When I was in discernment for religious life, I was struggling as I was facing challenges I didn’t know existed. So, I took a prayer day at a local nature preserve. I walked the path and found a lovely clearing and decided to lay down and look up at the beautiful sky. The clouds were puffy and white and the leaves were turning their Fall colors. As I closed my eyes listening to the sounds around me I felt and heard a scratching on my sleeve. I looked over and it was a caterpillar walking across my arm. I gently removed the caterpillar and placed it back in the grass and went back to my meditation. Once again I felt and heard the scratching – the caterpillar was once again trying to crawl up over me and once again I gently put it back in the grass from where it came. As I entered back into my quiet prayer, yep, once again the caterpillar made it all the way up my sleeve heading toward my chest. Then it dawned on me that the caterpillar was trying to get across to the other side of me. So this time, I gently put it on the other side of me and watched as the caterpillar continued its happy trek across the grass to the trees. I was struck by the perseverance of this little critter who was determined to get to where it needed to go. What a powerful lesson to me, if this caterpillar could face such a huge obstacle as a human body with determination to get up and over, trusting they would be successful no matter how many tries it took. By placing my trust in God, I could face any obstacle in my journey to answer the call to religious life. What is your caterpillar saying to you?

Blessings,
Sister Mary Jones, OP

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Una Lección de la Naturaleza

Cuando estaba en discernimiento para la vida religiosa, estaba luchando porque enfrentaba desafíos que no sabía que existían. Así que, tomé un día de oración en una reserva natural local. Caminé por el sendero y encontré un hermoso espacio y decidí acostarme y mirar hacia el hermoso cielo. Las nubes estaban hinchadas y blancas y las hojas estaban cambiando a sus colores otoñales. Mientras cerraba mis ojos escuchando los sonidos a mi alrededor, sentí y escuché un rasguño en mi manga. Miré hacia arriba y era una oruga caminando por mi brazo. Retiré suavemente la oruga y la volví a colocar en la hierba y volví a mi meditación. Una vez más sentí y escuché el rasguño: la oruga estaba una vez más tratando de arrastrarse sobre mí y una vez más la puse suavemente en la hierba de donde vino. Cuando volví a entrar en mi oración tranquila, así es, una vez más, la oruga subió hasta mi manga y se dirigió hacia mi pecho. En ese momento me di cuenta de que la oruga estaba tratando de pasar al otro lado de mí. Así que esta vez, la puse suavemente al otro lado de mí y observé cómo la oruga continuaba su feliz viaje por la hierba hacia los árboles. Me impresionó la perseverancia de esta pequeña criatura que estaba decidida a llegar a donde tenía que ir. Qué lección poderosa para mí, si esta oruga pudiera enfrentar un obstáculo tan grande como un cuerpo humano con determinación para levantarse y pasar por encima, confiando en que tendría éxito sin importar cuántos intentos tomara. Al poner mi confianza en Dios, podía enfrentar cualquier obstáculo en mi camino para responder al llamado a la vida religiosa. ¿Qué le dice su oruga?

Bendiciones,
Hermana Mary Jones, OP

This blog post was originally published in September 2021.

Study is an important part of Dominican life and has been ever since the beginning when the early Dominicans realized that study was necessary in order to preach the Word of God effectively. Dominicans use study as a discernment tool as well, as we study current events so that we can hear where God is calling us to the needs of the world. Study is also an important part of our own discernment, whether we are first looking at a congregation, a new ministry, or making any other changes to our life. Study gives us the information we need in order to make an informed choice, and we can then take that information we have learned into discussion with God as our discernment deepens. 
I invite you to consider these questions for your own discernment:

1.    What information do I need to make a particular decision?
2.    Where can I get the information that I need?
3.    Is there someone who can give me the information that I need, including informing me about information that I did not realize I needed?
4.    Once I have the information I need, what steps will I take so that I can bring the matter to prayer?

If you want to learn more about the importance of study for Dominicans, I encourage you to check out this video: Preach with Your Life: Study. 

Blessings,
Sister Katherine

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Obteniendo Todos los Datos 

El estudio es una parte importante de la vida Domínica y lo ha sido desde el principio, cuando los primeros Domínicos se dieron cuenta de que el estudio era necesario para predicar la Palabra de Dios eficázmente. Las Domínicas también usan el estudio como una herramienta de discernimiento, mientras estudiamos los eventos actuales para que podamos escuchar dónde Dios nos está llamando a las necesidades del mundo. El estudio también es una parte importante de nuestro propio discernimiento, ya sea que estemos mirando primero a una congregación, un nuevo ministerio o haciendo cualquier otro cambio en nuestra vida. El estudio nos da la información que necesitamos para tomar una decisión informada, y luego podemos llevar esa información que hemos aprendido a una discusión con Dios a medida que nuestro discernimiento se profundiza.
La invito a considerar estas preguntas para su propio discernimiento:

    1.    ¿Qué información necesito para hacer una decisión?
    2.    ¿De dónde puedo obtener la información que necesito?
    3.    ¿Hay alguien que pueda darme la información que necesito, incluso informarme sobre información que no sabía que necesitaba?
    4.    Una vez que tenga la información que necesito, ¿Qué pasos tomaré para poder llevar el asunto a la oración?

Si quiere aprender más sobre la importancia del estudio para las Domínicas, la animo a que vea este video: Predique Con Suy Vida: Estudie.  

Bendiciones,



Hermana Katherine

Shared blog from September 2021.

Lately, I have been reflecting about the saying, “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good,” and how it relates to discernment. One of the stumbling blocks I, and many others, have run into in discernment is that we fall into the trap of believing that because we are not perfect, or our discernment is not perfect, that the process must therefore be broken. The trap is that we then become stuck in our discernment, unable to move forward. Only God is perfect, and, although God accompanies us throughout discernment, we ourselves are imperfect beings. How then can we move forward so that we can unstick ourselves? The answer is that we trust when something is good enough, not as a matter of settling for something lesser, but in seizing what is good in front of us. We put this principle into practice we eat a piece of cake that has fallen apart, because, even though the cake is no longer a perfect slice, the cake is still delicious and worth eating! By shifting our framework to doing enough, we no longer have to hold ourselves to standards that we could never meet, but instead begin to focus on how we are being as present as we can where we are. 

If you want to relate to struggling with feelings of perfection, I encourage you to watch this video: DISCO: What If I Don't Feel Worthy of Religious Life?

Blessings,
Sister Katherine

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Pasando de la Perfección al Presente

Últimamente, he estado reflexionando sobre el dicho: "No dejes que lo perfecto sea enemigo de lo bueno", y cómo se relaciona con el discernimiento. Uno de los tropiezos con los que yo, y muchos otros, nos hemos encontrado en el discernimiento es que caemos en la trampa de creer que, debido a que no somos perfectas, o nuestro discernimiento no es perfecto, que el proceso debe estar roto. La trampa es que luego nos quedamos atrapados en nuestro discernimiento, incapaces de seguir adelante. Solo Dios es perfecto y, aunque Dios nos acompaña en todo el discernimiento, nosotros mismos somos seres imperfectos. Entonces, ¿cómo podemos avanzar para poder despegarnos? La respuesta es que confiamos cuando algo es lo suficientemente bueno, no como una cuestión de conformarnos con algo menos, sino para apoderarse de lo que es bueno frente a nosotras. Ponemos en práctica este principio cuando comemos un trozo de pastel que se ha desmoronado, porque, aunque el pastel ya no es un trozo perfecto, ¡el pastel sigue siendo delicioso y vale la pena comerlo! Al cambiar nuestra forma de pensar para hacer lo suficiente, ya no tenemos que aferrarnos a estándares que nunca podríamos alcanzar, sino que comenzamos a enfocarnos en que estemos tan presentes como podamos donde estemos.

Si quiere identificarse con luchar con sentimientos de perfección, la animo a que vea este video: DISCO: ¿Qué pasa si no me siento digno de la vida religiosa?

Bendiciones,
Hermana Katherine

The great feast of the Body of Christ, celebrated last Sunday, reminded me how often Jesus gathered with people around meals. It appears to be one of his favorite reasons to gather. Meals with our favorite dishes offer all of us a time to spend with others, to have meaningful – or not - conversations and to be grateful that we have a community with which to gather.

Lingering after a meal provides my community with time to share how each of our days unfolded and to often bring up funny stories or some issues we may have read about or heard in the news that day. Taking time out of our busy lives to think through how we understand the state of the world and Church has meaning. Conversation about these things encourages us to keep pondering them, perhaps to study them more deeply and to recognize how God cares and may be acting on the same issues we care about.

One of the benefits of living in community with others allows us to engage with issues of importance and issues that may have within them a call for me – and us together - to respond. If you’re curious about how Dominicans approach issues, we are having a time to “Learn, Pray, Share and Celebrate” from August 7-8, 2023. You are welcome to register for it:  Click here. We promise shared meals too, so those conversations can happen.

Blessings as you are nourished at each table,
 
Sister Tarianne

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La Mesa Común

La gran fiesta del Cuerpo de Cristo, celebrada el domingo pasado, me recordó con qué frecuencia Jesús se reunía con la gente alrededor de las comidas. Parece ser una de sus razones favoritas para reunirse. Las comidas de nuestros platos favoritos nos ofrecen a todos un tiempo para pasar con los demás, tener conversaciones significativas - o no - y de ser  agradecidas de tener una comunidad con la que reunirnos.

Demorarnos después de una comida le brinda a mi comunidad tiempo para compartir cómo se desarrolló cada uno de nuestros días y, a muchas veces, mencionar historias divertidas o algunos problemas sobre los que podemos haber leído o escuchado en las noticias ese día. Tomar el tiempo de nuestras ocupadas vidas para pensar en cómo entendemos el estado del mundo y la Iglesia tiene significado. La conversación sobre estas cosas nos anima a seguir reflexionando sobre ellas, tal vez para estudiarlas más profundamente y reconocer cómo Dios se preocupa y puede estar actuando sobre los mismos problemas que nos preocupan a nosotras.

Uno de los beneficios de vivir en comunidad con otras nos permite involucrarnos en asuntos de importancia y asuntos que pueden tener dentro de ellos un llamado para que yo - y nosotras juntas, respondamos. Si tiene curiosidad acerca de cómo las Domínicas abordan los 

problemas, tendremos un tiempo para "Aprender, Orar, Compartir y Celebrar" del 7 al 8 de agosto de 2023. La invitamos a registrarse: Haga clic aquí. Prometemos comidas compartidas también para que esas conversaciones puedan suceder.

Bendiciones mientras se nutre en cada mesa,

Hermana Tarianne

This past Sunday, we celebrated the feast of Pentecost, a most beautiful feast. This is a day when we commemorate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, the first followers of Jesus.

Within our Congregation, the Dominican Sisters of Adrian, we have had the practice on Pentecost Sunday, of drawing a “flame” (a red colored paper with the name of one of the seven “gifts” of the Holy Spirit written upon it – wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord). It is a lovely practice, despite the fact that on occasion a sister might be disappointed that she has selected a gift she did not want e.g., fortitude. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, fortitude means “courage over a long period.” In our past, it was suggested that the gift might be one that we might need, not one that we might have hoped to have received.

I would like to suggest that this week, during this season of Pentecost, you pray that the Holy Spirit grant you the “gift” that you most need. Let us pray with, and for one another. Let us pray that God grant each of us the “gift” that will assist us in living faithful and loving lives. 

Peace and blessings,
Sr. Maribeth

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Bendiciones de Pentecostés

El pasado domingo celebramos la fiesta de Pentecostés, una fiesta hermosísima. Este es un día en el que conmemoramos la venida del Espíritu Santo sobre los apóstoles, los primeros seguidores de Jesús.

Dentro de nuestra Congregación, las Hermanas Domínicas de Adrián, hemos tenido la práctica el Domingo de Pentecostés, de dibujar una “llama” (un papel de color rojo con el nombre de uno de los siete “dones” del Espíritu Santo escrito en él – sabiduría , entendimiento, consejo, fortaleza, conocimiento, piedad y temor del Señor). Es una práctica hermosa, a pesar del hecho de que, en ocasiones, una hermana puede sentirse decepcionada por haber seleccionado un don que no deseaba, por ejemplo, la fortaleza. Según el Diccionario de Cambridge, fortaleza significa “valor durante un largo período”. En el pasado, se sugirió que el don podría ser uno que podríamos necesitar, no uno que tal vez teniamos la esperanza de haber recibido.

Me gustaría sugerir que esta semana, durante esta temporada de Pentecostés, oren para que el Espíritu Santo les conceda el “don” que más necesiten. Oremos con y por las demás. Oremos para que Dios nos conceda a cada una de nosotras el “regalo” que nos ayudará a vivir una vida fiel y amorosa.

Paz y bendiciones,
Hermana Maribeth
 

"Stained-glass Windows" by Leland Francisco | Flickr CC by 2.0

An ongoing friendship with God requires our choice to be receptive to God’s hidden closeness in our lives. Auburn Sandstrom told her own true story of openness to the grace of God at The Moth, an organization dedicated to the art of storytelling. In 1992 Auburn was 29, the mother of a three-year-old son, caught in an abusive marriage and an addict. One night she hit rock bottom. She was writhing in pain on the floor of her filthy apartment wrestling with withdrawal from a drug she had been addicted to for several years. In her hand, she gripped a small piece of paper with a phone number on it of a Christian counselor her mother had given her in one of those rare moments of interaction. Finally, in total despair, she called the number. It rang. A man answered.

“Hi, I got this number from my mother. Do you think I could talk to you?”

The man hesitated, “Well, okay, what’s going on?”

For the first time, Auburn poured out her story. She told him that she was hurting, that her marriage was abusive and that she had a drug problem, that she was terrified. The man didn’t judge. He just sat with her and listened. Auburn was encouraged by his empathy and kindness. It was two in the morning. The man stayed up the whole night with Auburn, just talking, listening and being there until sunrise. By morning she had calmed down. The raw panic had passed. She was feeling stable.

She felt thankful, “Hey, I really appreciate what you’ve done for me tonight. Aren’t you supposed to be telling me to read some Bible verses or something? Because that’d be cool, I’ll do it, you know. It’s okay.

He laughed and said, “Well, I’m glad this was helpful to you.”

“No, really. You’re very good at this. You’ve helped me a lot. How long have you been a Christian Counselor?”

There was a long pause at the other end of the line. “Auburn, please don’t hang up.

I’ve been trying not to bring this up.”

“What?”

“I’m so afraid to tell you this. But the number you called…” He paused again. “You got the wrong number.”

Auburn didn’t hang up. They talked a little longer. Auburn never got his name or called him back. She survived the night. She’s now a successful writer and teacher; she raised her little boy alone to become a wonderful athlete and scholar who graduated from Princeton. She concludes her story of that night.

“…the next day I felt this kind of joy, like I was shining. I think I’ve heard them call it ‘the peace that passes understanding.’ I had gotten to see that there was this completely random love in the universe. That it could be unconditional. And that some of it was for me…In the deepest, blackest night of despair, if you can get just one pinhole of light…all the grace comes rushing in.”*

What has been your “pinhole of light” where grace came rushing in?

Blessings,

Sister Sara

*Story found in Connections, June, 2017, 1-2.