Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

One of the many blessings of my novitiate year has been the opportunity to attend various lectures at Aquinas Institute.   One series, which ended last week was titled “Backpacking With the Saints”, presented by Belden Lane, a recently retired professor of Theology at St. Louis University.   A couple of weeks ago, he “took us to the desert” with Martin Luther.   The desert is the place where I must go, literally or figuratively, to shed all that is truly unimportant or inconsequential in my life; to shed my false self, in order to reveal my true self, the person God created me to be.               This Lent, I’m trying to ‘shed’, rather than ‘give up’.   For me, shedding involves removing something unwanted - hopefully permanently - whereas ‘giving up’ seems more temporary, for some reason.   And in the shedding, I’m creating space where I can accept more of God’s grace, more love.   The more I ...

This past week Tom died. He was a remarkable believer in others and in community.  He brought people together.  He loved invigorating conversation and preaching.  He helped initiate sanctuary in my former parish.  His life was remarkable as was the way he chose to die.  At home with two of his adult children his breathing became more and more labored.  They asked their Dad if he wanted an ambulance or to go to the hospital.  His reply:  “No, I do not think so.  I think I will practice dying.”  15 minutes later he surrendered his life over to our Gracious God. The phrase ‘practice dying’ has stayed with me for the past 10 days.  What am I invited to die to?  How might I practice this?  This Lenten season has brought an awareness of my own willfulness.  More often than not, this willfulness is putting myself forward.  We are reminded during these 40 days to learn to let go.  So for my d...

As I write this I realize that Lent is about half-way over.   Usually I make a lot of resolutions that I end up not keeping so this year I decided to concentrate on two things:   1) To be faithful to the Lenten retreats Sister Geri and I give to parishes; 2) Since I will be making a big move in my ministry this year to begin the process of “divesting” of all the things I do not need to take with me as I move to our Motherhouse in Sinsinawa, WI.   I have to say the first resolution has gone very well; the second is much more of a challenge.   All of us have too much stuff!   I can justify having things because I “need them for my ministry.”   But the truth is the more stuff we have the more complicated life becomes!   This Sunday’s Gospel is the story of Jesus’ healing of the man born blind (John 9).   All of us have blind spots – perhaps mine is thinking I need “things” in order to minister to people when all I really need is to reach out in ...