February 24, 2026 // Tuesday of the First Week of Lent Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 6:7-15  Reflect on the Word //  I am standing in the workroom, pouring cream into my tea with one hand and stifling a yawn with the other, when I hear a colleague’s voice over the hum of the copy machine.  “How are you?” I can tell from the way her brow is knitted when I turn to face her that she really wants to know.  So I am honest: I tell her that I am wrestling with the paradox of work that is simultaneously life-giving and exhausting, that I am finding it hard to keep up, that I can’t see my desk for the stacks of ungraded papers all over it, and that most of my prep happens about twenty minutes before each class.  In short, I tell her I am taking it one day at a time, although I feel I am barely managing to do that—and I certainly don’t like it.  In a perfect world, I’d have my lesson plans typed at least a week in advance and grade assignments as soon as they come to me. I’d take on several days at a time, please and thank you, and I would never feel overwhelmed. Maybe when I’ve been at this work for another ten years, I think grimly.  Yet today’s Gospel reminds me that living day to day is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it is a grace, the sacred rhythm of divine encounter. Among the Lord’s other simple instructions for our prayer, He commands us to implore, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). In other words, Give me only what I need for this day, Lord. That is always enough. Have I ever lacked anything I’ve needed to make it through this one day I’m living right now, today? Seen in this light, our struggles to keep up with whatever is asked of us need not cause embarrassment or frustration, sister. Instead, they get to be privileged meeting places with our God, Who waits to fill them with Himself and answer our neediness with His tender, attentive provision. One day at a time.  Relate to the Lord // Ask the Lord to give you the grace to be present to the present moment today.

February 23, 2026 // Monday of the First Week of Lent // Optional Memorial of Saint Polycarp, bishop and martyr Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 25:31-47 Reflect on the Word // I can’t tell you how many times I start Lent with some elaborate system of sacrifices. Special fasts, no screen time, changing everything around all at once. Too often I find myself blindsided by what I simply cannot accomplish, and too often my family finds themselves blindsided by the Lenten sacrifices I have volunteered them for. I’m left feeling a little unmoored. Do I know why I decided to do all this to begin with? Have I even gotten to the heart of it? Activism is an easy thing to fall into—the art of “doing.” Without even realizing it, we can become task oriented, we can be obsessed with checking the box, and we can lose sight of the simplicity of what Jesus is asking of us: “Amen, whatever you did for the least of these brothers you did for Me” (Matthew 25:40). Whatever you did.  In today's Gospel (Matthew 25:31-37), it’s so clear that Jesus is not looking so much at what we do but why we do it. Of course what we do matters, but it is the heart behind our actions that matters even more. He desires us to be motivated by love, and the deepest Love at that. We must strive to do all things for Love because of Love itself.  It’s good to get back to the drawing board, sometimes even at the very start. As we pray with the Gospel for today, we can look at this Lent and whatever we’ve decided to take on, and purify our intentions. Even if our sacrifices look smaller, less flashy, maybe even unnoticed. Perhaps this is a better way for us? Perhaps it’s the closer path to the heart of Christ? Our crosses may be small and insignificant, but it is the least of these that He is after.  Relate to the Lord // How can you inject more love into your Lenten penances today?

February 21, 2026 // Saturday after Ash Wednesday // Optional Memorial of Saint Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Luke 5:27-32 Reflect on the Word //  I shut the front door and was surprised by the voice I heard in my heart: You just had a bad blueprint.  I’d been absentmindedly mulling over a difficult situation and my response to it. As usual I was blaming myself for not only what happened, but also how I perceived what had happened. Shame was often my go-to lens, but it wasn’t until I heard the Lord speak that I remembered: This is only a pattern and patterns can be broken. Often when I read the account of the call of Saint Matthew (Levi in today’s Gospel), I romanticize his call to conversion. At the words of Jesus he responded wholeheartedly and unhesitatingly, “leaving everything behind” (Luke 5:28). But I’m sure this was only the beginning of his ongoing conversion, the same way we are continually being changed in relationship with the Lord.  I think back on my own conversion of heart. It wasn’t a single moment but rather a continuous series of incremental yeses that have added up to decades of discipleship. That path probably looked similar for Matthew. While he had a profound, life-defining moment of encounter with Jesus, he no doubt had thousands of conversions in his lifetime. Every Christian does. We all have patterns that need to be purified. We learned one way of relating, but Jesus shows us another. We have ways of communicating the need to mature. Our worldview, subtly and consistently formed by the world around us, has to be reshaped by the Gospel. How we spend our time and money, what we watch and listen to, are all territories that need to be conquered and converted to live in line with the Kingdom of God. Conversion is not one and done. It is the process of every single part of our lives and souls becoming more and more ordered toward God’s Heart and will, toward Heaven. Each and every time we encounter another area that has been untouched or unhealed by Jesus, we are invited into conversion.  Today and every day, Jesus comes and calls: “Follow me” (Luke 5:32).  Relate to the Lord // Is there an area or relationship currently in need of conversion? Invite Jesus in.

February 20, 2026 // Friday after Ash Wednesday // Optional Memorial of Saint Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Isaiah 58:1-9a  Reflect on the Word // The kids were in the midst of the great stuffed animal purge. Somehow these plushies had multiplied as they tend to do. The girls were struggling with what to keep and what to share. While they truly treasure every claw machine-, arcade-, or carnival prize-stuffed animal they have ever won or had been gifted to them, the downsizing was to help reorient their hearts. The youngest was satisfied with her offerings and even mentioned how proud of herself she was—as six-year-olds typically do.  After Sunday Mass that weekend, we walked over to a family we had just met a couple of weeks ago.  My daughter had chosen this particular family to give her stuffed friends to. There was so much smiling and hugging that the joy outweighed the actual value of what was in the bag. The mom lowered her body to meet her daughter’s eyes and whispered in her ear, "Tell your auntie thank you.” I was struck with my new title, felt the demonstration of affection deeply, and marveled at how easily this mother gave her love away.  In today’s First Reading, it is not the mere act of our fasting the Lord is interested in, but rather of how well we love others in our fasting, how responsive and willing we are to be Jesus in the flesh to our brother or sister in Christ. The Lord offers us His self-giving love, and in Lent we are called to offer that same love to others. Every Lent the opportunities for almsgiving are countless. The real work is giving of ourselves to the people next to us sitting in our pews.   We can begin exercising the corporal works of mercy within the walls of church, where we learn that generosity is an extension of a greater type of love. It can be something as simple as a stuffed animal, and then we can allow the Lord to work from there.  Relate to the Lord // How can you extend Jesus’ self-giving love today?

February 19, 2026 // Thursday after Ash Wednesday Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Reflect on the Word // It felt like my soul was being pelted by desert sand. But amid the nicking and scratching of the enemy in my thoughts, I looked up at a beautiful image of our Lord and my heart rested for a gentle moment. Immediately I felt the courage from the Holy Spirit—definitely not my own—asking me to make an  act of confidence and surrender. You have never failed me, my heart cried as I prayed. Although the enemy’s accusations swirled, tempting me to second guess my intentions and to go down the neverending spiral of wondering how things might turn out, I cried out to God for salvation.  My heart leaped at the absolute truth of the choice set before the Israelites (and us) in the First Reading today. The Lord caught me. Like a great friend whose love is so familiar that one relaxes at the sound of his or her voice, He caught me. I understood in vivid contrast that I had a choice to make. I could spend the next few weeks before the news came about a serious situation worrying, blaming, and becoming embittered. I knew this would lead to the death spiral which the First Reading speaks about, or I could choose life. Did I want the death spiral of self-focus and the small-mindedness of pride, or life in the One Who is Life?  His call in that moment was to obey His command, to trust Him. Trusting prayer would be my lifeline. Obedience to God is not for my destruction but for my life, my freedom from death: “If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I enjoin on you today, loving him, and walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments, statutes and decrees, you will live and grow numerous, and the LORD, your God, will bless you” (Deuteronomy 30:16). We are so blessed to be on the cusp of yet another conversion, another Lent. What a privilege to be called to the desert again, now, today—a desert which will bring us closer to the promised land of Heaven. What an immense joy to know our God calls us to obedience for our fullness of life. Relate to the Lord // Where is the Lord inviting you to obedience for your good?

February 18, 2026 // Ash Wednesday Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Joel 2:12-18  Reflect on the Word // I stood in line at the coffee shop on my birthday, excitement building with the idea to buy a coffee for the woman behind me. The woman was surprised and smiled with her “thank you,” and I paid for her coffee. I don’t remember any gifts I received that day, but I fondly remember sharing the joy of my birthday by gifting a coffee on that cold morning. Today’s reading from Joel describes the Lord as “rich in kindness” (Joel 2:13). All my life, I’ve heard these same readings for Ash Wednesday. Not once before have I paid attention to that description of Him. This year, the words stopped me in my tracks.  What does it mean for the Lord to be rich in kindness? I wondered. His kindness is greater than buying a coffee for a stranger or any list of RAKs (random acts of kindness). Kindness is synonymous with compassion, graciousness, generosity, benevolence. Kindness comes from the heart, implies a relationship among people, and requires selfless action from one toward another. Of course the Lord is kind! His Sacred Heart burns with love for us. He sees us, knows our every need, gives endlessly of Himself to meet our needs and desires.  I experience the Lord’s kindness often: With every wildflower He delights my heart, with every Mass He nourishes my soul, with every breath He sustains my life with His love. His kindness is in the beauty of the world, the provisions for my life, the friendships I share. Every good thing in my life is a gift of God’s rich kindness. Reflecting on the Lord’s kindness can inspire us to live the pillars of Lent. With fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, we respond to His love and share it with others. Fasting increases our hunger for God. Prayer opens our hearts to receive God’s love. Almsgiving allows us to generously give what we can to meet the needs of others, imitating God’s kindness. Relate to the Lord // How has the Lord been kind to you? Take inventory today.

February 17, 2026 // Optional Memorial of the Seven Founders of the Order of Servites, religious Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Mark 8:14-21 Reflect on the Word //  An odd, creaking rumble emanated from the front of our new-to-us van as I pulled out of our driveway. Already this morning one child had dropped the full yogurt container, splattering its contents across the kitchen floor, and not even fifteen minutes later, another had pulled a glass jar to the edge of the table, where it—of course—dropped to the floor, sending glass shards everywhere. One thing after another was going wrong, and frustration was bubbling out of me in every form of complaint.  I’d been so quick to forget. Quick to forget the beautiful miracles I’d been privy to just in the past week. Both in my life as well as in those of several close friends, our loving Father’s gifts were apparent: a baby announcement after years of infertility, a huge financial gift helping to clear debt looming over us, a car accident that had miraculously left no one injured, and so many smaller day-to-day miracles too.  Our Gospel today opens with the disciples worrying about not having bread for their journey (see Mark 8:14-21). Jesus reminds them of a very recent miracle they had all witnessed: “And do you not remember, when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?" (Mark 8:18b-19a) I catch myself in this same scenario. I turn back to the Father and recall His graciousness,  and I feel comforted knowing that He always has my true best interest in mind. This reassurance of God’s providence settles my frustrations. The Lord is gentle with us, aware of our human tendency to revert to worry and complaint. He is patient with our forgetfulness and lack of understanding. And we can take comfort in the same God who has time and time again performed miracles in our lives, providing for us today and in the future.  Relate to the Lord // Take a few moments to recall the “small” day-to-day miracles. Let gratitude wash over you and increase your hope for the future.

February 16, 2026 // Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Mark 8:11-13 Reflect on the Word //  I’d been having some new symptoms, tingling and pain in my neck. Then there was the new neuropathy in my feet and legs. Was it just multiple sclerosis (MS) taking its course, progressing along, or was it some new thing? Was it just leftovers from chemo? I made appointments, had tests, and awaited the outcome. I have long been trained in the fear of my own body. I’ve had cancer three times and had MS at least since my twenties, though they were only able to definitively diagnose it in my forties. For two decades I lived with a terrifying question mark over every twinge and ache and pain, wondering, Has another disease arrived to try to diminish me, or even kill me? But that’s not the way the Lord has asked me to live. And it’s not the way He lived. I love today’s Gospel from Mark for this very fact: Jesus left. Yes, he “sighed from the depth of his spirit” (Mark 8:12) at the pettiness of the Pharisees, but then “he left them, got into the boat again, and went off to the other shore” (Mark 8:13). If, at times, even Jesus left the company of his detractors, literally sailed away from the naysayers and doubters and deceivers, doesn’t that give me permission to do the same?  When nagging fears and doubts tempt me to question the goodness of God, the reality of His faithfulness and power, when worry tries to pry me from the hand of the Lord I know to be all good, I can step into the boat with Jesus and sail away to another shore—with Him. Let’s not be women of two minds, unstable in all our ways (see James 1:8). Let’s step into the boat of faithfulness and go where the Lord goes.  Relate to the Lord // Where have you been divided in your heart and mind. Ask the Lord to give you the grace to leave the doubt and fear behind, starting today.

February 14, 2026 // Memorial of Saints Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Mark 8:1-10 Reflect on the Word //  For the third time that night, I awoke to the shrill bark of my toy poodle and her wide brown eyes just inches from my own. I rolled over to peek at my alarm clock and groaned resignedly. At fifteen minutes to five, there would be no falling back asleep now. The first school day back from Christmas break awaited my groggy mind and irritated eyelids, caring nothing for the intermittent sleep of the night before or its ensuing exhaustion. I stumbled grumpily to the bathroom and decided I needed a treat from my favorite coffee shop to give me the energy to face the day. It was simply too much to expect my feeble yes to power me on its own.   In today’s Gospel, the disciples, too, are looking elsewhere for a solution to their problems. I can imagine them, wringing their hands helplessly as they survey the crowd and wonder, “Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?” (Mark 8:4) I can also imagine the playful quirk of our Lord’s lips as He knows how He will intervene. And I love how He doesn’t exactly answer their question. Instead, He turns a question back on them: “How many loaves do you have?” (Mark 8:5, emphasis added). And from their meager offering, He provides abundantly.  Sister, it really is enough—in fact, it is more than enough—to just show up and give the Lord whatever you have. Even if it doesn’t feel like enough. Even if you have no idea how you’ll get through the day. Sometimes caffeine might be part of the Lord’s abundant provision, and sometimes He might simply give us the grace to arrive at work or to serve our families in love when we didn’t think we could even get out of bed. And nothing we give to Him will ever be wasted; it will only be multiplied. Relate to the Lord // Enjoy a cup of coffee (or any beverage) with the Lord today.

February 13, 2026 // Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Mark 7:31-37 Reflect on the Word // The church was quiet after evening Mass. I stayed in the pew, staring at the flicker of the sanctuary lamp. My prayer felt empty, like words falling into a void. I was listening, but could not seem to hear God’s voice or feel His presence. The silence pressed in, but then in the stillness this short phrase rose in my heart: Be opened. In the Gospel of Mark, people brought a deaf man with a speech impediment to Jesus: “He took him off by himself, away from the crowd. He put His finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then He looked up to Heaven and said to him, ‘Ephphatha!’ (that is, ‘Be opened!’)” (Mark 7:33–34)  This healing is such a simple moment, so full of tenderness. Jesus does not speak from far away. He steps close with His healing touch. There is an intimacy in that gesture. The man is seen. He is not alone. Sometimes I see myself in that man who needs to be opened. My ears can be slow to hear words of truth and encouragement. My voice does not always have the courage to speak up in difficult conversations. My heart sometimes freezes with hesitation or fear. Yet Jesus does not turn away. He draws near. He meets the closed places of our hearts with gentleness. Just as He did for that deaf man, He proclaims, Be opened. Christ desires us to hear Him more clearly. He has an abundance of gifts to give. He slowly opens us to receive His life of grace. It is there that we find courage, freedom, and joy.   Sister, Christ still says, “Ephphatha!” to us today. Jesus opens our hearts gently to the depths of His mercy. When we let Him touch our closed-off places, grace rushes in. Listen carefully, because Jesus wants us to begin to hear His tender voice again. Relate to the Lord // Spend five minutes in silence with the Lord today. Ask for the grace to be open to His voice and presence. 

February 12, 2026 // Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Mark 7:24-30  Reflect on the Word // I found myself alone with Jesus in the adoration chapel. Just me and Him. The silence was filled with His presence, and I felt enveloped in His embrace. I walked up to the Blessed Sacrament, as close as I could get, and I gazed at my beautiful Lord. I imagined touching His hem, anointing His head, and falling “at his feet,” much like the woman from Tyre in today’s Gospel (Mark 7:25). Amid tears, I poured out my heartfelt longings to Him. I surrendered my prayers and petitions: my husband’s job, my children’s growing pains, my own physical sufferings. During my time of prayer, my conversation with Jesus moved to remorse and contrition for the times I have been distant from Him: when I have relied more on my weakness than His strength, when I have been too prideful to seek His help, when I have waited for perfect conditions to come to Him. I wonder how long it took for the Tyrian woman to approach Jesus for help. Did she rely on herself to help her daughter? Did she think she could endure it alone? At some point, she recognized her littleness and His greatness. In humility, she came to Jesus with a cry for help. He engaged with her and responded with compassion. As I continued to sit at Jesus’ feet in that adoration chapel, a wave of gratitude washed over me. How am I so blessed? How am I, so unworthy, called by name and welcomed into a Love that knows no bounds? With Jesus, we don’t need to show up perfectly. We just need to come to Him, just as we are: real, raw, open, and honest. There is nothing we need to do to gain His attention or earn His love. We already have it to the brim and overflowing. Jesus healed this Gentile woman’s daughter simply because she came to Him and asked with true faith and an honest heart. What does He desire to do for us if only we would approach Him in prayer? Relate to the Lord // How will you come to Jesus today, just as you are?

February 11, 2026 // Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel for the Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes: John 2:1-11 Reflect on the Word // I have heard of many instantaneous miracles in the waters of the grotto at Lourdes or the many Marian shrines throughout the world. I also know that sometimes the miracles are slow, arriving months or even years after the pilgrimage, the tears, and the prayers.  More than the miracles, today’s Gospel reading highlights the greatest gift that those who pray for the Blessed Mother’s intercession as they visit the sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes or other holy places receive—the gift of deeper faith. They might receive the gift of physical healing, but more often than not, the person leaves with a deepened awareness of God’s faithfulness resulting in greater trust, joy, and faith.  The waiters in today’s Gospel stepped forward in faith to do what they were commanded to do. When they took the jars and “filled them to the brim” (John 2:7), it was an act of trust. They did not begin to explain to Jesus how this was a ridiculous request or ask for the reason why they should fill them. They simply understood in their depths, I can imagine, that the Man Who was speaking to them meant what He said. He had a plan and they chose to cooperate. The Lord commands us to trust Him, to surrender to His will instead of ours, to accept His plans and the ways in which He wants to redeem our stories more than how we’d like to shape them. As we step out in faith to trust when it is difficult and to hope when we are tempted to despair, we may not see the water changed into wine immediately. Yet, we know, as did the waiters, that the Lord is trustworthy. That is something we can put our faith in and bet our bottom dollar on. He is already changing our water into wine, transforming our great lack into a marvelous blessing. Because in His Heart, Christ is affected by our Lady’s intercession for us when she whispers to Him in the throne room of Heaven, “She has no wine” (see John 2:3-5).  Relate to the Lord // Do not grow weary is asking the Lord for a miracle. Entrust your intentions to Our Lady of Lourdes and persevere in prayer and hope.

February 10, 2026 // Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Mark 7:1-13 Reflect on the Word // A few years after my conversion, I was determined to have The Best Lent Ever. I was going all in. No caffeine, alcohol, or sweets. I was swapping my novels for spiritual reading, donating items daily, and even exercising more. The list was exhaustive, and just a few days into Lent I was exhausted. Caffeine withdrawal led me to be cranky and I was intolerable to be around.  In my determination to show my commitment to God, I had lost sight of what was important. Maybe I thought that if I just did everything right, I would be miserable enough to grow holier. In reality, the misery was leading me to be less virtuous and less loving to those in my care.  Reading the Gospel today, I am comforted by the words of Christ (see Mark 7:1-13). We should not be so overly concerned with the laws that we lose sight of the love that should inform our every action. Love, not legality, will lead us toward a closer union with the Lord. Sometimes that legality, the rules and promises we make to ourselves or others, can actually be a sort of spiritual attachment, keeping us focused on our own actions rather than on our Savior. There isn’t a checklist to follow that will result in holiness as the reward. The Lord desires our love—our very hearts, not more words, directions, traditions. He has given us Scripture and the Church to guide us as we conform our hearts to God’s will.    We are now just a few days into Lent. It is common to feel the weight of extreme promises and the self-chosen Lenten commitments that overwhelm. Maybe it is time for a heart check—is your heart in the right place? Are our Lenten commitments helping to clear the attachments as distractions away, or are they themselves keeping us distant from the Lord? Relate to the Lord // Take time in prayer for a heart check. How are your Lenten commitments leading you closer to Christ? If they’re not, consider what He may be asking of you instead.

February 9, 2026 // Monday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Mark 6:53-56 Reflect on the Word //  It was a moment of grace. I sat on the balcony, watching shadows fall over the valley, trying to muster the courage to go to Confession. And suddenly, as if from a similar bird’s-eye view of my heart, I understood how I was viewing myself: dirty and ragged, untouchable and unworthy. Later that night, I headed into the confessional, where Jesus met me through a Byzantine priest. In the Byzantine rite, I discovered, the priest drapes his stole over the penitent’s head during absolution. There, beneath this literal covering of mercy, I realized: Jesus actually wanted to touch me. The people who first meet Jesus in today’s Gospel do so with such feverish excitement. I imagine their joyful shouts and embraces on the seashore as they “immediately [recognize] him” (Mark 6:54). Their “scurrying about the countryside” (Mark 6:55) stands in stark contrast to the other group of people, the sick who cannot move their own mats to Jesus, who must wait for Him to pass by. I wonder if some were even too weak to touch their fingers to His cloak. Would He reach out to touch them instead? I picture myself on those mats as I remember how shame paralyzed me that spring night in high school. I wanted to be able to run to Jesus like the people who greet Him in today’s Gospel, but He couldn’t really want me the way I was—could He? Several years later, it is still hard to believe that my littleness could actually attract Jesus! That He might be drawn by the places of my heart that I most want to hide! But this is our God. This is mercy! The word mercy comes from the Latin misericordia, a compound of the words for “misery” and “heart.” When we feel too weak to run after the Lord, He is still merciful. His Heart is moved by our very misery, and He rushes to meet us there. Relate to the Lord // When was the last time you received absolution in the Sacrament of Confession? Make a plan to go and receive His mercy this week.

February 7, 2026 // Saturday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Mark 6:30-34 Reflect on the Word //  I made my way through the house, sorting and cleaning as I walked from the kitchen to the living room and into the master bedroom. Finally, some peace. I looked over at my prayer corner, where there was an unavoidable mountain of laundry piled onto my prayer chair. Great. Another chore.  I recalled the desire I had that week to spend more time with Jesus in the Word. A desire for order and peace—a break from the chaos and busyness of daily life. If only I had time for that. There’s so much to get done and schedule out. Meals won’t cook themselves and my work is waiting for me.  The enemy knew the lies to whisper to me that would make me feel alone, unseen, and too busy to achieve what my heart really longed for.  In today’s Gospel, the Apostles were ready to give Jesus a report for what they were able to accomplish. He was ready to give them rest (see Mark 6:30-31). They were caught up in the doing and He invited them to simply be. Just as His heart was moved with pity for those following Him and hoping to be satisfied, His heart moves for you, too. He tends to you and simply asks you to “come away [. . .] and rest a while” (Mark 6:31). Do you also get caught up in doing all the things? Some are tedious and necessary. Other tasks are small victories or blessings from answered prayers. Like the Apostles, we can tell Jesus everything, giving Him a rundown of all we got through and what is left to come. His response—so tender and personal each time—is to come away from all of the doing.  Much like the pile of laundry that disappeared with slow and gentle sorting, Jesus wants to eliminate the burdens of your daily life. Your lists and chores will be there. Jesus will be with you as you get them done. There is no task greater than abiding with Him. Coming to the One Who truly gives us what our hearts desire—His presence, His rest, His peace. Relate to the Lord // Take some time to rest in and with the Lord today. What does that look like for you?

February 6, 2026 // Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Mark 6:14-29 Reflect on the Word // It started with a simple question from my very curious nine-year-old. The sun had long since dipped down behind our house and bedtime was on the horizon, which is the natural time for any elementary school-aged boy to suddenly become inquisitive.   “Why is there no gravity in outer space?” he asked.  That was it. That was all it took to send my mind barrelling into the upheaval that occurs when you suddenly remember that there is a big, vast, dark void out there, and that your TikTok reels aren’t the center of it.  I hate thinking about outer space. I hate the vastness of it, the darkness of it, the unknowns of it. Yet, it is for those very reasons that I find it to be the best teacher. Just like today’s Gospel (see Mark 6:14-29), it serves as a good reminder to adjust our gaze beyond the finite and focus on the bigger story that we are all invited into.  I wonder what would have become of Saint John the Baptist had Herod not been caught up in the moment of what was right in front of him. I wonder if things would have changed if he had stepped back and pondered the greater story. Herod’s experience is one that I believe we’ve all struggled with. Sin has a way of finding us in the moment, of focusing our attention on the finite.   I imagine that much of our sin occurs because of our failure to see the bigger picture, to step outside of moments of temptation and look into the greatness that we are being called into.   But it is there—that greatness. Through your sorrow, your shame, your anger, there is a greater story that is beckoning you home. You must only remember to look up and truly see it.   Relate to the Lord // What have you been focusing on? Turn your gaze to Jesus today, again and again, when you’re tempted to hyperfocus on the finite.

February 5, 2026 // Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Mark 6:7-13 Reflect on the Word //  I was stunned by the size of the pile growing on the floor of my closet. Give away. I tossed another pair of pants into the heap. Never gonna fit into those again. Disappointed with myself, I wondered what had made me buy these clothes—many of them multiples, most barely worn. I had to do a major clean-out. Turns out, I also needed to root some things out of my heart.  In the Gospel today (see Mark 6:7-13), Jesus instructs His disciples to go out on their first mission trip without even a second tunic. They are to trust in God’s providence, travel lightly and swiftly, and carry the Gospel, not extra baggage. It was a practical decision, yes, but also a spiritual one. These were the men taught to pray for “daily bread.” Not just in case. Not one for the road.  Only enough for today.  I say that prayer—the Our Father— daily too.  But somehow I’m still in the habit of hoarding away extras, afraid of a tomorrow of not enough. If I’m honest, there’s a trace of fear in my wallet, my closet, my refrigerator. I pray for daily bread, but I squirrel away a little more just in case God doesn’t come through. Maybe not consciously, but how else can I explain the excess? Sometimes the daily bread is in abundance; sometimes it is just enough to get me to tomorrow. But it has never failed to arrive like His mercy, new and freshly baked every morning. If I can unclench my grasp of yesterday’s stale crumbs, I can pull up a seat at the breakfast table.  Likely, sister, you have known moments of fear that there will not be enough. And maybe you really have known cold, hunger, loneliness. There are very real moments in life that test our trust. But you are here now, proof that He has always come through. So see the invitation in today’s Gospel: Take only one tunic and trust Him with the rest.  Relate to the Lord // What have you been hoarding—just in case? Today share your heart with the Lord and your excess with others.