Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

I have been on a diet, some diet, any diet, for most of my adult life – always looking for that elusive hopefully painless way to get rid of my excess fat!  I know there is no such magic, despite the ads and the TV shows and the before and after pictures in magazines that always catch my eye.  It is a task I simply must take on, by myself, with discipline and courage and a willingness to forgive when I fail.  I need to know what I truly hunger for – and devote myself to searching for that instead of “all the things that fail to satisfy.” Living in community, in religious life, in any life, requires the same discipline.   Think of it as a kind of diet – of trying to eliminate the junk, of breaking free of what is unhealthy in my spirit, my life, my relationships, of giving the time and attention to the Source of Life; to feed my deepest hunger – to know God, to know and to search for God together with good companions.   For what are yo...

One of my ministries at the parish where I work is to coordinate the Food Pantry.   It is a daunting task to organize this service.   But even more overwhelming is to sit weekly with families who do not have enough food to eat three meals a day.   Just this past week, a dad said to me, “Sister, I have gone without dinner many a night this past month so my kids could eat.”   I immediately thought of the words of Christ spoken during the Eucharist, “This is my body given for you.”     Christ is truly risen and present in the love we share with our sisters and brothers in need.   As Dominicans, our role is to serve and to address the systemic issues behind hunger wherever we find ourselves.   What choices do I need to make so others can have what they need?   How do we join with others to create new systems of just distribution of resources? And, how about you, where are you encountering the risen Christ today? Peggy Ryan, OP ...