Woman of the Gospel

Today is the feast of St. Mary Magdalene, one of Jesus' faithful disciples. It was she who stayed at the cross when others ran and who was the first to run after seeing the Risen Jesus proclaiming the Good News....the Gospel message....the foundation of our faith......He is Risen! It is no wonder that this wonderful disciple was chosen to be the patron of the Dominican Order, the Order of Preachers. Each July when this feast comes around, I ponder how blessed I am as a Dominican sister to be connected to Mary Magdalene-the first preacher of the Good News. She proclaimed this Good News to those who were quick to question not ready perhaps to accept it - especially from this source. Yet, she was the instrument God chose to bring the message of our salvation to the world. Her feast reminds us that as Dominicans we are all called-men and women alike-to proclaim the Gospel with our words and especially with our lives. St. Mary Magdalene, pray for us!

Miracles-They Do Exist!

With all that's going on in the world today, I often hear folks say: "Aren't there any miracles in the world any more because we could surely use one!" It's easy to feel this way. If we think about all that's going on - oil spills, earthquakes, wars, tornadoes, institutions that we once trusted and believed in under a cloud of uncertainty, people starving while one athlete or rock star's salary could feed a nation, why wouldn't we question the presence of miracles in our time. Yet, just yesterday, I held a miracle within my arms. Her name is Jasmine Veronica and she was just 4 days old. As I looked down on this miracle of life, it occurred to me that each of us was once that small, unassuming miracle in someone's arms. Yes, each of us is God's miracle sent into this world to bring a unique picture of God's love to humanity. So while it is true that when I look around and see all the things that are plaguing our sisters, brothers and all of God's creation it is easy to say:" aren't there any miracles any more?" but I need not look any further than within myself, to my neighbor or the rising of the sun, to realize that miracles abound each day in many unannounced ways. They come without trumpets blaring or lightening from the sky but in the endless ways that we bring the face of God to each other. Thank you, Jasmine Veronica, for being God's gentle reminder that there are still miracles today!