Over the years of muddling through life, I’ve learned that when we the faithful servants of God call on God to reveal the power of God’s promises in new ways, it is really up to us to look for those signs and wonders in new ways. But most of the time, we stumble around until we are hit over the head with them. I’ve also learned that the reward we need to seek for our faithfulness to God is not so much deliverance from our enemies, but deliverance from the way we make enemies of other people.
Despite our human errors, or rather, because of them, God rescues us from ourselves and rewards us with new signs and wonders of God’s leadership if we are open to them. God is so compassionate and kind, forgiving the sins of our loss of hope. It is this light of God’s mercy that we must accept and praise. Jesus teaches us that the best way we can live in the light and life of God’s kindness toward us is to not ask for recognition and glory for our faith, but to demonstrate it by assuming a humble position in our relationships with others, even those who are our enemies.
Most of the time, we are not very good at that. But to live in faith means to keep trying. And if we look for evidence that God is with us in this struggle, the Bible is full of stories of flawed human beings who let God lead them in the way of justice and hope. Over the years, I’ve learned that is still true, even for me. I pray today and always that all of us as God’s people will look for new signs and new wonders of God’s mercies and that will allow ourselves to be led to see them.
Barbara Dilly
I came to Creighton in 2000 and retired in 2020. My twenty years of teaching, research and service in the Jesuit tradition enhanced my own life. It was an exciting time of celebration. I loved teaching and interacting with Creighton students because they responded so eagerly to the Ignatian pedagogical emphasis on the development of the whole person. It is this spirit of whole person development and celebration of life that I hope to infuse in my reflection writings.
My academic background is eclectic, preparing me well for the Liberal Arts academic environment at Creighton. I earned my BA in World Arts and Cultures from UCLA in 1988 and my Ph.D. in Comparative Cultures from the University of California, Irvine in 1994. My research focused on rural communities in the American Midwest, Latin America, and Australia. I taught Environmental Anthropology, Qualitative Research Methods, Social and Cultural Theory, and Food Studies courses.
I retired to Shell Rock, a small rural community in Northeast Iowa where I enjoy gardening, cooking, quilting, driving my 65 Impala convertible an my 49 Willys Jeepster. I have lots of fun playing my guitars with friends from the Cedar Valley Acoustic Guitar Association. But most importantly, I am still working to make my community and rural America a better place. I host a community quilt studio and serve on the Mission Board of my church. I also serve as the Climate Committee Chair and on the Executive Board of the Center for Rural Affairs.
