Mary van Balen

Today's Old Testament reading is one of my favorites. From Genesis 28, 10-22a, it tells the story of Jacob stopping to sleep while journeying to find a wife from his mother's people. He takes a stone for a pillow and dreams of a ladder, or ramp, stretching from the earth to the heavens, filled with angels or messengers ascending and descending. In the dream, God was looking over him and promised the land to Jacob and his descendants, who would be "like the dust of the earth," a blessing to "all the clans of the earth."

"And look," God continues, "I am with you and I will guard you wherever you go and I will being you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done that which I have spoken to you."

Jacob woke up and said, "Indeed, the Lord is in this place, and I did not know." He stands the stone used for a pillow upright, pours oil over it, and uses it to mark the holy place, calling it Bethel, the house of God.

I am often like Jacob.  Read More 

Originally published in the Catholic Times, vol 62:27

“Rituals are important,” my friend said as we gathered around the dinner table on Holy Thursday evening. The four of us read prayers together, broke bread, shared wine, and then poured water from a ceramic vase over each other’s hands, praying a blessing as we did. Later we joined with others in our parish to celebrate the Mass that began the Easter Triduum, three days packed with liturgical ritual.

As the Easter season continues, I find myself pondering ritual in life outside church sanctuaries as well as within them. My friend is right. Rituals are important. They provide tangible symbols of realities we cannot see or touch, but experience interiorly. They provide a link to people or places that are part of our history. They help us step out of routine and focus on truths that guide our lives. They help us remember the Holy Presence in which we live.

I arrived at my friends’ home that evening and noticed the small ceramic plate and cup, pitcher and bowl that shared the table’s center with a vase of daffodils and palm fronds. I had eaten dinner with them on other Holy Thursdays but had forgotten about the ritual until that moment. Holding the bread, touching the cup slowed me down.  Read More 

"A word found me," a friend told me after Mass yesterday. "Reveal."

She had been looking for her word for the year, prompted by a spiritual mentor, and it shimmered before her right out of the Scripture reading on New Year's Eve.

"You might want to try it," she suggested. I might. I would. It sounds so...well...contemplative. I thought I would go home and be still and receive a word.

I did return home, but ran a couple of errands on the way. And then I straightened up the house and prepared some food for dinner (my sister and brother-in-law were coming). I sat quiet for a few moments, and then decided to finish the, I am embarrassed to say, Christmas cards I had been working on little at a time for a couple of weeks.

"It's a good thing there are 12 days of Christmas," I wrote on each one, " That gives me time to send out the cards!"

True. Christmas season isn't over yet, and I did enjoy taking time with each card, writing personal notes and slipping a copy of my December column into the envelopes before sealing them.

Dinner was wonderful. Michael and I savored pork and sauerkraut. Elizabeth enjoyed the black bean lasagna she brought along. The best part of the evening was the long rambling conversations that included children, grandchildren, my book in process, homographs and triple homonyms, and how to earn badges on "Drawsomething."

A good beginning to 2013, but no word appeared, shimmering before me.

This morning, the Psalms, reflections, and Mass readings in the January issue of "Give Us This Day" spoke to me, not with a single word, but with an image: Resting in God. Living There.

The January issue began with a reflection by Ronald Rolheiser, OMI about "Blessed Consciousness." He shared a story of a Buddha sitting under a tree, called a "pig" by a passing soldier. Read More 

 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 

Last night, after dinner and prayer, my spirituality group blessed my new flat! A beautiful surprise. One arrived with a sprig of green and placed it in a vase on the buffet. When the evening was drawing to a close, Noreen said, "There are six spaces here, and six of us. Each pick a space and bless it, speaking from your heart."

Dipping the green into a bowl of water, Ann went without hesitation to the kitchen where she sprinkled the counter built by my brother, the stove, sink, and pantry made by my daughter and spoke of the joy of preparing food for self and friends, and hoped I would enjoy this kitchen space as much as she enjoys hers.

Denis took the sprig and blessed the dining area and table where friends and family gather. "May they be filled and satisfied not only with food, but with spirit."

Lavonne took the sprig. "We're traveling," she said and walked to the bathroom where the colorful "map of the world" shower curtain adds brightness to the small space. Read More 

Friends are coming to dinner tonight. We meet once a month for dinner, conversation, and prayer. This is the fist gathering I have hosted in my new place, and I am looking forward to it. I cleaned, put on "Vespers" by Rachmaninoff, and lit candles. What a wonderful way to celebrate the feast of St. Nicholas. Three gold coins sit on each plate, remembering' the story of Nicholas helping a poor man and this three daughters by tossing a bag of gold coins into the young women's window, providing a dowery for each. One story claims the gold fell into their stockings, and thus, we hang Christmas stockings to be filled with small gifts.

Tonight, as we gather for prayer, we will read over today's Scriptures which speak of God's great love for every person and desire to take care of the poor. God is compared to a shepherd caring for his sheep, searching for one who wanders away, not wanting to lose even one. Readings from Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Mark echo the theme of Love wrapping us up, protecting us, and making sure we arrive safely home. Read More 

He was listed under "Other Saints" on the Universalis:Today site that designated today as simply Wednesday of week 17 of the year. I had never heard of Titus (Anno) Brandsma, but his birth in Friesland, Holland (place of my family's origin), work as a journalist, and contemplative spirituality (He was a Carmelite priest.) piqued my curiosity. I googled his name and found numerous sites that provided information on this man who, along with the Dutch Church, refused to accept Nazi orders for Catholic newspapers to print Nazi articles and who eventually paid for public resistance with his life.

Perhaps journalists who work for Catholic newspapers or magazines know of this man. If not, I will do my part to introduce him. An interesting biography including photos appears on a Carmelite website. The same website hosts a series of short essays or meditations on his life written by social worker, Jane Lytle-Vieira, a member of the Carmelite’s Third Order and a graduate studying theology. Read More 

Therefore, let us celebrate the feast,
not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness,
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
1Cor 5,8





Alleluia! He has risen. Let us rejoice.....or be filled with joy!




My sister and brother-in-law joined me for Easter Mass that was celebrated in a mixture of English and Spanish for our ethnically diverse congregation. African drums, flute, clarinet, guitar, organ, piano, bells and tambourines accompanied spirited song. One could feel Joy in the air and in the soul.

What about Easter Joy? It is neither something we can manufacture, nor, as Bishop Rowan Williams stated in his Easter sermon, something we can develop through theory or technique. Rather, Easter Joy comes upon us, grasps our heart, and enters in.

It is the Joy of Presence. Jesus promised to be with us always. The Spirit dwells in us, no matter the situations we face. Violence and hatred fracture our world. The earth groans under the weight of its inhabitants, most of whom are unaware that their lifestyles have a devastating effect on the planet. Personal tragedies, deaths, and suffering do not go away on Easter. So, what made hearts happy and voices strong enough to shake the small building that held our worshipping congregation? What made smiles quick to appear and laughter bubble up from those gathered? Read More 

The man answered and said to them,
“This is what is so amazing,
that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes.
We know that God does not listen to sinners,
but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him.
It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind.
If this man were not from God,
he would not be able to do anything.”
They answered and said to him,
“You were born totally in sin,
and are you trying to teach us?”
Then they threw him out.
Jn 9,30-34



How dare a sinful man try to teach anything to the Pharisees? After expressing their outrage, the Pharisees threw the man out. What little regard they had for the miraculous that stood before them! What blindness they exhibited; those who claimed to see!

The man cured of blindness stuck to his story and refused to repeat it again when it was met with unbelief. He was unbowed by the authority of those in positions of power not because of his learning or holiness. He stood unflinching before them because he knew what he had experienced: Jesus rubbed mud on his eyes, commanded him to wash it off, and now, blind from birth, he could see. Who can argue with that?

Pharisees, evidently. Those so caught up in rules (can't heal on the Sabbath) or threatened by what they cannot control or understand.

The blind man has something to teach all of us.  Read More