Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

Several years ago, approximately twenty of us formed a committee to discuss community life. We faithfully came together for about two years - sharing our understanding of “community” and ways we hoped to create our future together. The specifics of how we envisioned community life varied somewhat. But, the desire to live together and bear witness to the gospel we pray and preach remained the cornerstones of each conversation. An exciting aspect of living in the digital age is that the “walls” and “places” we live aren’t static. Discovering ways of creating community in this new age inspires creativity, alternative ways of thinking and openness to possibilities. It’s all very exciting, actually! Today, I experience community beyond solidly constructed walls under a single roof and geographical borders. Yet equally awesome in this culture of innovation and change, is an unwavering commitment to community life which includes sacrifices and challenges, true a...

One day recently a 7th grader asked if she could interview me about my religion. One of her questions was: have you ever sacrificed for your religion? I guess I would change the question slightly to: has sacrifice been a part of your religion? Now that we are in the season of Lent this was a good question for me to ponder. Sacrifice, in one way or another, is a part of everyone ’ s life. It often involves a choice: I choose to sacrifice. In my pondering I found the most appropriate definition of sacrifice in this sense as “ the surrender of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim. ” Wow, this sounds very noble! And indeed it is, to a degree. When it comes to the purpose of Lenten sacrifice I see sacrifice as a call to change my life, to be converted more to God ’ s ways — that for sure is a higher claim. So, what will I surrender for Lent? What is most precious to me? Time...

Checks and balances, describes Lent 2013 for me.  The checks and balances of my life are my spiritual life and relationship with God.     I ask myself……Am I allowing God to be in charge?  Am I feeding my Spirit?  Am I nurturing my relationship with the Beloved?     Where do I need a balance of peace, joy, steadfast faith and trust right now? It is easy to get unbalanced in life.  For example, as a sister, it has been easy for me to be caught up in the busyness of my ministry and routine prayer.   In these weeks of Lent as I check and balance, I give God thanks for this desert time to slow down: to be still…God is my center and my refuge; to ask…help me see blessings and joy that I would otherwise miss; to listen… be attentive to prayer in forms I would not recognize; to wait and hope… for Easter Will Come .   How would you describe Lent 2013 for you? Priscilla Torres, OP Jacksonv...

For my study I have been pondering Teilhard de Chardin, SJ’s meditation, “The Slow Work of God’.  I am particularly drawn to the last two lines: “And accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete”. This so fits this season of Lent for me this year.  I have paused and visited with God:  what ought I to do this liturgical cycle to grow more like you?  This invited me to step back and do some self- appraisal and, I hope, some spirit appraisal as well.  Ah, yes, I say, at times the transformation I long for within and without seems infinitesimally slow.  And yet what does time have to do with it?  Might I let myself enjoy the suspense, the anticipation of the process of changing?  Even more to learn to honor in creation, in others, in myself the grace of the incomplete.   And so this Lent I am walking slower, enjoying it more and wondering at all that survey.  Would you care to do a simil...

We have officially begun Lent 2013.  Have you been marked?  Marked with the sign of the cross?  Signed with Ashes?  Are there any remnants of the ashes a few days later?  Probably not - at least visibly.

 Yet, we were signed not only physically, but our showing up says something beyond Ash Wednesday - the first day of Lent.  Spiritually we have signed on to take seriously a season of the church that is truly up lifting.

 For me Lent is a time to seek, to trust, to believe in a renewed way God's grace is with me.  I approach this season as a time for growth - to stretch through Lent's call to fast, pray and give.  

 One spiritual practice that I am doing during Lent is reading and praying with scripture using Lectio Divina with two books of the Bible:  The Book of Wisdom and the Gospel of John.  The first because I pray for wisdom each time someone comes for spiritual direction and the second for the opportunity to ponder with th...