Sr. Sue's Thoughts on Prayer

Have you ever gotten lost in something you enjoy? Looking at a sunset, gardening, doing a puzzle, cooking… You lose all sense of time and space. You don’t think about anything other than what you are doing – momentarily wordless, worry-free, and relaxed.

Sometimes I think that’s all God wants of us – to just get lost in a moment of something we enjoy, knowing that God is with us in it. The saints would call it contemplation…another way of praying. 

Today, may you and God find something to get lost in together, and enjoy the graces you find in being there!

Be well and be at peace!

I don't know about you, but on these freezing cold mornings I want to hibernate like the bears - curl up under my covers where it is warm and not come out until spring. I have to convince myself to "just do it". Turn the covers down, get out of bed, and get on with life. 

Sometimes I think prayer time can be like that. I'm involved in other activities that I don't want to stop. It takes an effort to change gears and slow down. I hear the voice of my spiritual director in my head saying, "Just do it. Put your fanny in the seat." So then I give time and attention to the One who created me and loves me more than I can ever imagine... and I'm always glad I did!

Prayer? Just do it!

Be well and be at peace!

Many of us across the country this weekend are preparing for a "weather event" (aka storm). That means stocking up on food, water, medicine and necessities; making sure we have flashlights and candles; maybe some good books or board games; and rearranging plans. 

But there often come storms in our lives. How do we prepare for them? I find a favorite prayer that you know by heart and rely on is a good way to lean into a "life storm".

One of my favorites is Psalm 121:

I lift up my eyes to the hills;

from where will come my help?

My help comes from the Lord,

who has made the heavens and the earth.

Your maker will keep your foothold firm;

your guardian does not slumber.

Know this! The guard of Israel

neither slumbers nor sleeps.

God is your guard and your protector;

God is ever at your side.

The sun will not strike you be day,

nor the moon by night.

The Lord will guard you from every harm,

will keep your life secure.

The Lord will guard you in all your ways,

both now and forevermore.

Which I sometimes paraphrase in the midst of the storm to:

"God, I know that you love me and are with me. Help me through this."

What prayer do you rely on for the storms in your life?

Be well and be at peace!

For many years now, I have been going to the same place to make my own retreat each January. Nearby, where I go walking, there is a tree that I have come to love. She is huge – her trunk being at least 6 feet in diameter. She is scarred, yet strongly rooted with her branches reaching up to the sky. She has become a friend. I look forward to seeing her each year when I take my first walk, and I make sure a say goodbye before I leave. No matter how cold it is, I always take the opportunity to simply put my hand on the bark of her trunk and connect in some unspoken (or sometimes spoken) way.

Perhaps this week, you will find a tree to pray with:

~ What is it saying to you either in its barrenness or clothed in its evergreen needles?

~ Is there something you want to say or share with it?

~ What message is God giving you through this tree?

Large or small, green or bare, may we honor these friends who clean our air, provide homes for creatures, shade us from the sun, hold our soil in place, and do so much more! For these, let us give God thanks!

Be well and be at peace!

Sr. Sue is on retreat - Thoughts on Prayer will resume Jan. 17, 2026 

For those of us in the Christian tradition, the Gospel of Luke tells us that after all the events of Jesus’ birth, Mary kept these things in her heart and reflected/pondered/treasured them. (Depending on the translation)

For people of all faith denominations, this time of year may include specific celebrations or simply time together with family. 

So, the prayer question of the day is:

Given what we have just celebrated or are continuing to celebrate,

~ what are you keeping in your heart?

~ what are you remembering, treasuring, pondering?

May we give thanks for these moments and may God give us the grace to continue filling our hearts with the joys of this Holy Season!

Be well and be at peace!

**Sr. Sue will be on retreat - Thoughts on Prayer will resume Jan. 17, 2026 **

We had a squirrel(s) in the eaves…and wall of the convent/office. Not unusual for an old building that used to be a barn, but this one had found a hole in the eaves and had apparently settled in quite nicely! Our pest people kindly set up an eviction door so it (they) could get out but not back in. 

This week the door was taken down and work was done on the eave to eliminate the entrance hole. In doing so, we encountered a gazillion nuts eaten and stored in that area of the roof - well at least is seemed like a gazillion, but probably closer to 60.

It got me thinking. What do I store up that I might want to take to prayer?

~ Are there regrets for which I need God’s help to let go?

~ Are there grudges for which I need God’s grace to forgive?

~ Are there “things” which consume my time and attention, distracting me from the needs of others or my own self-care?

May God give us the grace to empty the storehouses of our hearts and make room for an abundance of God’s grace, mercy and peace during this Holy Season!

Be well and be at peace!

As I write this, I am sitting listening to the wind – blowing through the trees, swirling around the house, whisking dried leaves around and creating snow drifts that will have to be shoveled again. It moves all around us and although we can’t actually see it, we know where it’s been active.

So let’s pray with the wind: 

~ For all those who have to deal with the effects of the wind – fallen trees or damaged homes – may they have the means to quickly deal with the damage.

~ For all those who work on roofs and telephone poles and scaffolds, may they remain safe as they work up high in the winds.

~ For those who are homeless and are at the mercy of the winds, may they find safe shelter.

~ For each of us, may we remember that just like the wind, God’s presence is constantly swirling and dancing around us!

Be well and be at peace!

Yesterday, Bishop Mark O'Connell was installed as the Eleventh Bishop of the Albany Diocese.

We pray for Bishop Mark and for all leaders of faith communities. 

May they be graced with wisdom and understanding so they that may lead with integrity and compassion.

Be well and be at peace!

Do you ever have one of those days where you are just cranky? No particular reason, just out of sorts. Nothing is really wrong, but nothing is really right. Sometimes after the fact, I might be able to look back and go, “Oh that’s what was going on with me.” But other times, all it takes is a new day. 

And so we pray for those who are cranky or out of sorts today: 

~ may you know that God loves you and is with you in your crankiness

~ may you have good friends and family who love you just the way you are

~ may you know that this is a temporary state and you will soon see the goodness around you again

~ and as you greet a new day, my God grace you with understanding…or not…and they are both OK. So are you!

Be well and be at peace!

As we work our way through the month of November, we inch our way closer to the Thanksgiving holiday – a day which is often centered around food. Yet so many in our world, in our country, in our communities and in our neighborhoods are hungry. 

And so we pray:

~ For those who have to choose between purchasing needed medicine or visiting a doctor and purchasing food 

~ For those who have to choose between paying their utility bills so that they have heat and electricity and purchasing food

~ For the food pantries that struggle to have all they need to assist all those who are hungry

May God give us the grace and means to share what we have to help those who are hungry.

Be well and be at peace!

 How often have you heard or spoken the words "pay attention"? I usually think of it in terms of teachers and students, or parents and children or grandchildren. But paying attention is not only helpful for the body (so we don't trip and injure ourselves) but also very helpful for our souls, (so that we are present to God in this moment). And so we pray: 

~ God, give me the grace to pay attention to all that is around me using all of my senses - the color of the sky, the sound of a friend's voice, the smell of a favorite meal cooking, the taste of freshly baked bread, the touch of the breeze on my face. 

~ Give me the grace to recognize your presence in the midst of all it

~ May my “paying attention” help me to be fully in this very moment – right now - and may I become very aware that you are with me in it.

Be well and be at peace!

Today, in the Catholic tradition, we celebrate the Feast of All Saints – those persons that the church recognizes as living holy lives worth emulating. We believe in the communion of saints - that we are one with those who have gone before us...and that we are called to be saints!

One of my favorite stories goes like this:

A boy went to church with his mother on a sunny Sunday morning.  He was enthusiastic about the many colorful glass figures that the sun traced through the stained-glass windows onto the floor and he excitedly asked his mother what this and that meant.  She whispered that this was such and such a saint, and that was another.  Sometime afterward, in religion class, the teacher asked if anybody knew what a saint was.  The excited boy, raising his hand, said “I do”.  “A saint is someone that the light shines through!”

~ May we call on those holy ones who have shown us the light of God.

~ And may we pray for the grace to let God’s light shine through us.

Be well and be at peace!

Yesterday I gave myself the gift of sleeping in. There was nowhere I had to be, no meetings, no one I had to check in with first thing in the morning. So, I set no alarm and it was lovely! Sleep is, in itself, a prayer of restoration, renewal and healing. 

~ In the midst of a fast-paced productive world, pray for the grace to give yourself permission to get the sleep you need.

~ Pray for those who have difficulties sleeping because of worries, fears or anxiety.

~ Pray for new parents and caregivers who have to function after nights of interrupted sleep.

~ Pray for those who have no viable home and have no safe place to sleep.

May God, the giver of all good gifts, bless each of us with the restorative healing sleep that we need.

Be well and be at peace!

We recently celebrated the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux. One of her more famous quotes is:

“Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, or even at their difficulty, as at the love with which we do them.”

And so we pray that our loving Creator give us the grace to do the small things with great love!

Be well and be at peace!

Six years ago, our associates planted 2 Cortland apple trees on the property in honor of the tenth anniversary of the Dominican Associates of Peace. This fall we are experiencing the first fruits!

Sometimes the fruits of our hands and hearts are not immediately seen. 

Let us pray for all that we plant physically. May the fruits and vegetables nurture our bodies as the flowers, trees, grasses and shrubs nurture our souls with their beauty.

Let us pray for all that we plant in others. May the ideas, values, and beliefs we instill in others help our world to be a more kind, caring, compassionate, and respectful global community.

Let us pray for all who plant, knowing that they will never see the fruit of their work. May the dreams they have, bear fruit for others to enjoy in the future.

Be well and be at peace!

Pope Leo has invited all Catholics to take up the Rosary in a special way during the month of October.

“I invite everyone to pray the Rosary every day during the coming month—for peace—personally, with your families, and in your communities.”

We encourage you to join in this prayerful effort. Whether prayed quietly on your own, with loved ones at home, or gathered in parish and retreat communities, the Rosary draws us closer to Christ through the eyes of Mary and strengthens our prayer for peace in our world.

If you have never prayed the rosary before, the link below can aid you in doing so:

https://www.usccb.org/how-to-pray-the-rosary

If this is not part of your faith tradition, we invite you to intentionally pray for peace in your own way during these days of October.

Be well and be at peace!

While I was out in Great Bend, Kansas for a meeting, I had the opportunity to visit Cheyenne Bottoms. It is the largest inland wetland area in the US. Millions of birds use it as a stop in their migratory path. It was amazing to see, so it just made sense for it to be our prayer starter this week.

~ So we pray for all winged creatures that grace our skies, flying from one end of our country to another and beyond

~ We pray for all wildlife that migrate with the changing of the seasons

~ For fish and all water creatures of the seas and rivers that travel seasonally to warmer or cooler waters

~ For our brothers and sisters who find a need to migrate from one country to another seeking safety

May we do all in our power to sustain places of rest and refuge for all of God’s creatures.

Be well and be at peace!