Carla Mae's Blog

Pope Francis is convinced that prayer can create hope where there is despair. What kind of prayer could do this? I suspect the answer is hidden in a line often found in the day’s Psalm Response: “Offer the Holy One a sacrifice of praise.” Now, what on earth is a “sacrifice” of praise? At first glance, praise doesn’t seem to have anything to do with sacrifice. Praise is exuberant, joyful, right? What kind of sacrifice might add to this praise?  To praise and trust God utterly in the face of the following, I think is a true “sacrifice.” · When I’ve prayed and prayed, and God doesn’t seem to hear · When I pray and things get worse · When it occurs to me that God is not listening · When I decide that I am not worthy to be heard · When I think I must be praying the wrong way · When I keep repeating myself as if God is deaf or needs to be reminded  All of these are my perspectives; they are my point of view. But scripture tells me otherwise: · “Ask, and you shal...

With the Baptism of Jesus, the Light has now been revealed to the Jews. It began with Mary and the angel, expanded to Joseph, then the shepherds, poorest of the poor, who were the first group to learn the Good News. Then comes those foreigners, the Magi. Next, it shines upon the Jews in the Baptism, when Jesus goes public for the first time. Finally, the apostles begin to learn who it is they are following at the wedding of Cana…so John tells us. And then there is us…and there is today. There is the evening News. John is the writer for all of this revealing of the Light into our darkness. He is all about Light , Life , and Love …the three “Ls.” In this first section of Ordinary Time, keep looking in the texts for the Light blinking, the Life springing up in the most surprising places, and the Love gently replacing the cruelty, bigotry, and woundedness of our broken humanity. Watch the evening news carefully. The readings of the small section of Ordinary Time are working fro...

We all know the game. You hide behind a pillow, or a newspaper…then you peek out and let your face be seen…and the little child squeals with delight. The scriptures say it this way: “Show us your face, Lord, and we shall be saved!” We are in the season of the Light, the Christmas/Epiphany season of the Church Year. The Light has come, but these weeks ahead are like a game of Peekaboo. It all began with Mary, who is amazed at the plan. She says, “OK, let it be…” and with these words she echoes the very words of creation in Genesis: “Let there be…Light!” and a new creation begins, growing for nine months in her womb. Then Joseph is brought in…then at the birth, the shepherds; then the Magi, representing all the nations. Next comes the apostles coming into the Light at the Wedding of Cana, and finally to all the Jewish nation at the Baptism of Jesus. Now the Light is out in the open…and as the Church Year flows on, we will see the game turn violent. We will try to rid...

“Hope accepts misunderstandings as the price for serving the greater good of others.”                                                                                                                          --The Christophers We can be duped by false hope, Pope Francis warns us in his reflections on hope. As we begin this New Year, we would do well to put in to practice a well-known Domi...