Come to the Table

Dear Friends,

We think about tables around Thanksgiving time. This year, whether we eat at a crowded table or at work or all alone, let us name our past meal companions. Reach back to the tables of your past. Set places for past hosts and guests. Remember that everything happens at the table.  

Here is a poem by Joy Harjo, our first Native American poet laureate.

The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what, we must eat to live.

The gifts of earth are brought and prepared, set on the table. So it has been since creation, and it will go on.

We chase chickens or dogs away from it. Babies teethe at the corners. They scrape their knees under it.

It is here that children are given instructions on what it means to be human. We make men at it, we make women.

At this table we gossip, recall enemies and the ghosts of lovers.

Our dreams drink coffee with us as they put their arms around our children. They laugh with us at our poor falling-down selves and as we put ourselves back together once again at the table.

This table has been a house in the rain, an umbrella in the sun.

Wars have begun and ended at this table. It is a place to hide in the shadow of terror. A place to celebrate the terrible victory.

We have given birth on this table, and have prepared our parents for burial here.

At this table we sing with joy, with sorrow. We pray of suffering and remorse. We give thanks.

Perhaps the world will end at the kitchen table, while we are laughing and crying, eating of the last sweet bite.

https://www.poetrycenter.org/at-table-poems-inspired-by-us-poet-laureate-joy-harjo/

~ Susan Schantz, SSJ

Living Faithfully in Uncertain Times

Dear Friends,

Remember Chicken Little? In the face of impending doom, she panicked because she thought “The sky is falling in!”

Chicken Little had been dozing in the barnyard, when an acorn fell on her head. In fright, Chicken Little told Henny Penny, Cocky Locky and Turkey Lurky who all became equally distressed. They headed off to give the news to the king when they ran into Foxy Loxy, who inquired where they were going. When Foxy Loxy heard they were going to tell the king that the sky was falling in, Foxy Loxy was helpful, or so they thought. “Come on, I’ll show you a shortcut.” One by one, the birds disappeared into a hole in the ground. We all know what that meant.

All except Henny Penny, who remembered she had an egg in the barnyard ready to hatch. She ran back home, the only one spared the foolishness of fake news and panic.

Only a child’s story? Not really.

History is full of the stories of doomsday preachers who have frightened people by their preaching, crying out that the sky is falling in, meaning that the end of the world is near.

The Thessalonians in today’s second reading expected Jesus’ second coming at any moment. So, they no longer carried their share of the workload of the community. Paul strongly condemned that attitude as unworthy of Christ’s followers. That’s the point of today’s readings. We don’t know, nor does anyone else know when Christ will come again. In the meantime, we must go on with the job of living, the work of building God’s world. Neither panic nor lethargy help in these tenuous times.

These readings resonate for us, because each of us experiences personal cataclysms, earthquakes, uncertainties, wars and insurrections. We live in a complex and uncertain world. Through it all, God is faithful, and even when caught in storms, we can feel the warmth of what Malachi in today’s first reading calls “the sun of Justice with all its rays.”

But to do so, we must be/become attentive to God’s presence.

Today’s Gospel challenges us to examine our lives – to ask demanding questions about our commitments and priorities, to ask ourselves where to expend our time, energy and resources, to become increasingly of what is lasting – what will endure.

In life’s thorny circumstances, we cannot convince ourselves that God is with us with tenderness and constancy, but we do need to be open to the stunning possibility that we are surrounded, held up, shielded, propelled forward, beckoned by a God who loves us.

In essence, Jesus tells us so in the Gospel today: "When you are in deep trouble, do not be afraid. I will give you words and wisdom which no one can contradict. When you are threatened, do not be afraid. Not a hair of your head will be harmed." Jesus concludes this passage with the words: "By your perseverance you will secure your lives."

That’s it. Keep on keeping on in faith and here’s the surprise, with joy, because none of us is alone.

Take courage. Stay with one another and be with our God who is faithful and will not disappoint.

~ Sister Joan Sobala

Symbols of Hope and Connection

Dear Friends, 

I voted early this election year. For me, voting is a way to express my commitment to everyday choices for the common good. This year voting was an expression of resistance to apathy.

For several days after I voted, and on election Tuesday, I wore the sticker I Voted Today! This sticker kindled several conversations, not just about issues and candidates but also about voting. Wearing the voting sticker connected me to others at a time when connection is difficult. We talked about claiming the power of everyday choices in a time when these choices feel less effective. 

The voting conversations got me thinking about paper clips. The paper clip became a national symbol of resistance in Norway during WW2 and was worn as a nonviolent protest of the 1940 German occupation. The Germans attempted to strip away Norway’s culture and replace it with Nazi ideals. Norway’s teachers were told to join the Nazi Party and teach Nazism in the classroom, and the church was told to teach obedience to the leader and the state.

In the autumn of 1940, students and teachers at Oslo University started wearing paper clips on their lapels as a non-violent symbol of resistance. The paper clip was simple in nature and widely available. Its use spread throughout the population of Norway. Norway had one of the strongest Nazi resistances on the entire European continent and the strongest contingent were the teachers and students. Despite their tremendous suffering, they banded together with their fellow citizens, continuing to resist until the end of the war. The paper clips were a symbol of solidarity, first in communicating with each other and, later, as a national expression of resistance. 

I’ve begun wearing a paper clip. It connects me with brave people in history. Perhaps, like the voting sticker, it will connect me with others who now choose to act for the common good.

In hope,
Susan Schantz SSJ

Remembering the Saints and Souls in Our Lives

Dear Friends,

It’s a healthy and life-giving practice to celebrate All Saints/All Souls Day with people throughout our Church. We celebrate our loved ones, people whose faithfulness to God we admire, on a day apart from their own day of death with its lingering sadness. In Mexico, the Day of the Dead finds people building altars in their homes on which to place mementoes of their beloved dead. Family and friends gather to celebrate the loved ones who have died. The celebrations spill out into neighborhoods.

In this way of looking at death, victory has been achieved.

For Jesus on the cross on Good Friday, the victory is also achieved.

Among His last words in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus says,
“It is finished.”

Most of the time, readers interpret that phrase as,
“It is over. I am done.”

There seems to be a tone of overwhelming pain in those words.

But a woodworker, having lovingly created, let’s say a table, rubs it with polishing powders and pastes, waxes and oils to bring out the texture of the wood, its deep colors and essential patterns. When the woodworker is satisfied, s/he says:
“It is finished.”

That means it has achieved its maximum gloss, its beauty has been revealed. It is complete.

On the cross, as death winged its way toward Him, Jesus could say, “it is finished.” He realized He was complete. This side of death, His fullness had been achieved.

Today, find some mementoes of your beloved dead around the house – a photo, a gift given to you, something that was in your household growing up which you claimed for your own. Put these pieces in a prominent place where you can see them for the next week or two and relish the life of the one whose memory they represent.

In the words of today’s psalm, we also pray for our own hope for eternal life:

One thing I ask of the Lord, this I seek To live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life…I believe I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

~ Sister Joan Sobala

One of Us

Dear Friends,

I am old enough to remember some of the lyrics for Joan Osborne’s 1995 hit, One of Us.

What if God was one of us
Just a stranger on the bus?

If God had a name
What would it be?

What would you ask if you
had just one question?

What if God was one of us?
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home.

The Gospel faith of Christians answers that question with the revelation of Jesus, God and human. Paul preaches that Jesus is indeed like us in all things, save sin. Our artists and poets, theologians and preachers, and, yes, songwriters and singers, keep this mystery alive for us.

What if God is the stranger on the bus? During my late twenties, into my thirties, I was a grad student and rode the bus daily. I saw the kindness of strangers. I witnessed the fidelity of commuters, the patience of parents, the loneliness of those who reached out for conversation. I heard drivers use names of regulars and cheerfully comment on weather and traffic. I watched other passengers offer a seat to an elder or a person with physical challenges. I saw fellow travelers progress through illness and aging.

I was a seminary student on my way to class. I learned from other passengers that the heart of Jesus beats on the bus. I learned to listen graciously to a talkative old man. I watched a kind woman help to calm a young man in distress. With two other passengers, I attended a funeral of a woman who was a regular on the Lake Avenue route. Each day we commuted, Jesus was on that bus. We travelers witnessed and received and shared his merciful attention. He rode with us and there were days when we were not really strangers.

~ Susan Schantz, SSJ

The Power of Persistence

Dear Friends,

Today’s Gospel offers us as a model of prayer a woman who comes before the judge with her request, repeatedly until he relents, lest he be exhausted by her persistence. As I thought about her more, it became clear to me that this woman is one of a group of feisty women in the Gospel who are also persistent in their requests of Jesus. Persistence means not letting go, realizing there is more effort to be made, and that the effort goes on until the time is right for resolving the need.

Stand this woman next to the woman with the hemorrhage that flowed for 18 years. Talk about a healing a long time coming! Jesus was on his way to cure a little girl at the time that the woman touched Jesus.  She didn’t ask Jesus to touch him. In fact, she didn’t ask anyone if she could touch Jesus. This woman mingled in the crowd, put out her hand to touch the tassel of his garment and felt healing course through her. He felt it too. (Mark 5.28-33) She was persistent in her belief she would find the healer whether he knew it or not, however long it took, and she did.

On another occasion, Jesus was in a foreign place, when a woman - a foreigner herself - approached him. Her daughter needed healing. At first, Jesus said no, that he was sent to heal the broken of Israel. But she persisted. The woman and Jesus did some verbal sparring, probably more playful than the solemn interpretation we put on it. In the end, her persistence won out. (Matt.15.21-28)

In John’s Gospel, Jesus was at a wedding with his disciples. His mother was there as well and she noticed a social disaster in the making. The wine was running out. She went to her son and said: “Son, they have no wine.” Jesus seemed to put her off, but with the persistence of a mother, she said no more to him but turned to the steward. “Do whatever he tells you.” (John 2.5) Sometimes persistence needs to involve others in fulfilling the need, with only a few words.

Thinking about Mary Magdalen offers us another aspect of perseverance. When she went out to the garden on Easter morning, Mary Magdalen expected to find Jesus behind the stone in the tomb. But the stone was rolled away, and the tomb was empty. (John 20.11 ff) Where was Jesus? She persevered in looking for him until she found him. He was not what she expected. When we dare to look for Jesus to pursue our desires, we find him, not as we expected, not where we expected but he is there, ready to speak our name and engage us.

Are we like this group of women who pray and do not lose heart? Personal, thorny issues sap our energy, and we want to give up. National and international crises as well as local problems beat on us. These biblical women encourage us to go on: stay the course and not lose heart. God stands with outstretched arms at the end of our persistence.

~ Sister Joan Sobala

Three Hopeful Moments

Dear Friends,

My hope is challenged these rough months. You can probably relate. Here are three of my moments of hope from the past month.

September 20, 2025
Last month, the Rochester, NY, Sisters of Saint Joseph gathered with partners and friends to celebrate the anniversaries of women and men seasoned in ministry, faith, and life experience. Together the community of Joseph reminisced about call, ministry journeys and beloved companions. Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, they recognized Jesus in the word and in the breaking of the bread.

October 8, 2025
At his general audience, Pope Leo spoke to more than 60,000 pilgrims. Among them was a group of students from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy in Chicago, IL. The children wore robes and uniforms from their springtime performance of a papal conclave. The excited young pilgrims visited with Pope Leo, who had been elected two days after their performance. Their joy was evident and infectious. What will be the future challenges for these young disciples?

October 9,2025
This morning’s news announced a tentative peace plan for Hamas and Israel. There are celebrations in Israel and Gaza. There is cautious hope and continuing prayers for a permanent peace accord. Images of death, ruins, and famine call out to the world’s believers to respond: What sort of peace will follow this war?

Those are my three moments. Printed below, some words of Pope Leo from that October 8 general audience.

In hope,
Susan Schantz SSJ

This is the greatest surprise: to discover that beneath the ashes of disenchantment and weariness there is always a living ember, waiting only to be rekindled…Christ's resurrection teaches us that no history is so marked by disappointment or sin that it cannot be visited by hope. However distant, lost or unworthy we may feel, there is no distance that can extinguish the unfailing power of God's love.