By Robert H. Mace, Jr., Th.M.

What is of greatest need in a culture obsessed with greed and power, lust for wealth and domination, is a spirituality of emptiness; a spirituality which focuses on the poverty, powerlessness, and neediness of what it means to be authentically human before God. What is needed is a spirituality which relinquishes control and as enfleshed by Jesus Christ and his self-emptying at the Cross. The Gospel Mysticism of Ruth Burrows, by Michelle Jones (Washington, D.C.: ICS Publications, 2018), is a study of the spirituality of Ruth Burrows (a/k/a Sister Rachel Gregory O.C.D.), a British Carmelite nun who has a talent for living into complex spiritual concepts and presenting them in their fundamental simplicity. Hers is a spirituality of poverty and complete trust in God whose most perfect expression is in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. There is a compelling quote from this book that I have been pondering for some time now: ...

Read more

by Sr. Chiara Marie Stimpfle

The Truth Will Set You Free “May love be in your glance; love in your dealings with the children. Show love in praise, love in reprimand, love in punishment.” (Blessed Pauline von Mallinckrodt, Retreat 1847) “Sister, may we talk with you?” I looked at the two boys with slight surprise; they were not my usual students who asked for my intervention in challenges from recess. “Of course,” I replied. “Let’s meet in the hallway.” Once there, they told me the story of how their classmate, Caroline, had played roughly with them. She had pushed one of them and had ripped a hole in the other’s jacket. “Thank you, boys, for telling me,” I said with an inward sigh. “I will speak with Caroline.”
Thoughts from this morning’s meditation came to mind as I called Caroline into the hallway. Firmness and consistency in discipline had never been my strengths; nevertheless, Jesus had made it clear to me this morning that He could manifest His presence through me in the form of Truth, the Truth that will set others free by letting them learn from the consequences of their decisions. I asked that His presence of Truth take over as I prepared myself for my conversation with Caroline, the roughhousing student.

It all began with a few conversations that Father John Hoke, pastor of St. Joseph parish in Milton, PA had with the sisters at Holy Family Convent in Danville, PA. Due to the sisters’ move to the new Motherhouse in Mendham, NJ multiple statues were up for grabs including the Corpus of Christ from the crucifix in their private cemetery.  Needless to say, after being outdoors for over fifty years it was in dire need of repair. With the help of parishioners Doug Bertanzetti who repaired the Corpus, and Patrick Shaw who welded the cross, new life was return to the beautiful statue. Jim Seksinsky was instrumental in the engineering of this beautiful addition to their cemetery. They used a lift to hoist the 160-pound cross into position. The final touch was the solar light that illuminates the Crucifix at night. Now, there is no doubt that you are entering a Catholic Cemetery. Source: Sister Laura Berryman, SCC