"The community born out of Pentecost is a community of the forgiven who are commissioned to forgive. These are people who must never forget either their origin or their destiny: They are a gathering of the frail and failing called to strengthen one another."
On a visit to the farm, I saw the value of my cousins' lived reality. I believe in their goodness and trust their judgment. Likely, we don't agree on everything, but we are family, and nothing will change that.
See for Yourself - There are different ways to win amid a casino's sensory overload.
"Hope truly is like a sail. It gathers the wind of the Spirit and transforms it into a driving force that pushes the boat out to sea or to the shore, depending on circumstances."
From A Nun's Life podcasts - How does the world around you affect how you understand God? In this Random Nun Clip, Holy Cross Sr. Verónica Fajardo talks about experiencing God in other cultures.
St. Benedict taught that those living the monastic life should live by the work of their hands. That's just fine with "the Soap Sister" of the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Missouri.
I stand at the counter in the lobby of Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas. I am the receptionist, gatekeeper, and facilitator in this ministry with refugees, immigrants, and people living in poverty.
One Franciscan Clarist sister is dedicated to providing therapy to children born with physical developmental problems using a technique developed by a Czech pediatric neurologist. Named for the doctor, Vojta treatments improve motor functions like hand flexibility and chewing. The sister says that the reason the treatments are not more widely used in her country of India is due to its lack of profitability.
"Prayer, if we pay attention, if we deepen, breaks out of linguistic bonds. Takes flight. Bores deep. It's free-form verse. As near as our next breath ... the quotidian that transcends to mystical."
Jane Falke grew up on a farm in Westphalia, Kansas, went to Ursuline Academy in Paola, Kansas, and then entered religious life. She has master's degrees in mathematics and pastoral studies. She became a member of the Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph in Kentucky when the Ursuline Sisters of Paola merged with that community. She taught in grade and high schools for 24 years, served in leadership and as a parish business manager; since 2008, she has been at Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, in the counseling, development and now refugee and legal services offices.