Carla Mae's Blog

“They will study…they will need no other penance.” -      Statement attributed to St. Dominic When the white light of our charism of preaching a just word shows its colors, we speak of common life, common prayer, study, and   mission/ministry. Study is the characteristic that marks our difference among other religious orders. Other orders study when it is helpful. Dominicans study because it is constitutive to their identity. Ask religious orders who they are, and they answer, “We are vowed persons who live community by common life, common prayer, and a common mission.” (The Benedictines might add “stability in monastic life,” and the Jesuits, “faithfulness to the Holy See”) But that’s not how a Dominican will answer. The Dominican man or woman answers, “We are vowed persons who live community by common life, common prayer, common study , and common mission.” So how do we study together ? We understand this pillar of our identity to exempt no one ...

“Think of yourself as a tree…”        Words of God to Catherine of Siena             Carla Mae Streeter, OP The full quotation is “So think of yourself as a tree made for love and living only by love… There is a circle in which this tree’s root, your love, must grow. That circle is true knowledge of yourself, knowledge that is joined to me, God, who like the circle have neither beginning nor end. You can go round and round with in this circle, finding neither end nor beginning, yet never leaving the circle…”     Dialogue 10 It is autumn, and the trees are revealing much to us if we have eyes to see. The Church, the Wisdom Woman, is looking for fruit. Yes, a fruitful tree speaks of rich growth, of fertility. Where does this fruit come from? What feeds it? The tree that is myself is fed by the fruit of another tree, the tree of the cross, which blossoms into resurrection...

The Spirit-Light that is the Dominican charism reveals beautiful hues like the rainbow. Also called the “pillars” of Dominican life, these mainstays are Common Life, Common Prayer, Study, and Mission/Ministry. We’ve reflected briefly on the vows which set the context for the charism, and on Common Life as a “Widening of the Tent.” What may be a new way to understand Common Prayer as we move forward in time? Common Prayer has always meant that praying with others is a part of our Dominican life. Usually it meant the Liturgy of the Hours and the Eucharist. The importance of this “praying together” can be demonstrated with a simple image. Light a candle. Then invite five others to light a candle too. Your candlelight is piercing the darkness, but the power and beauty of the gathered light is even more beautiful to see. “Where two or more are gathered, there am I…” But in our times the “others” has suddenly become part of the “Widening of our Tent.” So who are these “other...

“By Their Fruits You Will Know Them…” W e are now in the final ten weeks of ordinary time. It is the time when the Church looks for the harvest, the fruits of the birth, death, resurrection of her Beloved, and the rich and powerful results of his life-giving Spirit among us. So what fruits are being fostered? Will we spot them as the liturgy highlights them? In September the summer begins to cool down. The liturgy cools us down too…focusing our eyes on the real struggle that brings forth new life. This month offers us no less than four feasts of the Mother of God, first of the believers. She shines before us in her birth (Sept. 8), her holy name (Sept. 12), her sorrows (Sept. 15), and a more hidden ancient feast, Our Lady of Ransom (Sept. 24). Then we are given the powerful feast of the Holy Cross (Sept 14), a remembrance of the Korean martyrs (Sept. 20), the Japanese martyrs (Sept. 28), and finally the Feast of the Angels (Sept. 29). This is ...

As Dominicans, we are flexible indeed. We move like dancers taught by a founder who chose white for the color of the religious habit for his Order, symbol of grace, light, and the baptismal garment. Dominic is also the Doctor of Truth. But what is Truth? (We sound like Pilate!) First and most important, for the Dominican, Truth is a person, not a proposition. Truth is not a statement of belief about God, about Jesus. It is far more. We are referring to the One who is Truth itself, the fullness of Truth. Once we realize our Dominican life isall about a relationship with a person, then we can ask again, “Risen Lord, what are you the Truth about? Let’s take it step by step… Truth is the real…as known by the mind. Now what is real is real, whether we know it or not. But when we do know it, it gets inside us. We are bonded with it. Our mind is bonded with it. When we come to know this One who is the fullness of Truth, then we are in him, and he is in us. So John is spot-on in putting the...

In the world of fake news and compromised truth, how do we sift through the pseudo-world that surrounds us? As one example, integrative medicine is expanding by leaps and bounds beyond the American Medical Association model in its discoveries. We welcome the return to health solutions that are natural and an alternative to prescriptions and/or surgery. We’re looking for the authentic, for the really real, and it’s not Coca Cola! To being with, we need a way to sift through data, and if Lonergan is right, we have a consciousness made to do just that. So let’s stick to our integrative medicine example to explore how we can really be real. Physically, the human person needs to consider three areas in seeking health. First, the structure of the human person, second the brain and nerve extensions, and third, the chemistry of the body’s hormones, enzymes, vitamins and minerals. If the bone structure is out of alignment, then the nerves and brain are affected. To use drugs alon...