Greetings of peace,
Longing, waiting, listening - these are some of the words that come to mind as we enter the beautiful season of Advent. This “waiting” is not a passive waiting, but a preparatory waiting where we center ourselves and drop to that place where we find the resilience to be the light in those corners of the world where we find darkness. I so appreciate the phrase from Valarie Kaur, who asks when we find ourselves in time of darkness, if this is a “darkness of the tomb, or the darkness of the womb?” I believe that we are continually being asked to both midwife and give birth to the goodness and gifts that we find in the world. I am challenged to see the “small” joys that also reveal a truth about the world we live in.
When Jesus speaks about the world, he is very realistic. He encounters greed, betrayal, and persecution. There is no suggestion that these signs of the world's darkness will ever be absent. And still, God's joy can be ours. It can be ours in the midst of it all, because it is the joy of belonging to the household of God, whose love is stronger than death. This doesn't mean we deny the darkness; we are not naïve or uninformed; but we need to choose not to live in the darkness. Our faith makes a claim on us that the light that shines in the darkness can be trusted more than the darkness.
- Dr. Jeanette Rodriguez, ICTC Executive Director
Signs of the Times
- Catholic bishops a religious outlier in opposing bill to protect same-sex marriage (NCR, 12/5)
- Russia protests Pope Francis’ comments on Ukraine made in America magazine interview (America, 11/29)
- The confusing path of the US Catholic bishops (NCR, 11/28)
- Abandoned at the Border: The Impacts of the Expansion of Title 42 to Venezuelan Nationals (Hope Border Institute)
- Catholic LGBTQ+ Ministry Calls on Bishops to Speak Out After Colorado Shooting (New Ways Ministry, 11/21)
Save the date!
Winter Catholic Heritage Lecture with Fr. Bryan Massingale, STD, Professor, Fordham University - Thursday, February 9 at 4pm on campus. Registration will open in early January!
Winter Interreligious Dialogue Initiative Discussion with Dr. E. Richard Atleo, also known as Umeek (his Nuu-chah-nulth name), Associate Adjunct Professor at the University of Victoria in British Columbia - Wednesday, March 1 at 4pm on campus and Zoom.