Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

  I like to swim laps. I love moving through water and reminding myself of Catherine’s words,  ” As the fish is in the water and the water is in the fish, so I am in God and God is in me.”   At the end of my daily swim, I turn onto my back and for a few moments just float on the surface. I allow myself to be conscious of the water supporting me and I practice letting go. I relax my arms and legs, hands and feet, neck, and head.    I focus on my breath, each slow inhale and exhale, and I practice letting go.  For one day I will need to let go of all things. I will let go of my body, of my final breath, deeply trusting that just as the water supports me in this moment so too in my final letting go, I am held and supported always in God’s love.   We humans are born with a prehensile grip and cling tightly to things. No matter how I may try to let go of things, plans, control, I find myself soon grasping and holding on again. I guess it take...

The cherry tomatoes on my sister Molly’s plant make my mouth water!     The first two tomatoes I pick are so beautiful; I do not want to eat them.     The Saturday morning farmer’s market during these last weeks of August is an experience in abundance.  Each fruit and vegetable demonstrates the mystery of sunlight and rain, of earth and air.  Hidden seeds become luscious food. As Dominicans, we are called to praise and to bless.  The taste of a crunchy cucumber, the tartness of a blueberry, or the drippy sweetness of a slice of watermelon make it so easy to exclaim God’s goodness. This past Sunday’s second reading from the Letter of James says, “Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you…” Even as this pandemic rages forward and the international scene speaks of injustice and oppression, James reminds us that we are called to be the harvest of God wherever we are, in any way possible.  The harvest of God’s love, mercy...

Since I was seven years old I’ve worn glasses to correct a severe myopic condition.  I still remember my astonishment when I put on my first pair of glasses.  It was a whole new world! A few years ago I had cataract surgery and again I was astounded at the miracle of sight. For the first time in my life I could wake up and see what time it was without help from my glasses.  At that time I was told that I had “2020 vision.” What a miracle! Now the miracle is that with the past year behind us, ALL of us have 2020 vision! That means we can see things we had never seen before, such as a worldwide human family suffering together the horrors of a pandemic .Now we can see more clearly than ever the dreadfulness of racism and the vileness of a broken political system. On the other hand, we can now see more clearly the generous response of people helping people in need, sharing their resources and comforting the afflicted. Now we can see not only the potential depra...

Recently I was on a team of women preparing to give an ACTS retreat for 17 women.  ACTS stands for Adoration, Community, Theology, and Service. We spent two months in preparation, forming a giving, loving community among ourselves. Then for two and a half days we gave these women a true gift of love, always thinking of them first and putting our own needs in the background. During our preparation time we were focused on making this an experience of God's loving presence in the women's lives, so it seemed nothing was too difficult for any of us, small hurts were quickly forgiven, and all needs were met with a joyful willingness and a generous spirit. After the retreat ended we tried to keep the same loving spirit, but the focus was different.  But, why should it be?  Isn't this a focus for our everyday lives, too?  Forming this small community gave each of us a concrete experience of what is possible if we keep our focus on God's presence among...

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...

Recently, a group of Sinsinawa Dominicans gathered to celebrate a birthday.  A beautiful prayer, simple decorations, flowers from the garden, good food, and most of all, great conversation and lots of laughs made the evening very special.  The whole celebration was a community effort, done with great love and affection.   As Dominican women, life is often reduced to the basics – our love for God and for each other.  Our love for each other never stops there…it moves us in the very depth of our souls to bring God’s love to the world.  This love is our greatest celebration.  What are you celebrating this summer?                Peggy Ryan, OP Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin

I sometimes cry at Hallmark ads because I am moved by the concentrated dose of love portrayed..  For the same reason I shed tears at weddings and wedding anniversaries.  Interestingly, I had a similar experience when the Madison area sisters gathered to celebrate 50th and 60th year anniversaries of religious profession of five area sisters. At the celebration we laughed and cried as we told stories on the jubilarians.  The light in the eyes of sisters as they told stories on one another reflected the Spirit.  It is God's Spirit that draws all together in love. Christian couples look outward on family, friends and the world with an extension of their unique love.  Sisters, each called in a special way to love the friends of God, shine a collective love on the world whenever they gather. Those gatherings are sacraments of God's love in a concentrated form. Whatever way one loves is a gift of the Spirit.  As the author of I Corinthians w...