General

A child is born to us.  Some of you may know that in one of my former lives I was a labor and delivery nurse.  So, this night has doubly special meaning for me. I think back on all the babies…

There seems to be a focus on doing God’s will in these readings. Jesus came to do God’s will from his birth until his death and resurrection. Mary agreed to do God’s will as spoken to her by the angel,…

Today, on this third Sunday of Advent, we are invited to rejoice!  When I was a novice, our multi-talented Sister Luke taught us how to do calligraphy, and one of my favorite quotes to work on was from Dom Marmion…

At least two times since living here I have seen crooked roads made straight: Bardstown Road into Louisville and more recently Highway 49 from Loretto to Lebanon. Those projects took months, even years to complete. Perhaps we can learn from…

Jeremiah 33:14-16      1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2      Luke 21:25-36 Last Sunday, the final Sunday of the liturgical year, Mary Swain pointed out to us that the Feast of Christ the King is as much a beginning as an…

Here we are, on the last Sunday of the liturgical year, celebrating Christ as king.  For some of us, “king” may carry negative connotations — kings and their subjects, power and prestige, wealth and castles.  For others, “king” may bring…

“Seeing with the Heart” Let me share with you my own personal Good Samaritan story. Some of you are very aware that for the past 20 years or so, my ministry has included being of service to persons experiencing homelessness…

1 Kings 17:10-16     Hebrews 9:24-28     Mark 12:41-44 Widows are the heroines of today’s readings.  That’s an odd reversal of scriptural stereotypes.  Widows are poor and rarely noticed except during days of jubilee, when the righteous are…

The Jewish people had just completed their 40 years of wandering in the desert. Moses has brought them to the promised land. They had time and many opportunities to learn valuable lessons along the way. God has promised them an…

It is helpful to understand today’s Gospel if we remember that Mark was writing his Gospel for the early Christians before their separation from Judaism, which happened after the destruction of the temple. They were struggling to put it all…

Isaiah 53:10-11          Hebrews 4: 14-16          Mark 10-35-45 For the last couple of months of Sunday readings, we have heard Jesus teaching his disciples about his true calling and theirs.  What he teaches…