The founder of the Daughters of St. Paul, James Alberione always emphasized an attitude of studiosita, that is, to learn from all experiences in life. While some of Alberione’s teachings are not intuitive to me, this is one that rings true immediately. This is an attitude that I have always had; I think about everything that I experience and try to integrate it into my ideas and thoughts. If an experience clashes with my currently held beliefs and ideas, I... Read more

“So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love.”       Penance is an interesting word, it literally means the desire to be forgiven. Christians talk about it in the context of desiring to be forgiven by God for our many sins against Him and against others. But often, Catholics and other Christians use it as a verb as well as a noun. Please Note: I unwittingly began writing this post based on a... Read more

On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground.  – Acts 9:3-4 I entered a week ago today as a postulant in the Daughters of St. Paul, and today was the first day that I could actually greet Jesus in the chapel with energy and light. Almost immediately upon my entry I was struck down with a dizzying array of symptoms (literally) and spent most days in... Read more

No, this post is not about chocolate, although I should write a post about chocolate one of these days. There is a cafe in Oakland named Bittersweet that sells peanut butter hot chocolate that is to die for but then I digress. Goodbyes are coming closer and my heart grows heavier. Occasionally I feel the pangs of separation when I think of the future so I try not to think too much about it. I have already said goodbye to... Read more