To Listen to the Trees: A Review of “The Overstory”
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To Listen to the Trees: A Review of “The Overstory”

When I was in first grade, I made a stapled-together picture book about the pear tree in our yard called “My Friend the Tree.” I drew her in each of the four seasons with me, a smiling face attached to legs, right alongside her. I sensed that before I knew how to talk about it…

How Spiritual Direction helps with discernment
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How Spiritual Direction helps with discernment

Before I could drive a car, before I earned a diploma, I began asking the big question: “What should I do with my life?” The question stormed in my heart and head right along with its companions — confusion, discontentment, restlessness and, at times, agony. I really didn’t know what to do with all my…

Sorrow and Joy during the Black Lives Matter movement
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Sorrow and Joy during the Black Lives Matter movement

In the June burst of green and sunshine, I am taking a bike ride through the historically black neighborhood where I live in Chicago. Along the way, I encounter a heron and a flock of geese; I see wrappers and plastic bags littering the sidewalks, discarded in the gutters. I smell freshly-cut grass and wave…

God as border crosser

God as border crosser

In episode two, Sister Julia speaks with guest Sister Mary Perez OP about the network of women religious under age 50 that they both belong to called Giving Voice, what it means that God is a border crosser, how Christians are called to engage in inter-religious relationships and why listening is an essential part of discipleship.

The Goodness of Gray, the Holy Innocents, and the Kairos (Time) of God

The Goodness of Gray, the Holy Innocents, and the Kairos (Time) of God

It’s a gray day, one of those types where the clouds hang heavy and seem to block out all sunlight. Inside a cozy lamp-lit room, I am sitting in a circle of ministers training to be spiritual directors and practicing the art of listening. Around the circle, person after person tells a story from their…