April 1, 2015 – From Sr. Karen Bernhardt

Several months before Sister Ita Ford, M.M., was martyred in El Salvador on Dec. 2, 1980, she wrote the following: “I hope that you come to find that which gives life a deep meaning for you. Something worth living for – maybe even worth dying for, something that energizes you, enthuses you, enables you to keep moving ahead.”

These words are especially powerful this week when we hear the story of the Paschal Mystery and recommit ourselves to lives of love and service. Entering into these sacred days, may we come to understand more deeply the incredible gift of God’s unconditional love. May we become more aware of those who are rejected and marginalized: those who are poor, those in refugee camps, those experiencing violence, those who are victims of human trafficking and those trapped in addictions. They all long for a fuller life.

As we ponder that we are all connected in this human family and with all of creation:
How can we bring about God’s dream of a whole, united and healed cosmos?

To what am I being called by my Beloved God, so that others may have life and have it more abundantly?

What “energizes and enthuses me” and “enables me” to keep moving ahead in living out the Gospel?