Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

This is a big week for me, and I hope for the students at Edgewood College…  Several of us from the area have been asked to be companions for them at their BUSY PERSONS RETREAT.  A college student is busy! However, the message I want them to hear from me is that as busy as they are, they are never alone.   God cares!   And God’s care does not have to do with an individual’s achievements, which is what students often fear.   It has to do with their hearts. It also has to do with the level of doubt they have – about their ability, their looks, their friends – even their faith, about all kinds of things.   But faith depends on doubt.   It is what keeps us honest as we pursue God in the midst of our busyness. So, pray for us this week!   Pray that we can listen together to God’s care for us. When have you experienced God’s care? What do you doubt in your life, and how can it lead to faith? Ruth Poochigian, OP Madison, WI ...

One of my favorite ministries is being a catechist for the RCIA program in my parish.    Yesterday we celebrated the feast of the baptism of Jesus, so naturally, part of our class last Friday was spent reflecting on this.  We focussed on how Jesus at his baptism was affirmed as the beloved of God in whom God's favor rested. They all expressed  a longing to be similarly affirmed at their baptism this coming Easter.   As I reflect on my life I realize that I am my best self when I live from this truth about what baptism affirms - that I AM the beloved of God; that God's favor rests on ME!  I am able to risk for justice, to affirm others in their own beloved-ness, and to say yes to whatever God might ask of me.  In fact, the certainty of this is what grounds me as I strive to be faithful to the call to live the consecrated life as a religious sister.   As I read the amazing stories filled with hope amidst terrible injustices, coming from...