As members of a contemplative community people often ask us, "What is contemplative prayer?" They say things like, "I have tried doing centering prayer, but it's not for me." Perhaps it will be helpful if I tell you about the practice I do.

"As children are among the most vulnerable members of our society, ensuring their continued access to comprehensive health care should remain our priority." 

Notes from the Field - There are nuances and complexities within orders that at times seemed daunting to understand. But from an outsider's perspective and through my experiences talking with men and women religious of a variety of orders, there are changes I wish to see in parishes and religious communities.

The fight against human trafficking and sexual exploitation may need its own #MeToo moment, according to a leading trafficking opponent. Good Shepherd Sr. Winifred Doherty, who is her religious congregation's representative to the United Nations, observed that sex trafficking, "a debasement of the human person," is "rooted in the structure of society, and more so today."

Sr. Mercy Kuriakose, a member of the Missionary Sisters, Servants of the Holy Spirit, practices homeopathy, an alternative medical practice that uses a small amount of an active ingredient to help treat or cure a disease. She has treated approximately 130,000 patients in her 26 years of service as a homeopathy doctor in Mumbai and Bengaluru.

The story is well-known. Two people are walking back to their town, wondering what had just happened — or perhaps more accurately, what didn't happen. This question of "why" allows Jesus to enter the conversation and provide the reframe. It is the answer to this "why" to which men and women religious are called today. Of course, the answers are unfolding and undefined.

The Vatican released an instruction May 15 with new norms for contemplative orders of nuns, encouraging cooperation among their monasteries and outlining procedures for communities left with only a few members. The rules in Cor Orans ("Praying Heart") went into effect immediately.

"I often struggle with feelings of worthlessness; even so, my faith tells me time and again that I am worthy because God says so. ... The knowledge of his love, unconditional and endless, allows me to feel love myself — love for myself."

Listening to Sr. Francis Rose Rivers, who once ministered in a Tyson chicken plant, opened my heart to learn from a corporation that tries to provide "accompaniment" in an atmosphere of mutual respect.