Preaching for the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Shawnee M. Daniels-Skykes offers a reflection on the sanctity of all bodies:

"For there is no difference between Jews and Samaritans, disabilities and abilities, men, women, and children, black, brown, and white bodies. Yes, we are all one in Christ Jesus."

Shawnee M. Daniels Sykes, PhD is currently a Professor of Theology and Ethics at Mount Mary University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A Registered Nurse by training, Dr. Daniels Sykes received her doctorate from Marquette University in Religious Studies with a specialization in Theological Ethics and a sub-specialization in Bioethics. 

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/10132019 to learn more about Shawnee, read her text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Maryknoll Sister Sia Nyasari Temu offers a reflection on the power of faith: 

"Jesus told his disciples if they had faith 'the size of a mustard seed' they could command a mulberry tree to be uprooted and moved to the sea. This is an image Jesus is using to illustrate the power of faith, no matter how small that faith is. He is aware that it is when we believe in something that we are able to realize it. Indeed, Jesus is not talking of a magic way of doing things, rather it is the role faith plays in realizing our vision, dreams, and desires."

Sister Sia Nyasari Temu entered the Maryknoll Sisters in 2003. In 2006, she was assigned to the Peace Building Team in Africa, based in Nairobi, Kenya. The focus of this team’s ministry is “Conversations for Social Change,” a program designed to prototype a process to effect social change through personal transformation.

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/10062019 to learn more about Sia, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women. 

Preaching for the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Joan Rosenhauer offers a reflection on responding to the enormity of the need around us: 

"Even though we know that we can’t all do everything, and we can’t all do the same thing, every one of us can – and must – do something. Christ’s teachings tell us clearly that we all need to identify the 'somethings' we can do to help the Lazaruses in our world."

Joan Rosenhauer is the Executive Director of Jesuit Refugee Service/USA. In this role, she leads the organization’s efforts in the U.S. to fulfill its mission to accompany, serve, and advocate for refugees and displaced people. As a member of JRS’s global Senior Leadership Team, she also helps lead JRS’s global operations.  

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/09292019 to learn more about Joan, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Marisa Vertrees offers a reflection on living the value of Sabbath:

"When we focus too much on consumption and material wealth, we harm ourselves, we harm others, and we harm creation. We focus on the wrong things, letting it pull us away from our relationship with God, and forgetting to step back and set aside time for prayer and for God."

Marisa Vertrees was the Organizing Director at the Global Catholic Climate Movement, an organization with volunteer leaders and member organizations in 92 countries, dedicated to engaging the Catholic community and grassroots in living out Pope Francis’ call in Laudato Si’ and halting global climate change. 

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/09222019 to learn more about Marisa, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy offers a reflection on restorative justice:

"The story of the Prodigal Son reminds us that we are all called, in whatever ways reconciliation may be necessary in our lives -- whether we resemble the father, the elder brother, or the prodigal son himself. We are called to take one step, then another, on our journeys to recover what is lost and transform damaged relationships. Reconciling isn’t about forgetting the hurt, it’s about us finding new ways to model God’s boundless mercy."

Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy the Executive Director of Catholic Mobilizing Network, a national organization that mobilizes Catholics and all people of goodwill to value life over death, to end the use of the death penalty, to transform the U.S. criminal justice system from punitive to restorative, and to build capacity in U.S. society to engage in restorative practices. She has a Master in Theology degree from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/09152019 to learn more about Krisanne, to view her video or read text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Gina Messina offers a reflection on what it means to be "all in" as a disciple of Jesus:

"When Jesus says..that we need to be 'all in,' what does this mean? First, I think we need to be honest with ourselves and acknowledge that being 'all in' is rare - it is challenging and a great risk that many of us are not willing to take. That said, what we can do is wake up every morning and acknowledge our position in the world, our abilities to contribute to positive social change, and do our best to make that happen. We are not always going to be successful; but it is our intention that matters." 

Gina Messina is a feminist scholar, Catholic theologian, and activist. Her research and writing gives particular attention to the intersection of gender, religion, and politics. Messina is currently Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Ursuline College in Pepper Pike, Ohio where she formerly served as Dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies.

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/09082019 to learn more about Gina, to view her video or read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Marie Anne Mayeski offers a reflection on humility:

"If we are to be humble after the pattern of Jesus, then, like Him, we must lay aside the garments that social status and worldly privilege dress us in and wash the feet of those who are like us, equal to us, made in the image and likeness of God. We must, in short, wash each other's feet."

Marie Anne Mayeski received a Ph.D. in Theology from Fordham University and taught for 30 plus years in the Department of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University. Her areas of specialization were New Testament theology, early Christian history and the place and accomplishments of women in Christian history.

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/09012019 to learn more about Marie Anne, to see her video or to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary time, Michelle Becka offers a reflection for a community living with disappointed expectations calling us to decisive action

"Being a Christian is not simply a state of mind. It requires a decision – how we want to live as Christians...Whatever we are waiting for, will not happen by itself."

Michelle Becka is professor of Christian Social Ethics at the Faculty for Theology of Wuerzburg University, Germany. She is member of the editorial board of Concilium, an international journal for theology, and co-editor of the book series “Ethik und Gesellschaft” ("Ethics and Society") and of the journal of the same name. She is also a member of the international planning committee of Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church.

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/08252019 to learn more about Michelle, to view her video or read her text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary time, Michelle Becka offers a reflection for a community living with disappointed expectations calling us to decisive action

"Being a Christian is not simply a state of mind. It requires a decision – how we want to live as Christians...Whatever we are waiting for, will not happen by itself."

Michelle Becka is professor of Christian Social Ethics at the Faculty for Theology of Wuerzburg University, Germany. She is member of the editorial board of Concilium, an international journal for theology, and co-editor of the book series “Ethik und Gesellschaft” ("Ethics and Society") and of the journal of the same name. She is also a member of the international planning committee of Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church.

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/08252019 to learn more about Michelle, to view her video, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, Carolyn Osiek, RSCJ offers a reflection on the promise of the day as revealed in the readings: 

"Mary too is caught up in this great process of realizing the effects of the resurrection. It’s not a promise of peace during the course of the process; rather, it’s a promise of tension and struggle. We live in time and we touch eternity. "

Carolyn Osiek, RSCJ, was professor of New Testament at Catholic Theological Union at Chicago for 26 years, and is professor emerita from Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University. She retired in 2009 to become provincial archivist of the Society of the Sacred Heart, United States-Canada Province. She is the author or editor of many books and articles on topics of New Testament and Early Church, and of the early history of the Society of the Sacred Heart.

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/08152019 to learn more about Osiek, to read her view her video and read her text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.