April 6, 2026 // Monday in the Octave of Easter
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 28:8-15
Reflect on the Word //
“We lost the contract,” my husband’s text said. I read it under the soft glow of our Christmas tree while visions of sugarplums died in my head. My gut response was fear. Of course it was. This contract meant food on our table and a roof over our heads. It meant paying our bills and keeping the water running. It held within it the difference between poverty and profit.
And it is there that we currently linger—in the in-between—watching our savings ebb while praying for work to flow. But it is also here, in this in-between, that I see God at work. I feel Him calling me out of my fear of the unknown and beckoning me to step into something unexpected—excitement.
In today’s Gospel, the two Marys became witnesses to the Resurrection of Christ. In the face of that reality, they were met with both fear and joy (see Matthew 28:8)—fear for the unnatural truth they were beholding and joy for the knowledge of what that truth meant. I can see the same dichotomy at work in my life right now. I feel both the fear of the unknown and the excitement for what God has planned. Yet, it is in Jesus’ greeting to the two Marys that my heart finds the most balance.
In Matthew 28:10, the very first thing Jesus says upon seeing them is, “Do not be afraid.” These words are easy to gloss over. They are simple to sit with when life is predictable and kind. They are much harder to live with when faced with an unknown fate.
Sister, I don’t know what unknowns you are walking into, but I do know that you tremble as you do. I know because I do// too. But I want to remind you that the words of Christ are alive, even today—even to you. “Do not be afraid.”
Relate to the Lord // Pray with the words of Jesus today: Do not be afraid. How are His words alive and personal for you today?
Brittany Calavitta is an enthusiastic advocate for a good book, strong coffee, and a hopeful heart. After battling years of infertility, she and her husband welcomed their first child on September 11, 2016. While balancing time between life with a preschooler and a husband who travels for ministry, Brittany dances professionally all over Southern California where her family currently resides. She was a contributing author to Here Too: Where We Find God and Made New: 52 Devotions for Catholic Women. Find out more about her here.
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