Palm Sunday
April 5, 2020
“Jesus cried out in a loud voice again, and gave up his spirit.” – Matthew 27: 50 On this last Sunday of Lent, we hear two gospel passages with contrasting tones and images. The first is the joyous procession of Jesus into Jerusalem, where he is hailed by a large crowd. The second is the painful narrative of Jesus’s betrayal and crucifixion. In this final week, we are invited to sit in the tension between the Kingdom of […]
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Fifth Sunday of Lent
March 29, 2020
“Jesus became perturbed and deeply troubled and said, ‘Where have you laid him?’” – John 11:33-34 In this week’s gospel reading, we hear the powerful story of Jesus raising his friend Lazarus from the dead. In the middle of the gospel narrative, one line in particular jumps out: “And Jesus wept.” What does it mean for us that Jesus, God incarnate, wept over the death of his friend? What does it mean in light of the call to […]
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Fourth Sunday of Lent
March 22, 2020
“So they said to him, “‘How were your eyes opened?’” – John 9:10 The readings this week play on the themes of light and darkness, blindness and sight. In the second reading from St. Paul to the Ephesians, we are told to expose the hidden, “fruitless works of darkness” and instead “live as children of light.” In the gospel, Jesus heals a blind man, and in giving the man the gift of sight, also reveals himself as the […]
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Third Sunday of Lent
March 15, 2020
“Whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst.” – John 4:14 In this third week of Lent, the readings offer us the imagery of thirst and of water, inviting us to reflect on our deepest needs and desires, both spiritual and physical. In the gospel story, Jesus interacts with a Samaritan woman at a well, initially asking for a drink of water. Jesus names the woman’s broken relationships and speaks to her of the living water […]
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Second Sunday of Lent
March 8, 2020
“And [Jesus] was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.” – Matthew 17: 2 In this season of Lent, we are invited to step back and closely examine our lives and our hearts. It is not an invitation to a mere moment of reflection, but to a deep, challenging, and rewarding journey of repentance and renewal. At the end of this six-week journey is the joy of Easter – […]
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Celebrate with the Springfield Dominicans during Catholic Sisters Week
Register for Events Springfield, IL—Fifty-two weeks a year, Catholic sisters stand with the poor and immigrants, teach children, fight injustice, heal the sick, share the power of prayer, empower women, defend the planet, promote peace, create community, and offer hope. During the week of March 8-14 each year, the Dominican Sisters of Springfield celebrate the blessings of their consecrated life and ministry, and invite the public to experience the lives of Catholic sisters more directly. For the Dominicans, […]
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Proud Corazón: The Art of Rosary High School Student Gabriela Diaz
Gabriela Diaz is a student at Rosary High School, Aurora, Ill., a sponsored institution of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield. Her artwork and her reflection on it were shared with the Springfield Dominican Antiracism Team (SDART) at the January 2020 meeting in Springfield. This essay and her artwork are shared with her permission. This piece shows you a piece of my heart that is very important to me. As an artist, I discovered how important it was for […]
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Racial Justice: Claiming Our Oneness in Christ
Sister Rebecca Ann Gemma, OP, prioress general of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, preached at the first of a series of Evening Prayer & Preaching events scheduled at Sacred Heart Convent for 2020. Learn more here. Her text was Philippians 2:1-11. Peter Scazzero, the author of Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, is quoted as saying, “Jesus may be in your heart, but Grandpa is in your bones.” Individually, institutionally, and nationally, we are influenced by the past. Consequences of actions […]
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