I once lived in a lodge in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, tucked into a lakeside cove. The simple log cabin was lined with windows. On clear days, I could see the trees on the other side of the lake, three miles away. Without going outdoors, I could see how the lake expressed its mood with…
A couple days ago I was waiting for an exam at the eye doctor and listening to a podcast called “The Laughing Mystic.” One of the show hosts, Laura, said, “We spend our early life climbing the ladder of success…Then we find at midlife that our ladder was unfortunately set against the wrong wall.” This…
Recently I dreamed that I changed congregations. As a Franciscan sister (FSPA) who made first vows almost 20 years ago, I have never thought of being in a different order. But that morning, after the dream, I had my regular prayer time. As I prayed and talked to God, suddenly a desire started to take…
This is Part II of a two-part story. Click here to see Part I. The night I missed the pilgrims’ departure to honor the Virgen de Urkupiña, I imagined the procession getting further and further away… So I tried to pull the story of her appearance closer to me, but the various accounts I had…
In mid-August 2017 in Cochabamba, Bolivia, I was nearly finished with Spanish language studies and in no hurry to return home. There was so much I loved about this place: the mountains, always in the distance; “Amiga,” rather than “hey you,” as the standard term of address by strangers; the value placed on a meandering…
Episode 77 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh. Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe: Email | RSS | More You actually have to decide to believe… recognizing that just because you decided doesn’t mean it comes easily, but you have to work at it.” -Br. Cyrus Habib, SJ IN THIS EPISODE In this episode of Messy Jesus Business…
Episode 74 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh. Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe: Email | RSS | More Things are gooey and God is in the goo. And thank God that God is in the goo.” -Sister Susan Francois IN THIS EPISODE In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh FSPA, enjoys a conversation…
Episode 69 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh. Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe: Email | RSS | More IN THIS EPISODE In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh, FSPA, talks with Mary J. Novak, executive director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice in Washington, D.C. Mary shares life experiences that proved her…
Episode 67 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh. Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe: Email | RSS | More IN THIS EPISODE In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh, FSPA, talks with Sister Laura Nettles, the Executive Director of Mission and Social Justice at Viterbo University. Sister Laura shares her vocation story and how…
Soon after I turned 24 last winter, I went on a weekend hermitage. I stayed in a solitary cabin in rural Illinois, remote and full of bare trees, ice, quick, glittery sunsets and freezing temps at a retreat center, run by the Sisters of St. Joseph. My first day there, I spent a long afternoon…
In the glow of the dawn light, I gaze at the green leaves thirsty for a fresh rainfall. I notice the longing of my heart in the quiet, the peace before another overpacked, life-to-the-fullest day. This is the time of year when I tend to reminisce, when my mind wanders back to the ease of…
Season 5, episode 8 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. “There’s an emptiness…there’s a hole we are perpetually trying to fill….and the hole is God.” -Brother Matt Wooters LISTEN HERE: IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh talks with Brother Matt Wooters about how…
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