It is a privilege to reflect with you on the Year of Mercy in these days in which we approach the birth of the Prince of Peace, our Savior who revealed to us the Father, the "God, who is rich in mercy" (Eph 2:4). Have you seen the latest version of Cinderella? In the movie, just as Cinderella and her Prince begin to leave the wicked stepmother, Cinderella turns to face the cruel woman. “I forgive you,” Cinderella says clearly. Then, secure in her resolve to always practice kindness, arm-in-arm...

I'm from Louisiana—born, bred and raised Cajun.  Since I joined the convent in 1977, I've ventured far from the bayous and seen quite a bit of the world.  And even though I speak "y'all", which doesn't always translate perfectly, there are other things that do, most powerfully Take, for instance, blessings.  I remember working with Sr. Irene for two days straight in the bowels of a New York skyscraper taking apart and extracting about 60 units of metal shelving that were donated to the convent....

It was only supposed to be an eight hour trip, honest! Sr. Madonna and I had started the day with Mass and our Hour of Adoration at St. John Neumann Church in St. Charles, Illinois. At approximately 10 a.m. on Friday, May 30th, we then headed for Canfield, Ohio, where our brothers and priests of the Society of St. Paul would host us at the "half-way" point on our trip to Boston, our final destination (which would require another day of travel).The sun was shining, all systems go! This would be a...

In mid-life a certain question begins to nag us a little more often than it might have before: Am I doing God’s will? Have I found my mission in life? Or more simply: Should I choose option A or option B? How do I know what God wants of me in this or that situation?A woman came to me many years ago after I had given a talk, asking for help in making a decision for a career change. We only had an hour, but I agreed to sit down and speak with her. She had a grandson in the prison system, and duri...

Remember when, about four years ago, conservative Glenn Beck equated social justice with Communism, advising Christians to leave their churches if they ever heard the words uttered there? “If you have a priest that is pushing social justice, go find another parish. Go alert your bishop.” Yet, the Church has had a body of teaching on social justice for almost 125 years. Evidently pundit Beck didn’t get that memo. People tire of hearing the words “social justice,” especially in connection wit...