Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

Some things not to love: “Fall back” in time (takes me days to readjust!), colder weather, no leaves left on the trees, and the apocalyptic readings in the lectionary leading up to Advent!     All of these require a “reset” of my body, mind, and spirit.  Each of these asks me to face change and challenges me to refuse to whine or complain, or to waste time wishing for warm weather and beautiful colors and only parables with happy endings.  I believe the cycle of seasons and the cycle of our liturgical life are essential to growth – in faith, in self-understanding, in willingness to look at hard truths and harsher realities.   I do not eagerly jump into these changes and embrace all that requires, but I know jump I must – except maybe for me it’s more of a slow and reluctant stroll.  I do think we each have to ask ourselves at this time of year, “Would I be content staying exactly the same?”  “Do I never want to experi...

When I was a child fall/autumn was my least favorite season.     It was too cold to go swimming and too warm to go ice skating—my two favorite activities.     Now as an adult, I love fall.     It tells me so much about life.     The trees are radiant with reds, oranges, yellows and browns.     Then they graciously drop those leaves, and give them back to the soil.     In these days of change and challenge, we, too, are asked to drop our radiant adornment, to let go of what would not survive the winter so we can be transformed in the spring.     It’s a perfect season for long walks, of enjoying the colors of October, then the letting go of November.     What will you be challenged to let go of this fall?     LouAnne Willette, OP Austin, TX

My nephew Daniel was three years old at the time and his sister Brenna was two. It was early April in Wisconsin, and the streets were clogged with slush. The sky was gray, and the air was damp and cold. Brenna turned to her brother and asked, “Will it ever be warm again?” Daniel, having acquired an unusual lot of wisdom in his young age, responded, “Yes, it will be warm again…and then it will be cold again. It’s ALWAYS like that!”   As we human beings move from one period of life to the next, we begin to see patterns and the patterns give our lives meaning and as we share that meaning with one another we grow together in the realization that there is a Being in the Universe who loves us and cares for us and provides us with what we need. As we share life’s journey, let us be grateful for the kind of change that makes us whole. Mary Ellen Green, OP Woodruff, WI

So now whether we are celebrating Lent, the time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving or Spring the time of green shoots, pussy willow buds and robins, today is our day with its glorious diversity.  It makes me think of change.  The daily paper wrote, “Turn over a new leaf” What do I want to do differently this year?  How can I be more supportive to the people in my life?  How do I respect earth? How can I be a stronger part of movements that call for making our systems more human? How can I turn a business call into a moment in which I acknowledge another human being? I celebrate that I get to be in a multicultural community. The Sinsinawa Dominicans have roots from African countries, from Trinidad and Tobago, from Spanish-speaking countries in Central and South America, from First Nations from Asian countries, the Pacific Islands, and from many European countries. Diversity is Dominican.  We come from and are sent to the diverse world wit...

  How I love and admire our teacher Nature. She always invites me to insight, change, and integration. I have been preparing my garden for winter’s approach and found myself digging in a much, overgrown area of tangled, immersed Japanese Irises! When was the last time I did this, I asked myself?!     The tangled root system indicated to me that it had been 5, 6, 7? years! Whew! The Iris roots resisted being moved. They were so woven together and tangled they did not take well to my spade and shovel. It was obvious they ‘liked’ being close together and yet I knew that they all did not have the breathing space to bloom. Once broken up I could move some clumps to other spots in my large backyard for future growth. Our Congregation is just beginning preparations for our every 5-year Chapter meeting where we review how God’s Mission has us and how we are responding to this. It is a graced time of paying attention to our growth and opening ourselves up to where the Spirit is le...

In our Constitution we say that we open ourselves to be changed by a  new member who wishes to join us, and we also open ourselves to the  Spirit speaking in her. Recently our local community was blessed with  a new member. Are we ready to be open to being changed by her? This is one of the challenges of community life.  We know she will  bring her gifts and share them with us. But what about her food  preferences?  Is she vegetarian? Allergic to gluten? Since she is  Vietnamese she will want to prepare some food she is familiar with. We  need to be willing to eat what she prepares. She is a student, so will  she need more quiet in the house?  Does she have any art work she  would like to display on our walls?  These are just some of the  beginning questions we explore with her. The pace of our prayer needs to be slower since she still struggles  with some English words.  One way we are showing her that we a...

Can it really be that the Advent Season has already come upon us while we have been waiting and watching – waiting for this horrible virus to die out, watching in horror as the numbers of people infected soar.  As we continue to wait and to watch.  I reflected upon the words “wait,” “watch,” and “alert.”  It seems to me that we human beings spend a good amount of time waiting.  As a child, I waited for my birthday, for Christmas, for my turn, for “hurts” to heal.  As the first born in a large family, I remember watching my mother wait for the arrival of the next child to be welcomed into the family.  We then were alert to that child’s first tooth, first steps, first day of school.  We hear in the Advent readings from the prophet Isaiah the Israelites waited for release from captivity in Babylon for 50 years.   That was a lifetime for most.   About 20 years ago, the Sisters in our congregation committed ...

Tense, anxious, afraid, hopeful, cautious and now relief and joyfully optimism. These are some of the feelings that have recycled through my system since last Tuesday. I’ve tried to let go but these feelings kept coming back.   It has been difficult to live with the unknown, to let go of a deeply desired outcome.   And yet I do know that change is a constant part of this ever evolving life on earth. I realize how attached I am to the illusion of being in control and am humbly aware that with Covid and election results, how little control I really have.   So I take refuge with a merciful God in whose cosmic embrace I am given life. I walk amongst the trees and by the lakeside and my perspective adjusts. I watch the birds feeding from the seed I have scattered outside my window. I watch them drink and fluff their feathers in the bird bath. They have no concerns about the elections or Covid. They go about their lives expressing in their very being the mystery of God.   ...

These are such unusual times for us all.  And while our local freeways may not be as congested, I find my mind and inner spirit can become clogged.  These are times that require deep faith.   Jesus struggled in the garden.  He knew things were way out of the ordinary.  Even some of his close friends were not so trustworthy.  I believe he then knew to turn to the One who is All Trustworthy. He leaned into letting go of fixed ideas and absolutes.  This was a time to step into the unknown and to invite change!  The Jesus of History did not know the how or where of this Change nor do any of us. The key?   Remembering that I am loved and lovable is so vital during these times.  This awareness can then allow me to gradually let go of the way I want things to be and edging into openness, possibility, and Blessed Assurance.   How do you edge into openness? What helps you remember you ar...

In the northern hemisphere we're stepping into the new season of spring. It's been a long winter and most of us are ready for a change. Maybe that means stepping with a spring in our bodies as we enjoy the new life around us.  I feel so blessed to live in north central Wisconsin where the earth is still pristine in its beauty and every day offers new wonders. Each day I follow the trail in the woods behind my house and each day I see new plants and birds and even a few little critters that I haven’t seen before.  Each day is a revelation of God’s beauty, goodness, and love. How can I thank God enough for this bounty? What’s in your backyard or in other areas of your life, areas perhaps long-dormant after a harsh winter? Can you name the trees bursting with blossoms? Can you greet the tiny wild flowers smiling up at you as you stroll past them? Can you sing along with the various bird songs that float over the breeze to tickle your ears? Sing with me Psalm 104:...

For me, September always feels like the beginning of a new year.  It might be those years spent in a classroom where I absolutely loved getting ready for school, setting up my room, eagerly preparing for a new beginning. But it’s the change of the seasons that makes me truly feel a new year is starting.  I loved my years ministering in Alabama and Louisiana but this Minnesota girl always ached for the change of seasons.  That first day I smell autumn, feel it in a cool breeze, savor the warmth of jeans and sweatshirt, I know – it’s time to begin again, it’s time to be open to change, to letting go. The trees teach me this, as do the shorter days, the harvesting of crops I’ve watched grow all summer long, the long shadows at sunset. I can’t stay in the past, but how I need God’s grace to help me move forward!   What challenges do you face this new year? What does Autumn ask of you?  And where do you find the grace that always finds us?...