Reflections – Contemplatio

Feast of St. Catherine of Siena
“Although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, you have revealed them to the childlike.” These opening words from today’s Gospel caught my attention…. the childlike. That’s childlike, not childish-two very different ways of being for sure. Catherine, I believe, was childlike. She was a woman whose childlike qualities served her […]

Feast of St. Mark, the Evangelist
How often do we hear the very familiar words announcing the Gospel according to Mark? Mark’s Gospel was probably written between 65-70 CE and provided both Matthew and Luke with sources for their Gospels. Do we ever wonder who Mark was and how tradition arrived at his designation as an Evangelist? Other Gospels are attributed […]

Happy Earth Day!
I commute to work via the Palisades Parkway (aka the Indianapolis 500 of NY State). The ride never fails to get my heart racing, test my automotive skills, and have me thank God that I have made it through another commute and lived to see another day. Curiously, at one point about a month ago, […]

Sent Forth in Love
“Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him. 11 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, […]

The Testament
Sister Lillian McNamara shares a Good Friday prayer and image from Saugerties. We thank her for this beautiful meditation from the foot of the cross.

Holy Thursday – Stay With Me
Wash one another’s feet. After Supper Jesus and his disciples walked to the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus said to them: “The sorrow in my heart is so great that it almost crushes me. Stay here and keep watch with me.” (Matthew 26:38) Jesus asks his disciples for the simple gift of their presence, their accompaniment. […]

Walking the Way of the Cross
Holy Week Reflection: Walking the Way of the Cross by David L. Coppola. First Published in Living With Christ, 2017.

Poetry for the Soul, 2023
We invite you to see through the creative eyes of our poets! Poem by Sister Joan Dolores Willemse (d.1969)

Palm Sunday 2023
Passion (Palm) Sunday is the day on which we celebrate and remember Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem on a donkey. He was honored as a king while palm branches and olive branches were waved before him. The crowds were excited and shouted, “Hosanna!” How did we learn about this procession? Some research on the web […]

Feast of the Annunciation
Reflections on the Annunciation by Pauline Blandina, OP Mary, daughter of Anne and Joachim, was going about her daily routine when she became aware of a presence and of a request that was being made of her. Did she realize that this request through the Angel Gabriel was from God the Father? Certainly, she was […]