Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

I cannot believe that Lent is already here!  The challenging and beautiful journey of the Lenten period is here with us again.   Unlike earlier in my life I now look forward to this special season in the church's year.  You may ask why?  The Lenten season for me is a representation of life.  It is about the pains and joys of life.  A dying to myself for forty days to hopefully rise again to new life in Jesus Christ in the Easter season.  It may mean some falling down, yet I intend to rise up again and again.   "Rending my heart, not my garments."  Focusing more on the condition of my heart.  A time where I can genuinely examine my life and try to root out what is not life-giving through consistent fasting, prayer and helping others.   I try to work on the elements in my life that I know is not good for me or beneficial to others.   It is an opportunity of forty days to let go of bad habits and persistent sinful behaviors and replace them with more life-giving beh

Writing a piece for Catherine's Cafe is always a challenge for me. I am never quite sure what to write. I start to reflect on my personal prayer and experiences of the recent past. That's where I begin each time. I have been intrigued with a book entitled Mystical Hope: Trusting in the Mercy of God by Cynthia Bourgeault. Though I read it last year I decided to read it again. This time around, the message of the book has taken me so much deeper, especially since my dad's recent passing. So I was contemplating the notion of "hope" and "mercy," wanting to share some of the insights with you. Then I went to a gathering in celebration of our 800th Jubilee at Dominican University. Timothy Radcliffe, OP, previous Master of the Order and world-renowned speaker and author, was the keynote speaker. I had no idea what his topic would be. He began with these questions: What gives you hope?; How do you communicate that hope to others, especially the youth; a