Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

  REALIZE DEEPLY THAT THE PRESENT MOMENT IS ALL YOU HAVE.  MAKE THE NOW THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF YOUR LIFE.       Eckhart Tolle COVID-19 has stolen so much from so many.  How many had an empty chair at the Thanksgiving Day table?  Who had to search for food or shelter this Thanksgiving because of the economic crisis this disease has brought upon us?  The Center for Disease Control tells us that long-standing systemic health and social inequities have put many people from racial and ethnic minority groups at increased risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19. This week begins Advent, the liturgical season in which our church joins together to wait for the coming anew of God in our midst.   It is such a struggle in our COVID-ridden world to wait for anything. Eckhart Tolle, spiritual guide and author, calls us to stay in the present moment.  All we have, he says, is the “now.”  Looking...

“Practice” – how many times as kids were we told how important it was to practice if we wanted to learn something new!  From piano scales to riding a two-wheeler, from driving a car in the church parking lot to secretly learning new dance moves in our bedrooms, we all had to learn that it took a lot of practice to truly master something we cared about.   We also well remember the tasks or skills we didn’t practice, because we just didn’t care about them! So now we come to this time of an upside down world, where we are called to practice the holy intangibles of patience, charity, and faith in the unknown as well as the personal challenges of self-control and self-discipline.  Probably the best admonition for this season of both Easter and the pandemic is a line from a poem by Wendell Berry:  “ Be joyful, though   you have considered all the facts.  Practice resurrection.”   How we practice  that  is a life-long task, I believe, ...

My living area is so quiet and seems so empty. A Sister of Charity, with whom I have shared community for seven years, has moved back to the city where her motherhouse is, Cincinnati. At first I was looking forward to how I could spread out and have the whole floor to myself. I wouldn't have to worry about her moving my things or being annoyed when I could hear her phone conversations. As the day of departure drew closer I began to focus on what I would miss. Dee and I prayed together each weekday morning, a time we both treasured. When we had a disagreement I always knew we would resolve it because we both worked on being forgiving persons. Besides, Dee never held a grudge. She did many thoughtful things around the house, such as baking breads and cookies, buying treats she knew I liked, and taking care of minor repairs.  She truly embodies the spirit of her congregation--charity. She has a very compassionate heart, and she not only prayed for those who were in special need...