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Nadie me quita la vida, sino que yo mismo la doy por mi propia voluntad”. Desde cierta perspectiva, parecería que la crucifixión y muerte de Jesús fue una tragedia espantosa, que tal vez podría haberse evitado. Sin embargo, varias veces durante Su ministerio público, Jesús indicó que Su pasión y muerte eran algo que Él aceptaría libremente. El Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica afirma: “Al abrazar en Su corazón humano el amor del Padre por la humanidad, hace que Jesús les ame hasta el extremo”, porque “nadie tiene mayor amor que aquel que entrega su vida por sus amigos”. 

Most Reverend Wm. Michael Mulvey, STL, DD discusses how —Jesus is present in the Word of God.

In the section, "Jesus Says," Father Brady Williams, SOLT, touches on one of the fundamental paradoxes of Christianity.

Existe una tradición en Roma durante la temporada navideña, en donde la gente acostumbra  hacer un recorrido, una  “peregrinación” y visitar las parroquias locales de la ciudad, para ver las diversas escenas del nacimiento del niño Dios o  belenes. Muchos de ellos tienen un elaborado diorama con luces parpadeantes, figuras animadas, complementados con arcos y columnas antiguas que parecen desmoronarse y le dan un sabor romano único. Se destacan muy especialmente, los pastores con sus ovejas porque ellos fueron los primeros en acudir a adorar al Señor en Belén. Ya sea que contemplemos el belén más sencillo o el más elaborado esta Navidad, nos invita a hacer un viaje con los pastores.

In the section “Woman of Strength,” Sister Annette Wagner reflects on the strength of Mary, the mother of Jesus, whose life experiences are depicted in Scripture snapshots, focusing on significant moments of her life.

In our mid-summer weekday Masses, we read a series of parables from the Gospel of St. Matthew. These stories were perfect for summer with their portrayal of Jesus and his disciples by the sea and their images of farmers laboring in their fields.

In my vocation as a Little Sister of the Poor, I am involved in several aspects of our mission of hospitality to the elderly. One of my favorite things is organizing creative activities for our residents, so I’m always looking for new art projects they might enjoy.

My mother, a 1920’s Great Depression survivor, Maria L Mendez Hernandez, died on August 31, 2020. When she died, the family went through the task of making arrangements for a public rosary (a must despite the coronavirus limitations). A Mass was celebrated at Corpus Christi Cathedral, a church she and my dad attended since the 1950s.

Nothing speaks of spring more than blossoms in March and April.

This month, we Little Sisters and our Residents and staff will observe two major COVID milestones. On March 11 we will have been in lockdown for a full year and on March 19 we will finish the vaccination process at our residence in Washington, DC, with a compliance rate of nearly 100 percent among those who live and work here. 

One of my favorite expressions has taken on new meaning during the COVID pandemic: “There’s a silver lining to every cloud that sails about the heavens if only we could see it.” 

Thank God we’ve finally left 2020 behind! We’ve entered a new year with great hopes for better times, along with a little trepidation. For many of us, V-day – when we roll up our sleeves and get vaccinated – will likely be the biggest event of 2021.

Christmas is going to be different this year. It will be a somber and perhaps mournful season, for those suffering from the multiple effects of the pandemic. For many of us, however, this could be our best Christmas ever. We have every reason to skip the frantic shopping and awkward gatherings that cause us stress during the Christmas season. 

Touching is a deeply intimate act. Physically touching someone implies a certain objective: “I want to get closer to you.” Touching transmits a kind of warmth from one person to another. The touch of one person to another suggests a certain level of trust and confidence in the other. It also implies a vulnerability in those who are touching.

In the midst of our other burdens, we will also experience the effects of Tropical Storm Hanna this weekend.

In a world where we see wars being played out on the evening news, threats of terrorism both foreign and domestic, and where the faithful are challenged and vilified by a secular society, the message of Fatima is still relevant today. Increasingly we live in a society that does not know God or that keeps him at arm’s length. 

Catholics, through tradition, around the world, have dedicated the month of May to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This singular devotion awakens hearts to Mary as the first disciple, the first to love the precious savior, and the first to lead people to Jesus.

Many of us may feel a sense of deprivation and separation, without a community. Empty pews remind us there’s not much to do, but we should see this as a time of retreat – of getting away from all the noise of this world.

The last two months have been very difficult, to say the least. For some of you, your livelihoods have been shaken, and your faith tested. The impact of the Coronavirus has spread terror across the world, bringing illness and death.  In the midst of this pandemic, however, the Paschal Mystery recently celebrated at Easter assures us that neither anguish nor death will have the last word. “Who can separate us from the Love of God…” (Rom 8:35-39).

During February my thoughts turn to two of my favorite biblical figures, Simeon and Anna. Simeon is described in St. Luke’s Gospel simply as “a man in Jerusalem” and Anna as an 84-year-old “prophetess.” These two elders greet Mary and Joseph as they bring their newborn infant to the Temple in Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. We celebrate this moment in Jesus’ life, referred to as the Presentation in the Temple, on Feb. 2.