Margaret Gonsalves

For me, mothering and fathering is the art of emptying out of self for the growth of another being. Mothering and fathering are not pampering or dominating, but empowering through one's life example.

Dialogue is taking place, says Sr. Margaret Gonsalves. The world hears the cry of the poor from every corner of the globe through sisters' writing in GSR — fine-tuned by column editor Sr. Michele Morek.

As we mark Earth Day, we should honor these eco-cosmic saints by implementing Catholic social teachings of the common good, by safeguarding Mother Earth as our common home and prioritizing a "preferential option for the poor."

Feminism is a movement toward political, economic and social equality of every being, including the environment. If you're a feminist, you are a breath of fresh air, the very vibrancy of life, and part of the solution.

Given the evolutionary spirit and events everywhere, religious life for the digital era needs reenvisioning, switching gears from doing works of charity to working for systemic change.

My meditation on the kinship of Christ the Anointed urged me to transcend the imitation of the historical Jesus and move to reflect on the Cosmic Christ, pervading the entire universe.

In every Indian culture the birth of a son is preferred. The son is considered the preserver of the family name and heritage, and he is accorded preferential treatment. This also applies to the priest in the church.

Kindly keep your physical eyes closed and inner eyes wide open. Decorations may sparkle this time of year, but pain and injustice abound. This pandemic Advent has brought a new light of interconnectedness and solidarity among people of goodwill who fearlessly advocate for peace and betterment of all.

Talking with people about their pandemic experience of attending Mass (or not) led me to an awareness of what type of church is emerging, and to consider how Fratelli Tutti is a clarion call to a new way of ministering.

In an imaginary conversation with churchgoers at the first Easter breakfast, Mary Magdalene describes life in the Kinship Community, an ecumenical community of believers. The only rules for the small group of Jesus' followers were to love God, love your neighbors and follow the Beatitudes scrupulously, she says.

Vatican II's call for religious congregations to reform themselves into communities of true equals points the way for the entire church. Only when each person is important, only when each voice is heard and only when each person determines their path, can there be the community Jesus wanted — a community where all belong because all are one.

Perhaps the signs of the times in our world of rapid change call for a radical revisioning of religious formation. Prophetic voices call sisters to read these signs and follow in the footsteps of Jesus, the prophet.

I agreed to give the rickshaw driver 1,200 rupees for 10 hours driving. As soon as I got in, I told him, "Even in this pandemic situation, if you or I see any needy person on the street, we will offer them a free lift."

Let's get rid of the old traps like: "Keep the rules and the rules will keep you." Instead, let's follow the advice of St. Francis of Assisi and, "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible,  and suddenly you are doing the impossible."

Edwina Gateley's memoir oozes the mystical power of a listening heart, the excitement of freedom, and a profound call to kindness channeling through deep faith, allowing everyone to hear the seeds of integrity, compassion and daring courage.

In anointing massage, oils and tears work as outer and inner healers, evoking feelings of being loved, freeing from the yoke of buried guilt, and awakening new hope for the future.