Carla Mae's Blog

Francis’ Letter, Exult and Rejoice, continues to give us food for thought. His second chapter warns us of two very twisted views that can deform our response to the call to holiness. They are both old familiar heresies. The first is called Gnosticism . In simple terms, it means your smarts will make you holy. A subtle form of superficial conceit, Gnosticism considers its own vision of reality to be perfect. It feeds on itself, and tends to be disembodied. This sad state of mind can be reflected in racism. “I know we are superior to those black people. We’re better educated and disciplined.” There is little awareness that our elitism rests on the backs of those we have kept in poor neighborhoods and schools. Disembodiment keeps “those people” at a distance, we are out of touch with “those others.” The second view that can deform authentic holiness is called Pelagianism . As Gnosticism distorts intelligence, so Pelagianism attacks the human will. It suggests that we can fix o...

As we enter the desert of this year’s Lent, many of us feel powerless and discouraged. This is a time ripe for God to be God. When we are weak we are strong. I suggest we make use of these times to spend Lent in a somewhat different way to keep the darkness from winning. Prayer:   Rather than add extra “prayers” to your Lenten days, set aside time, maybe ten minutes, to just let God look at you. This is more difficult than you think. You do nothing…except look at God looking. You will feel helpless. You need to feel helpless because you are helpless. You will be teaching yourself to trust totally in God. Then make it a practice all day long, as you fold the laundry, wait at a red light, push the shopping cart down the aisle…to gently go back to that gaze. Intentionally go in and out all day. You will be training your consciousness to gradually develop the ability to “pray always.” Fasting :   If you have been told you are overweight or obese, don’t change your diet b...

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...