They have brought gold and spices to my King,
Incense and precious stuffs and ivory;
O holy Mother mine, what can I bring
That so my Lord may deign to look on me?
They sing a sweeter song than I can sing,
All crowned and glorified exceedingly:
I, bound on earth, weep for my trespassing,–
They sing the song of love in heaven, set free.
Then answered me my Mother, and her voice
Spake to my heart, yea answered in my heart:
‘Sing, saith He to the heavens, to earth, Rejoice:
Thou also lift thy heart to Him above:
He seeks not thine, but thee such as thou art,
For lo His banner over thee is Love.’
Christina Rossetti
20 January 1852
Witnesses to Hope 
The Gospel reading for today’s feast (“beloved”) makes me think of you, Sr. Dorcee! May we all be called the one the Father loves.
Thank you, Benjamin! And we are, indeed, all called beloved, each one of us. One of the great graces from this past year for me was realizing that Jesus’ personal name for me is beloved, that that is my core identity in him.
I just started Van’s autobiography.
Oh, that’s wonderful!