Emmanuel, God-with-us, by wedding the divine nature to a human nature, is born in time. A baby is born to die; the king will reign from the cross; the Savior destroys death by dying on the cross. His conception and birth herald the dawning of our redemption. His...
In this time with so many difficult things happening, the pandemic, financial instability, political conflict, and wars, many people are asking if these are the end times. In many ways, there will be conflict and peace will not be finally established until the coming...
What is common about the saints in heaven and the souls in purgatory? They will share the heavenly homeland. Yes, while the saints live seeing God face to face, those in purgatory (the Church Suffering) are destined for this glory and blessedness. Those in...
"Give me a free hand;" this is the reported response that Jesus gave to Saint Margaret Mary when she asked, "What must I do?"[i] This is how saints are made. For it is of His fullness, we have received grace upon grace.[ii] For each of us there are but two options...
Our current situation leaves no one indifferent or unaffected. Some are very afraid of infection, others are worried about their jobs and simple survival, while others lay sick in a COVID ward or are about to die. My name is Sr. Magdalena Marie, R.S.M., and I am a...
In September, the Church celebrates tremendous feast days. We turn our attention to the Triumph of the Cross and Our Lady of Sorrows. St. Bernard writes beautifully of the power of the contemplation of the wounds of the Lord; it is through these wounds and the...
Mother Catherine McAuley understood the need for kindness particularly in the care of the sick and the poor. She reminded her Sisters that “there are things which the poor prize more highly than gold, though they cost the donor nothing; among these are the kind word,...
See the 60th anniversary edition of Presence Magazine of the Saint Francis Health System in Tulsa, OK, where our Sisters serve. 2020 also marked the 20th anniversary for the Religious Sisters of Mercy at Saint Francis. It’s 5:00 a.m. The sun has yet to wake and crest...
In the wake the recent commemoration of National Infertility Awareness Week (April 18-24th, 2021), I was introduced to the film documentary, Hush (2017), which is a deep dive into the controversies surrounding the possible links between induced abortion and future...
When we think about the gift of creation, we ought to remember that God has given us dominion over the earth to care for it, and creation is His gift to us. Indeed, He nourishes us through His creation. We take our sustenance from the earth. It is one of the...