[[I do have a question for you about you. I am trying to be respectful in how I word this. Chronic illness is an integral part of how you live your vocation. I got the impression not too long ago that you had struggled at one point about your vocation from one of our conversations. . . . What I am interested in knowing if you feel like sharing, is what helped you understand the difference between ..read more

When we are very fortunate we will have been given by God the gift of great men and women formators, those who serve us as mentors, guides, older Brothers and Sisters in the faith and in our religious life. We recognize over time that we have been formed by the work we do with these gifted men and women, that God's Holy Spirit works through them and in us so that we are privileged to share their ..read more

[[Dear Sister Laurel, You speak of the silence of solitude and of solitude as a form of penance; at the same time you have written about the need hermits have for relationships. Don't relationships mitigate the degree of solitude you are also embracing? Could you say more about the way this all works? I really like my solitude and could never consider it to be penitential! I would think you or ..read more

Especially poignant in the stories we associate with God's incarnation is the Matthean story of Joseph as the icon of those who struggle to allow God's own justice to be brought to birth as fully as possible. It is, in its own way, a companion story to Luke's account of Mary's annunciation and fiat. Both Mary (we are told explicitly) and Joseph (we are told implicitly) ponder things in their ..read more

Kepping Hope AlivebyJoyce Rupp, OSMWhen fear of the Unknown and other concernsmove my spirit to feel uneasy or troubled,I will look for trust in my heart.When paion or soreness in some paort of myselfcontinues unabated and will not leave me,I will look for comfort in my heart.When grief due to the death of cherished personstake over a large portion of my emotional space,I will look for solace in ..read more

[[Sister Laurel, thanks for your posts on "being full of oneself" and dealing with that. I was thinking about what you have said about being loving and allowing ourselves to be loved as the way to deal with the problem of being full of ourselves. I appreciated the focus you gave to paradox in what you wrote. . . . . I agree there is a paradox involved in the fact that trying to empty ourselves ..read more

Happy St Patrick's Day all! Just a musical version of the Irish blessing that has become so popular. This was done during the COVID pandemic I believe and is a wonderful version I think. Also, it strikes me that while I sometimes make fun of how Irish everyone claims to be during this holiday, it would be wonderful if we could all claim the same identity in this way every day of the year -- not ..read more

Have you ever been walking along a well-known road and suddenly had a bed of flowers take on a vividness which takes your breath away? Similarly, have you ever been walking along or sitting quietly outside when a breeze rustles some leaves above your head and you were struck by an image of the Spirit moving through the world? How about suddenly being struck by the tremendous compassion of someone ..read more

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