Mother Claire's Sermons

My oldest daughter is now three weeks into being a first grader. We found the sign shaped like an apple we bought at Target before she started preschool to write what grade she was starting and what she wanted to be when she grows up. She told me she wants to be an astronaut - a big step into realism from last year, when she wanted to be a unicorn. But as I dropped her off that first day, there was a prickle of fear. A prickle that was then realized this week when we got the news of another event that marks the beginning of a new school year: the first mass shooting at an American school. On Thursday, I listened to an interview where a 10-year-old boy from Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis told of hiding under a pew with his friend on top of him, shielding him, as gunfire came through the stained glass windows while the kids were at mass Wednesday morning. Annunciation is named after the event which marked the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. But now, when I type “annunc...

One of the most helpful things when looking at sacred art is its use of symbolism. For most of our early saints, like the apostles, we have no real idea what they looked like, so there are various symbols that help us recognize who is supposed to be in an image or an icon. For example, if you see someone holding keys, that’s Saint Peter, to whom Jesus gave the “keys to the kingdom” or if you see someone with a stone, that’s Saint Stephen, who was martyred by stoning - for the most part, martyrs are depicted with the implement of their martyrdom, which is a bummer. So you do have to know something about a saint before you can spot them, but once you do it’s like you’ve cracked a code and it can make it easier to understand sacred art. But there is a sweet spot for subtlety. Too subtle, and no one knows what you’re talking about. Too on the nose, and it can feel like it lacks creativity or inspiration. A few years ago, I watched The Matrix for the first time. And as a result, the algori...

One of my favorite books is Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South . Published in 1855, the book follows the changing situation surrounding Margaret Hale, the pastor’s daughter who finds herself moving from the agrarian South of England to the manufacturing North, following her dissenter father’s decision to leave the church. In one of the major points of conflict in the book, Margaret…tells a lie. That’s it. She tells a lie. Nevermind that it’s to protect her brother, who is a wanted man and returns to the country to say goodbye to their dying mother. She holds the guilt of this lie for pages and pages. Her male counterpart, Mr. Thornton, finds out she lied - he saw her where she said she wasn’t and, of course, recognized her although he didn’t know the man she was alone with and embracing - big no-no in 1855 - was her brother. And when her veracity is referred to as a given, Mr. Thornton hits her with the line, “is Miss Hale so given to truth?”  Abraham and Sarah’s pilgrimage of hop...

I’ve heard it said that funerals bring out the best in people. I’ve also heard it said that funerals bring out the worst in people. But in my experience, funerals bring out the most in people. Whatever you are, deepest to your core, is what the death of a close loved one will bring out in you. There is a segment of my family who are,, at their core, grifters. They’ll never turn down the opportunity to make a quick buck. And any time you see an obituary for anyone closely linked to this part of the family, no matter how long they’ve been ill, it will always say “memorials to the family for future designation”. “Future designation” meaning to line their pockets. There’s no charity those memorials are going to. It’s so much a part of who this branch of the family tree is that whenever anyone does something cheap or blatantly trying to get something from someone, my mom and I will say to one another, “memorials to the family”. It’s our code for “cheap person who will do anything to make a ...