Carla Mae's Blog

As the Christmas season ends, we celebrate the Feast of the Purification…a strange feast in a way, because this Lady needs no purification. So why does the Church continue right on with no apologies? Because, says Isaac of Stella, an early  abbot, “…whatever we say of this lady we must say in some way about the Church and about the individual person.” Now that’s quite a statement. I can hear you thinking… “now just wait a minute…I’m no immaculate conception!” As you might guess, the truth is in the theological distinctions.   The Feast of the Purification sounds a note at this beginning of Ordinary Time. Our lives as Church and as individuals are one big ongoing purification, if we are honest. We are challenged daily to become more who we really are, and God is relentless… calling us step by step into our becoming that dream God sees so clearly. We are the blind ones. We spend all too much time resisting, and being fearful of where God might be leading.   Enter...

As we enter 2019, we will keep our attention on the focus the community has called us to…the presence we bring as a community of dedicated women and men, and as a vital part of that presence, to purify it from any unconscious stench of racism that might cling to us. To help us reflect on this task, I’m going to tap a treasure. You may have read the apostolic exhortation (which means it’s a kind of   “ cheer-leading” document…!) of Francis called, Rejoice and Exult in English. Its subtitle is “On the Call to Holiness in Today’s World.” Make no mistake, this is much more than a pious-preach. The letter is a solid strategy for authentic discipleship in today’s world, and it fits you and me, whatever our lifestyle. What might it offer to us as a community, as we enter the New Year with a way of being present and anti-racism on our minds? Francis begins by assuring us he has no intention of just giving us definitions of holiness. He will be offering practical suggestions, w...

As the Christmas season ends, we celebrate the Feast of the Purification…a strange feast in a way, because this Lady needs no purification. So why does the Church continue right on with no apologies? Because, says Isaac of Stella, an early abbot, “…whatever we say of this lady we must say in some way about the Church and about the individual person.” Now that’s quite a statement. I can hear you thinking…”…now just wait a minute…I’m no immaculate conception!” As you might guess, the truth is in the theological distinctions.   The Feast of the Purification sounds a note at this beginning of Ordinary Time. Our lives as Church and as individuals are one big ongoing purification if we are honest. We are challenged daily to become more who we really are, and God is relentless…calling us step by step into our becoming that dream God sees so clearly. We are the blind ones. We spend all too much time resisting, and being fearful of where God might be leading. Enter Mary, the woma...

When Advent comes, we say we are preparing for the “coming” of the Lord. But he has already come, right? So, are we just remembering a past event? Or maybe we mean he will be coming back , right? Both of these are true. He has come, and he will indeed be coming back. So then are we remembering a future event? It’s a little like a sandwich. There is the bread on the top and the bread on the bottom, but where’s the “beef?” The Church really is reminding us of three comings, and the most important is the one in the middle…that’s the beef in the sandwich. It’s easy to remember the three with a little diddy: History, Mystery, and Majesty. The coming in History is the surprising revelation that comes “…in the fullness of time.” So why is the time “full?” Because God has been playing a kind of “peek-a-boo” down through the ages. Little by little you are ready to see more of me. First, I create you out of pure love and put you in a garden called earth. Then you mess things up by...

Soon we will be gathering during this Advent time. It is a time of peace, this midnight blue season of waiting. As part of our reflection on the centrality of presence in our focus statement, what might it really mean for us to be persons of peace? What did it mean for the Word to appear among us as a child bringing peace? From the cradle to the cross, I can’t help but think of the Christ as some mysterious lightning deflector. Wherever he went, violence seemed to find him and try to wipe him out. My observation is that he always deflected that violence to the ground. He grounded it so it couldn’t go any further. This got me to thinking about myself as a person of peace. Violence visits us all. It might be the thoughtless remark, the snub, or the critical remark, said to me or by me. This can frazzle me, shattering my peace. What if, like some antenna, I simply grounded it, intentionally refusing to send it on, choosing not to react nor to give myself the satisfaction of s...

Winter is here…with its dreary overcast days, and bone-chilling cold. The weather sometimes reflects the daily news, and we wonder if it can get any darker. Yet the word of God doesn’t seem to notice…or maybe it is more accurate to say the word of God looks beyond the gloom and doom. This is the season when we crave light. We need it physically, because we are getting so little sun, so it’s wise to check our lamps. Replacing old bulbs with full spectrum light bulbs can help avoid SAD, the letters for “seasonal affective disorder.” In other words, the lack of light can make us moody and depressed. Why? Because when we really think of it, we are rock-bottom made of light. Yes, it’s true. Our basic ingredient is light energy taking the form of matter in our DNA and cells. Now that’s a place to start for pondering self-worth! The human Jesus calls himself “The Light of the World.” Then, true to form, he looks at his disciples and says, “You are the light of the world…” He is not...

Time…we have entered 2019. We are all too familiar with “Time flies…” or “I don’t know where the time went!” But here we are, and the New Year is upon us. As people of the Word, what is so amazing to us is that the Eternal One, who has no time constraints, has entered into the very time constraints that you and I struggle with every day. “Not enough time…time on my hands”…whatever your experience, you know what I mean. It can indeed be a struggle. With the incarnation, the Holy One now knows those same constraints. Perhaps this is what the “swaddling bands” tells us. Can’t move…all bound up…dependent…so limited. You can add to the   list. Now why ever would the Eternal Word want to do this? Not only take on this, but freely enter the pace of development in the womb, month by month, day by day…pregnancy can’t be hurried. It takes its time. What this step into hidden time says to me is “I’ve been there…I know how tedious it is just to be human sometimes.” So these days ...