NunEssential

A Christmas Reflection from Sr. Anne Marie Walsh, SOLT : At the time of Jesus’ birth, the whole world is in movement.  Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem to be counted in the census, reminding us that the world today is also traveling toward its definitive encounter with God.  The journey of the Holy Family toward the moment in which God enters the world from the womb of Mary, in the Person of Jesus Christ, for all human eyes to see, reminds us that we too are moving on our own journey through this life, in company with millions of others, to our own definitive encounter with God. Mary and Joseph found no comfort, no welcome, no shelter, no understanding from the world on this journey.  They followed and were supported by heavenly inspirations and light, the presence of angels, and their own profound faith in God’s never-changing goodness and His ever-present Providence.   This was their strength and consolation. We also should not expect too much help from...

Happy Advent to everyone! We come again to this wonderful time of year wherein we prepare our hearts and our lives for the coming of Jesus Christ. This is a time marked by interior cleansing, reconciliation, silence and beauty. There are many wonderful talks on www.ewtn.com about Advent and Fr. Robert Barron at www.wordonfire.org always has great resources about our life of faith and how to grow in holiness. For us Catholics, this really is a brand new year and it begins with a deep outpouring of grace to aid us along the path. As you reflect upon the year gone by; what do you wish was different about your life? What changes would you like to see this coming year? Ask for the help of God and begin that path now. As I was pondering this evening and practicing some music for an upcoming Mass, I was reflecting upon the fact that sometimes I really love to sing (and sometimes I don't!). And as I listen to people like Audrey Assad and Kim Walker-Smith, I surely wish that I ...

This is an outstanding radio interview from Radio Maria with Dr. Bob Schuchts, a very gifted marriage and family therapist. In this interview, he talks about dealing with despair, woundedness and hope for real healing. http://radiomaria.us/embracingyourgreatness/?powerpress_pinw=189-podcast Check out Dr. Bob's website at www.jpiihealingcenter.org The retreats that he and his staff lead are life-changing. See the online schedule for the next event.

Another gem from Sr. Anne Marie Walsh- Women and the Priesthood There is a question that still seems to be unsettled in the minds of many ordinary Catholics.  It is a question that comes up when people positively assess our new Holy Father but think he still does not go far enough.  The question:  Why can't women be Priests? Many of the responses given to this question seem, in the end, to fall back solely upon authority.  Pope Paul VI said that respect for the modern mind requires more than this. In order to shed light on the questions of the present, Blessed John Paul II often led us back to the beginnings, to reflect on God’s creation of man and woman before the fall.  It is incontestable that both man and woman were created in the image and likeness of God.  Both are equal in dignity because of this.  But this does not make them the same in every other respect.  They are two different expressions of the human person, created to live in un...

Check out this short film on the power of fatherhood. As many people in Christian circles are pointing out, one of the deepest wounds facing the world today is a lack of fatherhood. Most of us live like orphans, even in relation to God the Father. When we live as orphans, we grasp, fight and compare. When we live as sons and daughters we love, give and appreciate. @thefathereffect

Another great post by our former General Superior, Sr. Anne Marie Walsh. Inside the "Me" Vortex. Sometime ago, a woman named Nadine Schweigert (ND) married herself in a commitment ceremony where she exchanged rings with her “inner groom.”  There was an actual gathering of family and friends who were encouraged to “blow kisses to the world.”  One can imagine the theme song of her wedding with a slight variation:  “Nobody Loves Me Like I Do.” Schweigert had been through a painful divorce in which her two children opted to live with her ex-husband.  She drank, smoked and was 50 pounds overweight, according to her own testimony.  At the suggestion of a friend, she married herself, and now feels “happy, joyous, empowered.”   She says she has come a long way from where she was.   She now takes herself on dates, in order “to invest in this relationship.” We might ask what is going on here.  Is it pure narcissism?  Or is something else at wor...

Another beautiful article from our former SOLT General Superior, Sr. Anne Marie Walsh The Healing Power of Silence We live in a wilderness, a wilderness of noise.   Noise is not just about sound.   It has to do with the constant barrage of stimulation to our senses, emotions and even our intellect, (read information overload.)   The problem with all this noise, pure and simple, is that it is an obstacle to our own inner order and peace, and more importantly, to a living communion with God and with others.     For some reason, many of us either seem afraid of silence, or, more likely, we have lost familiarity with the wonders of silence.   Yet it is essential to our physical and spiritual well-being.     Authentic silence is not emptiness.   Things come to us in the silence.   We hear new languages. We are visited by penetrating peace, insight, God Himself, His wisdom, light, His perception and understanding.   In auth...

In case you are like me on a Monday afternoon, sitting at a desk with a formidable amount of work to do but would RATHER laugh over something silly, please enjoy this link that features Amazon's funniest product reviews. Thanks to Jennifer @conversiondiary for tweeting this out.

There is a new Catholic media network in the works that will debut very soon! Shalom Media has been hugely successful in India and now they are launching their first English speaking station later this winter! The website: https://www.shalomus.org/ Check out the promo below: Also, if you are looking for a one-day retreat full of beauty and grace, come to one of their Shalom Festivals in a town near you! I will see you there!

Beauty is necessary. We need it, long for it and are made for it. I was particularly struck by an article Archbishop Chaput wrote earlier this summer about the evidential power of beauty . In it, he mentions the power of creation in revealing the beauty of God and quotes Russian author Dostoyevsky, "Beauty is the battlefield where God and Satan contend for the hearts of men." Indeed. And it's a battlefield for a reason. If you read the dictionary definition of beautiful, you will find: beau·ti·ful / ˈbyu tə fəl / Show Spel [ byoo -t uh -f uh l ]   adjective 1. having beauty ; possessing qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to see, hear, think about, etc.; delighting the senses or mind: a beautiful dress; a beautiful speech.   2. excellent of its kind: a beautiful putt on the seventh hole; The chef served us a beautiful roast of beef.   3. wonderful; very pleasing or satis...

This video is incredible. The beauty of God's creation is astounding and awe-inspiring. The footage featured in the video is all time-lapse photography taken from South Dakota landscape. Wow.

Happy Friday! You know you played this game at a pizza parlor as a kid. Just probably not this particular edition..... :) (lol, are these people for real??...)

This beautiful song by Danielle Rose brought tears to my eyes. I bet we can all relate to part of it. "You died so I could be, the saint that is just me..."

For those of you who were not part of the three million people at World Youth Day, here are some cool videos of various events: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/publiccatholic/2013/07/the-holy-father-does-rio/

News came out today that Pope Francis is "changing" the teachings of the Church. Well, that's what the mainstream media intimated. Not true. Check out the entirety of the Holy Father's comments and the context as well: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/publiccatholic/2013/07/in-his-own-words-what-the-pope-really-said/

Sorry for the long delay in updating the blog :( I tweet more than I write. The awesome and super-holy priest, Fr. Mark Toups, is now writing a blog- check it out here: http://frmarktoups.blogspot. com

Super Cute :)

This is an excellent and mature article about sexuality and virginity. Religious life is not a call to asexual living but an invitation by Jesus to live out femininity and masculinity in its fullness with Him. Imagine if all of us in religious life lived this way as well...it would change the world. http://www.patheos.com/blogs/badcatholic/2013/05/virginity-is-sexual.html

More powerful words from the Holy Father. Says that consecrated religious are "mothers, not spinsters"! http://www.news.va/en/news/careerists-and-climbers-doing-great-harm-to-the-ch

Another beautiful homily from Pope Francis today- here's a highlight : "Paul teaches us this journey of evangelization, because Jesus did, because he is well aware that evangelization is not proselytizing: it is because he is sure of Jesus Christ and does not need to justify himself [or] to seek reasons to justify himself.  When the Church loses this apostolic courage, she becomes a stalled Church, a tidy Church a nice, a Church that is nice to look at, but that is without fertility, because she has lost the courage to go to the outskirts, where there are many people who are victims of idolatry, worldliness of weak thought, [of] so many things. Let us today ask St Paul to give us this apostolic courage, this spiritual fervor, so that we might be confident.  ‘But Father,’ [you might say], ‘we might make mistakes…’ ... ‘[Well, what of it,’ I might respond], ‘Get on with you: if you make a mistake, you get up and go forward: that is the way. Those who do not wa...

This is awesome. Watching the whole video, even though it's only a few minutes long, is an exercise of our brains in this distracted world.. Good stuff!

People cannot continue to ignore this nor pretend it doesn't happen across our country. Here is the fourth video released today by Live Action. God help us all.

The homily from Pope Francis today made my day. This guy is amazing! http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-christian-endurance-and-christs-peace

This new article by our General Superior, Sr Anne Marie Walsh, is outstanding and so true on every level. My prayer is that, as you read it, the Holy Spirit will work in you through it. God bless you- Giving Up Secrets People seem to have a lot of secrets these days.   We could almost say we live in an age of secrets.    Governments have become skilled at keeping secrets; businesses are adept at the same thing.   Institutions, whether they be educational, medical or religious, all keep secrets for both good reasons and not so good reasons.    But this reflects people in general.   People tend to keep a lot of secrets. There is a pressing need to recognize that secrets make a difference.   They can determine the direction of our lives, and the manner in which we pass from this world into the next.   For whatever reason, people today seem to have more secrets than ever.   They have secret activities, secret wounds, s...