Saturday, May 24, 2025 Happy Saturday, friend! We are so excited to share with you what's coming up this week as we all prepare our hearts by praying with readings for Sunday, the day of rest with our Lord. Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days Sunday, May 25 // Sixth Sunday of Easter Monday, May 26 // Memorial of Saint Philip Neri, Priest Tuesday, May 27 // Optional Memorial of Saint Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop Thursday, May 28 // Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter // Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord [In Ecclesiastical Provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Omaha, and Philadelphia] Letter from the Editor //  Dear Sister,  On this  Sixth Sunday of Easter we are plopped into the Acts of the Apostles in the middle of a discussion among the Apostles, our first bishops, about the Christian Gentiles, and whether they should be obliged to follow the laws of the Old Covenant. When Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Holy Orders, He promised that, “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you” (John 14:26). Acts shows us how the Holy Spirit is at work in the early Church and how the prophecy found in today’s Psalm is fulfilled, so that the Lord’s “way [would] be known upon earth” and “among all nations, [His] salvation” (Psalm 67:3). The Holy Spirit still works in the Church today. We must trust that God will bring about His will despite the human failings of our leaders, just like He did with Peter and James, whose failings we see in the Gospels. We can thank Jesus for the Church, for through its ministers at our Baptisms He fulfills His promise to us, that “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him” (John 14:23). And we can hope for the day when we will worship Him with the whole Church in the heavenly Jerusalem without mediation when the “temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb” (Revelation 21:22).  In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the readings for the Sixth Sunday of Easter:  First Reading // Acts 15:1-2, 22-29 Psalm // Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8 Second Reading // Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23 Gospel // John 14:23-29 Prayer Practice // What do you love about being Catholic? Thank Jesus for that today.  

May 23, 2025 // Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 15:12-17 Reflect on the Word //  A classroom full of confused eighth-grade faces stare at me as I smile back with an expression of joyful delight. They are confused as to why an answer one student had confidently given was wrong. I am excited to disabuse yet another class of Confirmation Candidates of the notion that Confirmation is an opportunity for the candidate to choose God and confirm one’s own choice of being Catholic. It takes a moment but once the truth sinks in—that Confirmation isn’t about our choosing God but of His confirming His choice of us, His love for us—as my students would say, “minds are blown.” These almost yearly encounters with my students move me to wonder if the Apostles reacted similarly to Jesus when He declared over them, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you” (John 15:16). After all, these were men who had been choosing to follow Jesus for three years in and around Galilee, Capernaum, and, finally, Jerusalem. They listened to Him, learned from Him, stayed with Him. They were His followers, His closest collaborators; surely, they were His friends. What must they have been asking themselves as Jesus said, “I no longer call you slaves . . . ” (John 15:15)?  When were they slaves? These were all free men, with careers, families, well established in society. He called each of them and they freely chose to leave everything behind to follow him. A slave cannot choose to leave his work with one master to follow another. Only one who is free can choose to follow; one can only follow what or whom they have first encountered and desired. They are His friends for the very reason that they left their former lives behind to follow Him. Their following Him was, indeed, their free choice, but a choice made possible only by His call, His choice of them. We belong to God; we are His friends not because we chose Him, but because He chooses us and gives us the grace we need to be free from the slavery of sin and to grow in our friendship with Him. Relate to the Lord // Reflect on the gift of your Confirmation and ask for the intercession of your patron Saint today!

May 22, 2025 // Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter // Optional Memorial of Saint Rita of Cascia, Religious Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 15:9-11 Reflect on the Word //  “I think we should go to confession today,” my husband said one Saturday morning. I bristled at the thought. Keeping a two-year-old quiet while trying to reflect on all of my wrongdoings didn’t sound like a relaxing way to spend a Saturday afternoon. The indignation in the face of the life-saving power of Confession, however, was my sign that I was, in fact, overdue for the Sacrament.  With a sigh, I scampered over to the cupboard to grab snacks and distractions that would help diminish the desire for a very loud toddler to be, well . . . loud.  And then, despite my loud toddler waiting outside, it happened the way it always does—“I absolve you of your sins,” the priest spoke over me. In that moment, all of the stress and the frustration retreated. In that moment, I was free.  Sometimes I think we complicate the simple instructions God has set before us. “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,” He tells us in today’s Gospel (John 15:10).  It is a straightforward directive, yet we often muddle it with distractions and excuses. We find ways to avoid the grace we know we need and look to the world to find the life-giving joy that can only come from being in relationship with Him. It is a cycle that often leaves us empty and further from the genuine fulfillment that can be found in Christ.  I don’t know what sort of distractions are keeping you from remaining in His love, dear sister. I don’t know what hardships you’re facing or questions you have, but He is waiting to make your joy complete (see John 15:11).  Relate to the Lord // When was the last time you received the Sacrament of Confession? Make a plan to go this week.   

May 21, 2025 // Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter // Optional Memorial of Saint Christopher Magallanes, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 15:1-8 Reflect on the Word //  Do you remember being a teenager and running up to your bedroom, slamming the door, and loudly declaring that you wanted to be alone? Was I the only one who felt misunderstood at this age? I see now how misunderstanding often comes from not wanting to resolve a conflict, not wanting to relent in our way of thinking, and possibly from being unwilling to meet each other halfway. We want to be alone to protect ourselves, but oftentimes we choose to be alone because we don’t want to check our own pride and our belief that we’re right and everyone else is wrong. When Jesus says “unless it remains on the vine” (John 15:4),  I think of my stubborn refusal to remain in the presence of others. This happens with my relationship with Jesus as well. There are definitely times when I choose not to remain with Christ. It isn’t a benign “falling away” or “growing apart,” but truly a choice I make. A choice to sin, to pick my way through what I know Jesus has revealed to the Church to be true, to prefer my own personal isolation and disguise it as freedom. And with that there is a severing and loss of good fruit in my life.  When we separate ourselves from Jesus we experience loneliness and being cut off from others in its most acute form. Why do we choose to not remain with Him, attached to Him like a branch on the vine?  Jesus speaks truly when He tells us, “Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me” (John 15:4).  Separation between Christ and ourselves is not simply physical, but is a spiritual separation that impacts every aspect of our lives. To remain in Christ is our choice not simply to avoid loneliness, but to experience the promise of Heaven even here in our lives now, to be one with Him, and bear the fruit He calls us to bear.  Relate to the Lord // How have you been isolating from the Lord or others? How can you make a move back into relationship today?   

May 20, 2025 // Tuesday of Fifth Week of Easter // Optional Memorial of Saint Bernardine of Siena, Priest Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Acts 14:19-28 Reflect on the Word //  Stoned, dragged out of the city, left for dead. Unspeakable suffering. Saint Paul had such a redemption story. Why did he have to die now, with so much potential ahead of him? Through wet, tear-blurred eyes, I read on, because the story wasn’t over. He got up. This part of the story perhaps should have made me gasp with joy: He’s not dead?! Paul lives! Oh, thank You, Jesus! But I’ve never once read the stories of Saint Paul with such an emotional investment. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I read the verses a few times before I recognized the miracles right under my nose. “But when the disciples gathered around him . . .” (Acts 14:20) For a man who’d not so long ago breathed murderous threats towards the disciples (see Acts 9:1) to now have members of the believing community surrounding him in love—is a miracle. I see now that the Lord changed not only Paul’s heart, but also softened the disciples’ hearts to embrace Paul as a fellow believer. And then “. . . he got up” (Acts 14:20). Paul wasn’t dead. He got up and continued the mission! I can’t manage to cook dinner with a headache, but Paul got up and continued to proclaim the Good News after being stoned almost to death. Incredible. So many times I’ve heard this story without paying attention to the gift of Paul’s friends, to the wonder of the Holy Spirit active in the disciples’ lives. I wonder how much more I have missed, how many miracles and redemption stories around me go unnoticed.  The Lord wants us to begin to see His redemption at work in every Confession, to treasure the gift of friends who lift us up in prayer and don’t give up, to feel the power of His grace which helps us stand amidst suffering. He wants to open our eyes and our hearts to His everyday miracles so that we don’t miss the joy of seeing His work in our lives, so that we will have the strength like Paul to undergo the “many hardships” necessary “to enter the Kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). Relate to the Lord // What small sacrifice can you make today for the love of Christ?  

May 19, 2025 // Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 14:21-26 Reflect on the Word // Through the past three years I’ve returned repeatedly to a video of my son who drowned in a tragic accident. The audio is his voice pondering the goodness in his life which he knows he can’t deserve. My love for him urges me to listen  repeatedly to his voice and work out how I can best honor his memory, how to both let him go and hold him near.When Jesus knows the time is near for His crucifixion, he tells his disciples, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him” (John 14:23). My love for Jesus calls me beyond merely revisiting and remembering His words. I want to listen to the timbre of his voice, hear the ring of truth in His message, see the light in His eyes. What can it mean to keep His Word? My love for Jesus compels me to return to His Word repeatedly and ponder the goodness, beauty and truth I find there. That is certainly one way of keeping His Word.But, there’s more. When I keep my word,  I do what I say I will do, even if obstacles interfere or it becomes harder than I imagined it could be.  It follows that if I want to keep His Word, I must do what He says. I must pray as He prays, love like He loves, lay down my life for sinners, obediently take up my cross and follow Him. As I die moment by moment to my selfish ways, and make myself a gift to others, Jesus and our Father keep their promise to dwell with me. Amazingly, the Holy Spirit is mine too, as a teacher and guide who, in case I forget, reminds me of what Jesus said (see John 14:26). His intimate promise is not just for a few friends, but for everyone who keeps His word. Oh, how He longs for us to fully share in the love that flows between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Relate to the Lord // Contemplate: What does Jesus’ voice sound like? What do you see when you look in His eyes?   

Saturday, May 17, 2025 Happy Saturday, friend! We are so excited to share with you what's coming up this week as we all prepare our hearts by praying with readings for Sunday, the day of rest with our Lord. Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days Sunday, May 18 // Fifth Sunday of Easter Tuesday, May 20 // Optional Memorial of Saint Bernardine of Siena, Priest Wednesday, May 21 // Optional Memorial of Saint Christopher Magallanes, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs Thursday, May 22 // Optional Memorial of Saint Rita of Cascia, Religious Letter from the Editor //  Dear Sister,  On this Fifth Sunday of Easter we read about the great love God has for us, like that of a husband for his bride. He wants to be with us, to love us to the end. Saint John writes, “He will dwell with them and they will be his people” (Revelation 21:3). He has modeled for us what this love looks like, a love poured out, one that glorifies God. In the Gospel we are given part of Jesus’ teaching from the Last Supper. As He prepares to go and lay down His life for us, He tells us, “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (John 13:34).  He wants us to be filled with His own love; that is the virtue of charity. With this love, He wants to make us and “all things new” (Revelation 21:5a). And He does not want us to keep this Good News to ourselves. He has a unique call for each of us to spread the truth of His love. When Saints Paul and Barnabas exhort us that “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22), they want us to know that it will not be easy. But it will be worth it. The Lord dwells with us now and He wants to come to dwell in everyone. He has chosen us to bring the truth of His great love to the whole world. May we accept the grace to “make known [the Lord’s] might to the children of Adam, and the glorious splendor of [His] kingdom” (Psalm 145:12). In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter:  First Reading // Acts 14:21-27 Psalm // Psalm 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13 Second Reading // Revelation 21:1-5a Gospel // John 13:31-33a, 34-35 Prayer Practice // How will you choose to love like Christ today?  

May 16, 2025 // Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel:  John 14:1-6 Reflect on the Word //  I rolled into the school’s car lane for pick-up and turned off the engine. I looked forward to these moments in the afternoon. Alone in the car without any distraction. Free to read, respond to messages, or sift through my thoughts, which contained dinner ideas or whatever else was pressing at the moment. In that moment of decompressing I realized a lot of what I was thinking about were things that I couldn’t control. Sitting in the silence, though, calmed my frustration and defeatist attitude. The pressure in me was deflating like a bike tire with a slow leak, and it was a leak that I didn’t need to patch. In this moment of recollection, I further scanned for the inner “repairs” I needed and realized I hadn’t asked Jesus to take over as my “mechanic.” However, not once in His Word has He ever declared, “You need to have it figured out,” or “You need to know where all the parts go.”  Instead, very patiently He says in today’s Gospel, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me” (John 14:1).  Rather than let our thoughts hold us captive in a continuous cycle of motion, we can accept the “interior tune-up” that the Lord offers us. Thomas felt a similar need when he asked, "Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” (John 14:5) He had the humility to recognize that he needed the Lord’s directions. We also can learn to rely on Jesus, Who says to us, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). Sister, when we allow Him to lead, our freedom increases and our momentum is no longer stagnant. He is the truth that we seek and the way that leads to a life filled with hope.  Relate to the Lord // In what ways does your heart need a tune-up today? Share it with Jesus.

May 15, 2025 // Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter // Optional Memorial of Saint Isidore [in the dioceses of the United States] Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Acts 13:13-25 Reflect on the Word // I sat next to my grandmother, listening intently as she reminisced about her youth. Her voice sparkled with laughter as she recounted the adventures and mischief she shared with her siblings. But as I watched her smile, I realized the story of her life wasn’t just her own. It was intricately woven into mine. The grace she experienced was a golden thread, passed down through generations, connecting us in ways far deeper than memories alone. Her testimony of God's faithfulness had become part of the story of my life. In today’s First Reading, Saint Paul speaks to the people of Israel, recalling God’s enduring faithfulness: “For about forty years he put up with them in the desert. When he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance” (Acts 13:18-19). God’s faithfulness stretches across time, through generations, and He continues to guide His people. His promises are not confined to the past but live on in the present and future. We, too, are part of this unbroken lineage of grace. Just as God led the Israelites with unshakable faith, He walks with us today. The promises He made to our ancestors echo through the ages, inviting us to trust Him with the next chapter of our own stories. How will we respond to this invitation? We are the heirs of a magnificent legacy, one rooted in His goodness, kindness, and truth. Our lives, shaped by the stories of those who came before us, are living testimonies of His unchanging love. Just as my grandmother passed down her wisdom and love, we, too, are entrusted with the story of God’s grace, called to share it with the generations to come. Our lives are a radiant reflection of His eternal goodness! Relate to the Lord // Recall God’s faithfulness to you, whether in your own story or in your family’s lineage of grace.

May 14, 2025 // Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 15: 9-17 Reflect on the Word // The flight alone frightened me, more than twenty hours in the air. Even though a year had passed since my last chemotherapy treatment, I was still recovering. My body was weak and unpredictable at times. What if I’d taken on too much? What if I couldn’t do it? Still, we’d been planning and praying about this trip to Australia for years. The talks had all been booked and promoted, contracts had been signed, my bags were packed, and now here we were at the airport, my husband dropping me off for a three-week ministry adventure “down under.” I hugged him and started to cry. I said, “I hope we’re doing the right thing.” He held me tight and said, “Go, and share the Good News.” I braced myself, checked my bags, pulled up my compression socks, and got on the plane. With Jesus. The flight was far less onerous than I had predicted, and the overall trip was phenomenal on many levels, grace after grace showering down. And though it was far from perfect, I left Australia after three weeks with a much stronger sense that the Lord had in fact chosen me for that work and He would bless it and make it fruitful.   Sister, some days, I don’t want to be chosen. Ever feel that way? The mandate, however loving and good to “bear fruit that will remain” (John 15:16), is too challenging. Its weight is more than you can bear. Its demands are more costly than you have the energy, desire, or courage to fulfill. You are not enough. But Jesus chooses you anyway—because He is enough and wherever He goes, the Father goes with Him. Let’s remain with them. When we’d rather sit on the couch than travel to another hemisphere, let’s remember, there is no more effective fuel than love of the Father and Son, a love that is rooted in sacrifice. They will help us to lean into all the ways we have been chosen, staying with us, and fueling our “fruit that will remain” (John 15:16) when we remain in them. Relate to the Lord // Reflect on all the ways you have been chosen by God today.

May 13, 2025 // Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter //  Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Fátima Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 10:22-30 Reflect on the Word //  The gift of being a mother goes beyond words—every mother in the world can gush about this, and really, every woman in the world can gush alongside her. In reality, as women, we all mother. It’s built right into us. Whether or not we are parenting our own biological children, we are mothering to some degree—spiritually; through mentorship; nurturing our friendships, relationships, and families; and caring for those in our orbit and for those whose orbits we are in. Don’t think of yourself as a mother? I challenge you to look deeper at your own life. I bet you mother more than you realize. Because of this we all have a sense of the sheep and shepherd dynamic; we know what it’s like to feel like we are meant to keep watch over someone, and to give it all to keep them protected. We know what it’s like to feel confident that our voices are known, heard, and trusted. “My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me” (John 10:27). Of course, in our humanity we see a million flaws in our own lives, and perhaps we see a million flaws in our relationships. But this is the beauty of how God reflects His own love for us through our humanness, so that we can grasp it—even kinda sorta—and wonder at the immensity of His great care for us. If I can know the immense power of a child running into my arms for comfort, how much more does the Father desire to comfort me at any moment, and for any reason? If I can reach my hand out and know that, surely, a trusting little one will reach back to me, how much more does Jesus long for me to trust His presence in my life? Infinitely more. Relate to the Lord // Take a deep breath and pray: Jesus, help me never to see to wonder at this reality—that I am Yours, and You are mine.

May 12, 2025 // Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter // Optional Memorial of Saints Nereus and Achilleus, Martyrs; Optional Memorial of Saint Pancras, Martyr Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Acts 11:1-18 Reflect on the Word //  The women’s faces looked at me with a mixture of expressions. The large hall allowed for them to sit at the big round tables together with their chairs all turned toward the podium. Half-drunk coffees and crumbs from breakfast lay forgotten when the women traded their napkins for ink pens poised to take notes. Their expressions were peaceful, thoughtful, or even anticipating. Taking a deep breath, I began to apply the concept I was explaining by sharing a story with an all-too-familiar opening: “So, the other day, I was talking with the Lord . . .” When Peter is confronted in the First Reading, he responds with confidence and tells his story explaining it to them step by step, starting with, “I was at prayer. . .” (Acts 11:4-5). What follows is a beautiful application of his prayer and confirmation that he was indeed on the right path. One can hear the excitement in Peter’s voice come through in his words, and feel the conversion of hearts in the listeners who give praise to God. A confrontation became an opportunity to come together and learn from Peter, to see how he was making his decisions and following the direction of the Lord.  Like Peter, we all have a story to share. Our stories are evolving and unfolding each moment and sometimes we aren't even aware. If we can just pause each day and take a moment to see the story of the Lord unfolding in our midst, we are able to come to a clearer understanding of it all. And that starts with prayer. That must be the beginning of each of our many stories.  Dear sister, every time we are confronted, we, too, have the opportunity to convert hearts to the truth through our stories. The First Reading today gives us a beautiful template for doing so. We answer the accusation step by step, proclaiming truth and giving evidence of a good and loving God. We share our excitement in His direction with honesty, trusting that He will convict them of the truth if we simply share our story step by step.  Relate to the Lord // What story would you tell starting with this prompt: “So, the other day, I was talking with the Lord . . .”? Tell a friend today.  

Saturday, May 10, 2025 Happy Saturday, friend! We are so excited to share with you what's coming up this week as we all prepare our hearts by praying with readings for Sunday, the day of rest with our Lord. Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days Sunday, May 11 // Fourth Sunday of Easter Monday, May 12 // Optional Memorial of Saints Nereus and Achilleus, Martyrs; Optional Memorial of Saint Pancras, Martyr Tuesday, May 13 //  Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima Wednesday, May 14 // Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle Thursday, May 15 // Optional Memorial of Saint Isidore [in the dioceses of the United States] Letter from the Editor //  Dear Sister,  This Fourth Sunday of Easter is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday is our first with our newly elected shepherd Pope Leo XIV. He is the successor of our first pope, Saint Peter, and continues the mission of all the Apostles to evangelize the world. As members of the Church, we are a part of this mission, “For so the Lord has commanded us, I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth” (Acts 13:47). In his first papal homily, Pope Leo echoed these words of Saint Paul, “This is the world that has been entrusted to us, a world in which[. . .] we are called to bear witness to our joyful faith in Christ the Saviour" (source). All throughout the Old Testament, God draws a parallel between His relationship with His chosen people Israel and that of a shepherd and his sheep. “Know that the LORD is God,” the Psalmist writes. “He made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends” (Psalm 100:3). Jesus is the Good Shepherd and His sheep hear His voice: “I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). He came to Shepherd all humanity back to Him, and He does this through His Church. Let us pray for our new holy father, that under his leadership “the word of the Lord [will continue] to spread” (Acts 13:48). Let us trust in the care of our Good Shepherd who has given us the Church to help us “remain faithful to the grace of God” (Acts 13:43), for He the Lamb Who has washed us white in His blood has come for “every nation, race, people and tongue” (Revelation 7:9). May our lives be witnesses of joyful faith. In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter:  First Reading // Acts 13:14, 43-52 Psalm // Psalm 100:1-2, 3, 5 Second Reading // Revelation 7:9, 14b-17 Gospel // John 10:27-30 Prayer Practice // What was the last thing the Good Shepherd spoke to your heart?   

May 9, 2025 // Friday of the Third Week of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Acts 9:1-20 Reflect on the Word //  Kicking up a riot of colorful leaves with each step, my family and I would make our way through the canopied woods, stopping at each station to pray: “For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.” We’d genuflect and then rise to make our way to the next stop, the youngest in the group eagerly scurrying ahead. Others, pensive, would follow prayerfully behind.  As a child, I often visited the beautiful National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians in Hubertus, Wisconsin (affectionately known as “Holy Hill”) to pray the Stations of the Cross, nestled on a forest trail below the Basilica. This was more than a family tradition, of course. It was—and still is—a reminder and re-presentation of the Way of the Cross, the path Jesus climbed as He neared the place of his execution. It is the way, the path of the Christian life.  In today’s reading from Acts, Paul is on his way to Damascus to imprison and persecute men and women who belonged to “the Way.” In the early Church, Christianity was called the Way, because it was a way of being in the world as a follower of Jesus Christ. It meant being different. Followers of Jesus stood out. They drew countless people to themselves, and to God, but they also made many people uncomfortable. Including Paul.  Today we read about Paul’s life-changing intervention with the Way Himself—“I am the Way”( John 14:6)—which shatters Paul’s misconceptions and opens his eyes to not only the Way, but the Truth and the Life. In this moment, Paul becomes different and one of the greatest followers of the Way in the history of the Church he once persecuted.  This begs the question with me, within us: Are we living the Way in such a way that others would recognize us as followers of Jesus? Are we walking a path of martyrdom each day, stopping to reverence and to imitate each sign of God’s immense, self-sacrificial love? The Way of Christianity is the Way of the Cross. Are we on that path? Relate to the Lord // Which of the stations from the Station of the Cross will you identify with today and unite your sufferings to those of Jesus?  

May 8, 2025 // Thursday of the Third Week of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 6:44-51 Reflect on the Word //  Within one week’s time, everything had changed. Instead of continuing with my training at the art academy, I found myself in a severe health crisis needing to start intensive treatments in a new city for the next several months. I had recently moved my entire life to apprentice under a master artist and begin my professional art career. I had trusted God in pursuing this calling, and at the moment when everything felt like it was flowing beautifully, everything fell apart. I didn’t want to spend all my time at a health clinic. I wanted to be back at the studio working alongside my fellow apprentices, not sitting in lengthy hours of IV treatments and spending each day going from appointment to appointment. “They all shall be taught by God” (John 6:45). God reminds us that first and foremost we are apprentices of Jesus. I had moved my life to train under a master artist, but God reminded me He is my Master and Teacher.  “Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from Him comes to me” (John 6:45). None of us want to attend the school of suffering or sign up for classes in patience and surrender. Yet each day of my treatment was a school of intimacy with the Lord. I wanted to be back in my drawing program, but God was drawing me closer to Him.  “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent me draw Him” (John 6:44). In our suffering, He forms us, shapes us, creates us as a beautiful work of His hand. He taught me to pray and come close to Him, offering every hour of treatment as an hour of prayer. God expanded my heart to Him as well as to the new friends I made in the people suffering beside me.  Life is full of unexpected tragedy. But acceptance and trust can be the means into deep, sweet intimacy and peace. Whatever the situation, let us enter the school of prayer. Let us apprentice under Jesus, listening to Him and hearing what the Father has to teach.  Relate to the Lord // Have you experienced intimacy with Jesus in sorrow or suffering? What did He teach you?   

May 7, 2025 // Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 6:35-40 Reflect on the Word // As I enter the chapel, I immediately notice that I’m not alone. The Presence of another is so real, so palpable, filling the entire space and enveloping me in tender compassion. I kneel down before Jesus, truly present in the Holy Eucharist, displayed in the beautiful gold monstrance upon the altar. I feel His gaze upon me, and I imagine His smile. He has been waiting for me. Life has been overwhelming, and I have relied too much on my own strength. I am ashamed that I waited so long to come to Jesus with my struggles. But I am here now, and He reminds me, “I will not reject anyone who comes to me” (John 6:37). Jesus’ love meets me in my need and melts away my weariness and discouragement. He wraps me in His strong yet gentle embrace, and I feel safe enough to collapse into His arms. As I rest in the Lord, I reflect upon all that brought me to this exhausted state: keeping up with my kids, pressures at work, and too many to-dos on my list. All of it caused me to find my fill in other things—like repeated detours to the local coffee shop in order to be comforted and recharged—that only left me empty. And I ignored the only One Who truly satisfies. In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst” (John 6:35). My dear sister, Jesus desires to still our hearts, fill our emptiness, and replace our anxiety with His peace. As we pray with today’s Gospel, we remember that the Father has entrusted us to the care of Jesus, and He will not let us out of His sight (see John 6:39). Especially during hectic seasons, we are invited by the Lord to turn to Him first, in order to find refuge, rest, security, and reassurance in the only One Who fills our hearts to the brim. Relate to the Lord // Take a deep breath and rest in the Lord. Right now, right where you are.  

May 6, 2025 // Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Acts 7:51—8:1a Reflect on the Word //  In a course some years ago, I learned that the word for “martyr” in Greek means “witness” (source). And it sunk into my heart that for the early Christians, to be a witness to Jesus’ identity as God and Messiah was inextricably connected to the possibility of martyrdom. To give witness doesn’t just mean to speak up and give a testimony in front of an auditorium of teenagers or the person sitting next to me on the plane—as meaningful and brave as that may be nowadays.  It also means that I would be willing to lay down my life for Him in the process of professing Him as Lord. That thought scares me a little—even a lot. I realize that sometimes I am more afraid of dying than of truly living. So I beg for more of the Holy Spirit, to fill me and work in me, as He did in Stephen (see Acts 7:55). That the Holy Spirit would soften my “stiff neck” and break open my heart (Acts 7:51).  And before I am overcome by my weaknesses, I remember someone else who was there that day. There were the “witnesses” to the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58), who laid their cloaks down in front of none other than Saul—the persistent persecutor of the early church. The same man at whose feet the blood of Stephen was poured out, who condoned that death and sought out the death of more Christians, became the faithful Apostle Paul. The witness of Stephen reverberated into eternity for Saul, as seen in his conversion, his transformation, his mission, and his own martyrdom.  The stories in Scripture of the Saints, their witness, their prayers, their lives and deaths, are for our benefit, for our greater conversion and devotion. If the Lord was able to transform Stephen and Paul into witnesses of grace and the resurrection, He can also do the same in us. May we be brave enough to give witness to the Lord, Who died and rose for us, and is  “the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56).  Relate to the Lord // Whose saintly witness inspires you? Ask for their intercession today.