Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

During Advent, the Sinsinawa Dominican family invited everyone to join them as they sat with the question, “How will you let the light in?”  In what ways and in what spaces were we individually and collectively willing to allow the Good News of Christ’s birth, the Good News of the Gospel, into our hearts and lives? I thought that was a terrific reflection.  I suspect those who pondered it can name ways they consciously chose to “let the light in”.  Now, after crossing the threshold of this New Year, it seems to me that our challenge is to keep that flame burning within our hearts while allowing its light to shine without .  Our challenge now is to nurture our God-light while allowing it to illumine the dark places of our world, to give hope to the poor, the imprisoned, the physically and spiritually hungry, the refugee and immigrant, the lonely, the suffering, the marginalized.  Our work is in the world, so badly in need of the hope of...

Today when I went to the library for fun films, my eyes lit on a new book.   Zealot, The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslam.  Jesus is zealous for the Kingdom of God.  The book that I had not planned to see is an instrument of God's call for me.  I am called to a great adventure-- to be a zealous for God's Kingdom. Zeal according to the dictionary is a strong feeling of interest and enthusiasm that makes someone very eager to do. Zeal to be effective, however, needs to be tempered by wisdom.   And so I frequently gather with others who are also seeking in order to fine-tune my hearing. Where I live circles of sisters and associates gather monthly to share and listen to each other. Each brings into the circle where she has been during the month. Then each takes in the wisdom of the circle in order to become genuinely zealous for God's adventure.     Together we discern where our zeal is needed.   Where are you being cal...