"At the sight of the crowds, His heart was moved with pity . . . " (Matthew 9:36). He sees me. In my weakness. In my struggles. As I face the difficulties of my day-to-day. In my troubles He meets me. In those moments I feel abandoned by my friends, my family, my coworkers, or the crowds at large—He sees me. We are not sheep without a shepherd, sister. We are not lone soldiers hidden from His gaze. He sees us. He meets us. And He greets us as we pursue holiness and His heart. He is Who He says He is. He is our shepherd, our master, and our divine healer. In His merciful gaze we are reminded that nothing today, tomorrow, or to come is outside of His mercy, love and compassion. And what's more is this: I must remember, too, not only Who He is but who He created me to be. "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few . . ." (Matthew 9:37). Jesus, the Master, has set both you and me on this earth to be His hands and feet. To shepherd those who are lost amidst the treasures of this world. To ofter our time, our talents, our treasures as ways to lend a healing hand to those we meet each day. To greet the difficulties in our day to day with deep knowledge of His mercy and deep hope in His might. To imitate Jesus' way as little laborers in the fields in which we spend our days. We are His hands and feet. We are the laborers He has called, equipped, and sent out. We can be His light, His love, His hope today, sister. We can rise above what only our eyes can see of the world and call to mind the Truth of Who He was, is, and will always be. [bctt tweet="He sees me. In my weakness. In my struggles." username="blessedisshe__"] Do you pray this prayer to the Holy Face of Jesus? Try it today. Shalini Blubaugh is a Minnesota transplant living in Denver, Colorado with her sweet husband, Matt, their brand new gal pal, Callan, and quite large GSD pup, Sully. She is a health coach and loves pizza, because #balance. Shalini graduated from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, served with NET Ministries, and went on to attend Law School. She graduated with her J.D. and happily leaves all things Law behind! Some of her favorites include travel, re-connecting with old friends and making new ones, the ways in which God so beautifully brings all things full circle in His time, and a good, loud thunderstorm. Find out more about her here.

I once prayed for a specific intention for seven years. I started praying earnestly for a breakthrough for someone I loved when I was fifteen and the Lord answered the prayer when I was twenty-two. Maybe you've been praying for something specific to happen for a very long time. Perhaps it's been six months, maybe a year, or maybe it's been twelve years. I would have been quite upset had someone come to me three years into praying this intention and told me, "You're not even halfway to the Lord revealing any sort of answer to this prayer." And in the same light, I have often wondered about the sixth year of this woman's terrible suffering. I wonder what she would have thought had she known she was only halfway to healing. Then I think of the day before she was to meet Jesus. I imagine what it would have been like for someone to go to this woman and say, "Tomorrow. Tomorrow is the day God will answer your prayer." She was completely unaware that there was only one day left until she received an answer. Maybe you're halfway there. Maybe there are only six months left. Maybe your answer will come tomorrow. Whatever God's timing may be, with her unshakeable faith bursting in her soul, I imagine the hemorrhaging woman telling anyone who's ever hoped and prayed for years and years, "It could be tomorrow. Do not give up. Do not ever give up on God." [bctt tweet="Maybe you're halfway there." username="emwilss"] Saint Augustine wrote: "Patience is the companion of wisdom." Pray for both today? Emily Wilson-Hussem planned her whole life to become a sports reporter but turned out to be a Catholic musician and speaker at the hand of God. She lives out of her suitcase and travels across the world speaking to people of all ages. The heart of her ministry is offering encouragement to teen girls in search of their true identity, and she loves every second of it. She is the author of I Choose the Sky and Go Bravely. You can find out more about her here.

I don’t feel like I’m doing enough . . . I lamented to my husband one evening. Our children had gone to bed, and we were unwinding after busy work days and attempting to get some quiet time before the baby woke up again. I had been scrolling through Instagram, marveling at the commitment, dedication, and service I was seeing on my feed. One friend was organizing another service project to Jamaica to do free dentistry. Another friend had just finished at a rally where she passionately advocated and spoke with her elected officials. Someone else just announced pre-orders for her next book while also being an active online Catholic voice. I was asking myself if I was doing enough to lift up the Kingdom, so to speak. Am I advocating enough for the voiceless among us? Am I active enough at my parish? Am I available for service projects or do I spend enough time calling my representatives? Am I doing enough . . . ? Am I enough? But in his simple and poignant way, he sighed exasperatedly, “Samantha, you serve your community and your family every single day. That IS enough.” While I was comparing myself to what others were doing, I forgot that I am doing what I can right where I am. I serve the community by treating the immigrant families of my clinic. I serve my family when I love them and take care of them and nurture them. The Lord commands that “whatever town you enter, . . . cure the sick in it and say to them ‘the kingdom of God is at hand’” (Luke 10:8-9). He is telling us to love and serve—right where we are. Be present and loving—right where we are. [bctt tweet="I am doing what I can right where I am." username="substance_soul"] Trust His grace is enough, and take a listen to it sung out here. Dr. Samantha Aguinaldo-Wetterholm is a wife to Paul, mom to three little ones, and practices dentistry at a public health community center for low income families in the Bay Area, California. She (unashamedly) thinks ice cream is its own food group, loves anything Harry Potter, does not leave the house without wearing sparkly earrings, and is an enthusiastic proponent of the Oxford comma. She is a contributing author to our children's devotional prayer book, Rise Up. Find out more about her here.

I find Matthew's Gospel today both baffling and humorous. First, Saint John the Baptist’s disciples are questioning Jesus, the Man John proclaimed as the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). He had told his disciples to follow Jesus; however, they are not following Him. Second, John’s disciples consider themselves equal to the Pharisees regarding fasting practices. This shows that his disciples, like the Pharisees, have become removed from the purpose of fasting: to grow closer to God! When practiced with authentic intentionality, fasting should purge our body, mind, and soul from earthly comforts in order to draw closer to God. However, we often treat fasting in the same manner as John’s disciples did. We use fasting as a means to draw attention to our personal holiness instead of allowing God to refine us (or to use a winemaking term, ferment us). I do enjoy a glass of wine and the process of winemaking fascinates me. The fermentation process requires gently crushing (or purging) the grapes to release their sugary juices. Add in yeast to turn the sugar into alcohol, some carbon dioxide, and time, and you have wine! Can I get an alleluia? Similarly, fasting requires a crushing of our own will, a rising to God’s will (bring on the yeast!), and air (or for the purposes of this analogy, God’s breath). This is how God makes choice wine in us, and if I'm honest, most of us don’t make it past the crushing stage. Whether we say out loud that we think we are better than others or keep our judgments on the inside, we can quickly become bursting wineskins, destroying the new wine that the Lord wants to pour into us. Jesus’ disciples have no need to fast, because He is there with them; they are drinking in the new wine of the Incarnation. When He was gone, you can be sure that they did fast; they fasted to be transformed by and drawn closer to Him. I pray we can fast when we need to draw closer to the Lord and feast when we are so close to the Bridegroom that we can breathe in His breath. [bctt tweet="When practiced with authentic intentionality, fasting should purge our body, mind, and soul from earthly comforts in order to draw closer to God." username="SoCalTriciaT"] This priest discusses drinking and the Faith. Have you heard drinking explained this way? Tricia Tembreull is a California girl with a boundless passion for life. After two decades of ministering to teens and youth ministers as a trainer, ministry mentor, and speaker in Catholic youth ministry, Tricia now serves as Campus Minister at USC Caruso Catholic Center. She loves adventure and seeks it everywhere she goes. As an avid foodie, she enjoys testing new recipes out on friends and family, gathering them around the table to encounter Christ in one another and be drawn to the satisfying unity we crave in the Eucharist. You can find out more about her here.

Do you remember your first encounter with Jesus? Saint Matthew sure does, and he shares his conversion story with us today with such simplicity. He writes his story in the middle of two chapters of healing miracles. As we listen to Matthew’s testimony, I invite you to visualize how Jesus looked upon him with love. That healing gaze of mercy changed the entire trajectory of this tax collector’s life. Can you imagine the delight he experienced in being chosen by Jesus? To more fully receive the abundant mercy of Jesus in our own lives, let’s ask Saint Matthew to help us to more deeply understand the heart of Jesus. Let’s look with him at a few prayers from the Litany to the Sacred Heart. When we are sitting like Matthew in our sin at the customs post, it is easy to imagine that Jesus is looking upon us with disappointment. Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love, have mercy on us. How many times had Jesus walked by the customs post, unnoticed by Matthew? How many times do we not notice Jesus in our midst? Heart of Jesus, King and center of all hearts, have mercy on us. When we are stuck in our greed and attachment to earthly treasures, heart of Jesus, in whom are all treasures of wisdom and knowledge, have mercy on us. When we feel frustrated with our sins and weaknesses, heart of Jesus, patient and rich in mercy, have mercy on us. When we experience Jesus calling us more deeply into our vocation with the invitation to rise up to new life with Him, heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection, have mercy on us. When our lives are changed by our encounter with Jesus and we know Saint Matthew’s joy of being called to follow Him, heart of Jesus, delight of all Saints, have mercy on us. [bctt tweet="Do you remember your first encounter with Jesus?" username="blessedisshe__"] Join me in praying this prayer today: Jesus meek and humble of Heart, make our hearts like unto Thine! Rose Coleman is a contemplative in action who delights in all things beautiful. Her adventurous heart has traveled many places—from circumnavigating the globe on a ship during college to some years in the convent as a religious sister. Exuberant from her childhood, she is an elementary school teacher who learns so much from her students. She is a contributing author to our children's devotional prayer book, Rise Up and the author of our Blessed Conversations: Ways to Pray study found here. You can find out more about her here.

The images of the Lord, Our Lady, and some of the Saints in my office serve as reminders of my mission as a Daughter of Saint Paul. This artwork is precious to me, some of the pieces are even blessed. But I also keep other special art that grounds me in another way. One piece features a blue and pink figure drawn roughly with crayon. The person has a red bow, blue hair, and red lips. Underneath the work of art is scrawled “Snow White.” Another piece of paper has geometric shapes in the shape of a person. The last piece is of swirls of color. It looks like it was finished quickly but with love. We smile from the inside out when we receive art from a small child. The rough lines and colors; the misspelled words and crumpled paper go unnoticed because we see beneath the exterior to the intention. We see the heart of the artist, and this makes the gift precious. Often the gifts God gives to us or the circumstances He permits leave us wondering how He defines beauty. He allows us to barely scrape by in paying our bills. He permits someone we love to make a bad choice. He seems slow to answer an urgent prayer. Through it all we are invited to look more deeply. We are called to look at His heart. Imagine being Abraham in today’s First Reading. After Abraham follows God’s command and prepares to sacrifice his only son, an angel stops him. God then promises to make Abraham’s descendants countless like the stars and sand on the seashore because he was faithful. (See Genesis 22:17.) In the Gospel, Jesus forgives the sins of a paralytic. After the people grumble, Jesus proves His authority to forgive sins by telling the paralytic to get up, take his mat, and go home. (See Matthew 9:6.) Jesus shows us how God proves His love for us in myriad ways throughout each day. We can trace His tender creativity throughout Scripture and in the Person of Jesus Christ. He is faithful love. He is good. How can we see Him? When we take up our crosses daily and follow Christ, we will learn to see the beauty of redemptive love. [bctt tweet="We are called to look at His heart." username="srmariakim"] This artwork depicting the healing of the paralytic by a community in Cameroon is striking. Have you seen any of the Jesus Mafa series? Sister Maria Kim Bui is a Daughter of Saint Paul, women religious dedicated to evangelization in and through the media. She is originally from Tempe, AZ, spent most of her fourteen years in religious life in the northeast, some time in Texas, and now was recently asked to serve as the director of marketing and sales at the Sisters' publishing house in Boston. She is a contributing author to our children's devotional prayer book, Rise Up and the author of our Blessed Conversations Mystery: Belong found here. Find out more about her here.

All I needed was a clear sign from God. It was really all I had been praying for. Well, actually to be more specific, I wanted the sign to come in the form of a new job that would pay well enough for me to move into my own place, have good benefits, allow me to work hard but still take time off for family and the holy and handsome man that I also prayed the Lord would provide during that time. I was asking for a plain and simple sign that was easy for the God of the Universe to do; and yet, when I looked around, it seemed that everyone else was receiving an answered prayer except me. My best friend, whom I love and appreciate, got a new job and I toasted her accomplishment. Then she moved into a new place and I celebrated her attainment. When she started dating someone, I was still excited for her, but my accolades ceased and my prayer for a sign turned into silent disbelief of God’s generosity in my life. Like Saint Thomas at the Apostles’ proclamation that they had seen the Lord (John 20:25), I felt that I could not believe in Jesus’ goodness until I experienced it first-hand. When Thomas needed a “sign” that Jesus really appeared to the Apostles, Jesus offered him a personal encounter that probably exceeded anything that Thomas expected. In Jesus’ generosity, He once again offered His Body and not only exhorted Thomas to “not be unbelieving but to believe,” and Jesus then blessed those who “ha[d] not seen and ha[d] believed” (John 20:27, 29). I was so caught up in how Jesus was working in the lives of those around me and also in wanting to receive a specific sign from Him that I wasn’t willing to step out in faith and believe. It has taken my own unique personal encounter with Jesus through time, renewed prayer, and frequenting the confessional to redirect my heart and mind to not seek signs but to trust in Jesus. What will it take for you, sisters? [bctt tweet="It has taken my own unique personal encounter with Jesus through time, renewed prayer, and frequenting the confessional to redirect my heart and mind to not seek signs but to trust in Jesus." username="Chikasworld"] This talk on "Doubting Thomas" shows a whole new side to him and says his example fortifies our faith. Read it here. Chika Anyanwu is a Catholic evangelist based in Southern California and is also the author of My Encounter: How I Met Jesus In Prayer. She has a deep love for Jesus, loves her beautiful Nigerian family, and is a firm believer that if coffee is good, there’s no need for cream or sugar. Find out more here.

We have a rule in our house that if Mama is napping, the only acceptable reasons for waking her up are if someone is bleeding profusely, unconscious, or being kidnapped . . . or the house is on fire. That’s it. So I can sympathize with Jesus’ frustration here, being awakened from His nap by His disciples for something they believe to be dangerous and terrifying, but that for Him can be swept away with a word of rebuke. I imagine the disciples having the same sort of conversation with each other about the severity of the storm that my kids must have about the severity of a particular skinned knee, and Jesus looking at the waves upon being awakened the way I look at bleeding that could IN NO WAY be considered profuse. Now, this Mama needs her nap because she is 42 and pregnant, but I also genuinely want my older kids to have the opportunity of some adult-free time to exercise leadership and judgment and do some problem solving and working together. It’s reasonable to assume that something similar is at work when it feels like Jesus is sleeping through one of my own personal crises. He’s giving me the opportunity to grow through the experience and to turn for help to the people He has put in my life. And it’s not because they asked Him for help that the disciples were chastised, it’s because they were afraid. Again (Luke 12:4) and again (Luke 1:30) and again (Matthew 1:20) and again (Luke 2:10) in the Gospels, God tells us not to fear. It’s that deep, radical trust in the face of the violent storms that Jesus asks of me. Like the disciples, and like my children, I always have recourse to cry out, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!" (Matthew 8:25) and KNOW that Jesus will come to my assistance. [bctt tweet="God tells us not to fear. It’s that deep, radical trust in the face of the violent storms that Jesus asks of me." username="kendra_tierney"] When this Saint says, "Do not be afraid," we know he's relaying this message straight from the Lord. Kendra Tierney is a forty-two-year-old mother of nine and wife of one living in and working on a big old fixer-upper house in Los Angeles. She's a homeschooler and a regular schooler and is relishing the new freedom from carpooling that's come with a sixteen-year-old in the house. Her newest book, The Catholic All Year Compendium: Liturgical Living for Real Life, is here. You can find her first book, A Little Book About Confession, here, her blog here, and her word art here.

When I was a kid, I loved visiting the various California missions with my family. I was fascinated with the colorful wall designs, thick adobe buildings, and glimpses into the past. Moreover, I was intrigued by the work of Saint Junípero Serra whose feast day we celebrate today. It’s been decades since my first Mission visit, but it feels even more moving since I was blessed to be married at the Carmel Mission, just a few feet away from the grave of Saint Junípero Serra . Now that I’m older, I’m even more amazed by his life—leaving his homeland, setting off to an unknown territory, and traveling so many miles to spread the Gospel and establish the Missions. He lived out Jesus’ words, “Follow Me,” (Matthew 8:22) in a dramatic and profound way. Saint Junípero Serra’s motto in life was: “Keep moving forward!” At his canonization in 2015, Pope Francis said this about Father Serra’s motto: “For him, this was the way to continue experiencing the joy of the Gospel, to keep his heart from growing numb, from being anesthetized. He kept moving forward, because the Lord was waiting. He kept going, because his brothers and sisters were waiting. He kept going forward to the end of his life. Today, like him, may we be able to say: Forward! Let’s keep moving forward!” (source) I find that so inspiring! Unfortunately, at times I read the Gospel distractedly and it doesn’t take root in my heart. Or if I’m not careful, prayer can become rote and not life-changing. Or I can become complacent in my faith and forget that Jesus has a mission for each of us, that brothers and sisters in Christ need our love and the God-given gifts we have to offer. Following Jesus and moving forward takes diligent work and, at times, sacrifice, but this is our calling! Is there an area in our faith or prayer life where we’ve grown complacent or lax? What can we do to spark that fire to follow Jesus once again? Our Lord is waiting for us. [bctt tweet="Following Jesus and moving forward takes diligent work and, at times, sacrifice, but this is our calling!" username="bobbi_rol"] Read more about this wonderful Saint's life here. Bobbi Rol is a wife, mama and blogger living on the Monterey Bay in CA with her husband, teen daughter, and three rambunctious boys. When she is not dodging light sabers or stepping on Legos, she can be found outside with her family, catching a late night movie, or decorating her planner. She is a contributing author to our children's devotional prayer book, Rise Up. You can find out more about her here.

When I was twenty-three years old I stood at the front of my congregation facing the altar. With my priest in front of me and my husband (then my fiancé and confirmation sponsor) behind me, I professed my faith in the Catholic Church, received the chrism oil on my forehead, and made my First Holy Communion. Growing up in charismatic Protestant circles, never in a million years would I have guessed I would end up becoming Catholic, and yet, here I was. As the rite of Confirmation was being prayed over me I felt certain that the Lord had led me to this point, but at the same time I felt a tinge of regret about the friends and loved ones who I knew didn’t understand this step that I was taking. In my mind I could see their looks of concern, the hurt in their eyes. To me, becoming Catholic as an adult felt like a very natural continuation of the faith I had grown up with. But I know there were many who felt I was rejecting the faith of my youth. To say I was like Elisha from today's First Reading (1 Kings 19:16B, 19-21), literally setting fire to my former way of life in accepting God’s call, would be a little dramatic. But there were things I left behind when I entered the Catholic church, old habits, styles of worship that I preferred, and there were friendships that were never quite the same. Jesus faced much rejection during His time on earth. And He warns us that as His disciples we will face the same. We will be called to leave behind comfort, familiarity, and relationships for His sake. It’s not easy to leave it all behind—it takes faith, courage, and eyes fixed on Him. The sacrifice is great, but the reward is always greater. [bctt tweet="We will be called to leave behind comfort, familiarity, and relationships for His sake." username="blessedisshe__"] Anna Coyne is a wife, mother, and convert to the Catholic Faith. She is a classically trained pianist who, after teaching for ten years now stays home with her three young children. but still manages to flex her creative muscles through writing, knitting, and gardening. She is proud to call Saint Paul home and loves everything about living in Minnesota, except for winter. She is a contributing author to our children's devotional prayer book, Rise Up. You can find out more about her here.

You cannot drive a parked car. Obviously! Today, let’s hop into this parked car with Saints Peter and Paul. It’s the great Solemnity of this dynamic duo and they want to teach us how to drive. Rule #1: Regularly maintain your vehicle. God wants us to safely arrive at our home in Heaven. He wants our body and soul to be healthy and fully alive. Exercise. Eat. Sleep. Pray. Frequent the Sacraments. Rule #2: Choose your destination. Where are you going today? Whom are you going to visit? Where are you going with your career? Your family? Your vocation? Let’s choose love, holiness, Heaven. Rule #3: Wear your seatbelt. Saint Peter advises, Do you remember from today’s first reading when I was locked up in prison, sleeping in chains? An angel woke me up and told me to get up, put on my [seat]belt, sandals, and cloak. I thought I was still dreaming, but I did what the angel asked, without asking all my questions. Although you might not see an angel today, always remember your Guardian Angel is at your side, encouraging and protecting you. (Based on Acts 12:1-11.) Rule #4: You cannot drive a parked car. In order to go somewhere, we need to do something. Turn on the ignition, shift the car into drive, gently press your foot on the accelerator pedal, and you’re off! As you pilgrimage along your particular path to holiness, follow Jesus! The Lord can only steer you further along into your vocation when you are already moving. Rule #5: Safe travels! Saint Paul advises, The Lord is with you to give you strength. Compete well. Fight the good fight. Finish the race. Keep the faith. The Lord will bring you safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Based on 2 Timothy 4.) [bctt tweet="As you pilgrimage along your particular path to holiness, follow Jesus!" username="blessedisshe__"] Have your read Saint Peter's epistles? Take a look at the introduction to 1 Peter and read it through, like a letter from a dear friend. Rose Coleman is a contemplative in action who delights in all things beautiful. Her adventurous heart has traveled many places—from circumnavigating the globe on a ship during college to some years in the convent as a religious sister. Exuberant from her childhood, she is an elementary school teacher who learns so much from her students. She is a contributing author to our children's devotional prayer book, Rise Up and the author of our Blessed Conversations: Ways to Pray study found here. You can find out more about her here.

I can get really tired. You know that feeling. That bone-crushing exhaustion that feels endless. It does not abate. It is forever. (I know, not dramatic at all.) As women, we often feel that we must carry the weight of everyone’s schedules and emotions and needs. We fill our academic schedules to make sure we graduate on a prescribed timeline while also leading all the clubs and doing all the service projects. We manage businesses, lead meetings, make conference calls before realizing it’s been hours since we’ve gone to the bathroom. We are up to our elbows in diapers and playdates and doctor’s appointments on zero sleep. We care for our aging parents and manage end-of-life care as we say goodbye our loved ones. We drive to practice after practice and juggle parent-teacher conferences, PTA meetings, and field trips not remember the last time we’ve checked in with our spouse. Society plays this off like it’s a badge of honor. It’s the commodification of busy. It glorifies running on empty. If you are a good wife / mother / student / daughter / friend / teacher / professional, you had better be multi-tasking and rocking the eye bags. But sometimes, I’m just tired and I need to rest. Jesus asks us to dwell within His perfect and Sacred Heart. He invites us into true rest and endless comfort. We can lay down our burdens and be enveloped by His perfect love. He always goes after His lost sheep as the First Reading promises us. (See Ezekiel 34:11-16.) He knows us to the depths of our soul—every cell, every breath. We can find true rest in Him. [bctt tweet="We can lay down our burdens and be enveloped by His perfect love." username="Substance_Soul"] Let us pray this prayer to the Holy Spirit together authored by a Church Father. Dr. Samantha Aguinaldo-Wetterholm is a wife to Paul, mom to three little ones, and practices dentistry at a public health community center for low income families in the Bay Area, California. She (unashamedly) thinks ice cream is its own food group, loves anything Harry Potter, does not leave the house without wearing sparkly earrings, and is an enthusiastic proponent of the Oxford comma. She is a contributing author to our children's devotional prayer book, Rise Up. Find out more about her here.

Are we astonished by Christ's words in today's Gospel? (See Matthew 7:21-29.) I think back over my life and I can't remember a particular time I felt an emotional and enlightened moment of pure astonishment when thinking about the earth-changing words of Jesus. I know for me and my personality it's hard to tap into emotions every time I pray. I like to take what Jesus says and apply them intellectually to my life and to the world around me, but often the words of Scripture don't hit me with waves of emotion. Am I missing out on astonishment? Astonishment doesn't have to mean a profoundly emotional experience; it could be the very intellectual realization that Christ turns things upside down. Jesus comes to earth not to ask we put in lip service, or perform emotional backflips. He is not saying we just have to do x, y, and z to procure divine favour. He is saying that if we hear His words we have to live His words. It's astonishing that God Himself is asking us to give Him everything we have because He values every part of our lives. We matter. Our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and actions matter. Jesus doesn't simply want us to say we're Catholic when it's convenient or believe what is easy to accept. He wants us to take everything He teaches, and live it out in every part of our lives. Jesus asks this knowing full well it won't be easy for us. We will wrestle, struggle, and question, there will be hardship, suffering, rain, floods, and wind. But He promises that if our faith is built on Him and His words we will always be on solid rock. It's astonishing that our God asks everything from us. [bctt tweet="He promises that if our faith is built on Him and His words we will always be on solid rock." username="christyisinger"] Scroll down to the commentary on this selection from Matthew in the "Catena Aurea." Christy Isinger is a wife and mom to five lovely, loud children and lives in northern Canada. When not homeschooling, she is a devoted reader of English literature from Jane Austen to Agatha Christie. She writes about the beauty of faith, life, and the home at her blog and is the co-host of the Fountains of Carrots Podcast. You can find out more about her here. She is the author of our Blessed Conversations: The Ten Commandments study found here.

Did today’s First Reading lose you a bit amidst all the animal carcasses and smoking fire pots? The part about Abram’s descendants numbering the stars is easy to follow, but then things take a turn toward animal sacrifice and floating flames. (See Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18.) Here’s what’s going on. In the time of Abram, passing through divided animal sacrifices with a lit torch was a common practice for forming a covenant with someone. So, in this moment, God is forming a deep relationship with Abram, swearing that what He promised to Abram at the beginning of the reading would be fulfilled. Abram had a front seat to this particularly dramatic covenant. But we, too, are the witnesses and partakers of our own covenant with God in Christ Jesus. When we are baptized, brings us into His everlasting covenant. We become His family. So what’s promised to us in this covenant? The possibility of eternal life. Unending happiness in the next life when we stay grafted onto Christ. (See Matthew 7:15-20.) The most beautiful plan for our lives. The Lord wants only our greatest good. He has a perfect plan for our life here on earth, even when it might deviate from what we think is “perfect.” He has made a way for our particular souls to reach the heights of Heaven. In the covenant of our Baptism, He promises us that He has the best plan for our lives. Abram was worried that his legacy would be second-best, but the Lord guaranteed Him the very best. The Lord made possible the impossible; He redeemed what was thought to be lost; He restored and He promised and He fulfilled. And He does that for you today, in your soul, right now. Your life is not God’s Plan B; His will for your life is not second-best. The dreams God puts on your heart are not leftovers or afterthoughts. He carries a bright torch for your life, and He desires to bear the most life-giving fruit through you. We only need to remain in Him as He remains in us (from the Alleluia). [bctt tweet="His will for your life is not second-best." username="to_the_heights"] This vibrant preacher speaks on covenant and shares new insights. Olivia Spears lives in Kentucky where sweet tea and bourbon flow like milk and honey. She is the Blog Manager for Blessed is She and works from home as an editor and social media manager. She likes to binge novels and Netflix while raising her children and laughing with her husband. She is a contributing author to our children's devotional prayer book, Rise Up. You can find out more about her here.

Lord, show me the narrow gate! And give me courage to enter through it, I pray, I want to be among those who enter and find life. He has shown me the gate. Or rather, the Lord has shown me Himself. I think of Jesus Himself as the gate, the way through which we come to the Father. He revealed to us that He is the way, the truth, and the life. (See John 14:6.) It's the courage to enter that gate, to follow the path laid before me, that I lack. I hesitate to choose this way, to follow where Jesus calls me; sometimes I even struggle to seek His direction in prayer. Sisters, I don't know about you, but I start to feel lost in the crowd and the shuffle of all the bodies going in the same direction. I can't see the way, nor can I hear God's voice over the din of the world's messages and noise. After a while, my meandering along with the crowd while hesitating to follow Jesus turns to unrest. My soul finds no peace in following the path through the "wide gate" that the world offers. I yearn for something else. "I am the Way and the Life. Follow me," He beckons. I hesitate again, but eventually turn towards Him. And so my yearning leads me back to where I find life and the only thing that satisfies. I return to daily prayer and more frequent reception of the Sacraments. There I find the courage to enter the narrow gate, day after day, and find life in Jesus. [bctt tweet="I think of Jesus Himself as the gate, the way through which we come to the Father." username="blessedisshe__"] Make a stop at the adoration chapel or find out when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed at your nearby parish. Make it to daily Mass once this week. Avail yourself of the graces of the Sacrament! Gina Fensterer is a Colorado native at heart, but the West Coast beach life suits her just fine. She currently lives in small coastal area of California with her husband and six children. She loves the Jesus prayer, coffee at any time of day, homemade salsa, photography, and sleepy toddler snuggles. She is a contributing author to our children's devotional prayer book, Rise Up. You can find out more about her here.

One of our Italian sisters inspired me since before I even entered the community. Her childlike faith and love for Our Lord became even more radiant and profound as she neared the end of her life. One of the best ways to get her to smile was to say, Sia lodato Gesù Christo—Praised be Jesus Christ! To which she would respond with drama and a twinkle in her eye, Sempre sia lodato—May He always be praised. She made her voice deep and sometimes tucked in her chin, and everyone around smiled with her. We could not help it. Her words, her candor, and the ways her presence underscored the truth she proclaimed lifted everyone around her into the presence of the Lord, even if it was just for that moment. Sometimes I think Saint John the Baptist was a kid at heart. Yes, he was a prophet and that is a serious thing. Yes, he died a martyr’s death and that is nothing to belittle. He also lived a very ascetical life eating locust and wild honey and wearing camel’s hair. (See Matthew 3:4.) But despite all this, there was something about his reckless love—a love that held nothing back. He was unassuming like a child. John knew the Messiah had come and he told everyone about it. It was not convenient or comfortable, but it was the truth, so John spoke it. The Second Reading today describes the stature of those who follow the Lord. David is “a man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22) and John the Baptist “heralded [Jesus’] coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance” (Acts 13:24). Most of our lives are not loud like the prophets, but though our lives are hidden, God sees us. May we allow Him to make our lives radiate light. May God say of each of us, “She is a woman after my own heart.” May we be heralds of the Good News to everyone we love or meet. May we receive the gift of childlike faith: unpretentious, joyful, radiant. [bctt tweet="May we allow Him to make our lives radiate light." username="srmariakim"] This image of the Sacred Heart from the 1880s is striking. Sister Maria Kim Bui is a Daughter of Saint Paul, women religious dedicated to evangelization in and through the media. She is originally from Tempe, AZ, spent most of her fourteen years in religious life in the northeast, some time in Texas, and now was recently asked to serve as the director of marketing and sales at the Sisters' publishing house in Boston. She is a contributing author to our children's devotional prayer book, Rise Up and the author of our Blessed Conversations Mystery: Belong found here. Find out more about her here.

For years I questioned why I was so peaceful over my father's death. Since the day of his funeral, instead of feeling the absence of his presence, I have had an insatiable hunger for the Eucharist only satisfied when I consumed Our Lord's precious Body and Blood. Daily, I feel my dad so close to me whenever I receive Communion. The Catechism of the Church teaches us: By his death and Resurrection, Jesus Christ has “opened” heaven to us . . . . He makes partners in his heavenly glorification those who have believed in him and remained faithful to his will. Heaven is the blessed community of all who are perfectly incorporated into Christ. (source) Whenever we receive the Eucharist, we enter into Communion with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That’s right; Christ is not alone for He is always united to the Blessed Trinity! Further, whenever we receive the Eucharist we are united more fully with the Body of Christ. Since all in Heaven—including the Saints and angels—are “perfectly incorporated into Christ,” we are united to them as well. From an early age, Saint Therese of Lisieux understood this great mystery. She lost her mother Zelie when she was four years old. Upon receiving her first Communion, she cried tears of joy, but everyone misinterpreted them to be tears of sorrow over her mother's absence. She wrote: It was beyond them that all the joy of heaven had entered one small, exiled heart and that it was too weak to bear it without tears. As if the absence of my mother could make me unhappy on the day of my first Communion! As all of heaven entered my soul when I received Jesus, my mother came to me as well. (source) Is your heart erupting? Mine did when I read her words. I can finally stop questioning whether I have mourned my father's death rightly. I know I'm not alone in this peace and I wish this joy for everyone who has experienced the passing of a loved one. On this feast of Corpus Christi, contemplate Whom you are receiving in the Blessed Sacrament as well as the heavenly company that is beyond our comprehension. [bctt tweet="I wish this joy for everyone who has experienced the passing of a loved one." username="SoCalTriciaT"] This special book on the Eucharist has been an ongoing study material for our Blessed is She team. Take a look and see if your book club wants to dive in as well! Tricia Tembreull is a California girl with a boundless passion for life. After two decades of ministering to teens and youth ministers as a trainer, ministry mentor, and speaker in Catholic youth ministry, Tricia now serves as Campus Minister at USC Caruso Catholic Center. She loves adventure and seeks it everywhere she goes. As an avid foodie, she enjoys testing new recipes out on friends and family, gathering them around the table to encounter Christ in one another and be drawn to the satisfying unity we crave in the Eucharist. You can find out more about her here.