Life in the Fast Lane

Dear Friends,

This last month confirms what we already know. In our day, life is a rush. We zoom in and out of parking lots, serve up already prepared foods, tap our fingers impatiently if our computer is slow. Come on! Come on! Move it! We travel in the fast lane.

Speed marks a new division in our world. In addition to the rich and poor, the haves and have nots, we have the fast and slow. The presumption is that faster is better.

Contrast this milieu with that of the Magi. It is estimated  that the  Magi’s  journey took 1 to 3 years, beginning from different places.  A long time to search for truth and meaning. They may have begun before Jesus was born, trusting the star would lead them they knew not where.  They met up with one another at some point and trusted  one another enough to share the secret of their their individual quests. Only then did they choose to travel together. No walls to bar them from going on together.

As learned astrologers, the Magi could have written up their findings about the star in a journal and left the actual search for others. But no, they were moved in their depths to take up the search, and when they finally saw the child, something leapt between them and the child. God in Jesus was casting a loving look of recognition on the travelers.” See I am here for you.” But it was also the travelers recognizing and gazing on the face of God, saying “See I am here for you.” God and the followers of the star gave each other all they had in love.

Epiphany invites us to journey – to be Magi - to follow a star/ an intuition- grace by another name –slowly, painstakingly, as opposed to travelling recklessly in scattered directions.

Epiphany reminds us that, for the most part, God’s revelation or our own experience of God is not abrupt  or sudden. By and large, God’s unfolding in our life is gradual, almost imperceptible, cloaked in the humanity of others as well as our own. It may take years, but we  have  each  others ’ company, if we allow ourselves to share what we have personally been beckoned to.

Epiphany reveals to us that the unknown, that which we discover on our way to our destinations, can and does hold God.

Like the Magi, we don’t come empty handed to the Christ Child. Think today of what you bring this year. What unique gift you bring to honor God and represent who you are.

Let’s not minimize the gifts we bring to the Child who is God Incarnate.

                                May I, O Lord,

                                Become an epiphany,

                                A revelation of my inner self

                                To all who travel in search of You

                                So that we may come to you together.

-Sister Joan Sobala

Make a Fresh Start

Dear Friends,

On Wednesday we begin not only a new year, but a new decade. Spiritual gurus and pundits encourage us to start fresh, with a clean slate and whatever it takes to make the new year/new decade all it can be.

It’s almost as though we are invited to forget the past with its quirks, victories and defeats. But   Leonard Cohen, in his “Anthem” sets a realistic tone:

                                                “Ring the bells that still can ring.

                                                  Forget your perfect offering.

                                                  There is a crack in everything.

                                                  That’s how the light gets in. “

Yesterday’s issues may or may not be resolved. All may not be right with the world.

The unmanageable is still with us, but we do what we can. Suffering in the world will not cease in a snap. Exclusivity and financial power will still claim the attention of all who think that’s the way to savor the world.

But people of faith have another take on the new year. We believe that the light does come in through the cracks. Through them, we can stare down the hardness of society and the world at large.

We can depend on the light coming through the cracks to see into the gloom and unexpectedly find beauty. We depend on the light to see what needs to be fixed, and restored to its former dignity – to cultivate compassion, peace and sustainability.

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, there was a kind of peace in the world. The  peace  of the Roman Empire. But all the conquered peoples knew that Roman peace did not bring them life in abundance. That would be the gift of Jesus, who through his words and healing. Jesus  brought  believers into kinship with God and one another.

What Jesus did then He does now in our world, in every place and every year. 2020 will be no exception.

But we need to remind one another of His presence and love. We do this is families of faith, our own families and the families we choose to create.

So at the beginning of this new year and decade, fear not. Know with certainty that our loving God is with us as we tend, mend, send, bend, blend, and befriend. Nothing is predictable, except the presence of this God of ours.

~Sister Joan Sobala

God is one with Us, Each and Every One

Dear Friends,

In my file I have a collection of talks and short pieces that fall in the category of “Things I Wish I Had Written.” Among them is an editorial written in 2003 for Maryknoll Magazine by its publisher and editor, Fr. Joseph Veneroso. Here’s part of his Christmas reflection:

                “ After we decorate the tree, write and mail our cards, buy and wrap all our presents and sing all the carols, we should visit a friend or relative who has a newborn baby. We should cradle the infant in our arms. Maybe hold the newborn’s bottle. Sing a lullaby. Better still, change the baby’s diapers.  

                Here is the great mystery of both life and salvation. Any newborn is a breathtaking marvel. But to think that the Creator of the universe would come to us in so small, wrinkled and vulnerable a form defies belief. That {more than} 2000 years ago, a child such as this was none other than God in the flesh boggles the mind.

                Just think: God became truly human, with all our weaknesses and mortality, tempted like us in every way, yet without sin (Heb.4.15). What does this say about God?  More amazing, what does it say about us? Humanity was capable of bearing divinity without melting or exploding, God was not embarrassed or humanity overwhelmed….

                As you hold a baby in your arms, watch a toddler or sigh in exasperation at the rebelliousness of your teenager, consider: Baby Jesus burped and spit up and plopped on his bottom while learning to walk. Toddler Jesus put all sorts of unsavory things into his mouth. And we know from Scripture that teenage Jesus caused great concern to Mary and Joseph. Adult Jesus knew hunger, loneliness, fear and love. He enjoyed companionship and wept at the death of his friend. The Gospels never mention Jesus worshiping in the Temple. His very being was an act of worship; his whole life was lived in constant communion with the Father. God experienced what it means to live and die as a human.

                We, in turn, can encounter God at every moment in the temple of our humanness, if we but cleanse it of sin. We share with God a common vocation: becoming fully human.

                Most of the time, we profess our belief in God.

                Christmas shocks us with the realization that God also believes in us.

To all you who read this,

 and to all you love,

I wish a Christmas made rich this year

 by the realization that God is one with us,

each and every one.

Crystallize what is within You

Dear Friends,


Stop to take a good long look at the image above.  The women are, of course, Mary and Elizabeth, at opposite ends of the family age spectrum, each pregnant and obviously glad to be together as their handclasp signifies. Each had a look of wonderment in her eyes. Symbols of holiness adorn their rounded bellies. We can read their story in Luke 1.39-56.


I found this image while visiting the University of Notre Dame a few years ago. I don’t know the artist’s name, but the picture was used to advertise an Advent bible series. I have brought it out of storage  each year since, because, if I can borrow a phrase from the poet William Wordsworth, this is “the pregnant season”. Wordsworth coined the term in his “Prelude” and  did not use it in a religious context, but it does apply to the here and now because, as we celebrate Christ, who became and becomes  one with us in our humanity, this is indeed a pregnant season, not  only for Mary and Elizabeth, but for us, male and female, in 2019 as well.


At this time of year, we come out of our summer productivity and our fall harvest to become large with expectation. Each of us is pregnant in many ways, this year in ways that are different from other years.


We may  be:

• pregnant with hope, not giving in to the threat of depression or despair
• pregnant with newly forming or unresolved questions about life
• pregnant with the realization that what we bear within us, in our minds and hearts,  waiting to emerge, is not our to keep but to  share, to pass on
• pregnant with gifts for others – gifts of insight, the works of our hands, words of compassion and encouragement, new ways of looking at reality
• pregnant with the unexpected and unanticipated but nonetheless worthy to be held tenderly and given to others.

One day, we will give birth, just as Mary and Elizabeth gave birth to Jesus and John the Baptist. crystallizing what is within us for the benefit of others.


Jesus and John the Baptist enriched the world. They said no to whatever diminishes the world’s           goodness.


As the days leap on toward Christmas, scan the horizon of our world, for today, Christ comes to us, borne in Mary who brought the savior to John and his mother.  I hope we can honor one another as Mary and Elizabeth honored each other. This is one way Christmas will be for us remarkably new, and not a backward glance into history.

-Sister Joan Sobala

Reform: Walk with him toward the Light

Dear Friends, 

Tell the truth now.

What would you do if John the Baptist appeared in your world today? Would you be drawn to him as an attractive figure? Would you welcome him if he knocked on your door? More than likely, not.

On the surface, he was an odd man – off putting, unkempt, wild looking. He cared neither about food or fashion. John appeared briefly, spoke forcefully, baptized humbly, died violently.

For many, that sums up John – a fleeting figure in the dustbin of history. But the man and his message are deeper than this passing glance. For Christians, he is a challenge worth engaging.

First of all, consider the man. Each of the Gospel writers presents John in the shadow of Jesus. He was a lesser light – a messenger. How hard it must have been for him – strong,  yet clearly second. Or which of us, having carefully cultivated a group of followers could watch them walk away to follow someone else? By modern standards of success, John was a failure. He died not knowing whether what he said or what he did would bear fruit.

Secondly, consider his message. The message of John can be summed up in one word: Reform. Reform is a time for decision, not apathy, or indifference or mere comfort. The message “reform” can also be translated “Transform your lives.” John doesn’t mean simply change the way you do things. Instead, he means  change your way of thinking and that’s so much harder. Change your way of thinking toward people in need, toward clients and terrorists, toward people who stir up prejudice or dislike in us.

No excuses! It’s not enough that we are Catholic or that Uncle Harry is a priest. Reform is a work that needs our personal attention. And if the reform/ transformation of our life is to be real and lasting, then we must believe we are capable of reform, by activating the wisdom and knowledge – the virtues -  that have been given to us. We also have to believe that the impossible is possible. We can put our hand in the adder’s lair and come out unscathed. The adder will not overpower us. But it’s not all up to us. We  need support and encouragement in our attempt to reform. We can’t do it alone. Paul urges us to accept one another as Christ accepts us. And finally, to sustain the reform of our lives, we need to turn to God in prayer. With God this Advent season, we can turn from being overwhelmed by darkness to seeing that light truly diminishes destructiveness we find in darkness.

This Advent, take John the Baptist by the hand. Walk with him toward the light.  

-Sister Joan Sobala

Don't Rush Into Christmas

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Dear Friends,

Even though stores are already  festooned with Christmas displays with   Christmas songs in the background,  my hope for you is this:

Don’t rush into Christmas.

Allow yourself Advent-time to wonder about the ways Isaiah and other prophets teach us to prepare for the coming of God into human life. On this first Sunday of Advent, Isaiah tells of the vision God has in mind for us. This vision is an arc over the world, from our ancient past to our undisclosed future. Call it a rainbow if you wish – a way to meet God on the way to meeting the Messiah. As we climb the mountain of God that Isaiah speaks of – the mountain of God, signs along the way will tell us if we are on the right path. Look for them.

-Do we find violence and disaster giving way to harmony and peace? If so, God is on the                     mountain with us.

-Are we willing to be pruned so that our grasp and practice of God’s vision become true ,                      real and lasting ? Let’s not be afraid to be pruned. Pruning is what needs to happen to us                      as we go higher up the mountain with the Lord.

Jesus, in today’s Gospel, reminds his followers how the people before Noah’s day ignored the coming flood. We are not called to be like them, but rather mindful of the floods of life with the high waters of Lake Ontario as a daily reminder. We can survive the flood, particularly if we work together.

Stay awake, Jesus told his followers.

Ready yourself for what is to come, the fullness of light and life in God.

Light and life, the promise of God are not idle promises.

The Promised One is coming, so say awake.

Early in this Advent season , pay attention to this personal challenge:

                

Do not rush too quickly toward Christmas,

But linger instead on the mountain roads of Advent.

Find God on the ascent.

~Sister Joan Sobala

A King Who Is Available to Us Every Day in Every Way

Dear Friends,

Since 1925, the Church has celebrated the feast of Christ the King. It was a feast that was created for the times and spoke to the times, and it still does if we try to learn what this kingship of Jesus really is. It does not give him airs. It does not keep him at a distance from the people.  He is close to us, our savior. That is who he is and who he is for us: Our Savior. If we are honest, we know that we cannot save ourselves. In our day, we like to think we can, but we really can’t. Our salvation depends completely on God, who wants us, loves us, draws us close. God does for us what he did for Jesus. God traveled the roads with Jesus, was his inspiration, confidant, uncompromising source of uncompromising strength. The Father of Jesus never failed Him, even when Jesus’ own strength failed and he came close to death.

In his life, Jesus had no kingly aspirations. Instead, he was a realist who met people where they were and when possible, helped them move on toward a new and better way of living. Of the many important things we can call to mind about Jesus on this feast day, two seem particularly important for us to recognize and make our own in practice.

Jesus was available to others. As  He traveled through Galilee and eventually into Judea Jesus was available to people who noticed him and those who did not.  The Widow of Naim, for example, didn’t see him, so absorbed was she in her grief, but, Jesus noticed her, and dealt with her sorrow in the most remarkable way.

Jesus was available to people who didn’t want what he had to offer, like the young man who went away sad because he was wealthy and couldn’t bear to let go of his wealth. In this case, Jesus did not succeed.

Traveling through Ireland in October, our coach driver/guide was candid when we asked him about his life in Ireland. He told us just how things worked out and then he invariably added: “I did the best I could.” That was what Jesus did – the best he could when people accepted him or when people chose to diminish his word, his gifts of teaching and healing.

Jesus made no claim to be a celebrity, an important person among  kingmakers who felt they had a right to judge people’s importance. Jesus was one-with-God and one-with-us.

How, then, do we do what Jesus did? How do we become available to people and do all we can for them and with them? How do we acquire the tenderness of Jesus, the fearlessness of Jesus, the compassion of Jesus toward all who suffer? How do we do the best we can with God the Father as out guide?

This feast offers us a time to turn to Jesus and offer him our hearts, our daily living, our hopefulness and realization that we can only do what we can. This is a very different way of looking at this King of ours.

-Sister Joan Sobala