Arbor Day Celebration – April 30, 2021 While most holidays celebrate something that has already happened and is worth remembering, Arbor Day represents a hope for the future. The simple act of planting and nurturing a tree represents a belief that the tree will grow to provide us with clean air and water, cooling shade, habitat for wildlife, healthier communities,…
Reflection To live with awareness and to embrace our ability to feel is to experience life more fully. It opens us to both joy and sorrow. We cannot have one without the other. The sensitivity that enables us to love also intensifies our suffering when we endure loss. It is our capacity to feel that uncovers the meaning of our…
Reflection Christian life is based on the immanent power of the Spirit who groans within us; it is not only we who desire a new creation but God desires a new creation as well. God, however, cannot bring about a new world without us; hence, we who believe in the Risen Christ must see the world with new eyes and…
Earth month Series Love Made Visible Reflection The heart sees a pattern of unity among all things. It reaches below the surface to find love that is visible everywhere. All living beings come from the power of Love and are expressions of love. In our universe, all is one, all is connected. The shelter and nourishment given by trees and…
Reflection We humans are relational beings. We yearn to be loved, to be part of a community—a community of family, of friends, of the workplace, of the neighborhood. As a human species we are essentially one and a part of an interconnected seamless web of life. We want to form bonds, to be accepted, to belong. Yet, so often…
Reflection The vitality of God be mine this day the vitality of the God of life. The passion of Christ be mine this day the passion of the Christ of love. The wakefulness of the Spirit be mine this day the wakefulness of the Spirit of justice. Celtic Benediction Prayer May I be fully alive this day Action Today I…
Reflection We cannot look at the good shepherd of John 10 apart from the shepherds of Jesus’ day: the scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, priests, and kings. The shepherds neglected the sheep. Instead of concerning themselves with the sheep, they were concerned about their precious law. Jots and tittles, letters and strokes, were more important than the law of love. The letter…
Reflection Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we learn. The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and prejudices and the acceptance of love back into our hearts. Love is the essential reality and our purpose on earth. To be consciously aware of it, to experience love in ourselves and others, is the meaning of life.…
Reflection As we move past Earth Day once more, let us consider that life is always longing to be made whole; all being moves toward union. Our time may be the beginning of a new era. While some of us long to slip back into the comfort of old patterns, others are sensing that new patterns are possible. We have…
An article on intentional communities was published on Global Sisters Report featuring our Sister Marie Mackey and our Christus Vivit Community: https://www.globalsistersreport.org/print/news/ministry/news/intentional-communities-connect-sisters-those-who-seek-spiritual-growth Pictured above: Sr. Marie Mackey, Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood, New York, left, and School Sister of Notre Dame Sr. Nancy Gilchriest on the steps of Christus Vivit Community House in Jamaica, in the Queens borough of…