Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

This week, as we celebrate All Saints and All Souls Days (Nov. 1/Nov. 2), I am mindful of the vocational call God asks of each of us. All Saints Day is a day to remind us how we're supposed to live – as patient, kind, virtuous people. All Souls' Day calls us to pray for those who have gone before us and to remember their life here on Earth. Both days call us to connection while at the same time calling us to some letting go.   In the last 10 days, we’ve said goodbye to several beloved sisters at the assisted living facility where I minister. We’ve said goodbye to many others at our congregation’s skilled care facility. We celebrate them as we remember their lives among us. Our vocational call – no matter what path we find ourselves on in life – is essentially the same. We are here to be present to each other, and - in the words of Ram Dass – to walk each other home.   Kathy Flynn OP Madison, WI

Early Morning Exercise Class In these last days of October, we see that the Holy Spirit is closer than we can ever imagine.  The feasts of All Hallow’s Eve (October 31) and All Saints (November 1) remind us of the thin veil between life and death, body and Spirit, heaven and earth. As Dominicans, we are called to persistently strive to live in that space that keeps the Spirit alive in us, in order to share our experience of God with others.  In this desire for unity, we are constantly challenged to let go of any polarity that separates body and soul, Spirit and life.  We strive to reflect God’s beauty.       I have found that exercise, whether it is a dip in the pool, a long walk, or an early morning exercise class brings me to a deeper awareness of this call.  Rumi, the 13th  century  Persian poets says, "Just as the water reflects the stars  and  the moon, the body reflects the mi...