Mary van Balen

For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.” Then the virtuous will say to him in reply, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome; naked and clothe you; sick or in prison and go to see you?” And the King will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.” MT 25

...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ......

Recognise to whom you owe the fact that you exist, that you breathe, that you understand, that you are wise, and, above all, that you know God and hope for the kingdom of heaven and the vision of glory, now darkly as in a mirror but then with greater fullness and purity. You have been made a child of God, co-heir with Christ. Where did you get all this, and from whom?
Let me turn to what is of less importance: the visible world around us. What benefactor has enabled you to look out upon the beauty of the sky, the sun in its course, the circle of the moon, the countless number of stars, with the harmony and order that are theirs, like the music of a harp? Who has blessed you with rain, with the art of husbandry, with different kinds of food, with the arts, with houses, with laws, with states, with a life of humanity and culture, with friendship and the easy familiarity of kinship?...Brethren and friends, let us never allow ourselves to misuse what has been given us by God’s gift. If we do, we shall hear Saint Peter say: Be ashamed of yourselves for holding on to what belongs to someone else. Resolve to imitate God’s justice, and no one will be poor. Let us not labour to heap up and hoard riches while others remain in need. If we do, the prophet Amos will speak out against us with sharp and threatening words: Come now, you that say: When will the new moon be over, so that we may start selling? When will the sabbath be over, so that we may start opening our treasures?
Let us put into practice the supreme and primary law of God. He sends down rain on just and sinful alike, and causes the sun to rise on all without distinction. To all earth’s creatures he has given the broad earth, the springs, the rivers and the forests. He has given the air to the birds, and the waters to those who live in the water. He has given abundantly to all the basic needs of life, not as a private possession, not restricted by law, not divided by boundaries, but as common to all, amply and in rich measure. His gifts are not deficient in any way, because he wanted to give equality of blessing to equality of worth, and to show the abundance of his generosity. Saint Gregory Nazianzen


My daughter introduced me to the Barefoot College, an amazing place and concept. No MA's or PhD's here. No diploma's. People teaching people skills to share with their community, and not simple skills. Barefoot College "graduates" are solar engineers, architects, and dentists, to name but a few. I encourage you to click on the link and learn more about it.

Today's gospel and the reading from Morning Prayer remind us of the necessity of living not for ourselves but for others; of not hoarding wealth, but being generous as God has been generous with us. Read More 

I lift up my eyes to the mountains:
from where shall come my help?
My help shall come from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

He will keep your foot from stumbling.
Your guard will never slumber.
No, he sleeps not nor slumbers,
Israel's guard.

The Lord your guard, the Lord your shade
at your right hand.
By day the sun shall not smite you,
nor the moon in the night.

The Lord will guard you from evil;
he will guard your soul.
The Lord will guard your going and coming,
both now and forever.

Psalm 121



As I read this psalm from today's morning prayer, peace filled my heart. At first glance, I am not sure why. Despite the promises of protection from evil, plenty of evil and suffering weave in and out of life: mine, my friends', every one in the world. Just turn on the news or listen to conversations. People are hurting. So, what happened to the Great Protector?

Praying with this psalm, I experienced a deep sense of God's "being with." In the midst of our illness and suffering, in the midst of war, drought, and famine, God is with us. In a sense, that seems small comfort. Certainly not the protective bubble we would prefer. Who would not like to keep those they love from suffering?

Yet, the words were deeply comforting. Facing our very human existence in a profoundly flawed world is more possible when we are not alone.

Who shares the Holy One's love and compassion with you? How do you share Love's Presence with others?

God will guard our souls, the psalm says. Our being, our center where the Holy One dwells. Somehow, despite physical and mental afflictions that still visit us, I find courage and hope in that truth Read More 

"I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the Lord, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him. For that will mean life for you, a long life for you to live on the landthat the Lord swore he would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." Dt 30, 19-20



In today's first reading, Moses gives God's people what seems at first glance to be a simple choice:Choose life or death; choose blessing or curse. Who knowingly would choose death or curse? I don't remember where I heard or read this nugget of wisdom, but I have always remembered this thought: People choose good, or what appears to them at the moment to be the good for them. For example, sometimes when I am distraught, I choose to eat comfort food. Maybe a grilled cheese sandwich, or cookies and tea. I don't need it. It might not be good for my body, but at that moment it seems to be what I need to feel better. Concerns about weight and cholesterol don't enter my mind.

Did I choose wisely? Not really. After the sandwich is gone or the cookies have been savored with hot steamy tea, I am just as miserable as I was before. Maybe more so because that is when I remember weight and cholesterol.

Choices between blessing and curse are not as easy as Moses makes them sound. Read More 

"Even now, says the Lord, turn to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning. Rend your hearts, not your garments, and turn to the Lord, your God. For God is great and merciful, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishments..." Joel

"Brothers and sisters: We are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us...Working together, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says: 'In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you. ' Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." Paul 2Corinthians

"And your Father who sees in secret, will repay you." Matthew


The Hebrew word, "shub" used in the reading from Joel, is often translated "return." But, in this reading Joel gives no indication that he is asking the people to return from a particular transgression. Rather, he implores them to "turn" to God, to ask God's help in dealing with the devastating drought and plague of locusts that has disrupted all aspects of their lives. I changed the translation of the word in the reading above.

Pondering what seems the slight difference between "turn" and "return" has been fruitful for me this Ash Wednesday.  Read More 

(First appeared in The Catholic Times, February 19, 2012 ©2012 Mary van Balen)


Last week I received a call from my brother informing me that my Uncle Adrian had passed away. He was my father’s youngest brother and had been the last surviving of six siblings. Uncle Adrian was easy to be with and always a lot of fun. When I was in grade school, my parents drove me to his home where I spent a week of summer vacation with him, my aunt, and four cousins.

His two sons and I hiked along creeks and picking among stones along its bed, found “magic” ones that we used to write and draw on flat pieces of slate we had found. I remember sitting with Uncle Adrian on the porch one evening, just watching the sky and talking about a variety of topics. That is when I learned that the neighbor’s dog had had a litter and was looking for homes for the puppies.

I was ecstatic. I had wanted a pet for what seemed to me like forever, and here was a puppy, a free puppy, just for the asking. I fell in love with a light colored puppy with nappy fur and dark ears, and by the time my parents came to pick me up, I was sure this puppy was meant for us. Read More 

While in Pittsburgh visiting the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, I enjoyed the exhibit, "Read My Pins," a display of over 200 of Madeleine Albright's collection of pins and photographs of her wearing them as she conferred with world leaders. Ms. Albright, it seems, used the pins to alert those she met to her mood, purpose, or hope. It began after Saddam Hussein's government controlled media called her an "unparalleled serpent" after she criticized the leader. The next time she met with him, she wore a snake pin, a symbol of new life, though I doubt that was the message she was sending.

She mixed whimsy with pointed commentary, wearing pins of everything from flowers and dragonflies to wasps and American eagles. She wore a large zebra pin that lay across her shoulder when she met with Nelson Mandela, in honor of his homeland, and a trio of "see no evil, here not evil, speak no evil" when she conferred with Putin, who took offense.

The use of jewelry for more than the sparkle it adds to one's attire is not reserved to Madeleine Albright, though she may have raised it to a new level. Engagement and wedding rings give testament to marriage. High school or college class rings declare an allegiance to a particular time in one's life and a particular place of learning. Hardly "jewelry," the rash of colored plastic bracelets proclaim everything from one's faith to one's favorite causes to all who notice.

I have often worn jewelry to remind me of people, places, and relationships. They have become what Catholics call "sacramentals," things that remind us of God and help us to experience that Holy Presence with us.  Read More 

"And it's a chance to step back for a moment, for us to come together as brothers and sisters and seek God's face together. At a time when it's easy to lose ourselves in the rush and clamor of our own lives, or get caught up in the noise and rancor that too often passes as politics today, these moments of prayer slow us down. They humble us. They remind us that no matter how much responsibility we have, how fancy our titles, how much power we think we hold, we are imperfect vessels. We can all benefit from turning to our Creator, listening to Him. Avoiding phony religiosity, listening to Him." from President Obama's National Prayer Breakfast Address

This morning I happened to be at home when President Obama addressed those assembled for the National Prayer Breakfast. I was drinking a cup of tea and preparing my own breakfast when the news channel began live coverage of the event. I sat down and listened. The opening remarks cited above reminded me of how I have become caught up in the busyness of life and have not taken time to slow down in prayer often enough. If the president can begin his day with prayer and a little Scripture, certainly I can do the same.

The past week an good friend of forty years (can't be!) came by for a visit. We rarely see one another and squeezed in a lot of catching up in the couple of hours remaining until I needed to leave for work. At one point in the conversation she said, "I don't have the time that I used to have to just pray. To just be still and pray. I need that." Read More