“Fear not, you shall not be put to shame; you need not blush, for you shall not be disgraced.” // Isaiah 54:4 For many years, I carried deep shame from my youth. Intellectually, I knew the truth of God’s mercy, I believed it and proclaimed it for others, but I could not fully receive it for myself. Five years ago, I was preparing a talk for a senior retreat at our local high school. After thirty-five years of youth ministry, I had my talking points down. However, an hour before I spoke, I clearly sensed God saying: “I want you to tell them specifically about your sinful, broken past. I want them to understand that nothing they have done can ever keep Me from loving them.” I balked at the thought of sharing my past with these students. Would they still respect me, think me a hypocrite? Would they see me as I often viewed myself—broken, unlovable, and unforgivable? My love for these students and my desire to obey Jesus helped me overcome my fears and disgrace. I revealed what I had hidden for almost forty years and thought to be my “unforgivable sin.” Choking out the words, I forced myself to look directly at each of the young women I had mentored. In their expressions, I saw only compassion and love. As I finished my talk, the entire room stood in unison and applauded, and many students lined up to personally thank and hug me. That night, as the Jubilee Year of Mercy ended, I walked out of my prison of shame with a profound sense of God’s personal redemption. I was finally able to see that sin nailed to the Cross, and the shame of my past no longer defined me. Isaiah’s prophetic promises in today’s readings offer great hope to all who walk in darkness and live under the burden of shame. Our Creator and Maker now calls Himself Husband and He draws near to each of us with intimate love and tender care. Today, He invites you to step out of the places of hiding where you have felt lost, ashamed, and forsaken. Lift your head and raise a glad cry because Jesus, the Promised One of Israel, has come to rescue and restore you, to free you from the chains of sin and shame, and to establish a covenant of lasting peace with you. Join me today. Step into freedom. It is never too late. [bctt tweet="Step into freedom. // Debra Herbeck" username="blessedisshe__"] listen to today’s devotion

When I was nine years old, I decided I wanted to be a writer. I think I subconsciously wanted to create and inhabit a story that was happier and more hopeful than my own life. Today, we are personally invited into the culmination of a stunning and true love story that has my name and yours written into it. For six weeks, we have journeyed with Jesus toward Jerusalem and the fulfillment of His earthly mission. At times we’ve grown weary, flagged in zeal, and neglected our Lenten practices. But Jesus never wavers in His resolve to walk the lonely, painful path to Calvary. During His final hours—in every interrogation and confrontation—He clearly proclaims and confirms His Divine identity and nature: “I AM . . . I AM . . . I AM.” Jesus is not surprised by what is happening to Him. He is fully in control of His destiny, submitting freely to the acts and condemnation of the soldiers, the religious and civil authorities, or the angry mob. The Lamb led to the slaughter is choreographing His Father’s plan. Place yourself in today’s familiar Gospel scene (John 18:1-19:42). Are you a weary disciple, a reserved follower, or part of the indignant crowd? Are you quick to draw your “sword” and fight for Jesus in your own strength? Do you shrink back and watch the unfolding Passion from a distance? Are you silent amid opposition, afraid to profess loyalty to the cause of Christ? Or do you stand with His Sorrowful Mother and Beloved Disciple, beneath the Cross as His faithful friend? Are you willing to care for His broken Body and quench His thirst for souls? Wherever you are in that scene, with unflinching love for you, Jesus places Himself on the Cross and into His Father’s hands to rescue and redeem you. Sister, on this dark Friday the Church calls “Good,” stay with Him and console His Heart. Fear not! The end of His story (and yours) is glorious; the Son will rise victorious! Ask Jesus to show you who in your life needs to hear the story of God's saving love. How is He asking you to help communicate it to others? listen to today’s devotion [bctt tweet="Stay with Him and console His Heart. // Debra Herbeck " username="blessedisshe__"] Lord Jesus, keep me close to Your heart and let me console You today.  

Growing up in a Jewish home, I have indelible memories of our yearly Passover celebration—the intense preparations of removing all leaven, cleaning, shopping, and cooking the special meal, followed by the long Seder in Hebrew. Even back then, as ceremony and song recounted Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt, God was preparing my heart to meet Jesus, the True Passover Lamb. Each Lenten season has become a time of preparation for me—cleansing my heart from the leaven of sin and journeying with Jesus towards Jerusalem as He prepares for His Passover and the culmination of His Father’s eternal plan of salvation. As I prayerfully read today’s Scriptures for Palm Sunday, I imagine myself as one of the disciples who eagerly follows the Master’s instructions to find Him a colt and a place to celebrate the Passover. Yes, I do want to be an obedient, helpful disciple! Yet I also realize that even after all my time spent with Jesus, like His first disciples, I need more of His Spirit to comprehend His mission and remain faithful. I imagine myself in the house of Simon the leper, watching as a nameless woman breaks open a costly alabaster jar of perfumed oil, and prepares Jesus’ body for burial. Like her, I want my life to be characterized by an unrestrained devotion to Jesus and tender compassion to care for the Body of Christ. Finally, I join Jesus in Jerusalem and enter the unfolding love story that God has prepared from the beginning and revealed in the fullness of time. Through Mary, He prepared a body, emptying Himself and taking on our human likeness. His perfect obedience to the Father’s will prepared Him to be the Lamb of God Who takes away our sins, and as our great High Priest, He made a way for us to enter the Holy of Holies. Today, as we cry Hosanna, our King prepares a Heavenly home for us. listen to today’s devotion [bctt tweet="He made a way for us. // Debra Herbeck " username="blessedisshe__"] Walk your way through today's Gospel with your spiritual imagination and pause where you feel the Holy Spirit wants you to just listen.  

Who is Jesus to you? I wanted to say, “He’s my Lord, my Life, my Love,” but instead I lamely answered: “He’s my boss.” I am in ministry, so technically I do work for Jesus, but it's clear I constantly need to be reminded that the most important thing is what He has done for me. Maybe that’s why I find today’s Gospel (Mark 6:30-34) so relatable. The Apostles gathered together with Jesus to report to Him all they had done and taught. We don’t know the extent of the debrief, but we do see the Shepherd’s heart as He lovingly cared for the spiritual and physical needs of His busy disciples. Saint Mark recalls that “people were coming and going in great numbers, and they (the disciples) had no opportunity even to eat” (Mark 6:31). There are many times when the relentless needs of others (family, friends, and ministry) leave me hungry—not only for the meal I miss—but for the spiritual nourishment I need. Each day my Shepherd invites me to withdraw from the demands of life and rest awhile with Him, whether for a few moments, a Holy Hour, or a longer retreat. I’m embarrassed to admit that I've ignored or resisted the invitation to be alone with the One Who alone can restore my soul. Heeding Jesus’ advice, the disciples went off in a boat to a deserted place. Although their respite was short-lived as they crossed the sea with Jesus, it provided refreshment and rest. When they arrived, the vast crowd, hungry and in need of a Shepherd, were waiting. Jesus, moved with compassion, continued His mission—teaching, loving, feeding, and healing His sheep. When we find our rest in Christ, allowing our hearts to be filled and refilled with His compassionate love, His mission continues through us. Sister, the One Who whispers to our weary souls, “Come away and rest awhile,” is not a benevolent boss, but the Good Shepherd in Whom we can confidently proclaim from today's Responsorial Psalm, “There is nothing I shall want.” [bctt tweet="His mission continues through us. // Debra Herbeck " username="blessedisshe__"] listen to today’s devotion What small step do you need to take today to accept His invitation to rest? Take it now.

Perhaps if you’re like me, you spend time each day waiting for what is to come. Sometimes the anticipation fills me with an expectant joy for the coming of a new grandchild, time with a friend, my warm bed at the end of a long day, or the start of college football season, just to name a few. Other times I am filled with anxiety or fear as I await possible illness, societal chaos, future suffering, and things outside my control. To be honest, most of my anticipation, whether wonderful or fearful, revolves around my earthly life, which is why I need the liturgical season of Advent. Its purpose isn’t to give us more time to shop, decorate, bake, or celebrate. It is intended to redirect our gaze heavenward and help us remember the terrifying and awesome reality that Christ will come again as Judge, and everything we have done in this life will be revealed. In today’s reading from 2 Peter 3:8-11, Saint Peter wants to prepare us for the Day of the Lord by helping us to see the Father’s heart for His children. Often if I fail to keep a promise, it’s because I forget, or speak hastily, half-intending to follow through. But God is not forgetful, fickle, or tardy; He has pledged His return, and He cannot revoke His promise. This time of waiting—which seems like a very long delay—is mercifully intended to lead us to repentance (Romans 2:4). Our anticipation of earthly things is just a shadowy reminder that we have been created with a longing for an eternal fulfillment of all our desires. May John the Baptist's cry: “Prepare the way of the Lord,” fill us with expectant joy, and remind us that today we can hasten His return. Let us eagerly await, prepare, and pray for His coming, because ready or not, He will come! [bctt tweet="This time of waiting—which seems like a very long delay—is mercifully intended to lead us to repentance. // @bloverevolution" username="blessedisshe__"] listen to today’s devotion Do you have an Advent prayer routine? Consider setting aside time each day to read a devotional, Scripture, or meditate on the Rosary.

Raised in an observant Jewish home, I had no clue Who Jesus was or what He taught. It wasn’t until my senior year of high school that I ventured into a Catholic Church on a field trip for the very first time. I remember my senses and sensibilities being assailed by the sights and smells within that old church, but deeper questions and answers about the image of a battered, naked man hanging on a cross would not emerge until a year later in college. Late one night I sat in my dorm room and warily opened a Christian bible for the first time. That man on the cross was a Jew, the main character in a drama filled with intrigue, treachery, heroism, love, and messianic hope. Over the course of the next nine months, the Gospels became my daily reading and the words of Jesus stirred in me both excitement and tremendous fear. I understood, perhaps like the Jewish people of His day, that wholehearted belief and adherence to the Good News of Jesus would radically change my life and be a source of conflict, pain, and division within my own family. In today’s Gospel (Luke 12:49-53) Jesus reminds us of His true purpose: “to set the earth on fire.” He came to confront and conquer sin in every human heart. This cosmic clash of spiritual powers resulted in upheaval. The earth shook, the sanctuary curtain tore in two, households were divided, and believers were persecuted and killed, just like their Master. God did not send His Son to help us settle into the status quo, win popularity, or feel better about ourselves. The Refiner came to set our hearts aflame with love for Him, and to burn away everything within us that opposes our total allegiance to the King. His words should unsettle us, and give us the courage to resist a Christianity that is comfortable, convenient, and compromised. There is no middle ground with Christ. He never gives His disciples that option. [bctt tweet="There is no middle ground with Christ. // @bloverevolution" username="blessedisshe__"] listen to today’s devotion Holy Spirit, fall afresh on us, and enkindle in us the fire of Your love.

I’m a realist, a glass-half-empty kind of woman, and if I’m not careful, I can formulate worst case scenarios in my head and lose hope. I’m also not very emotional or excitable, and I’m not a yeller. But what I want to be defined by—more than my temperament, personality, or upbringing—is a deep and abiding trust in Jesus. I desire to be a woman of God who lives by faith and not by sight. I earnestly believe that all Scripture is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16), yet there are particular verses that speak to me and quench the most thirsty parts of my soul. These words deeply root me in a reality beyond this world, in a certainty beyond my vision and experience. They allow me to drink from a glass that is overflowing with hope and promise. In today’s reading, Saint Paul poses some tough, real life questions about God’s love that challenge me right where I’m living. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" (Romans 8:35) In all the fear and uncertainty of my current situation, I desperately need to hear Saint Paul’s resounding, "NO, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (v. 37). I will not let my circumstances and the enemy of my soul isolate me from God’s love. I will not shrink back, lose hope, or relate to Jesus like He is a fair-weather friend. I am a daughter of the King, and His strong, perfect love helps me conquer all things. The quiet, undemonstrative me wants to shout this profound truth from the rooftop, proclaiming to anyone who will listen that, “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our LORD” (Romans 8:38-39). listen to today’s devotion [bctt tweet="They allow me to drink from a glass that is overflowing with hope and promise. // @bloverevolution" username="blessedisshe__"] How can you share and live this truth today?

The night I met Jesus, it was love at first sight. He called, I followed, and my life was forever changed. Even in those early days of discovery and growth, I knew it was never just about "me and Jesus." As a disciple, I was called to share His love with others and to help them become disciples, too. Many years ago in prayer, the Lord gave me the image of running a marathon with Him. I saw young girls running behind me, then beside me—in rhythm with my pace—and then finally passing me, as other girls followed behind them. Although I didn’t know then what it all meant, I knew it was about discipleship. Today, forty years later, as I read Saint Paul’s encouragement to Timothy (2 Timothy 3:10-17), it’s still about discipleship. This call isn’t just for Saints, clergy, consecrated, and those in ministry, it’s the path for ALL who profess Jesus as Lord. If Saul, an unrelenting persecutor of Christians could be transformed into Saint Paul, a passionate disciple-maker, then the Lord can use me (and anyone who is willing) to help others become disciples, too. Timothy followed Paul’s teaching, but more importantly he followed his way of life (literally he walked by his side), and he learned more by imitation than by instruction. As a disciple, it is important to understand and articulate my faith. But what is so powerfully effective is the invitation to accompany me on the path of discipleship. As I model faith in my (imperfect) life, through trials, suffering, and endurance, Jesus revealed and glorified is calling others to Himself. That early image of the marathon did not inspire me to become a runner, but it did motivate me to consistently ask Jesus, “Show me who You are calling me to invite into discipleship, and by the power of Your Spirit, make my life an authentic witness to Your Love.” As a disciple I'm still running hard, and I'm delighted to say many of those young women are passing me by. [bctt tweet="The night I met Jesus, it was love at first sight. // @bloverevolution" username="blessedisshe__"] listen to today’s devotion This Catholic women's organization has changed countless lives. Share its mission with a woman in your life?