Catholic Women Preach

Preaching for Good Friday, Sr. Norma Pimentel, MJ, preaches on the transformative love of the Cross: "Everything that we fear, we see in the cross. We see in the cross pain, suffering, shame, defeat, failure, humiliation. And yet it is also a symbol of victory. The victory of Jesus’ love for us. The love of God is more powerful than anything we fear."Sister Norma Pimentel is Executive Dir...

Preaching for Holy Thursday, Kathleen Dorsey Bellow offers a reflection on being drawn into the Paschal Mystery through the Triduum: "During the sacred passage through the Triduum, we will encounter God through powerful word, symbol and ritual in the retelling of humanity’s redemption. During the three-day celebration, may we come to know that full, conscious and active participation with Chr...

Preaching for Palm Sunday, Anne Arabome, SSS offers a reflection on what makes Holy Week holy: "The holiness of Holy Week is in our story, writ large in the passion and triumph of Jesus of Nazareth. This week calls us to focus our gaze on Jesus and to follow him closely along the way. If we do so, we discover an immense treasure: a life of total self-giving that trumps selfishness; a gift of...

Preaching for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, Dr. Nicole Symmonds offers a reflection on remembering and living our inherent dignity and value as God's beloved: "Today’s lectionary readings show us what remembrance looks like and how to re-member ourselves as the body of Christ. In this re-remembrance, we bring ourselves, our own best things, to our work in faith for God's church and the wo...

Preaching for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Sr. Lynn Marie Ralph, SBS, offers an imaginative and powerful retelling of the Parable of the Prodigal Son: "The prodigal daughter needed a complete makeover. She needed healing physically, emotionally, and spiritually. There are many women who need healing, especially from all types of abuse. The anxiety that builds up, sudden panic attacks, being alo...

Jaime L. Waters preaches for the Third Sunday of Lent, offering a reflection on repentance:"Repentance allows us to turn our attention to aspects of ourselves and our lives that need more care and correction. The gardener acknowledges the ways that the tree has failed and commits to cultivating the earth and adding nutrients to nourish the tree and help it grow. The gardener asks for time, re...

Preaching for the Second Sunday of Lent, Mayella Vasquez offers a reflection on listening - really listening: "Maybe that’s our invitation, too. To listen to the voices that have been silenced. To listen to the cries of the Earth, the wounded, the forgotten. To listen to the One who speaks—not just on the mountaintops, but in the valleys, too. Because when we listen—really listen—we are chang...

Preaching for the First Sunday of Lent, Ana Gonzalez, OP, offers a reflection on standing our ground in faith: "Just as Jesus and the Israelites were tempted, we will too be tempted, we will be challenged and we, like Jesus, must respond. We must remember that Satan’s objective is to create division, destroy our faith, and separate us from the love and will of God. Are we paying attention? Are we...

Preaching for Ash Wednesday, Dr. Jessie Thomas offers a reflection on living each day as Ash Wednesday:"While the Lenten journey only lasts for weeks, our journey of life is forever. Every day is an opportunity to ask for God’s forgiveness. Every day you and I must be an outward sign of our faith as well as an expression of our repentance..."Dr. Jessie Thomas is a Lay Pastoral Theologian...

Preaching for the Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sr. Quincy Howard, OP, offers a reflection on rooting our selves in the "good soil" of love: "Character is either rooted in a foundation of love or else it will bear bad fruit. Good fruit, we learn from Scripture, is seen in words and acts of love, kindness, acceptance, patience, and humility. Bad fruit grows from entitlement and deception and is e...

Preaching for the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Diana Macalintal offers a reflection on loving our enemies, even - and especially - when the stakes are high: "We can choose to love every time, but only if we remember what God has done for us. Choosing to love is powerful. Choosing to love is resistance. Because choosing to love your enemy removes their power to define who you are and whose...

Preaching for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Julia Murphy offers a reflection on radical, Resurrection hope:"In these times of uncertainty, violence, and individualism, may we Christians act as if we believe in the Resurrection. José and his Salvadoran community showed my immersion group a model of this lived resurrection hope in their dedication to building their new home, as did those in Bel...

Preaching for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Leah Sealey offers a reflection on how story telling can help enhance our lives of faith and discipleship: "What does this gospel reading about “being called” or even the Greek translation of “netting people” enliven in you? Perhaps you can spend some time alone or with a partner, journaling or reflecting together. Tell a story about a time whe...

Preaching for the Feast of the Presentation, Anna Robertson offers a reflection on how the Prophet Anna's role in the readings informs our faith lives today: "[Anna] went forth preaching, carrying the Good News of the Light of the World beyond the walls of the temple to those who yearned for salvation. When we leave Mass on Candlemas, it is not enough to return to our homes with our candl...

Preaching for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Pilar Siman offers a reflection on fostering belonging and solidarity: "As this new year begins, it may seem that you are looking into the horizon at your own large waves, and you may feel currents of uncertainty, anxiety and fear trying to pull you in different directions. Some of us may feel lost or unsure of what steps to take, especially when th...

Preaching for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Claire Erlenborn offers a reflection on making change in community: "So how do we make real change today? We do it in community. We listen to our elders, the Marys in our lives, who remind us of the gifts we have been bestowed by the Spirit and we continue to slowly chip away at the slow work of the kingdom, doing our part with our specific gi...

Preaching for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Julia Louise Morrow offers a reflection on living with "holy envy" that allows us to see the Spirit at work in unexpected ways: "Our baptismal calling challenges us to live out this holy envy. Peter’s words—“I see that God shows no partiality”—are as relevant today as they were then, challenging us to examine our assumptions and be open to the wa...

Preaching for the Feast of the Epiphany, Elena Dini offers a reflection on embodying faith, charity, and hope: "May we follow at the beginning of this Holy Year, this Jubilee, in which we are called to be pilgrims of hope, the example of these wise men, and all wise men and women of history, Christians and non-Christians, who made themselves pilgrims of hope listening to the voice of God and recog...

Preaching for The World Day of Peace (also the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God), Marie Dennis offers a reflection on resetting and reimagining in this year of Jubilee: "Sabbath, Sabbatical and Jubilee are rooted in right relationships. Neither people nor the earth were to be exhausted or exploited. The Jubilee year offers a time for the land and the people to rest, for forgiveness of debts, the r...

Preaching for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Sarah Simmons, CSJ offers a reflection on stubborn, sustaining hope: "Mary and Elizabeth’s meeting is the prophetic defiant joy that God is not only among these women, but within these women.  They create a space beyond the boxes and are filled with wonder at the miracle of God, the miracle of their bodies that carry stubborn and sustaining hope.  Their d...

Preaching for the Feast of the Holy Family. Ellen Romer Niemiec offers a reflection on mutuality: "In a time when it may seem safest to preserve ourselves as individuals and avoid the risk of vulnerability, may we heed God’s radical invitation to love one another deeply and courageously. May we choose to trust that when we act out of love for one another, that love will be shared in return and enk...

Preaching for the Third Sunday of Advent - Gaudete Sunday - Kate Ward offers a reflection on letting God's joy find us in the stillness: "Joy comes from resting in the presence of what is real: our God, our loved ones, the beauty of God’s creation. God help us to make do with less: less power, less wealth, less busy-ness and activity. On this Gaudete Sunday in Advent, lead us to the stillness wher...

Preaching for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Dermis de Jesús offers a reflection on Our Lady's message of accompaniment: "Our Lady of Guadalupe recognized the dignity of the people of México, the color of their skin, their language, chose them as messengers. Her message of accompaniment- “Am I not here; I who am your mother?”- resonates with us today as it resonated with St. Juan Diego, and p...

Preaching for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, Jazmin Jimenez offers a reflection on freedom and discernment: "On this feast of the Immaculate Conception, let us remind ourselves that authentic discernment requires freedom and space. Let us ponder how we can imitate the freedom with which Mary discerned a big question. Loving God, draw us more deeply into the practice of discern...

Preaching for the Second Sunday of Advent, Colleen McCahill offers a reflection on "preparing the way" in our own time and place: "What will we do, this Lukan Advent, to prepare a way in the desert? We will see and seek reasons to rejoice, and we will share them. We will keep kindling even the smallest, and most domestic lights. And in our time and our place, we will be true partners in the Gospel...