love upon my heart for teens like Trayvon

A teenage boy, Trayvon Martin, was killed a month ago in Florida. Since then his death has heated up the national news and sparked highly emotional questions, comments, protests, prayer, rallies and vigils.  We’re angry, lamenting and mourning.  In our hearts we know something is wrong and we are acting for peace. Last week a [...]

consciousness, change and Joseph Kony

A lot of interesting things are happening in the movements for change in our society.  Videos are going viral, the Occupy movement continues, we’ve experienced an Arab Spring, and our nation is divided so much about issues (like wealth, poverty, war, abortion, contraception and sexuality) that I’m beginning to wonder if the two-party political system [...]

advice at the start

Here is a poem drafted from advice given to me by experienced, wise Franciscans as I set out to start my ministry at this high school three years ago. I am so grateful that they warned me and gave me good blessings when it began … If you think you can do this without making [...]

Obama and Jesus on Fairness

Obama always snags me.  I try my best to avoid being sucked into his beautiful rhetoric, but he got me on Tuesday during the State of the Union. What captured me was his strong language about fairness.  Over and over again he talked about fair practices in trade, fair taxes, and creating a world where [...]

in a body, God glorified

Last weekend I went to a retreat with other Catholic sisters younger than 40.  I met a sister who ministers as a hospital chaplain in St. Petersburg, Florida.  In addition to providing presence to all the suffering and miracles in the hospital, she listens to the prostitutes who come in for care.  Apparently, pimps buy [...]

the power of paradox

Our world is a mess and in need of redemption.  Christ is coming to save us.  Yet, Christ the Light has already come to save us and we are redeemed now. The Kingdom of God is now and not yet.  There’s a power in the paradox that teaches us how to hold out hope. Yesterday [...]

Pregnant with hope

Guest blogger: Amy Nee - entry originally published at http://www.catholicsoncall.org/pregnant-hope Scripture Reflection for the Third Sunday of Advent (December 11, 2011) Scripture Readings: Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11 Luke 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 John 1:6-8, 19-28 When truth is spoken it illuminates more than just the person. The light stretches its filamented fingers, lacing them through [...]

advent waiting room

An eagerness for an improvement lives deep within the groans of our society, our culture, our selves.  We don’t feel as well as we would like.  We have a sense that something is wrong and someone might know the answer.  We wonder who to turn to. We suppose that God might show us a New [...]

all watch

Jesus said to his disciples: “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his own work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch. Watch, therefore; you do not know when [...]

an economy of love

When I was 20 I studied abroad in South Africa. When I came home, I was a bit of a mess. I was angry about the drastic economic inequality that I encountered in Southern Africa during my six months away.  Something felt horribly wrong about how people could live in a secure mansion while the people [...]