March 12, 2026 // Thursday of the Third Week of Lent
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Luke 11:14-23
Reflect on the Word //
I cried on my son’s third birthday. Right there, in the only place that a mother can truly be alone, I felt hot, fat tears roll down my cheeks as I lathered shampoo into my hair.
I didn’t intend for the outburst of emotions that day, but I suppose that is how trauma works—it creeps up in the middle of the joy and celebration and reminds you of the fact that hurt and fear still reside within you.
It was the remembrance of that day that did me in, the reminder of my unexpected uterine rupture and the doctors who scurried around me in a panic as they told me to count backwards and then sent me into the blackness of medicated sleep. It was the midwife whom I awoke to with her somber face and resolute instruction for us to avoid having children at all costs, despite our ardent desire for the contrary.
I know the oppression that can overtake a person—the fear, the sorrow, the trauma it all leaves in its wake. Today’s Gospel is a beautiful reminder that we are not meant to live in the captivity of our suffering. Luke 11:22 tells us that there is One Who is stronger that can overcome, One Who seeks to free and restore us. He is with us, at our side always, working for our good, even in the midst of life’s trials.
I don’t know what sort of strongholds you are living with, whether it is depression that is enslaving your mind or addiction that is grappling for your soul. I don’t know if you feel lost or scared or lonely, but we have a Savior Who is stronger than the torment you are facing, One Who seeks to break the chains of the oppression on our hearts. We may feel divided within ourselves, but He can make us whole.
So, turn to Him, sweet sister. In your fear, in your weakness, in your hurt—let His love set you free.
Relate to the Lord // Share your fears with Jesus, in the chapel or the shower. Turn to Him and talk to Him from your heart.
Brittany Calavitta is an enthusiastic advocate for a good book, strong coffee, and a hopeful heart. After battling years of infertility, she and her husband welcomed their first child on September 11, 2016. While balancing time between life with a preschooler and a husband who travels for ministry, Brittany dances professionally all over Southern California where her family currently resides. She was a contributing author to Here Too: Where We Find God and Made New: 52 Devotions for Catholic Women. Find out more about her here.
Be a Woman of the Word
