Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

My son did a bit of ‘guerrilla gardening’ in Iowa City some years ago, planting a variety of plants and seeds in what was once a trash-strewn concrete slab next to an alley. Acorn squash grew up the chain link fence separating this ‘plot’ from a transforming station. Neighborhood residents and passersby were fed. An older brother had a pumpkin vine growing in a crack between his concrete driveway and the side steps to his house. The vine bore fruit. In New Orleans, I remember seeing beautiful oak trees upheave sidewalks to continue their growth. Today, March 14, signals the end of Catholic Sisters Week, a week highlighting the vocational call to vowed religious life. Honest, intentional discernment in the company of supportive communities may lead a woman to vowed religious life or it may lead her to another vocation, another relationship altogether. Each of us is called to bear good fruit. Discernment is a lifetime call to listen to the voice of God. When we do that with trust and fai...

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...

More than five years ago, my blog entry was based on the title hashtag. It is a hashtag I have used in tweets. In my life, it is time to revisit this hashtag. This is a time of huge transitions for me.  The limits of space here precludes going into all that is happening but to say - I am no longer in Florida but now back near Chicago.  No more hurricanes but the potential of arctic vortexes!  It is all good and some days are difficult. Here's my current tweet:  #takewhatyouneed awake ~ nurtured ~ loved ~ trust ~ laughter ~ perseverance ~ open to chaos ~ seeking some order  ~~ Breathe in ~ Breathe out ~~ The breathing is important.  It is the kind that I consider contemplative and purposeful. The words and phrases became the list as I prayed and consider: 'What do I need?' What do you need? Is there one word from my list that you need for yourself right now?  Take it.  It is meant for you. And don't forget...

Did you ever have “one of those days”?  When you think “ if one more thing goes wrong I’m going to…” Fill in the blank!  Recently I found myself stressing out about all the interruptions at work, growling at a driver so slow and overly cautious he/she braked driving UPHILL, and trying to smile at someone who walked in with “You’re not doing anything right now, are you?”  When this happens I remember the words of one of our wise women, who, when I was complaining years ago, said to me, “The interruptions ARE your work, often more so than what you think you are about.” Thank God, with those words, grace steps in.  Writer Ann Lamott  quotes a friend of hers:  “Grace is WD40 for the soul.”  When soul/spirit gets stuck, gets painfully locked in a negative place, grace appears and offers a way up and out.  It is stronger than any problem, more present than any deadline, more soothing than zooming along at top speed.  How do I know it is grace? N...

Today our country of Trinidad and Tobago goes to the polls to elect a new government for the next five years.  I really feel challenged because even now I don't know for whom to vote and I really would like to exercise my franchise to vote.   Next year our congregation will also be meeting to elect a new leadership team.  Then, I would also be exercising my right to vote.  Yet my feelings in this regard are totally different.  I feel confident about our election process.  I am willing to cast my vote and have no qualms about which of our sisters will be in that pool of sisters discerning leadership.   What's the difference?  I think it's trust. I don't know that I can trust the people who are campaigning for leadership of our country.  There is such a long history of failed promises... On the other hand, I trust my sisters.  We share a common mission and way of life.  We are related to each other by bonds of affect...

Today those of us in the Northern hemisphere celebrate the "return" of the light; we will now enjoy a few extra minutes each day.  I've been spending time this week with some of our Sisters who lived many years in Alaska, where winters were spent in almost perpetual dusk.  Hearing their stories, I've realized today is really a cause for celebration for our Northern neighbors! Although I welcome the returning light, I've tried to make a point this Advent of reverencing darkness.  So often we focus only on the light, hoping and waiting for its coming.  We see darkness only as the absence of light, and we forget that Holy Mystery often resides in the sacred darkness.  In fact, I bet Mary felt very "in the dark" in today's Gospel reading, when invited by the angel to take on an unthinkable role.  We have the advantage of knowing how it all turned out for her, but Mary simply had to trust.  And her trust-filled yes, offered in darkness, would eventua...