"Sometimes being busy allows me to feel important and engaged, while ignoring the small inner voice of the Spirit. Busyness tempts me to react rather than respond. It allows me to do something, but not necessarily to do the right thing, or courageous thing, or the well-discerned thing."

From A Nun's Life podcasts - A listener who grew up in a non-religious household is afraid. She asks, "How radically will my life change if I start going to church?"

In a country with limited social services, Catholic sisters frequently take up the work of caring for children with disabilities in Vietnam. Recent training from a non-governmental organization has helped the sisters alongside Buddhist nuns and volunteers who care for children in Hue Province, about 325 in all.

As President Donald Trump begins to roll out in rapid fire the many executive orders seeking to overturn decisions not only of the Obama Administration but programs and policies that have been in place for decades, I find myself seeking to understand the larger picture.

Mount Tabor Benedictine Sr. Mary Going is an attorney at the Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky in Prestonsburg. These days, she is handling loads of disability cases, which are indicative of an ongoing crisis in eastern Kentucky.

"What to do when the house is broken and there seems no way to mend? Can we stand together and make a home for all?"

"It is a constant challenge to be open and not give up, believing that each person is trying to speak her own truth in love, practising forgiveness, trusting that the other does not mean any harm."

Candida Bellotti, Italy's oldest native-born nun, celebrated her 110th birthday Feb. 20: "Love, love and keep on loving. With joy!" Bellotti said as she marked the big milestone at the convent where she lives in the Tuscan town of Lucca.

Sr. Alexandra Vega, a member of the Congregation of the Religious of Our Lady of Sion in Costa Rica, has a powerful view of the Bible and of life: They go together.