Staying Connected

I had the good fortune recently of spending some time in sunny Florida. There is nothing like sitting on the beach with the sun beating on you and feeling the warmth envelop you. I am not a true “sun-bather,” so this can only last for a while. I need to be doing something like walking the beach, reading or people gazing. I usually do all of the above.

As I was people gazing one day, a thought struck me. People were dotting the beach, children were playing and numerous individuals were collecting shells, which were strewn on the shoreline. Many of those people dotting the beach were looking at their cell phones. Why? What made them step out of the moment—step out of the beauty of nature to look at a technological device? It’s all about connecting. It’s that simple.

We all need to feel connected.   We need to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. With our cell phones we can connect to friends, we can connect to our Twitter followers or our FaceBook friends. We can be a part of a larger community. We can belong!

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The Quality of Mercy

I recently had lunch with a dear friend of mine who happens to be a Sister of Mercy. Sister Joanne and I meet several times a year to catch up on each other’s news, talk about acquaintances and discuss the Church. We have a wonderful relationship that began when I was a freshman in college and when Joanne was my writing instructor. God has a unique way of putting special people in our lives.

Since we hadn’t gotten together at the holidays, Joanne had a belated Christmas gift for me. It was a Mercy candle—especially made for the Sisters of Mercy. I was so touched! Not only is this a beautiful candle but it sparked in me (no pun intended) the desire to be really aware of the Jubilee Year of Mercy. We hear so much about it, and we see its symbol in all of our churches. Even as I was driving home after my visit with Joanne, I passed several churches with huge banners outside with the words “Merciful Like the Father.”