And the Last Shall Be First

"If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all."
Mark 10:35

I was at a meeting today and struck up a conversation with a woman sitting nearby. We were talking about what it is we do. She remarked that she was a teacher but was taking a year off to care for her mother-in-law who had cancer. She also had three children - all in their teens! What an amazing woman, and what a testament to the Gospel passage above.

Lessons from St. Therese

St. Therese's feast day is coming up on October 1. I just posted a new article on Lessons from St. Therese

Reality Check

It is so easy to get caught up in one's own financial reality, especially when the pile of bills seems to outweigh the income. However, I was reading an article in the paper today on world population which said that nearly 50% of the world lives in poverty and 20% of people are suffering from malnutrition. That just seems so unfathomable to me. By the simple virtue of my birth, I have had the opportunity to have so much. I have so much to be thankful for and so much responsibility to help out those less fortunate.

New Website Updates

I just posted two new articles:

Helping Your Children Grow in a Sinful World

Naming Your Baby After a Saint


The one on naming your baby reminded me of how I got my own name. My mother had always liked the name Patrice, especially because it rhymed with my sister's name - Therese. However, she wasn't sure if it was a saint's name until she went on a trip up to Canada and found Rue St. Patrice (St. Patrice Street) so when I was young I would always tell people I was named after a street sign in Canada!

As for my own children, they are named for the Biblical David and Isaac but there are several St. David's and at least one St. Isaac that I know of so I think that they are covered!

The Dominican Tradition

I just posted a new book review on The Dominican Tradition by Thomas McGonigle and Phyllis Zagano.

St. Paul on Love

Today's 1st reading comes from St. Paul's letter to the Corinthians and is on what love is. Of all the writers in all the world who have tried to put love into words, I think that St. Paul comes closest to what that ideal love should be. The text is familiar and is commonly used at weddings, but I invite you to take some time with the passage to truly ponder it and its implications for our relationships.

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, it is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Celebrating our Giftedness

"Now you are Christ's body, and individually parts of it. Some people God has designated in the church to be, first, apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers; then, mighty deeds; then, gifts of healing, administration, and varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work mighty deeds? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak? Do all interpret? Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts." 1 Corinthians 13:27-31

St. Paul tells us that we are all part of Christ's body and that we all have some gift we can bring to the table as an offering and a means of helping the church (also known as "the people of God.") It is wonderful to watch people who are gifted in certain areas putting their talents to use. When people use their gifts, other people are enriched by their actions.

For example, David's new soccer coach is wonderful. I had heard high praise for her before he joined the team and I have been just as impressed. A mother of three boys and a lawyer by day, she interacts so well with these kids. She is organized, knowledgable about the sport, and cares about the children. We are lucky to have her.

The same holds true for the woman who runs our Religious Education program and our Pastoral Minister. These two women are just so good at what they do. They touch people's lives on a daily basis. We have had other people in these positions in the past who have been extremely well-meaning and competent and gave all that they had to the jobs, but the two we currently have are truly gifted in the areas they work in. These are the jobs they were meant to do.

It can be hard though to find where our own particular brand of giftedness fits in. Sometimes we don't find the perfect job or volunteer opportunity to utilize those gifts. Sometimes we just feel like square pegs sitting in round holes. I know I get that sense about myself on occasion. For example, I am on my parish council. I really don't know what benefit I bring to this group but I am trying to do my best with it.

When it comes to Religious Education, I try to do no harm. I tried teaching children in the past and it was a disaster. I do wonderful with adults and with my own children. I look at a group of other people's children and I have nothing to say. So, when my director of religious education approached me to help out last year, I agreed to volunteer as a teacher's assistant. I can pass out papers and art supplies, take children to the bathroom, help answer questions about the project we are working on, etc. Here I can be useful. The woman actually doing the teaching, on the other hand, does have a gift for teaching.

I feel that my gifts are in my writing ability. I hope that people benefit from them and that this is my small way of helping the church. Yet, even then, sometimes it's hard to know. It's wonderful when someone takes the time to write to say that I've helped them in some way and absolutely lousy when, like today, my mail brings a rejection letter which stated that my ideas just aren't "exciting" or "unusual" enough. I'll keep on, though, because at least here I feel like I'm where I belong. So thank you for letting me share my gifts (modest though they may be) with you. And I hope that you, too, find a place where you can make the most of the gifts God has given you.