Angela For Today

There are many women in scripture who remain unnamed, yet have significant roles to play. (Unnamed women are usually identified by the town they are from, their relationship to a man, by a deed they performed or by their physical condition.)  One of my favorite stories is the Shunammite Woman in 2 Kings. Her story…

This week we are celebrating our country’s freedom.  Our founding fathers believed that we could be a unified nation that was free from outside dominance.  That belief gradually grew into a wider belief that we could be free, unified, and at the same time cooperate with other countries.  Cooperation and collaboration proved to benefit the growth of the…

It is in the Vatican II document, Lumen Gentium, or Light of the World, that time and time again, the Church is described as mystery. Its insistence that the church is a mystery is intended to proclaim openly that we are a pilgrim church and that a pilgrim church is never complete until its pilgrimage…

In the Catholic tradition we are taught that we are created in God’s image and likeness. That is our primary reason for valuing each life as sacred. The Catholic tradition teaches that this respect reaches from conception to natural death. A pro-life stance means that we value all lives, not just the newborn but the…

One of the surprising stories from the Gospel of John is when Jesus asks Peter if he loves him. He asked the question not just once but three times. Each time Peter tells Jesus that he loves him, Jesus responds with, “Feed my sheep.” Just a short time before, Peter denied Jesus three times on…

If we were in any library or bookstore, we would find many books considered to be mysteries.  The same is true if we looked through the TV Guide. Many of the TV shows are in the category of mystery. In both the books, and the TV show, we usually find the mystery to be solved…

Luke’s Beatitudes: (Luke 6:17, 20-26) Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.Blessed are you when people hate you and defame you on account of the Son of Man.Rejoice in…

Have you ever had the experience when you felt called to take on a new task, or do something different with your life, something different than you ever experienced before? It may have been a call to a new job, maybe to marriage or religious life. It may have been an urge to move to…

The social justice teaching of the Catholic Church dates back to 1891 with Pope Leo XIII’s landmark encyclical, Rerum Novarum (“Of New Things”). There we learn that justice means that we act with integrity, honesty and truthfulness at all times and in all ways. Since then, the Church has continued to stress the responsibility of…

Angela Merici had a conscious sense of maternal leadership. Angela was not afraid to be involved in the lives of others. She was a relational person. She allowed women and men from all walks of life to interact with her on a very personal level. She was as equally comfortable with wealthy, influential men of…

The social justice teaching of the Catholic Church dates back to 1891 with Pope Leo XIII’s landmark encyclical, Rerum Novarum (“Of New Things”). There we learn that justice means that we act with integrity, honesty and truthfulness at all times and in all ways. Since then, the Church has continued to stress the responsibility of all people to work…

These words from the Our Father, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” are a clear reminder that we are forgiven to the degree we are able to forgive. If we are honest with ourselves, we all admit to the need for forgiveness. Very often, forgiveness is sought from God…

For forty days during Lent, we prepared for the most important church feast – Easter – which was celebrated following the liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. Easter Sunday was filled with alleluias. We sang and prayed Christ is risen! Let us rejoice! The Easter season ends with two great feasts – the Solemnity…

Easter is a feast of new life. It is the feast when the visible, physical Jesus became the Christ of glory through suffering, death and resurrection. That is an astounding fact, and one that should call each of us to deepen our relationship with such a generous and loving God. But I think we need…

One of the most startling lines in all of scripture comes from the Book of Revelation: “If you are neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” (Rev. 3:16)  This line not only jars my whole being, but it also reminds me of when I was a young sister and one of the…