Margaret Gonsalves

Within God's colorful world and poetic expressions of God's harmonic creation, where is there room for discrimination against people of color and different orientations?

Susanna and other women who followed Jesus were attuned to his compassionate heart. These women could be called worthy of a "royal priesthood," a dedicated people.

Reading columns has connected me to others, and I have found my own inner voice to take action by speaking out for the poor of Yahweh. In doing so, I hear the hum of the universe within.

As I read how the pope aims to create "a new style of leadership," I thought of women leaders I've met, servant leaders who did not surrender. The world needs a greater feminine voice, vision and leadership on a global level.

Writing is a prophetic ministry leading to reflecting on the inner workings of the Holy Spirit. I have come to realize that when a woman writes, she is a powerful catalyst for awakening and personal growth of the readers.

By advocating blessings for same-sex couples, Pope Francis revisits the vision of Vatican II, which envisaged the new church as the "magisterium of the poor" at the margins. 

I realized my diet is not only the food I eat, but it is what I watch, what I listen to, what I read, the people I hang out with, and the things I subject my mind and soul to.

For me, mothering and fathering is the art of emptying out of self for the growth of another being. Mothering and fathering are not pampering or dominating, but empowering through one's life example.

Dialogue is taking place, says Sr. Margaret Gonsalves. The world hears the cry of the poor from every corner of the globe through sisters' writing in GSR — fine-tuned by column editor Sr. Michele Morek.

As we mark Earth Day, we should honor these eco-cosmic saints by implementing Catholic social teachings of the common good, by safeguarding Mother Earth as our common home and prioritizing a "preferential option for the poor."

Feminism is a movement toward political, economic and social equality of every being, including the environment. If you're a feminist, you are a breath of fresh air, the very vibrancy of life, and part of the solution.

Given the evolutionary spirit and events everywhere, religious life for the digital era needs reenvisioning, switching gears from doing works of charity to working for systemic change.

My meditation on the kinship of Christ the Anointed urged me to transcend the imitation of the historical Jesus and move to reflect on the Cosmic Christ, pervading the entire universe.

In every Indian culture the birth of a son is preferred. The son is considered the preserver of the family name and heritage, and he is accorded preferential treatment. This also applies to the priest in the church.

Kindly keep your physical eyes closed and inner eyes wide open. Decorations may sparkle this time of year, but pain and injustice abound. This pandemic Advent has brought a new light of interconnectedness and solidarity among people of goodwill who fearlessly advocate for peace and betterment of all.

Talking with people about their pandemic experience of attending Mass (or not) led me to an awareness of what type of church is emerging, and to consider how Fratelli Tutti is a clarion call to a new way of ministering.

In an imaginary conversation with churchgoers at the first Easter breakfast, Mary Magdalene describes life in the Kinship Community, an ecumenical community of believers. The only rules for the small group of Jesus' followers were to love God, love your neighbors and follow the Beatitudes scrupulously, she says.

Vatican II's call for religious congregations to reform themselves into communities of true equals points the way for the entire church. Only when each person is important, only when each voice is heard and only when each person determines their path, can there be the community Jesus wanted — a community where all belong because all are one.

Perhaps the signs of the times in our world of rapid change call for a radical revisioning of religious formation. Prophetic voices call sisters to read these signs and follow in the footsteps of Jesus, the prophet.

I agreed to give the rickshaw driver 1,200 rupees for 10 hours driving. As soon as I got in, I told him, "Even in this pandemic situation, if you or I see any needy person on the street, we will offer them a free lift."