August 12, 2025 // Optional Memorial of Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, Religious Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14 Reflect on the Word //  “The roses are beautiful!” I grinned as the towheaded toddler expressed her delight over the small vase of pink flowers displayed on the library’s circulation desk.  Now, the flowers in question weren’t roses—they were carnations. And they certainly were not what I would christen “beautiful.” To be honest, I hadn’t even noticed them, despite the fact that they had been flaunting their unimpressive petals beside my workstation all morning—that is, until this innocent child had the eyes to see and pointed them out.   Later that week, as I waited on a young mom loaded down with picture books, I was met by a sweet observation from her little girl, who piped out gleefully: “She has the same color eyes that I do, Mommy!”     Amazed,  I realized that in my haste to serve, I had failed to look (really look) at my young customer long enough to notice that her eyes were indeed green, just like mine.     Jesus would have noticed, I mused as I considered the keen insights of these precious little ones who had crossed my path.  Perhaps that is why our Lord tells His disciples in today’s Gospel that “unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). Children have a great capacity to see as God sees, with a singular and selfless gaze of love. Most of them don’t let the anxieties and warped interests of the world alter or obscure their vision. They see beauty in carnations. They catch the color of a stranger’s eyes. They possess an innate awe of God’s creation and faith in its purest form. Simply put, their young hearts are more able to be turned and attuned to the Heart of the Father, Who never stops rejoicing over them.  So, dear sister,  let’s turn. Let’s aim to emulate the sheer wonder and humility children embody wherever they go. Then, we will surely be invited to taste the delights which all little souls experience in Heaven. Relate to the Lord // Look at a picture of your younger self and ask the Father to show You His Heart for her.  

August 11, 2025 // Memorial of Saint Clare, Virgin Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Psalm: Psalm 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20 Reflect on the Word //  Farmers plow fields surrounded by woods, and within those bounds they plant. Even in my tiny backyard garden, we plant within the borders of raised beds. Both livestock and cities are guarded by gates, the occupants thus roaming freely and safely.  Today’s Responsorial Psalm states, “For he has strengthened the bars of your gates” and “He has granted peace in your borders; with the best of wheat he fills you” (Psalm 147:13-14).  The landscape of my soul contains gates and borders too. Gates guard, and boundaries allow the field of my heart to actually be more abundant. Instead of slinging seed every which way like a madwoman, these borders allow me to intentionally sow seed where it will bear the most fruit. Then, “with the best of wheat he fills” my heart. But these gates and borders are not easy to maintain. Distraction and spiritual thieves threaten siege at every turn. When I don’t “glorify the LORD” in my planting as I’m charged (Psalm 146:12), I waste the “seed” of time, energy, and grace. I leave the gate open, so to speak, in spiritual sloth so that enemies can more easily access the garden of my soul.  So how can we prepare and guard our hearts so that our gates are strong and our fields peaceful? Our efforts will be fruitless apart from the Lord, for He is the One Who knows what is best for us. In prayer, we hear His Word proclaimed. We must invite the Lord into our garden to cultivate the fruit and keep it safe, and spend time with Him there. In action, we remain good stewards of what comes in through our gates and what remains within our borders. We allow the grace of the Holy Spirit to “strengthen our gates” through the practice of virtue.   It is in the safety of praising the Lord, then, that we will dwell, reap, and live in peace.  Relate to the Lord // Imagine the landscape of your soul. What does Jesus want to show you about your gates and borders? Listen for His voice.

Saturday, August 9, 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 Saturday, August 9 (today) // Optional Memorial of Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Virgin and Martyr (also known as Saint Edith Stein) Sunday, August 10 // Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Monday, August 11// Memorial of Saint Clare, Virgin Tuesday, August  12 // Optional Memorial of Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, Religious Wednesday, August 13 // Optional Memorial of Saint Pontian, Pope and Martyr, and Saint Hippolytus, Priest and Martyr Thursday August 14 // Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr Friday, August 15 // Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Letter from the Editor //  Dear Sister,  On this Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we pray along with the psalmist a prayer that is in the hearts of all people of faith: “Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield” (Psalm 33:20). But we know from experience that it is hard to wait, and that waiting well is even harder. We see this in the parable Jesus gives in this Sunday’s Gospel about the servants waiting for the return of their master. Jesus tells us that our waiting is not something we do idly, but that we “also must be prepared” (Luke 12:40). The book of Wisdom tells us about the Israelites who waited for deliverance in Egypt, how they had faith in the Lord on the night of Passover, a night which prefigured Christ’s offering as the Lamb of God. In another prefiguring of Christ, Hebrews tells us that “by faith Abraham obeyed” and was ready to sacrifice his son, and because he acted in faith he received back what he offered to the Lord. Like Abraham and his descendants, we will one day die “in faith,” having received some of the resurrection life we hope in and that we have been promised—but in this vale of tears we only “[see] and [greet] it from afar” (Hebrews 11:13). So, we must live as people of faith, realizing what is hoped for, believing what is not seen—always ready for the coming of the Lord by keeping close to Him through prayer and by receiving the Sacraments. And when the Lord calls us to Himself, He will find us “vigilant” (Luke 12:37). In Christ’s Love,  Susanna Read the Readings for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time:  First Reading // Wisdom 18:6-9 Psalm // Psalm 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22 Second Reading // Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19 Gospel // Luke 12:32-48

August 8, 2025 // Memorial of Saint Dominic, Priest Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Deuteronomy 4:32-40 Reflect on the Word //  “The Lord is fighting for your heart,” my small group leader said.  Through the blurry film of tears I vainly tried to hold back, I saw the other women on my video call nodding in understanding. I hadn’t realized how deeply the enemy’s lies had infiltrated my heart and shaped my sense of self until I gave voice to them; now I was starting to see how they had kept me bound for so many years. By giving me the courage to name and rebuke them—and a community who could help me claim the truth—the Lord had begun the gentle yet deliberate work of prying me from their grasp with His mighty hand.  In today’s First Reading, the Israelites are reminded of their own loving liberation and the Lord’s unprecedented power: “Did anything so great ever happen before? [. . .] did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, [. . .] by war, with his strong hand and outstretched arm [. . .] ?” (Deuteronomy 4:32, 34)  By war.  We each have many occupied places in our own hearts—false stories written over wounds from our past—where we have allowed the evil one to set up camp. But ours is not a God Who stands idly by while His beloved are in danger. He is a warrior marching into battle on our behalf, striding into enemy territory, peering into every tent until He finds and rescues you. There is never a moment when the Lord is not fighting to reclaim our hearts for Himself and “bring [us] in” (Deuteronomy 4:38) still further into His own Heart. In His great love, the Lord has “led [them] out of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 4:37), and He does the same for us, freeing us from the slavery of sin, wounds, and lies.  Relate to the Lord // Where do you need the Lord to fight for you today? Tell Him.  

August 7, 2025  // Optional Memorial of Saint Sixtus II, Pope and Martyr, and his Companions, Martyrs // Optional Memorial of Saint Cajetan, Priest Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Numbers 20:1-13 Reflect on the Word //  The dust swirled around the People of God. The hot sun beat down and sweat beaded on their brows. Little children squirmed and whimpered. They could think of nothing but their thirst. What good was freedom if it meant death? Could they really trust God to provide yet again? In college, I started reading about the Catholic faith in an effort to convert my boyfriend to my evangelical beliefs. We studied one question at a time: the Eucharist, Mary and the Saints, the priesthood, Sacraments, the papacy. One by one, my objections to Catholicism faded in the beautiful light of Church teaching.  I hated every minute of it. I had known Jesus as an intimate friend since early childhood. I was comfortable and sure in my faith. Now He was calling me into something new. And it looked like a desert. I was afraid of what it would mean to become Catholic, to leave the traditions of my family behind and obey God’s call. I was terrified that the Church would not meet my needs. At Meribah, the Lord brought forth water from a rock, and everyone drank (Numbers 20:11-12). Jesus fulfills this moment when He says to the Samaritan woman at the well, “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). This water also springs from a rock: “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).  Though our God has never yet failed us, every desert experience, every moment of grief, betrayal, or desolation, every time we are dismayed by our own weakness or sin is another opportunity for us to return to Meribah. In our soul’s poverty and thirst, we cry out to God. Through the grace of the Sacraments, we receive living water. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is already providing for all of our needs: past, present, and future.  Relate to the Lord // Use Holy Water today to bless yourself (and perhaps your home), “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”   

August 6, 2025 // Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Luke 9:28-36 Reflect on the Word // I recently finished an intensive nine-month prayer program. The final day was a mountaintop moment, reveling in the accomplishment and pouring out my gratitude to God. I wanted it to last forever, but the feeling was fleeting. The next day a valley was waiting: the engine light in my car went on, and other demands of daily life sent me spiraling mentally and spiritually.  Airing my frustration to the Lord, I recalled a deep truth from my months of prayer: this pattern of mountains and valleys in the spiritual life is never aimless. Christ gives us mountaintop moments, or graces of consolation, to sustain us through life’s valleys that tempt us to desolation. These graces, revisited in desolation, can help propel us on to the ultimate consolation of Heaven. With this reminder from the Lord, the graces of gratitude from my prayer program came flooding back; I was able to face my current valley with renewed trust in God’s provision and reliance on His goodness.  In today’s Gospel of the Transfiguration, Saint Peter confronts this truth in an intensely powerful way. He glimpses Heaven and stammers in awe as he beholds God’s glory, suggesting they build three tents and stay there forever (see Luke 9:28-36). But Peter’s mission on earth is not yet finished. Christ intends for Peter to bring the graces of this moment of Transfiguration back into the world, and into the valleys of His impending Passion and Death, in order to experience the greatest good of all—Resurrection. Like Peter, Christ has something far better in store for us than even the best moments of this life. Our mountaintop moments aren’t meant to be substitutes for Heaven or consolations that we compartmentalize. They are glimpses of Heaven intended to accompany us as beacons along the difficult journey that leads to true glory.  The Lord gives us these mountaintop moments to become a grace of Transfiguration in our lives. With Christ, we can allow these glorious graces to infuse life’s most desolate valleys with hope. In turn, every redeeming valley, united to Christ, will help purify and prepare us for the greatest consolation of Heaven—where our joy will never, ever end.  Relate to the Lord // Recall a mountaintop moment of consolation to meditate on when in times of desolation. Give thanks to the Lord for it!  

August 5, 2025 // Optional Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 14:22-36 Reflect on the Word // It was five years ago during that unsuspecting daily Mass that my life changed. When the pandemic restrictions were lifted in my state, I realized that while others still couldn’t attend Mass, I could go for them. And so I have, every day, for the last five years.  As a result, I’ve experienced my own Copernican revolution. Just as the astronomer discovered that the sun, and not the Earth, is  at the center of our solar system, so too I am learning that I am not at the center, but God is. Receiving Him every day in Holy Communion radically reorients me to this reality when I am tempted to put myself at the center.  The disciples experienced this truth in today’s Gospel. Upon first glance, it’s easy to put the disciples at the center of the drama, empathizing with their anxiety over the raging storm. But look again: Jesus is the protagonist of this story.  It is He Who “made the disciples get into the boat,” Who “dismissed the crowds,” Who “went up the mountain to pray” (Matthew 14:22, 23). He was drawn to the disciples in their distress and “came toward them, walking on the sea” (Matthew 14:25). He reassured them in their panic saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid,” and He called Peter out of the boat to walk with Him on the surface of the sea (Matthew 14:27-28). When Peter focused on Jesus, he could do the impossible, but when he focused on the waves he began to sink.  So too for us. When we focus on the Son, our whole lives come into alignment. Our priorities, desires, relationships, thoughts, and feelings come into right order. But as long as we remain at the center, we will sink into the waves of the world.  Every day we must undergo this revolution, this conversion. We must return to His gaze and remember that He is the center of it all. We must fix our eyes on the Son of God Who is above our problems and pain and the passing things of this world so that, with Him, we too can do the impossible. Relate to the Lord // Go to daily Mass this week. Let the Son center you.

August 4, 2025 // Memorial of Saint John Vianney, Priest Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 14:13-21 Reflect on the Word //  I closed my eyes, breathed deeply, and prayed, Lord, I’m done. I can’t keep going. You’ve got to do something here. I’m running on empty! I opened my eyes. The March for Life pilgrimage group I was leading gazed back at me waiting for some direction. We were cold, tired, hungry, and in a sea of tens of thousands of other pro-lifers all making our way to the same metro station. It had been a long, numbingly cold three days, and we were ready to go home! In today’s Gospel the disciples looked at the crowd, then at their empty hands, and went into panic mode. Lord, send these people away. We can’t feed them. We can’t fix this problem. Let’s just ignore it and let the people fend for themselves. If the disciples were hoping for a dinner break themselves, they didn’t get it. The Lord called them to provide for the people from their poverty. In their exhaustion and panic the Lord called them to give more, even as He knew exactly how He was going to provide for their lack. So often in our own lives we look at our empty hands and think it is all up to us. Or we try to ignore what the Lord is asking of us because of our perceived poverty. On that cold day in Washington, D.C., the Lord didn’t give me the grace of a miraculous surge of energy. He gave me the gift of knowing it was okay to ask for help—which I did, from my indefatigable co-chaperone—and we all made it home safe and sound.  The Lord always knows what He’s going to do. He knows each of us individually and how He plans to bring about His will in our lives and the lives of those we are called to love. When it feels like we’ve been abandoned or left to our own devices, He’s just waiting for us to come to Him and express our need. Even if we just come with a few fish and a loaf of bread, He knows just what to do!  Relate to the Lord // Are you running on empty? Offer the Lord your poverty and ask Him to provide for you today.  

Saturday, August 2, 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 Saturday, August 2 (today!) // Optional Memorial of Saint Peter Julian Eymard, Priest // Optional Memorial of Saint Eusebius of Vercelli, Bishop Sunday, August 3 // Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Monday, August 4 // Memorial of Saint John Vianney, Priest Tuesday, August  5 // Optional Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome Wednesday, August 6 // Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord Thursday, August  7 // Optional Memorial of Saint Sixtus II, Pope and Martyr, and his Companions, Martyrs // Optional Memorial of Saint Cajetan, Priest Friday, August 8 // Memorial of Saint Dominic, Priest Letter from the Editor //  Dear Sister,  This Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time comes at the height of summer in the Northern hemisphere, a time when farms and gardens are producing a bountiful harvest, just like the one Jesus speaks about in the Gospel. As we partake of the fresh produce, it is a good time to examine the fruits we produce with our lives. Are we “rich in what matters to God”(Luke 12:21)? The parable of the rich man who dies and leaves his riches behind is a poignant reminder that all earthly things are vanity. Yes, our bodies are important to provide and care for—but the Lord does not want us to have “anxiety of heart” over our possessions (Ecclesiastes 2:22). Instead He would have us entrust our earthly needs to the “gracious care of the LORD our God” and ask Him to “prosper the work of our hand for us” (Psalm 90:17)! He would have us trust to His providence that when we use our gifts well, we will have what we need. Saint Paul tells us that we “were raised with Christ” and our lives should reflect this here and now, for our “life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1, 3). So often our daily work feels like vanity, things that are easily undone, things that have to be done again and again, or things that pass away quickly. However, we have something eternal to add to our work  if, when we do it, we are seeking “what is above” (Colossians 3:2). Only with the help of the Lord will we produce a bountiful harvest that will have eternal fruit, for the Lord has redeemed even the work of our hands. In Christ’s Love,  Susanna Read the Readings for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time:  First Reading // Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23 Psalm // Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17 Second Reading // Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11 Gospel // Luke 12:13-21  

August 1, 2025 // Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 13:54-58 Reflect on the Word //  Slow the pace. I walked deliberately. Focused on each breath. Focused on the warmth of the sun. Focused on the present. The Lord was telling me to notice, to be attentive, and I had underestimated how difficult this request would be.  How long had it been since I noticed? The cobalt sky with puffy white clouds . . . the soft hum of bees . . . the words spilling out from my toddler’s mouth as she notices everything. How long had it been since I slowed the pace? Since I sought the Lord in everything around me like a little child? I couldn’t remember, and I doubted whether I even knew how to do that anymore. I had become distracted, tired, and absent. But then Jesus asked me to go on a walk. That was simple enough, and each day that I walked, feeling His tender presence next to me, step after step, our walk became profound.  I followed instead of racing ahead without purpose. I noticed how I needed to breathe, to nourish my body, to find beauty and take the time to enjoy it. I laughed with the Lord. I spoke with the Lord without the pressure to perform. I slowed the pace.  Throughout life, there will be times when we grumble in astonishment at the Lord. The Lord shows us a way, a path overflowing with grace. But we so often do not see Who He truly is and like the people in the synagogue in today’s Gospel, we say to ourselves, “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds” (Matthew 13:54)? This question and others overwhelm us, rapid thought after rapid thought, until we collapse into the false comfort of distraction.  But there is a better way.  Jesus leads us to peace, to presence, to being whole . . . one step at a time. He invites us to receive the grace to slow the pace. The grace to seek Him as our Lord and God and notice that His love abounds in the present moment, in every breath, in everything around us.  Relate to the Lord // Take a walk with the Lord today. Take your time. Notice.  

July 31, 2025 // Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Psalm: Psalm 84:3, 4, 5-6a, and 8a, 11 Reflect on the Word //  This mounting tension never seemed to lift: my mind and heart—consistently cluttered with the noise of the world. With worries and doubts and anxieties. With overwhelm as I tried to keep up with a pace of life that I knew would eventually bury me. I was exhausted, yet chose to ignore the gentle voice that invited me to be still. It was the last straw and the tension finally broke. And in the breaking, I realized in the rubble that I could choose to leave these "courts of noise" at any time. No one held me captive in this space—I was free to enter a different dwelling place. "How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!" (Psalm 84:2) In this silent stillness, I finally see: the Father has been here waiting all along for me. Beckoning my pining soul to come to Him, that He may lead me into the home of His Heart. A dwelling place that offers peace, joy, love, rest, hope, and increased faith. His Heart—this dwelling place—is where my heart and flesh were created to live. Whether literally or figuratively, we often live our lives at a pace that is set not by Him, but by the world. Yet His invitation to each of us stands in every moment: to come! To enter into this sacred dwelling place with Him. To rest—if even for a moment—in order to reorient our lives towards Him. To turn down the noise. To leave behind the false altars and cluttered places. To trust always that it is in our surrender that we can receive with open hands the invitation to dwell with and in Him. On this Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, may we give ourselves to Him.  Relate to the Lord // Pray today the Suscipe prayer of Saint Ignatius of Loyola: Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess You have given me: I surrender it all to You to be disposed of according to Your will. Give me only Your love and Your grace; with these I will be rich enough, and will desire nothing more.  

July 30, 2025 // Optional Memorial of Saint Peter Chrysologus, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Exodus 34:29-35 Reflect on the Word //  When my eldest son, then twelve years old, ran up to me inside the minor basilica Saint Peter in Chains to ask me why Moses has horns, I have to admit that my first inclination was that certainly he was mistaken. After all, we were in Rome, and I was being pulled toward a statue of Moses carved by Michangelo himself. But, um, yeah. That Moses definitely had horns. (See it here.)  The answer to my son’s question has everything to do with this verse from today’s First Reading: “As Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the commandments in his hands, he did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant while he conversed with the LORD” (Exodus 34:29, emphasis mine).  As it turns out, Saint Jerome, the famously curmudgeonly patron saint of translators, studied Hebrew so he could translate the Old Testament into Latin from the original. The resulting Latin version, which became the basis for hundreds of subsequent translations, contained a famous mistake. Ancient Hebrew was written without the vowels—and with different vowel sounds, the word “radiant” becomes “horned.” From this error came centuries of paintings and sculptures of Moses with horns. (See here and here.)  I love this story as a reminder that while we are each called to be a saint, that doesn’t mean we won’t make mistakes. Sometimes, like Saint Jerome’s, a mistake will result in an eight-foot-tall statue with perplexing little horns. Or like Moses’, another trip up the mountain for a second set of tablets (see Exodus 32:19) after the people disobeyed God again. In the Reading, Moses gives us a perfect example of how to handle our mistakes: “[Enter] the presence of the LORD to converse with him” (Exodus 34:34). Jesus is waiting for us, in the tabernacle, ready to listen. And while we won’t come  away from His presence with horns, our souls (and maybe even our faces) will be radiant! Relate to the Lord // How has the Lord shown His goodness through your weakness or mistakes?

July 29, 2025 // Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 11:19-27 Reflect on the Word //  “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21), Saint Martha tells Jesus in today’s Gospel.  My own heart cries out, Lord, if only You had been here, I would not be experiencing all of this loss. If You had been here all this suffering would not have happened. These months and months of never-ending illness, the losses from both hurricanes hitting us back to back, the devastation of our communities, the sadness, uncertainty, and grief from all the trauma, if only You had been here, Lord, if only You had come, if You had shown up, if You had heard our prayers, all this would be different right now. In the grief of the loss of her brother, Saint Martha shows us how to have great faith in the midst of suffering. She says, “But even now, I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you” (John 11:22) . In my prayer I gather my strength to make an act of trust though I can’t yet see any of the good. Even now I will surrender to You. I trust You, God. Help me, God, to see You even in this.   Jesus teaches us greater truths that go beyond our very real sufferings, losses, and pain. He says, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:25-26). This mystery is the bedrock of our faith. These are words worth contemplating. As He asks Saint Martha, He also asks us, “Do you believe this?” (John 11:26)  Can we have faith to believe in Jesus even in the midst of our deepest pain, where He meets us in His own suffering? It is precisely there that God works miracles of resurrection and life.  May we have Saint Martha’s faith to answer with conviction, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world” (John 11:27). Relate to the Lord // Share any grief you carry with the Lord. Where do you need Him to bring resurrection and new life?

July 28, 2025 // Monday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Psalm: Psalm 106:19-20, 21-22, 23 Reflect on the Word //  For many years, I had a bad habit of gossiping. It wasn’t just a habit, it was a security blanket. Because I struggled with feeling good enough on “my own,” I often felt the need to keep track of other’s shortcomings to feel better about myself.  It wasn’t a good way to live and it did not make me feel good as a person. Being someone who stirs up gossip is exhausting. In the moment, I enjoyed it (I am ashamed to admit), but I would always have a gossip hangover, feeling the need to apologize later for what I had said or repeated. It was embarrassing. Today’s Psalm is a perfect example of how this behavior feels. The Israelites “exchanged their glory for the image of a grass-eating bullock” (Psalm 106:20). Instead of dwelling in a place of peace and of God’s goodness, I used a  second-rate idol—security through gossip—as a substitute for true security in Jesus.  Eventually I got to a place in my own journey with Jesus where deep healing made me less reliant on putting others down to make myself feel good. And the cycle of shame and regret subsided. I read a beautiful reflection recently that said shame is a natural reaction to a person’s inherent understanding of his dignity. When we feel shame, it’s not because we have been conditioned to be guilty. “Shame reminds us of our dignity,” writes Father Paul Scalia, “[and] repentance restores it” (Magnificat, March 2025). The Israelites “forgot the God who saved them” (Psalm 106:21) again and again in the Old Testament, but when they remembered their dignity, their response was shame. The Psalmist reminds us that God is good, and will not destroy us for our sins but will show mercy.   We all have areas of sin and suffering that replace our God-given glory with a grass-eating bullock. God allows us to suffer only because He wants us to remember our dignity and worth. We are created in His image and likeness. Anything less than that will never be enough. Relate to the Lord // Do you know your God-given dignity? Ask Him to reveal it to you.  

Saturday, July 26, 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 Saturday, July 26 (today!) // Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary Sunday, July 27 // Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Tuesday, July 29 // Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus Wednesday, July 30 // Optional Memorial of Saint Peter Chrysologus, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Thursday, July 31 // Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest Friday, August 1 // Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Letter from the Editor //  Dear Sister, Abraham was held up as a model for us last Sunday, and we can learn from him again in the First Reading for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Abraham knows the Lord and trusts in His merciful heart as he pleads for the hypothetical innocent people of Sodom, a city the Lord is ready to destroy because of their widespread sin. He reasons and persists with the Lord, and the Lord listens to him. We can come to our own knowledge of the depths of the Lord’s mercy, when we consider the words of Saint Paul: “even when you were dead in transgressions [. . .], he brought you to life along with him” (Colossians 2:13). The Lord does not wish harm to any of His creatures, especially us humans, who were made in His image.  While He allows evil—because part of being made in His image is having a will free to choose (or not choose) the good—He will always bring about our good in the end when we persistently seek and turn to Him. As we grow in our relationship with Him, we sometimes might feel like He is not listening to our prayers. We ask again and again, but do not receive what we ask for. Sister, the Lord reminds us in the Gospel that He knows better than we do that which we need. He will always give us “our daily bread and forgive us our sins” and the “Holy Spirit to those who ask him” (Luke 11:3-4, 13). With the Psalmist, let us trust Him and pray, “When I called you answered me; you built up strength within me” (Psalm 138:3).In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the Readings for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time:  First Reading // Genesis 18:20-32 Responsorial Psalm // Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8 Second Reading // Colossians 2:12-14 Gospel // Luke 11:1-13  

July 25, 2025 // Feast of Saint James, Apostle Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 20:20-28 Reflect on the Word //  I am a Mama Bear. I admit it. There have been numerous occasions when I have had to stand up for my kids to advocate on their behalf. However, there have also been times when my children have pleaded with me, “Please, Mom! Don’t get involved.” It is heartbreaking to watch your child stumble and even fail when you know that you could have helped. In the last few years, I have been discovering that there is a balance, which I haven’t yet mastered, of leading, guiding, facilitating, and encouraging, without taking over completely.  In the spiritual life, I also wish I could fix everything for them. If I could only wipe away every  little vice or imperfection that is keeping my child or children from growing closer to the Lord! And yet, I have my own imperfections that I can be so ignorant of when they are glaring me in the face.  In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks the mother of James and John, “What do you wish?” This mother of Saints desires not just that they enter the Kingdom, but asks the Lord when He prompts her to share her wish with Him: “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom” (Matthew 20:21).  In this mother, I see another Mama Bear, desiring greatness for her sons. Had I been in the same circumstance, would I have asked the same thing? Or would I have simply been content to be in the presence of our Lord? Would I be focused on fixing things for others in the future, or would I have invited the Lord into a conversation that led to a deeper conversion within me? In the end, the Lord’s plans were greater for her sons than she could have possibly imagined.  Jesus asks us the same question that He asked the mother of James and John: “What do you wish?” And I ask that same question. While I can’t control much, I know that holiness is the only answer in my heart.  Relate to the Lord // Hear the Lord asking you today, “What do you wish?” How do you answer Him?

July 24, 2025 // Optional Memorial of Saint Sharbel Makhlūf, Priest Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 13:10-17 Reflect on the Word //  When I first began to develop a relationship with the Lord, talking to Him wasn’t something that was intimidating or difficult for me. What scared me was the possibility of what His response might be. I had heard about His tenderness and kindness, but I was still skeptical. At the time, whenever I read Scripture, I usually found the Lord’s words to be harsh and intense. I had yet to recognize His Heart toward me.  In today’s Gospel, we read that it was difficult for the crowds to receive Jesus’ voice, because of their hardened hearts and their closed minds (see Matthew 13:15). Jesus spoke to them in parables, which was a way of speaking that would only allow those with faith to understand. Jesus’ quoting of the Scripture from Isaiah might sound intimidating, but it is to remind us that we need to open our hearts to Him: “You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes” (Matthew 13:15).  Jesus’ desire with His words is not to shame us, but to open our hearts to His Heart in faith. When we allow ourselves to be consumed by the Heart of Jesus, we then begin to understand the flame of delight that burns in His Heart for us. If His Heart burns for us, then His words have to be an outward expression of that love. His words come to bring us life, not destruction, and He says to us when we have faith, “But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear” (Matthew 13:16).  When we listen to His words with faith in His tenderness and love, little by little, we will be able to recognize exactly how He speaks to our hearts. Your soul is unique, and He has a unique way of speaking to your heart. He knows that shame doesn’t win our hearts. He doesn’t desire to win your heart with harshness, but with a pure, everlasting, and burning love.  Relate to the Lord // Open your spiritual ears to Jesus now. What is He saying in your heart?