Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

We are now in the last two weeks of the Easter season and the Word of God that we hear is all about the Spirit – the Advocate Jesus promised would come and dwell with us.   How do you experience the presence of the Spirit in your life? During the Easter season I have been privileged to walk with college students at Western Kentucky University who participated in a “Busy Person’s Retreat.”   I was awed and impressed that in the last two weeks of spring semester classes these students took time to spend with the Scripture and with listening to what the Spirit has to say to them.   College students have a lot of stress:   How will I pay my bills?   Will I find a job - a career that will be meaningful to me?   And yet, in the midst of busyness it is so important not to lose sight of the prize – living a life that is guided by the Spirit of God, building the reign of God here on this precious earth of ours. How do you take time to listen to t...

Easter time is a joyful season of hope. This week I experienced a profound sense of hope as I participated in a couple gatherings that celebrated gratitude for women religious. A Chicago parish invited women religious and laity to gather and give thanks for the legacy and work of women religious. The pastor began with a story of a BVM sister who was humped backed. She taught at Our Lady of the Angels at the time of the great fire. She stretched out between her classroom window and a window to safety, becoming a human bridge to safety and life. He likened the role of women religious as being a bridge in our society. With the scripture of the beatitudes and the last judgment the parishioners shared moving stories of how sisters give living witness to these gospel passages. Tears, laughter, applause, and a standing- room- only church expressed overwhelming gratitude. The celebration profoundly touched all who were present. Hope is tangible! My week was crowned with a c...