Charity Reflections
Spiritual reflections by Sisters and Associates
Time and Eternity
Time shall be no more. Eternity reigns. An eternity of endless days, endless ages — time, division of time no more. My God how awful (awe inspiring) this thought. All I know is there will be no more of such time as is now my own. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (CW IIIa, 508)...
March 22, 2020 – Fourth Sunday of Lent
Readings: 1 Samuel 16:1-13A; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41 What do we see, and what do we refuse to see? Like the Pharisees in today’s Gospel, we often don’t see what contradicts our preconceived notions, our prejudices, and our limited experiences. Jesus...
Charity Wisdom at a Time of Shared Crisis
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Acting well our part in present difficulties is the only way to insure the peace of futurity. As Sisters of Charity we should fear nothing. It would be ungrateful in me after all our God has done for me and mine to be discouraged now,...
March 15, 2020 — Third Sunday of Lent
Readings: Exodus 17: 3–7; Psalm 95; Romans 5: 1–2, 5-8; John 4: 5–42 In today’s gospel, Jesus promises to give us living water. For one Samaritan woman this gift changed her life. On that memorable day, dawn broke holding no expectations, promising only another...
March 8, 2020 — Second Sunday of Lent
Readings: Genesis 12: 1–4a; Psalm 33; 2 Timothy 1: 8B–10; Matthew 17: 1–9 Lent is a time of preparation through prayer and fasting and opportunities to receive God’s many graces through both ordinary and extraordinary moments. We may encounter God in the ordinariness...
Charity Wisdom — Lent 2020
Lent (February–April, 2020) Lent invites us to clear the blockages within and among us, to come closer to Christ who alone can change our hearts and minds. From centuries ago, the words of Saints Elizabeth Ann Seton, Vincent de Paul, and Louise de Marillac still...
February 26, 2020 — Ash Wednesday & March 1, 2020 — First Sunday of Lent
Readings: Ash Wednesday: Joel 2:12-18; Psalm 51; 2 Corinthians 5:20- 6:2; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 March 1: Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7; Psalm 51; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11 “Even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart.” Joel 2:12a Even now? So late in...
Sunday, February 2, 2020 — Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
Readings: Malachi 3:1–4; Psalm 24; Hebrews 2: 14–18; Luke 2:22–40 This feast beckons us to join the company of light-seekers and light-bearers. It surrounds us with wisdom born of decades of waiting, hope honed and fidelity tested over generations, promises kept,...
January 19 & 26, 2020 — Second and Third Sundays in Ordinary Time
From the wonder of Christmas and the majesty of Epiphany, our energy (and the Church’s, too) now shifts. We’ve knelt with shepherds and sages, mesmerized by the sight of God-with-us as a helpless child. We’ve heard how this child of peace strikes terror in the hearts...
January 5, 2020 – The Epiphany of the Lord
Readings: Isaiah 60:1-6, Psalms 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13, Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6, Matthew 2:1-12 O God who on this day revealed your only begotten son to the nations by the guidance of a star, grant in your mercy that we, who know you already by...