January 27, 2025 // Optional Memorial of Saint Angela Merici, Virgin Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Psalm: Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6 Reflect on the Word// There were two times a year growing up when I was allowed to stay up late: the nights when The Wizard of Oz or The Sound of Music were on television. (Back in those days, we watched movies when they were broadcast—no streaming services back then!)  I can still hear the instrumental build-up as the sweeping panoramic shot zooms in on Fraulein Maria spinning on the mountaintop as she breaks out into song, singing, “The hills are alive with the sound of music.”  I cannot tell you how often I acted out this scene as a child. In some ways, the film The Sound of Music taught me how to “break into song” and  “sing praise” (Psalm 98:4). So, when Psalm 98:1 tells us to, “Sing to  the Lord a new song,” which part of today’s Psalm sings in your heart? Is your new song a song of “victory” (Psalm 98:2)? Is it a song of “joy” (Psalm 98:4)? Does your song proclaim praise for God’s mercy and “kindness”(98:3a)? As we pray with the Psalms, we might not be able to enter into a shout of praise at all. It might be a song of mourning, pain, and confusion. But can we find it in our hearts to praise Him in our pain? We know that Christ came to transform our pain, to redeem our suffering. When we suffer we can remember the martyrs who now enjoy the glory of Heaven, who survived their own tribulation. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it: “In communion with them, the Church on earth also sings these songs with faith in the midst of trial” (§ 2642). There is a time for us to praise as one body as we do at Mass, your individual voice valued and carried by the whole Church. And then there is a time for us to spin on the mountaintop and sing a solo to the Lord. Just your voice shouting. No one else can sing your song, so sister, “break into song; sing praise.” Relate to the Lord // Sing a song of praise and thanksgiving to God today!

“You have lost the love you had at first.” // Revelation 2:4 I have been in professional ministry in the Church for almost thirty years and admit I have worked, labored, and endured a lot for the sake of the Kingdom. I am very protective about the people I minister alongside and scarcely tolerate people who call themselves “apostles” but are impostors (see Revelation 2:2). I need authentic women and men who love the Lord and do everything in their lives out of their love for Him. Most importantly, I need friendships that recognize when I am growing weary and losing the love I had when I first said yes to the Lord.  Last night, I was blessed to have dinner with women who have been there for me across the miles. I cannot hide anything from them, and they call me out when I'm being a "faith impostor," putting on the "everything is fine" face so no one detects vulnerability in my soul. They do not allow me to listen to even a whisper Satan mutters to my mind and heart. They make sure I'm praying, sleeping, adoring, consuming, and in relationship with Christ. So, when I read in Revelation that the Lord sees my works, labors, and endurance and isn't particularly thrilled, like my girlfriends, I know all He cares about is whether I am in love with Him!  This idea of still being in love with the Lord is something I am incredibly protective of, and I have equally protective friends for whom I praise the Lord. We all know that unless we spend time with Christ, listen to Him in His Word, and receive Him in the Eucharist, our love story will end faster than a song Taylor Swift writes after a relationship ends. My sisters ensure I spend time with Him, listen to Him in His Word, and receive Him Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Eucharist.  Maybe my love isn't the first kiss, honeymoon or early dating period, Disneyland fireworks love I once had. But it is the same love that has grown into a quiet night gazing into His eyes in Adoration and with that, I am satisfied.

"Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you." // Mark 10:49 “Take Courage. You are not alone,” I said to each woman as we said farewell. I've been in full-time parish and Catholic non-profit ministry for over twenty-eight years and have often felt alone in the Church—as if my gifts and talents were hidden or my leadership skills should remain unseen and seldom fully used. So, suddenly, to be in a space with lay and religious women living into our giftedness and helping future generations of women live into their giftedness, I felt courageous and alive as if my heart were beating at a different rhythm.   This had been one of the most astonishing weeks for women in the Church when I attended a forum of the Given Institute. Three hundred young adult women from all over the world were brought together to recognize the gifts God gave us and respond with the gift that only we can give. I realized during this week that it takes courage to step into our gifts and use them for the Church.  That is why my heart is awakened when Jesus says, "Take courage," in today's Gospel (Mark 10:49). In scripture, Jesus says, "Take heart," or "Take courage," multiple times, to the paralytic (see Matthew 9:2) and the hemorrhaging woman (see Matthew 9:22) and to Peter when he walks on water toward Christ (see Matthew 14:27, Mark 6:50). It is a wake-up call we all need to adhere to. So take courage, dear sister. Christ is calling us to take courage, to believe that all things are possible through Him, to have hope in healing, and to do what appears impossible because, in Christ, all things are possible. Call out to Him like the blind man in today's Gospel! Reach out to Him in the crowd! Step out of the boat and share the gifts inside you that only you can give to the world. Take courage; you are not alone.

Run so as to win. Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. // 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 I will never be an Olympic athlete. That is a fact. I just turned fifty last month, and I'm excited that as a woman with multiple sclerosis, I can walk every day, see clearly, and live an active life. Every step and breath is a blessing. Conversely, during my time as a campus minister at a Division I University, I was blessed to serve amazing athletes who will be and are Olympians. Their discipline inspired me daily. When you see someone who wakes up at 5 a.m. for workouts, conditioning, and practice; goes to classes; graduates Summa Cum Laude; travels for games; participates in weekly athlete Bible Studies; and also shows up for 5 p.m. daily Mass, you know their eyes are set on the ultimate finish line: Heaven. I might not go to the Olympics, but one thing is clear: I don't always have my eyes fixed on the finish line, and further, I lack the discipline to grow in my faith. I spent an hour praying every morning, meditating on God's Word, when I did an Ignatian Retreat incorporated into my daily life called the 19th Annotation. Yet, just like when I did my first half-marathon, I relaxed my discipline once the thirty days were over. One hour became ten minutes, and my vision of the finish line blurred.  I have to ask myself—and maybe you do, too—what discipline I need to run the race before me.  Is it daily prayer? Is it being in a Bible Study that will hold you accountable? Is it reading Scripture and journaling what the Lord is speaking to you through His Word? Is it going on a retreat to encounter Christ? Is it just scheduling in the time for God and not scrolling on your phone (calling myself out for sure here)? Whatever the discipline, over time, you will see results in your relationship with God, and you will soon "[r]un so as to win" (1 Corinthians 9:24).

Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. // Mark 9:2 Whenever anyone in Scripture ascends a mountain, pay attention!  Mountains are destinations of some of the most transformational encounters with God. Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai (see Exodus 20:1-17). Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (see 1 Kings 18:20-40). Abraham demonstrated his faith and willingness to sacrifice his son, Isaac, on Mount Moriah (see Genesis 22:1-19). And we must remember the mountain where Jesus prayed before his Crucifixion (see Luke 22:39-53) and ascended into Heaven (see Acts 1:6-12), the Mount of Olives. So, when Jesus invites Peter, James, and John for a hiking trip up Mount Tabor, they should've known something would happen.  I've taken several challenging mountain hikes in Honolulu, Hawaii; Camelback Mountain in Phoenix, Arizona; and Montserrat, Spain. Each gave me a different vantage point to see the world below. I've also ascended many spiritual mountaintops: retreats, spiritual direction school, Theology of the Body Institute, and various conferences. Each was gifted to me to hold on to when I found myself personally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually in lower altitudes. Each mountaintop experience illuminated Christ to me as brightly as Christ transfigured before His Apostles. From His radiant face, areas of sin and darkness were exposed. I was mercifully given the freedom I never thought possible. I could've set up camp on those mountains, too, but God was simply preparing me for my next season. Through the Transfiguration, Jesus prepared Peter, James, and John for His Resurrection from the dead. He knew they would need the light of the Transfiguration to illuminate the path for the early Church after He ascended to Heaven, to bring consolation when desolation abounded in the streets they preached and walked on. We need this same consolation from our mountaintop experiences to illuminate our souls found in the dim and dark. There are things found in the darkness that can only be recognized in seasons of desolation. So on this Feast of the Transfiguration, embrace the darkness as much as you rejoice in the blinding light. Each prepares us for the eternal mountaintop of heaven.

The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs. // Psalm Response (see Psalm 145:16) Motorcycles honked ferociously and sped through traffic as our mission team walked the trash-filled and potholed streets of Santo Domingo. We took shortcuts between cinder block walls so narrow we had to turn sideways to enter homes that were humble, yet full of love and hope. My favorite day on a mission is always the one when we visit homes in order to bring food to our brothers and sisters in Christ who are most in need. Each individual and family, carefully chosen by the churches in the community, greets us with hugs, love, and gratitude. We pray with them, hearing about their lives and sharing ours. We bring bags of food, such as eggs, rice, and beans, to sustain their bodies, but it doesn’t feel like enough. It never feels like enough. I imagine the Apostles felt this way when they presented Jesus with five loaves of bread and two fish for “about five thousand” people (see John 6:1-15): it was just not enough. But God can multiply the little we offer to be all that is needed. I don’t know what feels like not enough for you right now. Maybe you feel like you lack money, time, help, food, patience, energy, or strength. Take comfort in today's Readings and in Psalm 145, for God opens His hand He will “satisfy the desire of every living thing” (Psalm 145:16). One of the final home visits in the Dominican Republic was to a one-hundred-year-old man who lived in a single room. The previous year, our team helped put a new roof over his home. We brought him bread, peanut butter, jelly, and apples this year and checked in on how he was doing. He had no kitchen to cook in and was unable to leave his home. He relies entirely on the community to bring him food and care for him, and God has provided all he needs for over a century. If you feel like what you have is not enough today, give whatever you have to the Lord and ask Him to multiply it. His provision is more than enough.

“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).

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.

“It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.” // Luke 21:13-15 Driving home from serving with a homeless ministry, a student asked me if I was Christian. Strange question, considering we were a group from the Catholic center on the university campus, but I answered him, "Yes, I am. Are you?" He said, "No, I'm an atheist." I asked him, "When did you know you were an atheist? What moment were you aware God didn't exist?" He told me a story involving the death of a loved one and unanswered prayers. I listened, and then he said, "If I could see a miracle, I would believe in God." This is when I knew why God placed this young man in my car and what God called me to do. Unbelieving, this man wanted a miracle from God. He ached to be healed from chronic foot pain. I asked if I could pray over his feet for healing, and he said, "Sure, why not?" We exited the car, and then, standing on the sidewalk, I prayed once over his feet; his pain level went from eight to five. I prayed again; his pain went from five to zero. He stood in disbelief, speechless. I thanked God and exchanged numbers to check on him, and for a few weeks, we texted back and forth. His feet remained healed, his heart still closed. I wish I could say this young man suddenly believed in God and came into the Church, but as far as I know, he didn't. All I know is that God is awesome and places us in relationships daily to be his hands and feet. Walking the streets of my campus daily, I pray, Lord, give me the courage to speak with Your wisdom. Pour Your Holy Spirit over this campus and lead Your children to Your loving arms. Nothing could have prepared me for the conversation I had that day. Only the Lord could've given me the wisdom and courage to pray over that young man and listen to his heartache. Sister, pray for the courage to speak with the wisdom of God. When you do, no preparation is necessary. He will fill you with His Word.

"Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared,for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come." // Luke 12:39-40 Have you ever had your home or car broken into? I've had a vehicle broken into twice. The first time I had borrowed my mom's car, and the second time involved a rental car I was driving for work. If I had known someone would break into the car, I would have taken my backpack with me or dropped off the luggage before getting dinner with a friend. If I had known, my friend would still have her diamond earrings, and my laptop would never have been taken. No one expects their car to be broken into or a Home Alone scene to unfold in their house when they travel for Christmas. But if we didn't anticipate it, we would never pay for insurance. Insurance is saying to expect the unexpected! Luke's Gospel for today encourages us to take out spiritual life insurance and "be prepared." Our souls have been broken into by the thief of all thieves, Satan. And the tragic part of it is that we have let him do it. Something far more valuable than diamonds or a laptop has been stolen from us. Our innocence, trust, and vulnerability have been taken. We have been traumatized by choices, relationships, and the unthinkable happening to us and around us.  When have you experienced a spiritual thief in your life? Where do you need to install some alarms to alert you when Satan attempts to break into your soul with temptation?   God has entrusted us with a priceless relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ, requiring us to bring to Him for healing what has been broken. So let Christ replace and mend with His healing mercy and grace what Satan has stolen and shattered. Allow Christ to heal the wounds caused by trauma, choices, and relationships. Permit Christ to reveal how Satan attempts to manipulate and deceive you. We must be prepared, "for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come" (Luke 12:40).

Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. // Colossians 3:2 We get so fixated on the things of this world—materialism, relationships, suffering, hatred, racism, and politics—that we forget to “think of what is above, not of what is on earth” (Colossians 3:2). So when I read the Beatitudes in today’s Gospel (see Luke 6:20-26), I am quickly reminded where my gaze needs to be. “Blessed are the poor” (Luke 6:20). I see the evident poverty in our homeless brothers and sisters with their addictions, tent cities, and isolation, which is unbearable to behold. The poverty that also turns my gaze to heaven is the spiritual poverty many students at my college campus think they hide so well. God desires us to help reveal the “kingdom of heaven” to all we encounter in physical or spiritual scarcity. “Blessed are you who are hungry” (Luke 6:21). Among temptations to consumerism, sex, money, power, and pride, I strive to be satisfied by God’s Word and the Body and Blood of Christ. Oh, His Word and how it speaks to the deep aching of my heart. And oh, what a feast the Eucharist is that satisfies my deepest hunger.  “Blessed are you who weep” (Luke 6:21). How many of us hold back our tears? Tears that could bring relief and healing, knowing the Lord is ever near, as near as the tear clinging to your cheek? Weep for this world, weep in your grief, and release your hidden pain. Laughter through tears awaits you. “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you” (Luke 6:22). The fear of missing out is valid, and scrolling online to see what you were excluded from hurts. Angry comments on something you posted about the Truth of our Faith incite hatred and breed rage. You are not alone; our “ancestors treated the prophets in the same way” (Luke 6:23). If we truly have our eyes secure on the things of heaven and not of this world, we will “rejoice and leap for joy” facing earthly tribulations. They are temporary. “Behold, your reward will be great in heaven” (Luke 6:23).

We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ. // 1 Thessalonians 1:2 If you’re like me, you have a prayer list of people you pray for on the regular. It’s typically a list of prayers people need answered: illnesses needing healing, anxieties facing family and friends, vocational trials and desires, and unanswered prayers. But have you ever been caught up in pure delight and awe in thanks to God for all the people He has placed in your life and how active He is in their individual lives? In May, I was taken aback in prayer, almost removed from the moment happening before me. We celebrated Confirmations at our parish, one that ministers to college students. As one young man received the Sacrament of Confirmation, I recalled the student who drove to Texas during the pandemic to meet him face-to-face and welcome him into our faith community. I remembered the classes he took, the retreats we shared together, the way he served our community, and the continual exploration of his faith. I saw all the “labor[s] of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ” that poured into and out of this young man that led him to receive the Holy Spirit that day. In this moment I understood the depths of Saint Paul’s gratitude in the First Reading (see 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 8b-10). I felt like I was a drone hovering over the congregation as I scanned the students and community in the pews, marveling at all God had done, will do, and is doing it their lives. Sister, take time to re-read the First Reading, and really pause over the words and ask the Holy Spirit to inspire you. And next time you’re at church, look around in praise to God, knowing this is a small selection of the Church, and marvel “how you were chosen” alongside the “brothers and sisters loved by God” surrounding you (1 Thessalonians 1:4).

"Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” // Matthew 10:40 I've always struggled with receiving. Whether it's gifts, recognition, or help, I struggle to accept what others want to give. I don't love attention, prefer people to notice why and who I'm serving rather than what I've done—and my desire for control in these situations is always pride popping up like an ugly weed in the ground. In today’s Gospel Jesus says, "Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me" (Matthew 10:40). What a powerful image to contemplate. Every act of receptivity comes with a prior action of receptiveness. Receptivity is never a one-way street. It's layered upon layers of receiving over time. Even the gift of our salvation goes back thousands of years before Christ received the Cross upon His shoulders or Mary's fiat led to her receiving the Holy Spirit and conceiving Christ in her womb. The entire genealogy of Christ, which we can read about in the Old Testament, encourages us to appreciate all the small and large acts of receptivity throughout Salvation History. When I recall times when I received abundantly from the Lord through prayer and the Sacraments, fully opening myself to His love and mercy, I am overwhelmed. It's like a cavern deep within my soul, opened to receive more of God. Letting myself live in my desire for more of the Lord allows me to receive from others, recognizing it is all a gift from God Himself. Why would anyone refuse a gift from God? Sister, where in your life is God desiring to give you more of Him, both in prayer and through other people? Put your discomfort from attention, your false humility, and pride aside, and make room to receive God's abundance.

I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation,and the time of my departure is at hand.I have competed well; I have finished the race;I have kept the faith. // 2 Timothy 4:6-7 The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul bring us face-to-face with men who became the cornerstones of our Church. Here are two men who had very different encounters with Christ. Saint Peter walked with Christ, dined with Him, denied Him, and proclaimed Him to be, "Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16). Saint Paul, on the other hand, persecuted and killed the early Christians, until a divine encounter with Christ radically changed His life. He became the greatest Apostle in the early Church, composing over half the New Testament.  Both made life-altering mistakes, repented, and were forgiven and healed. Both were martyrs for God and the Church. Both were rescued from prison repeatedly. Both competed well, finished the race, and kept their faith. They were both “poured out like a libation” (2 Timothy 4:6), giving all they had to witness to Jesus Christ and build the Church He tasked them to establish. Whenever I look at the early Church and see the actions of Peter and Paul, I see men "rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name" (Acts 5:41). I see men unwilling to be silenced to bring the Good News of Christ to everyone around them. I see men whom "the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against" (Matthew 16:19).  Sister, we may not have been martyred or imprisoned for proclaiming Christ, but like Peter and Paul, we have made life-altering mistakes, repented, and were forgiven and healed. With the virtue of hope, we pray that at the end of our lives, we will have competed well, finished the race, and kept the faith. It won't come without trials, but today let us ask the intercession of Saints Peter and Paul to always guide our steps that we will always stay close to Christ and His Church. [bctt tweet="With the virtue of hope, we pray that at the end of our lives, we will have competed well, finished the race, and kept the faith. //" via="no"]

"This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.” // John 15:12-13 Why is it so hard to love one another? In today’s Gospel, God calls us to love one another as He loves us. How do I do that, God? How do I love someone who has intentionally wounded me? I look to Your example and see such an incredible love for those who mocked You, spat upon You, despised and envied You, whipped and beat You, and hung You on a cross to die. You were praying for them on the Cross just the same as for the ones who followed and adored you. Your zeal for every soul you create is beyond what I believe my human heart can hold. Oh, to have a heart so open to love that Your love increases even when I walk away from You! To have a heart that never hardens or builds up walls! Your heart does not hate; it only loves. Your heart does not envy; it celebrates individual giftedness generously. Your heart does not see our sin as our identity; it only sees our sin as a way home through Your mercy and forgiveness. Your heart does not hold anger against a repentant sinner, but offers peace, mercy, and compassion. But your heart does know how to break, but it doesn’t break the way mine does. My heart breaks, and I put up walls of self-protection. Your heart breaks, and You open it wider, so we have a new way to find ourselves in Your merciful arms. As I write this devotional, the bridge of Hosanna by the band Hillsong echoes in my mind and heart: Heal my heart and make it clean Open up my eyes to the things unseen Show me how to love like You have loved me Break my heart for what breaks yours Everything I am for Your Kingdom's cause As I walk from earth into eternity Hosanna, break my heart for what breaks Yours. This is how I will be able to love others. This is how I will learn to love as You love.

Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We also will come with you." // John 21:3 I have always found it puzzling that even after Jesus rose from the dead and revealed Himself to the Apostles, they still returned to their old ways. They were at such a loss that they didn’t know what to do, so they returned to their fishing trade. This was better than staying locked in the Upper Room, but it says a lot about our human nature. When things don’t go as planned or we are stuck at a crossroads, we often return to what is familiar and comfortable for us. In any of the Apostle’s cases, fishing was their comfort, and they appeared a little rusty until Jesus came on the scene. What do you turn to when life doesn’t appear to go your way or you are at a turning point in your life? Do you lean into the Lord or return to what is easy, comfortable, or habitual? When life switches up on me, I become like a roly-poly bug or turtle and just hunker in my cozy, safe shell. I could seek healing securities like Scripture, silence, healthy rest to discern, Adoration, and the Sacraments. This would open me to cast the net wide and catch all the Lord is providing me in times of confusion and distress. However, most of the time, I choose unhealthy comforts such as stress eating, excessive food, wine, and sleep, as well as an absence of exercise. I choose to do what comes easy to me versus opening myself to what God is stretching me to do through my challenges and roadblocks. One comfort breeds stress and anxiety from trying to control what was not mine to control. The other comfort brings me peace by surrendering to the Lord’s will in my life. You would think that I would have learned after all this time, but I still struggle. I can’t blame the Apostles for going fishing for a night. They had been through a lot watching Jesus, the Messiah, be tortured and crucified. We’ve all been known to take a down day after something traumatic and difficult happens. So if you are at a crossroad or facing uncertainty, visit a local church or adoration chapel and imagine yourself on the shoreline with the Resurrected Christ. This is a healthy comfort that will bring healing to your life. {formbuilder:MTAxMDY1}

The LORD God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it. // Genesis 2:15 My family would pile into the station wagon every summer to camp at a new National Park. This was back in the days when seatbelts were a suggestion and Car Bingo and Travel Scrabble were our entertainment rather than cell phones and Nintendo Switch. We would cook over a campfire, hike for hours, raft rivers, and play board games until we cocooned into our sleeping bags and tents under the stars. So it was fitting that after my dad passed away, nature called me to pay a visit. A friend of mine wanted to descend the Grand Canyon and visit Havasupai Falls. After seeing the images, I had to gaze at the turquoise waterfalls and rivers with my own eyes. This land is untouched. The only remaining Pony Express is how the Native Americans receive their mail on this hallowed ground. It is truly paradise in the desert canyon. One evening I couldn’t sleep, so I stepped outside my tent and lay on the ground, looking up at the expansive and brilliant stars. They felt like a weightless blanket covering me. The air was so pure, the trees so tall. The sound of water flowing nearby calmed my grieving soul. Nature was caring for my soul in a way only God’s creation could. John Muir, Father of the National Parks, once said, “In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” God called Adam to cultivate and care for nature, knowing his soul would be cultivated through his actions. Pope Francis wrote in Laudato Si, “The universe unfolds in God, who fills it completely. Hence, there is a mystical meaning to be found in a leaf, in a mountain trail, in a dewdrop, in a poor person’s face. The ideal is not only to pass from the exterior to the interior to discover the action of God in the soul, but also to discover God in all things” (Paragraph 233). Like Adam in the Garden of Eden, I was seeking something at the bottom of the Grand Canyon that I could not find in the concrete jungle of Los Angeles. Perhaps, God is calling you to nature to cultivate your soul today. Find your garden of Eden, your Grand Canyon, and pass from the exterior to the interior to discover the actions of God in your soul.