Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

One aspect of Dominican life that so appeals to me is the passion for study.  While I’ve always been an enthusiastic student, my idea of study has expanded considerably under the guidance of the sisters.  Not only has “study” become broader than academics, but I recognize a deeper way of absorbing—and integrating—what I learn.  I still get that adolescent, ego-driven satisfaction from earning an “A” grade, but I have a richer appreciation for the simple pleasure of being exposed to new and interesting ideas.  As a “traditional learner”, I find well-prepared lectures hugely gratifying—just let me sponge-it-up without the distractions of response and interaction!  I understand that this passive mode of learning is an “old school” model (no pun intended), but I love it nonetheless.   This is probably why I’m so smitten by Coursera, an online “MOOC” (Massive Online Open Course) platform that provides access to a vast array of freely available academic courses.  I regularly scan th

    “I am fighting the world and the devil by myself.”   “Community ends isolation.”   “…Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil... and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.” These quotes are from, respectively, a recent conversation with a woman in a homeless shelter, as she struggled with issues most of us handle routinely and without thought; the philosophy of Earthlinks, a Denver-based social enterprise providing safe space and community for people experiencing homelessness and poverty (earthlinks-colorado.org); and from Matthew 4:1-11 – the Gospel for the 1 st Sunday in Lent.   What, if anything, do they have in common? I think they represent a progression – from a place of ‘being stuck’ in self-reliance and individualism, (in this case born out of despair), to a recognition that we are relational beings created in the image and likeness of our loving and relational God, to a fullness of life gained when we minister to o