastery where she lived in a trailer hermitage. She was 88.