Pope Francis, in this Holy Year with the theme "Pilgrims of Hope," invited the faithful to "be tangible signs of hope for those of our brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind." And Sr. Mary Nguyen did.
As we approach the celebration of All Souls' Day — a special day to commemorate our loved ones who are no longer with us — let us remember the witness of religious sisters who have touched our lives.
Every year on Nov. 1, people in Transylvania, Banat and Maramureș, Romania, celebrate the Day of the Dead, also called Illumination. It is a day of the soul — for meditation, prayer and showing respect for the dead.
The backstrap loom is the perfect metaphor for our religious life. Weaving has taught me that remaining in challenging situations does not mean staying stuck — it is about living an embodied spirituality, a new creation.
Francis' canticle was groundbreaking in its embrace of all creation as equal to humanity. Today, it reads as a call to embrace our fragile universe and earth and all its inhabitants.
Scripture for Life: Today's readings are meant to provoke us to sharpen our senses and sensitivity. Jesus' parable asks us to judge where we choose to focus and what we intentionally block out.
Scripture for Life: Sometimes the kind of question a 5-year-old could answer helps us make a good judgment: "In Jesus' parable, who did the most good for others?"
