“We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.” // Acts 5:32 That morning during prayer I had that funny feeling in my stomach that I only had when the Spirit was asking me to move in a courageous way. Really? Here? Now? I skeptically asked the Lord, with my eyes squinting towards the tabernacle a few feet ahead of me. I did not need to hear His voice to know the answer. I knew I needed to do the brave thing, but this moment was different. I knew I wasn’t doing it alone. With sweaty palms and a racing heart I genuflected, briefly crossed myself, and stepped out of the chapel to do what He had asked of me.  That morning I experienced in a very real way His promise in the First Reading (see Acts 5:27-33), namely, the promise of the Holy Spirit to those who obey Him. The Holy Spirit worked in me and through me in a situation in ways I could not have imagined. I had needed to do something I was terrified of doing but that He had made clear needed to happen for the sake of His glory. In a season that for months had been heavy and burdensome, He came as a comforter bringing clarity, resolution, peace, joy, and encouragement through my obedience to Him. It was nothing short of a miracle what He did that morning through prompting me to have courage. And He wants to do the same for you.  Sister, is there a difficult conversation, confrontation, or change that you have been putting off out of fear? Bring it to the Lord and ask how He is asking you to participate in the work of His redemption. He may not be asking you to step as actively into courage as He asked of me that morning, but He may be asking even just for the courage to be honest with Him in these places of your heart. Today, He desires to bless your obedience with the gift of His Spirit. Be not afraid!

“For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.” // John 3:20-21 We’d been struggling in our marriage. I wrote it off as “we’re just busy.” Yet as time passed, it became evident that my excuses were simply a way to avoid the truth. It had already been a very “Lenty” Lent, you could say: our marriage felt particularly arduous and taxing. As I sat in our prayer space reading Be Transformed by Dr. Bob Schuchts that morning, I felt a nudge to share with my husband that I felt my deepest “core wound” was fear and that, according to the book, the Sacrament that would heal that wound was the Eucharist. It was God’s grace alone that led the rest of our conversation. My husband offered on his own that his deepest core wound was shame and asked if there was anything in the book on shame. There was a whole chapter dedicated to shame, in fact. The Sacrament that helped heal that wound was Confession. As I sat in the chair next to him, I wondered what would come next. Bring to light what You desire to, God, I prayed silently. He put the book down, and with tears in his eyes, shared with me about his ongoing struggle with pornography. The light of it all was blinding. I’d—in some way—known the truth all along but was too afraid to face it. It was easier to stay in the dark because the light would undoubtedly expose what I did not want to see. It was easier to avoid the hard conversations than it was to face the work it would take to heal. That morning was a pivotal point in our marriage. We’ve learned, over time, that marriage is meant to both expose our wounds and heal them, and we cannot do this without God. Today’s Gospel (see John 3:16-21) reminds us that we are created to live in Light Himself. It reminds us that God does not expose simply to reveal our wrongs, but reveals in order to redeem our lives. How is God inviting you into His light today? How is He calling you out of fear and shame and into freedom and hope?

Jesus said to Nicodemus: "'You must be born from above.' The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." // John 3:7b-8 How easy is it to be swallowed up by life. Whatever is right in front of me, whatever list is occupying my mind, whoever is tugging at my leg, the mess, the pile, the chore, the appointment. It doesn’t end.  While your life may not look exactly like mine, you, too, have the temptation to let the rhythm of daily life swallow you up. We go to bed just to wake up and face it again, and the monotony can drown us. Wake, rise, work, repeat.  That is, unless we are “born from above” (John 3:7). We are called to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to super naturalize our worlds, so that we can bring Christ to the world. And this is how we do it: supernatural perspective. We are re-born in Christ at our Baptisms, born in the Spirit, and new creations. Because of this it’s all made new, and it’s all made to make us new. The mess, the pile, the list . . . When seen with the eyes of Christ, with a supernatural perspective, He can transform it all. What was burdening us is now setting us free; what was the roadblock is now the path. We are all called to be saints, and we are called to be saints right where we are, in the middle of it all. That means it’s good—all of it—good for our souls, good for our growth, and good for our mission. We can transform the world by transforming ours, and little by little, the ripple ripples out. Because we are His, and He is ours, born from above.

“[A]nd we saw his glory.” // John 1:14 (From the Alleluia Verse) We had been walking for what felt like months. It was June in northern Spain, and the Camino de Santiago we had been making a pilgrimage along began to take its toll. The noonday sun finally having faded, we went in search of rest and rehydration. After multiple failed attempts, we found a church with unlocked doors. Our group sighed in relief, leaving behind the worn path, and going in search of quiet side altars and water fountains. Walking through this beautiful church, we all gravitated towards the same side altar depicting the Trinity gazing upon the Blessed Mother as she tenderly held the Christ child.  In this church, we found refuge. We wondered and wrestled with the newly discovered questions that met us along the Camino: What does a yes to Him actually mean? What will it cost? Will He provide? Will there be joy?  And in the home of this church along our way, that also is the Church, Mary took me to Jesus, and I recognized Him to be the answer to the questions of my life. Resting at the feet of and under the maternal gaze of our Lady, I surrendered to Jesus. I asked her to say yes for me that day in a way that I didn’t know how to do myself. Minutes later, the priests who were traveling with us processed in to celebrate Holy Mass for us weary pilgrims, and we beheld the glory of Him who became flesh for us, giving Himself to us again in the Eucharist. Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation when God became Man and dwelt among us. In a particular way, we are reminded of the grace available to us in claiming our Lady’s fiat, her assent to the redemptive work of the Holy Trinity. Like her, may we ponder God’s mysterious workings in our lives through prayer and surrender, trusting in His will of love for us. May we open our hearts to Him, so that He can make His home in us.

Then [Jesus] said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” // John 20:27 Have you ever wondered what it must have been like for Saint Thomas to show up late to the Jesus-seeing party? I often do. I imagine the feelings of being left out, overlooked, forgotten. I can relate because there are moments in my life where this lie of being set aside or forgotten makes its presence known. I have to remind myself of the truth. I am not forgotten. The Lord remembers me. Thomas was not forgotten, although perhaps it felt that way to him. He wasn’t set aside or a second thought. Thomas was remembered by the Lord. How can I be so sure of that? I invite you to go back and read Thomas’ prayer of rebellion. After being confronted with the striking testimony of the others—that they had seen the Lord—he demands, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). Thomas’ unbelief was maybe not so much that Jesus appeared to them but that He appeared to them without Thomas. How could He forget him?  In the infinite mercy of our Lord—exactly seven days later—this prayer is answered. Our Lord appears again in the room and after greeting the others turns His gaze lovingly to the one who felt forgotten but was not overlooked. Maybe this merciful gaze was enough for Thomas to believe. Yet our Lord recites back to Thomas almost verbatim the prayer of his anguish. He does so as a command: “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe” (John 20:27). Sister, close your eyes and receive the Lord’s merciful gaze upon you. What is that prayer of rebellion, of anguish, you hold in your heart? Where are those places in your life where you feel forgotten or overlooked? Allow our Risen Lord to look at you and remind you that He remembers you too.

When Jesus had risen, early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told his companions who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. // Mark 16:9-11 This had never happened to me before. There I was, unpacking a beloved Nativity scene from my Christmas decorations. It was Christmas Eve, and I was a little delayed in decorating. As I carefully placed Joseph, Mary, and the others on my mantle I realized that the most important piece was not in the box. Jesus Himself was nowhere to be found. Who in the world loses the baby Jesus? Dumbfounded and still in my pajamas, I felt tears form in my eyes. This was more, you see, than simply misplacing a favorite ornament or cherished Christmas stocking. It felt as though the spiritual loneliness I had endured over the past several months was now physically manifested in a wooden baby Jesus who could also not be found. Determined not to allow Jesus to be MIA on Christmas, I spent every extra minute that Christmas Eve digging through every single box of decorations where I thought He might be found. But Christmas morning came and went, and there was no baby Jesus to place in the manger. Still more time went by until one day, simple as can be, I found Him. Thank God for that moment of humility! Today’s Gospel reading (see Mark 16:9-15) paints a stark picture of those too mired in grief to really believe that Jesus had risen. Like them, I have sometimes struggled to see with the eyes of faith. Maybe this has been hard for you too. What I want you to know, here in this octave of Easter, is that it is okay if today the Risen Christ feels hidden. It is okay if we are past the beauty and grandeur of Easter Sunday and are feeling stuck in the muck of something hard again.  It’s okay.  Jesus is here. He accompanies us through our day-to-day moments, weeps with us in our sorrows, and cheers with us in our times of joy. It may feel at times like we have lost Him, but He has not lost us. Let’s pray today to find Him more deeply in every facet of our lives.  

So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea. // John 21:7 I looked over at my sister and she gave me a knowing smile as my brother began to tell a humorous story. He was a natural storyteller who felt comfortable with eyes on him. I loved his enthusiasm and anecdotes. Meanwhile, another brother sat in the corner quietly helping a loved one. I loved his tender heart that preferred not to be in the spotlight. I could describe each of my eight siblings’ different personalities, but suffice it to say, it all works. We complement each other and love each other despite our differences.  I picture the Apostles being like our family—a close-knit group of people with a range of personalities, strengths, and weaknesses. In today’s Gospel (see John 21:1-14), we find the Apostles fishing. Their minds must have been filled with questions about what had transpired after seeing Jesus again after His Resurrection. As they carried on with their work, Jesus appeared to them once more, but they didn’t recognize Him. However, after the miraculous catch of fish, John realized it was Jesus and said to Peter, “It is the Lord” (John 21:7). When Peter heard this he quickly jumped into the sea, even though they were not far from the land. He couldn’t bear to be away from Jesus a moment longer. I want to have a deep love of Jesus like John and Peter. John loved our Lord so much that he was able to recognize the voice and actions of Jesus. Peter loved our Lord so much that he did whatever it took to be by His side. Let us pray for deeper faith and greater love that allows us to hear the voice of Jesus calling us, and gives us the desire to respond immediately.   Lord, help us not to get so engrossed in our busy lives and worries that we don’t hear You. Inflame our hearts with Your love so we’ll want nothing more than to be by Your side in all we do. Amen.

“The author of life you put to death, but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses.” // Acts 3:15 Whenever I'm forming a team as a campus minister, one of my favorite exercises is having each member write and share their testimony. It's a tool to help get to know one another and see how their witness can be used in talks on retreats. In writing their testimony, they recall their life before knowing Christ, the moment or season in their life when they surrendered and followed Him, and what their life has been like since following Him. It is a powerful reminder of how God has been present and continues to guide them. There is one thing to be said about giving a testimony or witness, as Saint Peter did in the Acts of the Apostles today. It takes self-reflection to recall past wounds and sins we have overcome, healed from, and hopefully been freed from in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It is an entirely different thing to listen to someone's witness. In the Upper Room in today's Gospel (see Luke 24:35-48), Christ witnesses to the Apostles about His Resurrection, putting their troubled minds and hearts at ease as He breaks open the prophets, Psalms, and the rest of Scripture. He reminds them what He taught them before His death and points out His wounds to them to touch and feel.   Christ needs the Apostles to listen to His witness. He knows how vital their witness will be when sent out to proclaim what they saw, heard, and touched in Jesus' presence. He does what He has always done with them, showing them how to do what He has done: this time, giving witness. We have all been called upon at one point to witness what we believe, why we believe it, and Who we have chosen to believe and follow. Sometimes, it is with strangers, often with those who know us best, and sometimes still when we admit to an addiction and call upon a higher power. No matter the audience, Christ invites us to witness our faith with the same passion as the Apostles. "[O]f this, we are witnesses" (Acts 3:15).

But Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” // Acts 3:4 When my middle daughter was about three years old, she became suddenly defiant. She refused to listen to what I said, ignoring my requests and instructions and blissfully going about her day without listening to me. It got so bad that I took a book out of the library about the normal habits and quirks of three-year-olds, hoping to find out if this was a normal developmental phase, or something to worry about. Then, one day, a thought dawned on me: what if she couldn’t hear me? What if she was not being willfully disobedient, but could literally not hear what I was asking her to do? So from the front seat of the car, I said in a low but audible voice, “Hey sweetie, do you want to go get some ice cream?” Nothing. No response. At the pediatrician a couple of days later my suspicions were confirmed: No oppositional disorders. Just a double ear infection. I felt awful! How had my baby girl been suffering an ear infection so bad she couldn’t hear, and I just didn’t notice? Every one of the people in the healing story in the First Reading (see Acts 3:1-10) had to be attentive and play their part. The crippled man’s friends carried him to the Beautiful Gate daily. The man sat there, watching for people to pass and asking for their help. Peter and John faithfully came to pray in the temple. All the people who witnessed the healed man jumping and praising were amazed. This healing—and the glory it brought to the name of Jesus—would have been impossible without the faithful participation of every person who was mentioned. I wonder which area of your life could use a little more attention today, a little change in perspective or extra dose of charity? Where are you being called to look closely, to see what is right in front of you? Maybe things are not quite as they seem, as with my daughter’s apparent choice to ignore me. How often we assume malicious intent in our relationships, and rush to feel offended, when really the person in front of us is just acting out of their own woundedness.    Lord, we pray that we will have eyes to look intently, as Peter and John did, to see clearly, and to act boldly in Your Holy Name. 

When they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they asked Peter and the other Apostles, “What are we to do, my brothers?” // Acts 2:37 “Oooh, that was such a good homily.” I exchanged a glance with my husband as I shared my appreciation after Mass one Sunday. I texted with a friend about the “mind-blowing” messages, too. That afternoon, I immediately went about living the same as always—unchanged by the Gospel. In contrast, the people who heard Peter’s message in the First Reading from Acts were cut to the heart. They heard Peter’s message, and rather than brush him off as “just one more wacko prophet,” avoiding his gaze as they shuffled about their daily business, they responded. Instead of returning to “business as usual” as I so often do, or distracting themselves from the uneasy feeling that their lives needed to change, they asked for more. These people allowed the truth to pierce their hearts, realizing their lives had to change. So they asked, “What are we to do?” Peter called them to repentance, and again the people allowed this invitation to penetrate their lives. They responded yes with their lives, being baptized and then guided by the Holy Spirit. Since reading how these early believers changed their lives, I’ve been looking back to see how I’ve been changed by the Resurrection and how I’ve let Jesus be Lord in my life. How am I changed by the Resurrection and continued outpouring of graces even today in 2024? Knowing that Jesus conquered death and rose in glory ought to cause our hearts to skip a beat and our minds to desire change, asking as the Jews of today’s Reading did, “What are we to do?”  Today, we continue to rejoice in Easter. Alleluia! Let today also be the day the Word cuts to your heart. Let today be the day of renewed life in your soul, because the grace of God continues to pour forth just for you.    Lord, fill my heart again with joy in Your Resurrection, and by the grace of the Holy Spirit, show me what You are asking of me in this season. Show me how to live more fully for You. Amen. 

Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.          Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!  // Victimae paschali laudes (optional Easter sequence) Happy Easter! He is Risen!  But also, now what? In Lent I have my list. I know we’re going to do this, and this, and this, and not do that, or that, or that. It’s not always fun, but I have found it to be very effective over the years, and a little more manageable from one year to the next, and—to my point today—it all really defines the season as unmistakably L-E-N-T for my family and me. But now, I need to make Easter meaningful. I don’t want Easter to be just a reprieve from Lent! So here are two strategies I use to maintain the Lenten progress I made on detachment from worldly pleasures while making the Easter season feel special and unique. First, I hold on to new good habits. Over the years, Lent has been the catalyst for me for a number of small but meaningful life changes. Some things that I’ve reluctantly added or taken away for Lent ended up as keepers. Today is the perfect day to assess: Hey, am I a better wife, mother, daughter, coworker, person, Catholic as a result of this change? If yes, then maybe I don’t want to let up “for Easter.” Maybe I can use Easter to start experiencing my new habit as a gift rather than a sacrifice. But second, I use this season to celebrate licit pleasures. In my house there are things we give up every year for Lent, mostly just to prove to ourselves that we can live without them (I’m looking at you, Dr. Pepper). Then we take them back up again with, hopefully, a better appreciation for the right use of them. We don’t watch screens during Lent, so we’ll usually choose a series to watch together over Easter for family time. Last year we ate at home and meat-free for Lent, so over Easter week we visited seven different local food stands to enjoy adventurous meaty dinners. Today is a perfect day to see if any of your Lenten disciplines can be turned into fun new Easter traditions! He is Risen, indeed!

Lent starts February 14, and so does the RESCUED Blessed is She Lent devotional. This year, you’ll be receiving an excerpt from the Lent devotional every day in your inbox (in lieu of our regular daily devo). We want to pray with one heart and one mind as the BIS sisterhood. If you prefer to have the book, purchase the 2024 Blessed is She Lent devotional RESCUED right here. Right upon purchase, you’ll receive a link to come into the free Blessed is She app to walk through the Lenten season with us in daily live prayer, small groups, and more. Together let’s look to the Lamb of God who came to rescue each one of us.   When [Jesus] became aware of this he said [ . . . ] ”Do you not yet understand or comprehend?” // Mark 8:17 I don’t get it, I entreated the Lord in prayer. Help me understand? I had felt Him invite me to ask for healing, despite my fear of more disappointment. I’d prayed the same novena and used the exact healing oil that had worked legitimate miracles in others’ lives. I did everything I was “supposed” to do, but things only got worse, not better.  What am I lacking, Lord? Not enough detachment? Too little faith?  Gently, I felt the Lord speak into my grief. Do you need to understand it? Or can you let Me understand for you? Gradually, I learned His meaning. My desire to understand was undermined by a temptation to manipulate and control the outcome according to my own will, in response to my own fears. This left little room for His perfect will and zero room for mystery.  The disciples in today’s Gospel (see Mark 8:14-21) leaned on their own understanding to find Christ’s meaning, but their human assumptions simply brought pain and confusion. Their supposed understanding led them away from His heart of love and provision for them, right into forgetfulness and fearful self-sufficiency.  We put a lot of emphasis on our need to know. Yet this curiosity is often a fruit of fear that makes us grasp impatiently for answers and control. In truth, God will reveal what He needs us to know in the fullness of time. Until then, we need to understand far less than we think we do.  God has a plan—a good plan—for our lives. He deeply desires to rescue us from our desperate “need” to know it all. His provision doesn’t depend on our knowledge or understanding of it. It depends on our willingness to rely on His understanding, that we might receive the fullness of His provision—mystery and all.  This Lent, ask the Lord if He’s inviting you to give up your “need” to know. Beginning tomorrow, for all of Lent, we’re switching our daily email content from our normal devotions based on the daily Mass Scripture readings to selections from our Lent Devotional, Rescued. Join the Blessed is She community as we give God permission to rescue us in our fears, and be carried by His infinite strength.

Lent starts February 14, and so does the RESCUED Blessed is She Lent devotional. This year, you’ll be receiving an excerpt from the Lent devotional every day in your inbox (in lieu of our regular daily devo). We want to pray with one heart and one mind as the BIS sisterhood. If you prefer to have the book, purchase the 2024 Blessed is She Lent devotional RESCUED right here. Right upon purchase, you’ll receive a link to come into the free Blessed is She app to walk through the Lenten season with us in daily live prayer, small groups, and more. Together let’s look to the Lamb of God who came to rescue each one of us.   The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?” // Mark 8:11-12 I’ve been a Pharisee. Sometimes, I still am. I enter into the day focused on my list of to-dos and in a spirit of I can do this on my own. It isn't before long that I plead with Jesus to come to me, to show me a sign that He’s with me. To either ease my load or send help. I crumble into a state of near despair as I march on with one fist in the air, clutching my list. The laundry, the dishes, another snack for my daughter. In the midst of this monotony, His Spirit meets my own. I’ve been here with you all along, I sense Him gently say. I am here with you, in all of the mundane. I am here with you, do you see? I go with you, I stand beside you, I accompany you as you go about this day. It is not a sign you seek—it is Me. May I remain here with you? May I enter into your activity and provide the peace you so desperately desire? May I show you that this list is not the way, but it is I Who Am. Will you loosen your grip on all that was “supposed” to be and look at Me? I begin to see with clarity the help He’s extending to me.  It is Himself. Immediately, I refocus. I lay down my list and pause. I breathe. It is in this stillness that He pours the fruits of His Spirit into me—that I may carry my daily load with love, joy, kindness, peace, patience, and gratitude. My day-to-day includes monotony, yes, but He helps me see each demand as pure gift. And there are signs around me, just not those I’d expect—the laundry, the dishes, and the little hand that reaches high to hold my own—reminding me that this is where He needs me. I reorient my heart beside His and carry on as He accompanies me.  Thank you, Jesus, for this perspective shift; please help me love as You do today.

Lent starts February 14, and so does the RESCUED Blessed is She Lent devotional. This year, you’ll be receiving an excerpt from the Lent devotional every day in your inbox (in lieu of our regular daily devo). We want to pray with one heart and one mind as the BIS sisterhood. If you prefer to have the book, purchase the 2024 Blessed is She Lent devotional RESCUED right here. Right upon purchase, you’ll receive a link to come into the free Blessed is She app to walk through the Lenten season with us in daily live prayer, small groups, and more. Together let’s look to the Lamb of God who came to rescue each one of us.   Moved with pity, [Jesus] stretched out his hand, touched [the leper], and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.” // Mark 1:41 My husband has a wonderful sense of humor. For years, as I was getting ready for bed at night, he would serenade my rather voluminous chest. He’d often use the theme song from some movie we’d just watched to do so. You can imagine having your breasts serenaded to the tune of Darth Vader’s theme song. Thanks to my husband, there’s a great deal of laughter in my house. However, when I learned I would need a double mastectomy, I didn’t mourn my breasts for myself, but for my husband. And the thing that made me the most sorrowful was that my hugs for him would never feel the same. I was surprised at how sad that thought made me. As I lamented this with my women’s prayer group one day before my surgery, one of my dearest friends in the group offered this insight. She said, “You know I’ve been thinking about your hugs feeling different. And as I was praying about that, it came to me that, yes, your hugs may feel different, but now, your hearts will be even closer.” I burst into tears. What a remarkably merciful thought! When my dear friend made this observation, it was no different than the poor leper in today’s Gospel begging the Lord to heal him. Through my friend, Jesus was moved with pity. And in no less of a visceral way, He reached out through her, touched my heart, and healed me. And, as it turns out, my friend was absolutely right: our hearts are closer when we hug now. I can feel it. Can you recall a moment when you felt the mercy of the Lord in a very palpable way? A time when you sensed the touch of Jesus coming to you through another? Give thanks for this moment and then, just like the leper, go and tell someone about your experience of the healing love of Jesus (see Mark 1:45). 

Lent starts February 14, and so does the RESCUED Blessed is She Lent devotional. This year, you’ll be receiving an excerpt from the Lent devotional every day in your inbox (in lieu of our regular daily devo). We want to pray with one heart and one mind as the BIS sisterhood. If you prefer to have the book, purchase the 2024 Blessed is She Lent devotional RESCUED right here. Right upon purchase, you’ll receive a link to come into the free Blessed is She app to walk through the Lenten season with us in daily live prayer, small groups, and more. Together let’s look to the Lamb of God who came to rescue each one of us.   They ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over—seven baskets. // Mark 8:8 “N-u-m-e-r-a-t-o-r,” I spell aloud to my one son. His giggles alert me to the fact that I’ve messed something up. While attempting to proctor one child’s spelling test alongside helping another with math lessons, I’ve mashed the two lessons into one. Meanwhile, the toddler is gleefully spreading flour around the room because I abandoned the dough I’d begun when the mathematics query tugged my attention away. I’ve created a kerfuffle of it all because of an incessant urge I have to be efficient, to cram in multiple things and make the most of my time. I leap for what I believe to be a shortcut only to have it leave me frustrated and no farther along in my day.  In today’s Old Testament reading (see 1 Kings 12:26-32; 13:33-34), Jeroboam realizes he could lose the hearts of the people if they travel to Jerusalem to offer sacrifice, so he creates a simpler path, one that seems easy on the surface but circumnavigates what God has asked of His people. And it works—the people choose the easy path of sin over obedience, with the final result being destruction. More times than not, efficiency stamps out love. Compare those people of the Old Testament reading with the crowd following Jesus in the Gospel reading (see Mark 8: 1-10). On the verge of collapsing, the crowd remains close to Jesus. He has compassion on them and their lack of sustenance and energy, and even though they did not plan ahead, He takes the little they do have and turns it into abundance. Jesus shows us that God’s grace is present to carry us through wherever we lack. It covers all we cannot accomplish alone. He wants us to bring what we have, offer it back to Him, and He promises to give us what we need for today. God is generous beyond our capacity to understand. My best efforts will eventually end in a muddle, but when I put it in His hands and depend upon God’s grace, my basket will be full for what He calls me to.

Lent starts February 14, and so does the RESCUED Blessed is She Lent devotional. This year, you’ll be receiving an excerpt from the Lent devotional every day in your inbox (in lieu of our regular daily devo). We want to pray with one heart and one mind as the BIS sisterhood. If you prefer to have the book, purchase the 2024 Blessed is She Lent devotional RESCUED right here. Right upon purchase, you’ll receive a link to come into the free Blessed is She app to walk through the Lenten season with us in daily live prayer, small groups, and more. Together let’s look to the Lamb of God who came to rescue each one of us.   Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. // Mark 7:31 During the pandemic, I got Covid-19 like so many of us did. I isolated myself upstairs, so my mom wouldn’t get it, and saw no one for days. That was until the doorbell rang, and at the front door was a priest friend of mine along with my best friend. They were there to bring me Holy Communion and for Father to give me a blessing as I looked down from my balcony to the front door. They went out of their way to give me what I needed most: Jesus, the Divine Physician. In the Gospel for today (see Mark 7:31-37), we read about a puzzling trip for Jesus and His Apostles. If you’re unfamiliar with the geography of the Holy Land, you would never know that Sidon is north of Tyre and the Sea of Galilee is southeast. Jesus went way out of His way to visit Sidon. Why?  Christ chose to walk those many extra miles for one of His children. He longed for this man to hear not only His voice but also the voice of love the man’s friends had for him, who also went out of their way to bring him to the Divine Physician. Neither Jesus nor the deaf and mute man’s friends saw him as an inconvenience; they were only concerned with him and his healing. How often I fail to go out of my way, more concerned with the time it will take me, the checklist of things I have to get done, or what it will cost. I selfishly think of myself rather than what it could mean for someone else if I went out of my way to bring Christ to them. Maybe you can relate. What prevents you from going the extra mile or two for others? There are numerous reasons why we stop doing so, and God wants to remove our excuses and heal any wounds we might have. Conversely, who is someone you are thankful for who has gone out of their way for you? Thank God for them in an extraordinary way today.

Lent starts February 14, and so does the RESCUED Blessed is She Lent devotional. This year, you’ll be receiving an excerpt from the Lent devotional every day in your inbox (in lieu of our regular daily devo). We want to pray with one heart and one mind as the BIS sisterhood. If you prefer to have the book, purchase the 2024 Blessed is She Lent devotional RESCUED right here. Right upon purchase, you’ll receive a link to come into the free Blessed is She app to walk through the Lenten season with us in daily live prayer, small groups, and more. Together let’s look to the Lamb of God who came to rescue each one of us.   She replied and said to [Jesus], “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.”// Mark 7:28 Lord, that I may be like the Canaanite woman in today’s Gospel (see Mark 7:24-30). This woman really knew herself. She was no Israelite, no Pharisee, no “chosen” one of God(see 1 Kings 11:13). The culture at the time communicated this loud and clear, and in this interaction with Jesus Christ, she had nothing to cling to except for her utter dependence on His mercy. And He knew it.  I can imagine this moment shared between them, and I see it laden with such tenderness and humor. In the same way one of my kids might come to me and ask for a snack and I wrap them in my arms and say, “Why should I give you a snack? What will you give to me?” In humility and trust they know there is nothing they can really give, but that I will care for them no matter what. I see this moment shared between our Lord and the Canaanite woman similarly, with so much more at stake. For she was seen to be worth nothing in the eyes of the Jews, which Christ Himself was, and yet she threw herself at the mercy of Him so completely, so humbly, for she knew He was all she had. And truthfully, He is all any of us have. Summing up a homily of Saint John Chrysostom, Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch explain this Gospel passage well in their commentary in the Ignatius Study Bible: New Testament: “The Canaanite woman signifies repentant souls. Incapable of boasting, contrite sinners lean wholly on God’s mercy; they recognize their weakness before God and can only beg for blessings, unable to demand from God gifts that he freely bestows” (source). Lord, help us to throw ourselves at Your most tender and merciful Heart, with no pretense and without reservation. Cover Your daughters in Your mercy, like the woman in this Gospel scene. Amen.