October 30, 2025 // Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Luke 13:31-35 Reflect on the Word //  I watch the slow drip, drip, drip of the IV bag. I count them: one drop every three seconds. I do this treatment extremely slowly; otherwise, it gives me severe heart palpitations that trigger my body into panic attacks. I will be here for another seven hours today, trying to keep my body calm, and back again, tomorrow and every day for the next couple months, trying to endure this unwanted school of patience.  I read today’s Gospel and try to listen to what God has to teach. The Lord yearns for me. The image is lovely: like “a mother hen gathers her brood under her wings” (Luke 13:34). He longs to hold me. And I need to be held, as the stress of these treatments make my body feel so scared and unsafe. But I have been unwilling (see Luke 13:34). I haven’t let Him in. I have been gripping with my own strength, not letting the Lord help me. I make an act of the will to praise God despite my current discomfort. I want to see Him. I want to see Him performing miracles even in this IV room. And as I open my heart, I do see. I see a man in a wheelchair move his leg that has been immobile for years and hear him tell his story of recovery. A woman shares that her tumor has shrunk considerably and her markers are now so low. As my body suddenly reacts to the medicine again and my heart begins to race, the man next to me prays over me, and it brings me peace. The woman next to me looks into my tear-filled eyes with compassionate understanding. Jesus is here. He is performing healings today and tomorrow and will soon accomplish His purpose (see Luke 13:32). May we allow the Lord to gather all the parts of us and cover us with His protective, healing love. May our unwillingness soften and may we see Him in the ordinary and miraculous. Despite our circumstances, may we offer a sacrifice of praise: “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 13:35) Relate to the Lord // What miracles is the Lord working around you right now. Ask for the eyes to see.  

October 29, 2025 // Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Romans 8:26-30 Reflect on the Word //  A pink note, folded in half and scrawled upon in my older sister’s handwriting, awaited me on the counter when I came downstairs for breakfast: “There is something bigger and better out there.” Yet another full-time job I had interviewed for in the months since graduating college had turned me down the night before, and I was growing more and more disconsolate. Why had the Lord given me such big dreams to work in the publishing industry if He hadn’t intended to fulfill them?  Today’s First Reading, read with the decade’s worth of perspective I’ve gained since that moment, makes my breath catch. In one of the Scripture passages I find most consoling in times of frustration or hardship, Saint Paul writes, “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). All things. Every last one of them. The events that don’t go according to our plans are not wasted or forgotten by our God. But often it takes time to see the long game the Lord has been playing in our lives.    It wasn’t that God didn’t care about the desires of my heart back then; I realize that now. He simply had other plans to fulfill them—plans that would take ten years, lots of rejected job applications, two graduate degrees in English, and His patient revelation and nurturing of gifts and talents I didn’t know I had at twenty-two, in order to mature. The longing to work with writers and their words that made me want to be a book editor is the same one that, today, helps me guide my high school English students in their pursuit of truth, beauty, and goodness.   Sister, the Lord also has a long term plan for you. And whether we can see the end or not, today let us rest in the certainty that, whatever we’re experiencing, the Lord will use it all for good. And may we also not forget that a life spent with Him in eternity is the biggest and best promise of all.  Relate to the Lord // Make an act of faith with this truth: God is working all things together for your good.

October 28, 2025 // Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Psalm: Psalm 19:2-3, 4-5 Reflect on the Word //  My garden is currently presenting a long farewell until next year. Our roses—white and baby pink— just recently put out their last blooms. The white snowball hydrangeas have greened over the last few months, becoming dry and still. And the front yard is full of colorful, crunchy leaves. So much of it reminds me that its beauty is worth the wait of what's to come in the future winter season. It also encourages me to enjoy this aged beauty—this beauty that's been through the heat, that's past its peak, and that's changed. God’s creation is a place where we can learn about our Creator. The Psalmist writes, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:2). Each season in nature so clearly has a purpose, and declares God’s glory. Seasons of preparing, seasons of bearing. Sowing and reaping fruit. While it may not feel as black and white in our own lives, I imagine the Lord wants us to feel similarly about the seasons we find ourselves in—confident that there is a purpose for the present moment, and hopeful about what's to come. So much about gardening and planting is uncertain, but I can tell you from experience that when you plant something, even if you don't feel like it, it's like you're planting a seed of hope in your own heart. You can't help but hope when you plant! I wonder what the Lord wants you to plant this season. I wonder what part of the garden of your heart He plans to tend to today. I wonder what He plans to bring fruit from next year. In any case, look around with me today and see His glory in what's been, and in what's changed. And have hope for what’s to come. Relate to the Lord // Look around: Where can you see God’s glory in your life? What hope do you have for the next season? Share it with Him.  

October 27, 2025 // Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Romans 8:12-17  Reflect on the Word //  I drove into our driveway and heaved a sigh of relief. My husband wasn’t home yet. It had been a rough week, and I decided to treat myself to a coffee and a trip to the store to browse the fall decor. That always lifted my spirits! However, unloading my bags of goodies, I felt guilty. Did I really need all this fall decor when I already had bins of them? Frankly, no, and it was becoming a pattern. In today’s First Reading, Saint Paul writes: “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, ‘Abba, Father!’” (Romans 8:15). What does that mean for me, Lord? How do I fall back into a spirit of slavery? Asking the Holy Spirit to open my eyes, the answer crystallized. It’s when I look to outside things to bring me comfort before I turn to God. My go-tos are shopping, eating, binge watching, etc. Of themselves, these aren’t bad things (if you moderated the binge), but when I’m stressed and anxious, I tend to run to these first for immediate comfort and to mask what I am feeling.  God asked my heart, Why do you not come to Me, my daughter? Dwell in my mercy. Allow Me to comfort you. Deep in my heart I knew this, but I needed the reminder. When I go to Him first and refresh myself in His presence, then I can enjoy the simple pleasures of a good meal or favorite show without an inordinate attachment to them.  Is there a spirit of slavery in your life? Maybe it’s a sinful habit that has taken root or something that’s innately good, but has become an obstacle in deepening your spiritual life. The Holy Spirit wants to enlighten our hearts, particularly through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We are daughters of God called to live in the freedom of His love and not in a spirit of slavery.  Relate to the Lord // Ask the Lord to reveal any disordered attachments (something you turn to or rely on instead of Him). Ask Him for the grace to turn to Him today. 

Saturday, October 25, 2025 Letter from the Editor // Dear Sister, Last Sunday, the Readings encouraged us to persevere in prayer. On the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Church has given us Readings that tell us how we should pray. We hear that “the one who serves God willingly is heard” and the “prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds” (Sirach 35:16). When we seek the Lord’s will in our daily lives, He will help us follow Him. We may not have many outward, material blessings, but when we live His call for us, He will give us what we need to stay close to Him and to be with Him forever. Our hope in this life is to keep the faith, like Saint Paul in the Second Reading, to compete well and to finish the race. The Lord will stand by us and give us strength (see 2 Timothy 4:17). In the Gospel, Jesus shows us an example of two people praying before God. The first is self-reliant and justifies himself before God. The second realizes that he is a sinner, that all that he has came first from God and that only God can redeem him. The Lord desires us to rely on Him. He has given us all we have and are, and wants us to give ourselves back to Him in trust and love. Sister, lean into the Lord’s grace as you seek to follow Him each day. Remind yourself that you are the poor, the weak one who has nothing without Him. And when you are one of the poor, the Lord will hear your cry; and your soul will “glory in the LORD” (Psalm 34:3). In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the Readings for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time:  First Reading // Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18 Psalm // Psalm 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23 Second Reading // 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 Gospel // Luke 18:9-14 Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days Sunday, October 26 // Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Tuesday, October 28 // Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles  

October 24, 2025 // Optional Memorial of Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Bishop Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Romans 7:18-25a Reflect on the Word //  My feet were aching, and my body was worn. The altitude hit me, and I felt dehydrated. “What am I doing here?” I found myself yelling this aloud with the ridgeline in sight, soon after arriving at a false summit. Every step up the mountain was painful. I tried resisting the wind’s force to look ahead and see how much farther ahead my friends had gotten. Swallowing the remaining droplets of my water bottle, I realized that the only way forward is further up, and I resolved to keep going. Beginning again, my heart revealed my fear: It’s too much. I can’t do it. I called out for help, and the couple I was with stopped and came back for me.  They came for me. They found me stuck and stopped dead in my tracks. My pack was at my feet to give my back some reprieve, and they carried it for me for a mile’s stretch. With electrolytes and encouragement in tow, we pressed ahead together and finished the 13,000-foot hike.  As the burden on my back grew lighter, I reflected on my noble aspirations and the desire for the higher things. Stuck in the mire of misery and self-sufficiency, I realized that I can’t achieve great things alone. I can’t muscle my way up to the summits of a 13,000-foot hike, much less the summits of eternity. I need help. I am a creature, a beloved daughter of the Father Who made me dependent and in need of community, dependent and in need of Trinitarian communion.  How often do we find that we are like Saint Paul in today's First Reading, knowing what is right and failing to do it? He says, “For I do not do the good I want” (Romans 7:19). We know self-reliance is not the right course of action. We are tempted to “go it alone” for reasons as varied as the means by which we attempt to prove ourselves, though. In His severe yet tender mercy, the Father reminds us that our worth lies in being loved by Him. All that He asks is that this truth be shared.  Relate to the Lord // What burden are you trying to carry on your own? Who can you share it with today?  

October 23, 2025 // Optional Memorial of Saint John of Capistrano, Priest Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Romans 6:19-23  Reflect on the Word // Just this morning I read an article about the celebrated author, chef, and TV presenter Anthony Bourdain. He tragically ended his own life at what appeared to be the height of his fame, fortune, and creative power. The article included this quote from Bourdain: “You’ll never know the consequences of getting what you want until you get what you want” (source). It’s a quote that speaks to what happens when human desires are ordered toward the wrong goals. I know in my life continuing to try to order my desires to the will of God is difficult because so often I don’t see immediate consequences. There are no dramatic miracles or spiritual ecstasies, let alone fame and fortune. As a mom, many of my days seem and feel quite ordinary, and while I know that what I do every day is important at deep, life-changing levels, there are few accolades or grand feelings of accomplishment. My desire to follow God’s will for my life brings a joy that looks and feels differently from worldly accomplishment or career success. That’s why Saint Paul’s words today are an important reminder that my desires have consequences, and the consequences couldn’t be higher. We can submit to a slavery to sin that ends in death or choose instead a slavery to righteousness and the greatest reward of eternal life. The gift of Baptism, of becoming a Christian and sharing in the sanctifying life of Christ, is our path out of that slavery to sin: “But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit that you have leads to sanctification, and its end is eternal life” (Romans 6:22). As Christians we have to continue to seek to align our desires with the desires of Christ. We are choosing and desiring the greatest consequence of human life if we do so. And while we will only see the consequences of this desire in part in this world, when we give ourselves over to the movements of grace we will anticipate eternal life spent with God. Relate to the Lord // Meditate on Heaven. Ask God for a greater desire for Heaven today.  

October 22, 2025 // Optional Memorial of Saint John Paul II, Pope Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel from the Readings for the Memorial: John 21:15-17 Reflect on the Word // I sense His gentle invitation: It presents as another opportunity to extend outside the parameters of my self-imposed comfort zone. I feel my insides twist and swirl: it would be far easier to ignore His invitation and carry on as I'd planned. A few moments pass and again that gentle invitation meets my heart, yet this time it is posed as a question: Shalini, do you love Me?  Of course I love You, Lord! What kind of silly question is that?! I think to myself, slightly frustrated with the Lord. And there it was—in that moment—that my heart pivoted: a realization that love begs of us an active, open, and willing response. That day, though, I met Love with a stony heart. I am much like Peter from our Gospel for today’s Feast of Pope Saint John Paul II. I imagine Peter looking at Jesus each time Jesus asked if he loved Him with a bit of confusion, frustration and—as Scripture says—distress. Of course Peter loved Jesus! And Jesus—hearing each of Peter's responses—calls him into action. “Feed my lambs. [. . .]  Tend my sheep. [. . .] Feed my sheep” (John 21:15, 16, 17). Love is a verb. It is an action that springs forth from surrendered joy and trust that Jesus already knows it all. He knows our fears, our doubts, anxieties, the boundaries of our self-imposed comfort zones, the struggles and obstacles. And that does not stop Him from inviting us into action—movement forward, movement outside of ourselves—and closer to Him and who He created us to be. God is not asking you to act from a place of perfect clarity, but from a place of deep trust in Him and great love for Him. Our Saint of today, who was a successor of Peter, and a model of how to love God, reminds us of a deep truth: “Today Christ is asking each of you the same question: do you love Me? He is not asking you whether you know how to speak to crowds, whether you can direct an organization or manage an estate. He is asking you to love Him. All the rest will ensue” (source). Relate to the Lord // How is God inviting you to trust and love Him in action today?  

October 21, 2025 // Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Romans 5:12-21 Reflect on the Word //  One of my old colleagues had a special penchant for getting away with going around the rules of my previous organization to get what he wanted. He often got praised for his work too, like he’d done nothing wrong during all those months that I had noticed his actions. It’s true I didn’t know if he was doing these things on purpose, and yet the very moral side of me still got so frustrated, I wanted to tattle to my supervisor saying, “Him! It’s him, he’s doing something wrong!” But I never did. No, even though my emotions told me to focus on the wrongs I thought my coworker had committed,  the Lord had called me to something better: to focus on the rights I could do, both inside and outside the office. In today’s First Reading from his Letter to the Romans, Saint Paul reminds us that goodness and grace can only follow those who pursue obedience in Him—and conversely, choices made in disobedience can only lead towards sin and death. If my colleague was purposefully making poor choices at work, that was his business, not mine—God could sort out and handle the rest, as Jesus did on the Cross all those years ago. No, Christ didn’t harp for hours and hours on the Fall caused by Adam and Eve’s decision, but instead chose to right the wrongs through His own willing obedience, His own life. In Paul’s own words, “just as through the disobedience of one man the many were made sinners so through the obedience of the one the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19). The overflowing fruitfulness of grace and goodness are available to us, if we focus on and allow the Lord to perfect our own path. May we all choose to stay in God’s holy lane rather than judging another’s and let the grace that comes from our obedience to the Lord inspire those around us to do the same. Relate to the Lord // What does staying in your holy lane look like? Ask God for the grace to focus on Him today.

October 20, 2025 // Optional Memorial of Saint Paul of the Cross, Priest [In the Dioceses of the United States] Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Luke 12:13-21  Reflect on the Word //  I read the date on the canned food; its “best by” date was in 2023. I tossed it, along with several other cans well past their prime. “What recipe did you buy that for, Mom?” my teens asked. I had no idea anymore. Too often I planned recipes to try, bought the special ingredients, and forgot about my plan, leaving the food unused.  It was embarrassing, throwing away neglected and expired food. This wasn’t the first time I made the mistake of over-buying or failing to follow through with a recipe, letting food waste away in my pantry. I felt like a fool. Jesus’ words in today’s parable hit my heart like an arrow: “[T]he things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?” (Luke 12:20) The food I purchased had nourished no one. It sat on my shelves for years. Those fancy ingredients and old canned goods were like the treasures the rich man stored for himself. Quite unintentionally, I had become like that foolish man, with “riches” stored only for myself. I realized I’m no better than the rich man; but I can be. The Lord calls me to be more and offers the grace to change. Regarding my pantry stores, it’s not hard to see how I can work on being “rich in what matters to God” (Luke 12:21). Feeding the hungry is a corporal work of mercy; feeding my family with the food I buy and donating more often to the local community will glorify God, storing riches in Heaven rather than on my shelves.  Jesus’ parable about the rich man is a call to action. He desires our generous love, sister. He calls us to love and glorify Him through serving others, performing works of mercy like feeding the hungry, as well as through our prayers. When we live this way, we will be rich in what matters to God.  Relate to the Lord // Where is the Lord inviting you to be generous today? 

Saturday, October 18, 2025 Letter from the Editor // Dear Sister, The Readings for the Twenty-ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time encourage us to grow in the virtue of perseverance in our prayer and in our daily living of our faith. In the Gospel, Jesus tells a parable “about the necessity [. . .] to pray always without becoming weary” (Luke 18:1). At times, it may feel like the Lord is like the judge in the parable, not listening to the widow and not answering our prayers. However, we know our God is not a “dishonest judge” (Luke 18:6). Even when we feel He is not listening, we must have faith that He hears us and deeply cares about all of our needs. We have to remember that His timing is not our own timing, and He will answer us speedily when the time is right.  Like Moses in the First Reading, we may have to raise our hands to the Lord for an unbearable length of time, and rely on the help of others to hold us up (see Exodus 7:12). That is the beauty of being together in the Church, the Body of Christ—when we are weary, we help each other. Saint Paul tells us to “proclaim the word” to each other. He reminds us to “be persistent” as we “convince, reprimand, [and] encourage through all patience and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2). Let us build each other up, carry each other in prayer, and remain faithful on behalf of those who are losing hope. We remind each other that our “help is from the LORD,” that “he will guard [us] from evil,” and “guard [our] coming and [our] going both now and forever” (Psalm 121:2, 7, 8). In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the Readings for the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time:  First Reading // Exodus 17:8-13 Psalm // Psalm 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 Second Reading // 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2 Gospel // Luke 18:1-8 Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days Saturday, October 18 (today!) // Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist // Saturday Sunday, October 19 // Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time Monday, October 20 // Optional Memorial of Saint Paul of the Cross, Priest [In the Dioceses of the United States] Wednesday, October 22 // Optional Memorial of Saint John Paul II, Pope Thursday, October 23 // Optional Memorial of Saint John of Capistrano, Priest Friday, October 24 // Optional Memorial of Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Bishop  

October 17, 2025 // Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Luke 12:1-7 Reflect on the Word //  I gazed at my cart full of groceries and felt my shoulders relax. The worry that had gripped my heart dissipated. I finally took a deep breath, and with it, felt all the racing thoughts in my mind slow down. I have been here many times before. Consumed by uncertainty and fear. Would we have enough to get by this month? A question heavy with shame. But most of all, a question that I have held on to tightly, refusing to release my grip and give it to the Lord. And yet, He shows up. He provides. His gentle voice whispers, “Do not be afraid” (Luke 12:7). Jesus speaks these powerful words in today’s First Reading and throughout Scripture. They are a beautiful refrain. This verse sung over me from the depths of His Heart. Words that reveal His closeness. He stands beside me offering peace. Peace for every problem. It is an unshakable peace, but it requires surrender. It requires reckless abandon, as I move forward towards His embrace and proclaim that I believe in His promises. When questions arise, I see Him, calling to me, reminding me repeatedly that I have nothing to fear and that “[e]ven the hairs of [my]  head have all been counted” (Luke 12:7). Doubt crumbles to mere dust. I follow His voice. I surrender.  We have nothing to fear. This is a truth that we wrestle with. In our fallen human nature, in a world full of brokenness, fear overwhelms us. Our questions overwhelm us. Uncertainty overwhelms us. But nothing overwhelms the Lord. He is with us in everything. Offering us peace. Offering us hope. Offering Himself. We have more than enough. We have the God of the universe by our side. Do not be afraid.  Relate to the Lord // What fears have been assaulting you? Tell them to Jesus. Read and pray with His words to you, “Do not be afraid” (Luke 12:7).  

October 16, 2025 // Optional Memorial of Saint Hedwig, Religious // Optional Memorial of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Psalm Psalm 130:1-6 Reflect on the Word //  “Storage is full.” My heart dropped at the message covering my screen. I had just recorded the perfect video, finally, after a month full of attempts at recording. Previous sessions had been foiled by loud-talking teens, A/C units that kicked in unexpectedly, barking dogs, leaf blowers, garbage trucks, and even a firetruck—and now a storage issue. I felt as if I was never going to get the two-minute video finished before the deadline. Taking a deep breath, I shut it off, and walked away.  The next morning, I headed to Mass and stayed for Confession. I had been making this whole project more about me, and less about Him. Returning home, I swapped the academic background for a white wall, put on a simple black blouse, ditched the notes, spoke from the heart and trusted the Lord to give me the words. And in six minutes I was done.  The prayers of today’s Psalm are more of a goal for me rather than a statement of my daily approach. I desire to trust more deeply in the Lord, I want my soul to trust in His word, I long to exchange my impatience for attentive expectation of His arrival. But I still have a tendency to over-complicate things. My desire for perfection often means grasping tightly to over-control things, leaving little room for the Holy Spirit to operate. I plan, I perfect, but I often forget the most important ingredient—grace.   Everything we do as Catholics emanates from that place of grace. We receive grace in prayer and we open our receptivity when we are free from sin. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a gift given to us, and when frequented this gift helps us to live in closer unity with the Lord. His grace provides for us. If you haven’t been to Confession recently, I encourage you to do so this week. Make grace a priority, receive God’s mercy and love, and grow in your trust and docility to the Spirit.  Relate to the Lord // When will you go to Confession this week/month?  

October 15, 2025 // Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel for the Memorial: John 15:1-8 Reflect on the Word //  I stared at my indoor jade plants, gardening shears in hand, unsure where to begin. The plants looked healthy on the surface, thick with shiny leaves, but they had grown uneven and now appeared leggy and lopsided, stretching too far towards the light. I snipped away at healthy stems, apologizing under my breath. If the plants could scream, I think they would have. Still, I knew the truth: without pruning, they would not grow stronger. They would topple and needed this reshaping. That image stayed with me as I recently walked through my own season of heavy pruning. This pruning was not of sin or obvious disorder, but of very good things. Beautiful, holy things I thought would last. Dreams that had God’s fingerprints on them. Plans made in prayer. Friendships rooted in faith. But even these were trimmed back. The cuts felt painful, even confusing. Why would the Lord take what was already bearing fruit? Then I read His words again: “Every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it bears more fruit” (John 15:2). So that. That small phrase holds such promise. The Lord does not prune to harm. He prunes for more. More fruit. Deeper roots. Truer trust. The Lord is not reckless with His pruning shears. He sees the whole structure of our lives and shapes it with eternity in mind. He never cuts without purpose. He never leaves us alone. “Remain in me, as I remain in you” (John 15:4). That word “remain” has become a lifeline. Stay with Him. Even when the pruning stings. Even when we cannot see the fruit yet. Let His grace continue to flow. Receive this grace, especially whenever fruitful things are taken, we feel emptied, confused, or fragile. But pruning is not the end. It is the beginning of something deeper, something even more fruitful. The Lord is making space for abundance. So let us remain. Let us become women—like the woman we celebrate today, Saint Teresa of Avila—who do not fear the Gardener’s shears, because we trust His hands and wait in hope for the fruit He has promised. Relate to the Lord // How can you practically “remain” today?   

October 14, 2025 // Optional Memorial of Saint Callistus I, Pope and Martyr Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Romans 1:16-25 Reflect on the Word // The shirt said “110% Catholic,” but the girl wearing it didn’t always live it. I wasn’t afraid to be known as Catholic, and obviously walking around with a shirt proclaiming my superior status as one meant that my faith was no secret, but actually living that faith, giving witness to the person of Jesus? Nope! Why? Because I didn’t know the power of the Gospel, I was afraid of what I didn’t know. I was happy to wear the merch, but to live fully the holiness I knew I was called to, that was a challenge I felt ill equipped to handle. “I am not ashamed of the Gospel. It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). How blind I was to the true intensity of God’s Word, the effective truth He proclaims in Scripture. I read Scripture, but I didn’t pray with it. I knew Scripture, but I didn’t let it penetrate my heart to transform me and change my heart. I was ignorant of the capacity of the Scriptures, the living Word of God, to reveal to me not only Who He is, but who I am, to make known the awesomeness of His saving power. God has made Himself known to us, “able to be understood and perceived in what He has made, and  “[a]s a result [we] have no excuse” (Romans 1:20). We have been given the gift of Sacred Scripture, revealing to us the love God has for us, His plan for our salvation, and the glory of the eternal life for which He created us. When we encounter the beauty of creation, we encounter God. When we encounter the goodness of another person, we encounter the goodness of God. When we immerse ourselves in Sacred Scripture we are fed with the very truth of Who and what God is. May we always live our lives with eyes wide open to all that God has revealed and seek Him, neither exchanging “the truth of God for a lie” nor worshiping “the creature rather than the creator” (Romans 1:25).  Relate to the Lord // How will you be a witness to the Gospel of Jesus today?

October 13, 2025 // Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Romans 1:1-7  Reflect on the Word // The sun was bright that morning at the soccer field. A chill was in the air, a light breeze blowing. In between cheering for my boys, I started chatting with one of the other moms. I was feeling comfortable, making small talk, when she asked me a simple question: “What’s your last name?” Should be simple, but I had two kids on the same team, brothers only twenty days apart in our beautiful blended family. I started babbling awkwardly about how I had recently gotten married and added my husband’s name onto mine, how I didn’t want to lose my perceived connection to my biological kids by changing my name completely, but I also didn’t like how clunky the double last name felt. Oof. That poor woman got more than she bargained for. Saint Paul’s greeting to the Romans has no such hesitation or stumbling over words. He doesn’t pull any punches when he’s identifying himself. Verse one of the first chapter of his Letter to the Romans says, “I, Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus.” His identity is so firmly rooted in Christ, in his mission, in the Gospel, that it is basically his last name. He is so utterly unashamed of the Gospel that he can’t even introduce himself without sharing Christ. Imagine being that bold! Our culture is rife with identity crises. But as followers of Christ we know exactly Who identifies us. No matter who we are, or what name we have, we can always come back to this: “slave of Christ Jesus [. . .] called to belong to Jesus Christ [. . .] called to be holy” (Romans 1:1, 6, 7). Whenever feelings or circumstances make us doubt who we are, we can look into the face of the Savior and remember in Whose image and likeness we are made. And in every circumstance, we are called to reflect that image to the world. Relate to the Lord // Who does God say that you are? Ask the Father to reveal your identity as His daughter.

Saturday, October 11, 2025 Letter from the Editor // Dear Sister, On the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time we hear about the miraculous healing of people from the disease of leprosy (which was otherwise incurable at that time) in both the First Reading and the Gospel. In these stories, we see two people outside God’s covenant with Israel come to faith in the one, true God and offer Him thanksgiving and worship. Like the men in the Readings, we too have been healed of a disease we cannot cure on our own—the disease of our sin. The Lord has made a way for us to “obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:10). He wants to heal us as many times as we fall, because He wants us to be with Him forever.  In our Baptism, we are plunged into the water like Naaman was plunged into the Jordan, and we are made clean (see 2 Kings 5:14). Saint Paul tells us that we “have died with him” in Baptism so that “we shall also live with him” (2 Timothy 2:11). Naaman had to plunge into the Jordan seven times, and like him the Lord invites us to plunge into His grace many times. When we fall into sin, we are invited to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation—ministered to us by a priest—and receive the Lord’s cleansing grace again and again. It does not matter how many times we turn away in unfaithfulness, our God will always remain faithful. Let us turn to Him in thanksgiving for the gift of healing and salvation and “sing to the Lord a new song”of praise (Psalm 98:1). In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the Readings for the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time:  First Reading // 2 Kings 5:14-17 Psalm // Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4 Second Reading // 2 Timothy 2:8-13 Gospel // Luke 17:11-19 Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days Saturday, October 11 (today!) // Optional Memorial of Saint John XXIII, Pope  Sunday, October 12 // Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Tuesday, October 14 // Optional Memorial of Saint Callistus I, Pope and Martyr Wednesday, October 15 // Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church Thursday, October 16 // Optional Memorial of Saint Hedwig, Religious // Optional Memorial of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin Friday, October 17 // Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr