By Sister Marianne Ferguson Watching the sunrise this morning, I noticed small clouds with bright rims around them. As the sun rose, its light began to obscure the rim until the cloud was completely overwhelmed. The rim spoke to me of the woman with the 18-year hemorrhage who had the courage to touch the hem [...]
Monstrance of My Childhood By Sister Marcia Klawon OSF Only a child of seven When in the Eucharist My heart met His In intimacy of first Holy Communion. Clothed wholly in purest white was I, Symbolic of the purity of heart That would a fitting dwelling be For my most precious [...]
Sister Kathleen Osbelt has a history of ministering to those who need shelter. She was a hospital chaplain in the 1980s, just as HIV AIDS struck thousands of people in the U.S. and around the world. Sister Kathleen met a woman at the hospital who changed her life after years of drug abuse, but [...]
Sister Rosemary Bucchi When we hear “Works of Mercy” we think of what we learned during religious instruction — the Corporal and Spiritual Acts (or Works) of Mercy. These are practices which Christians perform and the Catholic Church refers to as both penance and charity. Many of us are familiar with the list. The Corporal [...]
Jesus the Healer, Emmanuel By Sister Marion Moeser, OSF The Covid 19 global pandemic reveals our vulnerability; the mitigation efforts make us aware of community around us and all over the world. At this time we naturally turn to prayer and ask for help and healing from our God. Our situation calls to mind Jesus’ [...]
By Sister Marianne Ferguson We might wonder why John, the beloved disciple, was the first to recognize Jesus at Lake Tiberius. There must have been a close relationship fostered by many conversations during which they revealed much about themselves to each other so that they came to know each other on a human level. John [...]
The Gospel of Luke 24:13-35 By Sister Kathleen Murphy, OSF NOTE: When Father John Leising at Fredonia Place of Williamsville asked S. Kathleen to give a homily this week, she chose today so that she could speak on one of her favorite Gospel stories. This is her homily: Two of my very favorite Gospel stories [...]
By Sister Marianne Ferguson After Mary Magdalene showed Peter and the other Apostle the empty tomb, they went home, but she sat, staring at the empty tomb. We wonder at her thoughts; were they wishful thinking? Grief over the loss of the man she loved? Was she expecting him to return? Were these thoughts so [...]
By Sister Marianne Ferguson We all know people who have done outstanding service to others through institutions and personal efforts. However the aging process for many of us has curtailed some corporal activities. Nevertheless our Creator, whose Spirit runs through all His creatures, has endowed us with his own creative giftedness to find alternative ways [...]
There are moments in our lives when our personal world is filled with darkness. Tragedy, loss, bereavement, rejection and failure are all common experiences. There is no living human being who holds the power to avoid being touched by pain. There is no defense strong enough to make us invulnerable to the unpredictability of life’s [...]