Month: May 2021
Memorial Day Reflection On this Memorial Day Grant peace to the souls Of all those soldiers who died in war. We remember the tears and grief of their families, The pain of mother, wives, husbands and children Who lost precious loved ones, To build a meaningful memorial to them, We ask God to give us all the will To work for peace around the world So no more sons, daughters,…
Trinity Sunday Reflection Across recent decades the meaning of the Trinity highlights the heavy emphasis on the relational dynamics that constitute the reality that we call God. In other words, the doctrine of the Trinity is a human attempt to name and explain a long held spiritual conviction of the human spirit, namely, that whatever else we discern about the divine mystery, above all it embodies a deep capacity for…
Reflection Those who love me will keep my word John 14:23 Keeping his word means, at a minimum, loving one another. It is love in action,We might distinguish between loving Jesus and keeping his word. We might think that we can do one but not the other. Jesus’ words do not recognize that distinction. To consider oneself a follower of Jesus and then to exclude and demean others because they…
We come here today to celebrate the life of Regina Blackwell, S. Marian Regina, a Sister of St. Joseph for almost 68 years. Regina was born in Brooklyn to Maria Theresa and Joseph Blackwell. Maria Theresa was born in Scotland and Joseph was born Georgia but somehow they ended up together in the crossroads of the world- Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Brooklyn. Regina was one of…
Reflection To ignore the information gained in more than 2000 years and try to live according to a blueprint of the past is not productive. The example of the life and vision of Jesus is a distinctive way of relationship rather than a static command. This is a guide for how we should act within the circumstances of the 21st century. As people of our own times we are…
Reflection The concept of a deeply spiritual earth may seem strange to our western culture. We are used to identifying the sacred with our places of worship. The rest of the earth is often considered a resource or simply real estate. Yet, deep within us there is an awe and a sense of mystery in response to the natural world. Our imagination and our sense of the divine reflect our…
Reflection It is hopeful to focus on the human potential for good. Rather than allowing ourselves to be overcome by the disturbing daily reports, we can focus on those whose actions show the human capacity for nobility, integrity, courage, and compassion. They encourage us by demonstrating how others have found ways of coping, overcoming hardship, responding to difficult situations, and offering help in thoughtful and constructive ways. They remind us that…
Reflection Deeply spiritual persons experience the suffering in the world as their own suffering. They do not let it overtake them and destroy their spirit, their ability to choose life. To live deeply in the Spirit is to be able to see beyond the immediate evidence of brokenness and suffering. It is to be able to imagine alternatives. It is to seek the not yet but possible future. To live…
Reflection The Spirit is simply God’s self-communication in grace, present and active everywhere, pervading the world. This basic but profound reality bears repeating today, because so many do not experience God’s nearness but think of God as distant or even unreal. This is most unfortunate. Through the Spirit, the risen Christ is universally present in the world everywhere and in every moment, as pervasive as the air we breathe, as…
Pentecost Reflection All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak In other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:1-13 The divine encompassing Spirit of God is dynamic energy creating and recreating, continually giving impetus to that which is beyond anything we can ever hope to express. The power of Spirit charged energy will not be constrained by rationality no matter how hard institutions try to…