By Johanna Hatch Dorothy Day, that lightning rod of a lay woman who has inspired so many young Catholic women to seek a faith that does justice, became notorious for, among other things, getting herself arrested. An avowed pacifist, Day led the members of her Catholic Worker community to refuse to participate in the annual [...]
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by Rebecca Fullan Lately, I’ve had this strange phrase running through my head: “Don’t get distracted by the man on the cross.” I found this phrase startling when it first showed up. Isn’t the man on the cross rather the crux of things? A few weeks ago, I went to a summer music festival, and [...]
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by Jen Owens The proclamation of today’s readings coincides with my move to Berkeley, California, and the start of my doctoral studies. As I prepare for the next chapter in my story, the questions these readings present become all the more pressing. Whom will I serve? What does Scripture really teach us about gendered relationships? [...]
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by Jen Owens Perhaps not surprisingly, my last night in juvenile hall was nothing like what I had expected. I found out when arrived on my regular unit that Byron*, the young man whose birthday had passed last week, had been moved to another unit and consequently would not be joining us. The floor of [...]
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by Kate Henley Averett It’s T-minus 3 weeks until my wedding and my to-do list doesn’t seem to be getting any shorter. For every little thing I cross off, another item seems to crop up. Most of them are minor – pick the dress up at the tailor, get our final head count to our [...]
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By Rebecca Curtin Summer winds to a close…sort of. Technically we have about six weeks left, but by the academic calendar we’re looking at a measly, puny, contemptibly short two weeks! I want to clutch at summer’s coattails like a tantruming child, crying as it struts out my front door, “You, can’t leave yet!” Summer [...]
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By Kate Lucas I just finished reading the essay collection this afternoon. I’m a bit sad to finish it; the book had become an edifying dinner companion over the past month. It was wonderful to share my table with the voices of so many thoughtful, articulate, and diverse women. I was especially taken by the [...]
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Haven’t picked up your copy of From the Pews in the Back yet? Now you can check out an excerpt of the book with a piece of Sarah Keller’s “No French Kisses” at the Killing the Buddha website.
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By Tefi Ma’ake Every time I sat down to reflect on today’s readings, I couldn’t help but break into song when I reached the Gospel. Suzanne Toolan’s “I Am the Bread of Life” has been a longtime favorite of mine. It’s not the easiest of church songs to sing, and yet I love singing it [...]
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by Jen Owens Tonight I expected things in juvenile hall to turn out much differently than they did. It was one of the boys’ birthdays, and I had brought with me some candy and a card to celebrate. Looking forward to to honoring the gift of Byron*, I was disappointed to learn that the staff [...]
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The past couple weeks have been pretty exciting! Two great websites have contacted us about contributing to the web conversations they host, and we’d like to share these resources with you. As many of you already know, the folks over at patheos.com have invited us to particpate in their conversation about religious diversity in the [...]
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by Monica All too often, women’s histories and true identities are left behind or exchanged for stories that perpetuate systemic oppression. I don’t want Mary’s historicity and individuality to be subjected to the same kind of treatment. Through prayers and contemplations, Mary has become the ultimate role model for me. She is a woman who [...]
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by Angela Batie The feast of St. Ignatius just passed, with much attention on our Jesuit campus. In high school, I picked “Ignatius” for a confirmation name. It was either that or Dymphna, the strangest-sounding saint name I could find. But, Dymphna’s story didn’t do much for me, and I thought that Ignatius would be [...]
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by Jen Owens I didn’t anticipate the ways in which this Sunday’s readings would speak to me, nor did I expect to rest in the message they share as I have over the past two weeks. Today, I hear about the relationship between God and God’s people. About the immensity of God’s love for us, [...]
Filed under: Jen Owens, Sunday reading reflections | Tagged: calling, communion, community, Eucharist, gospel, prayer, strength for the journey, word of god | 2 Comments »
By Claire Bischoff Yesterday, I received a second-hand compliment that gave me pause. My friend Sarah arrived for a play date, lugging her six month old son in his car seat, and announced how happy she was to hang out with me since our mutual friend Dave had told her that she “just had to [...]
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by Kate Henley Averett The Sacrament of Matrimony: Matrimonial Consent 1630 The priest (or deacon) who assists at the celebration of a marriage receives the consent of the spouses in the name of the Church and gives the blessing of the Church. the presence of the Church’s minister (and also of the witnesses) visibly expresses [...]
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By Rebecca Fullan The Israelites don’t recognize the bread, the manna—did you catch that in this week’s first reading? It comes, mysteriously, with the evaporation of the dew, and they look at it and don’t know what it is. I like this. This catapults us into a strange world where bread does not look like [...]
Filed under: Rebecca Fullan, Sunday reading reflections | Tagged: communion, community | 2 Comments »
