love, peace, Jesus and NATO

When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and, falling at his feet, paid him homage. Peter, however, raised him up, saying, “Get up. I myself am also a human being.” Then Peter proceeded to speak and said, “In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly [...]

seven days of salvation

strangers grip palms, bond at bus stops grins by glory, pilgrims unite onward, hosannas and hellos true buzz on the street: whisper, plot, might centuries of destruction and war ring doom age the days of tension, hoping who can save us from our plight? bright spring moon, free, feasting friends wash feet; bread, wine multiply [...]

love in the dark

The actions of Lent lead me through valleys of reflection.  As I serve and share I keep thinking and praying. I’ve been wondering: What does love look like in the dark? What is it really like to trust God when things are hard? Why must we go through uncomfortable repentance and detachment to really be [...]

in a cave, prepping for sunrise

I am a slow learner. I hear the sacred invitations of Lent and I still move toward the darkness.  My life is busy right now and I wonder if my time with God in the desert is caving in on itself.  Is it true that I need to understand darkness to be a child of [...]

the weirdness of witnessing

It’s not easy living a public life. Sometimes I’d rather be anonymous or just completely unnoticed.  It’s a lot of pressure because those who know that I am a Franciscan sister, a Christian and a modern follower of Jesus are paying attention to my moves.  What type of picture am I painting about what radical Christian [...]

ash

this day in lines across earth penitents unite we shall     let’s somberly remember nothingness and say yes onward, into we shall     neighbors needing giving greatly fasting freely praying constantly we shall     know black filth smeared crosses barring repent, return Jesus beckons go        

loving Love

I have always loved Valentine’s Day.  We don’t tell people we love them often enough and it’s our Christian message and way.  I love celebrating love and sharing it.   Love is pretty much my favorite thing. Because, well, God is totally my favorite thing. Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; [...]

counter-culturally powerful

Yesterday I asked a section of my students to raise their hands if they thought power is something God gives us.  Only half of the students raised their hands.  When I asked the other half what they thought they spoke about how power is something people earn because of their success.  “If we are all [...]

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 [...]