December 29, 2025 // Optional Memorial of Saint Thomas Becket, Bishop and Martyr Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: 1 John 2:3-11  Reflect on the Word //  Unpacking the last lunch box in the kitchen, my eyes welled with tears. The children were doing homework, swinging on the sensory swing, sorting their Pokémon cards—and I was overwhelmed. My husband was loading the dishwasher as we were running through the week’s calendar—and I was drowning. Leaning against the kitchen counter, the tears began flowing. And flowing and flowing. I had been standing on the precipice of an emotional breakdown and now I was falling. I reached out to my doctor and set up an emergency mental health consultation. Although intimidated by the process of looking for a new therapist, I knew that I was sitting in a dark depression that needed to be brought to light. Between my work schedule, my home schedule, the kids’ schedules, and the day-to-day overwhelm, I was wading through a dark night that needed a true light—one that is already shining. I had a consultation with a new therapist and I cried the whole time. It was freeing and cathartic and difficult. But I am comforted knowing that “the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining” (1 John 2:8). In the darkest place of my depression, I am comforted by His light. The Lord is the brightest light, and He shows us again and again that He will never leave us in darkness. When things are heavy and overwhelming, He will carry our burdens. When things feel dark and hopeless, He will give us hope. In our lowest of lows, He will bring us from the shadows.  Relate to the Lord // Has there been some dimness in your life or heart these days? Bring it to Jesus, the Light of the World, and ask Him to illuminate it with His love and hope.

Saturday, December 27, 2025 Letter from the Editor // Dear Sister, The Gospel for tomorrow’s Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph tells us how Saint Joseph rose in the night and fled with Mary and the Infant Jesus to save Jesus from Herod’s command to his soldiers to kill the baby boys of Bethlehem. We can imagine what it must have been like, knowing God had a plan for the newborn, needing to keep the baby quiet, rushing to pack, and slipping out into the dark. How the hearts of Mary and Joseph must have raced on that night. But we can also imagine how God’s grace sustained them, how their lives reflected the words of Saint Paul as “over all” their virtues “they put on love” (Colossians 3:14). We celebrate the Holy Family tomorrow, so that we can know how to live in our own families. Saint Paul describes to us in tomorrow’s Second Reading what a family must do to become holy: “Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another” (Colossians 3:12-13). Scripture tells us to honor our parents, submit to our spouse in love, to not discourage our children, but we cannot do this without grace. Grace is how the Holy Family did it as well; they completely relied on God and we can also. This Sunday, ask the Holy Family to pray for you, to bring you into the love of their family, so that you can love with God’s love. When we do this, our families will be blessed: “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!” (Psalm 128:1) In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the Readings for the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph: First Reading // Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 Psalm // Psalm 128:1-5 Second Reading // Colossians 3:12-21 Gospel // Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23 Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days Saturday, December 27 // Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist  Sunday, December 28 // Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Monday, December 29 //  Optional Memorial of Saint Thomas Becket, Bishop and Martyr Wednesday, December 31 // Optional Memorial of Saint Sylvester I, Pope Thursday, January 1 // Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God // The Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord // Holy Day of Obligation Friday, January  2 // Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church  

December 26, 2025 // Feast of Saint Stephen, First Martyr Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Psalm: Psalm 31:3cd-4, 6 and 8ab, 16bc and 17 Reflect on the Word // Overwhelmed by the world news as well as typical family life one night, I bounced from email to texts to emotional snacking before finally directing my anxious energy to the Lord. I turned on a calm worship playlist, lit an incense-scented candle, and breathed deeply. Into Your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit. You’re in control; lead me. The words “I commend my spirit” (Psalm 31:6) once made me think only of death. I probably associated this Psalm with Jesus’ dying words from the Cross: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46). As a child, I didn’t understand the idea of a daily surrender to the Lord. Instead, I could only imagine myself uttering the words as a final prayer with my last breath, like Jesus did. A friend introduced me to the Surrender Novena, which includes the words, “Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything.” Perfect for all circumstances, I frequently whisper specific intentions throughout my day inspired by this prayer. It’s become my “Jesus, fix it!” prayer. It turns out that the Surrender Novena isn’t too different from Psalm 31:6. I no longer think of my last breath as the only time to commend my spirit to God; rather, I see that every offering of my self counts. Today and each day, I commend myself to the Lord.  Jesus, I surrender myself into Your hands, take care of everything. Take care of me as I face challenges. Take care of my relationships. Into Your hands, I place my plans; align them to Your will. Into Your hands, Lord . . . I give You everything. In today’s liturgy, we celebrate Saint Stephen, the first martyr. I like to imagine him as a man who knew and prayed often with the words of the Psalm: “Lead and guide me. [. . .] Into your hands I commend my spirit” (Psalm 31:4, 6). In imitation of Saint Stephen, we too can freely surrender to God’s will, commending our spirits to Him each day and at our death.  Relate to the Lord // Pray slowly and in faith,  Jesus, I surrender myself into Your hands, take care of everything.

December 25, 2025 // The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel for the Mass during the Day: John 1:1-18  Reflect on the Word // Dim candlelight dances upon the stone of the sanctuary, illuminating its rough-hewn edges. Tucked below in its alcove, the golden tabernacle gleams invitingly, flanked on either side by a row of evergreens, soft with twinkling lights. A reverent, contented hush is soon broken by the opening chords of the organ, which builds as a swell of joyous voices join in:   “O come, let us adore Him—  Christ, the Lord!” The stone of this sanctuary is a far cry from the humble, rough-hewn stone of the humble cave in Bethlehem; the twinkling trees a far cry from the twinkling star of Bethlehem; the chorus of voices, a far cry from the exultant choirs of angels on that blessed morn when Christ was born. Yet the joy—the joy is the same. In my mind’s eye, the humble Nativity scene takes shape. Quietly, our Lady beckons; invites me to come and behold. To hold. Gently, she nestles Him in my arms. I inhale softly, cradling the Spinner of stars, the Maker of men.   The Word made flesh—He is truly here, among us. The whole light of Heaven, contained in one tiny Person.  The Author of the eternal, now robed in the finite.   He takes on our limited flesh, that we might be clothed in His expansive divinity.  He submits to mortality, that we might gain eternal life. He allows Himself to cry human tears, that we might experience heavenly joy.  He leaves the vastness of paradise for earthly exile, to lead us out of exile—and show us the way Himself.    He lights up every darkness, and even the darkest shadows quake.   He is both Giver and Gift. He gives everything—spending His entire self—that we might gain everything: above all, Himself. He waits in a rough-hewn cave: small and vulnerable, with love inexhaustible. Inviting you to know Him, to be known by Him. To behold and to hold Him. To let Him dwell intimately within you. To light your every darkness.    We but only need respond. Come, O come— and let us adore  the Infant God come to rescue us Christ, the Lord. Relate to the Lord // Read this reflection again prayerfully. What line or image stands out to you and why?

December 24, 2025 // Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent // Christmas Eve Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Luke 1:67-79 Reflect on the Word // When I finally knelt, rosary in hand, to meditate on the Life of Christ, I was startled by the intensity of my need for God to break through: Lord, I need You. I had been bracketing some difficult news and challenges to get through a busy week. I needed quality time to speak to the Lord and to hear Him. So at this first opportunity to truly pray, the Holy Spirit gave me grace to be utterly vulnerable. My longings, griefs, and fears surfaced and surged.  It was a visceral longing for a savior. Then I came face to face with the mystery of His Birth. As I contemplated the tiring journey of the young Holy Family, I longed for the Light of the World. He is the culmination; His birth is the high point of the Joyful Mysteries. The words of Zechariah from today’s Gospel echo my longing: “[T]he dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death” (Luke 1:78-79). This perfectly innocent newborn Baby was born in such poverty and at a time when His people were horribly oppressed, not just by worldly rulers but by the darkness of evil and sin. The Alleluia verse and O Antiphon for today comes from today’s Gospel, and refers to Jesus as “Radiant Dawn.” When I consider Him as the radiant dawn, like light breaking through every shadow, I experience the blessedness of the poor in spirit. He is the radiant dawn because He knows my need; God became Man so I could never doubt that He not only knows humanity’s need notionally but in His own flesh. His logic is reflected in the tiny wrinkly hands and feet of a newborn baby—ready to be protected, nurtured, and received.  Sister, tonight is for contemplating the “with-ness” of God; tonight Emmanuel, meaning “God is with us,” comes. This is astounding. May we take courage—with everything we are carrying—in Him Who was truly tested in every way, as Saint Paul says, and draws near to us in need as our timely help. Relate to the Lord // Pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary today (or even simply the third mystery, the Birth of Jesus) and give thanks to God for giving us His Son.

December 23, 2025 // Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Psalm: Psalm 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14 Reflect on the Word //  She clicked “submit” and abruptly lowered her head, burying her face in her arms on the desk. “What’s wrong?” I asked gently, in surprise. “I’m nervous to see my grade,” the fourth grader replied. “How about I check for you?” I suggested. She nodded, and I clicked to view the automatic scoring on the spelling test. “Congratulations! You have a one-hundred!” She looked up and saw; wide-eyed disbelief became perfect joy when she realized my word was true. I smiled; in these moments with the students I tutor, I recall my own fear of checking big assignment grades.  Today’s Responsorial Psalm reminds me that, in my spiritual life, I often behave similarly. The Responsorial Verse, “Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand” (see Luke 21:28), is an invitation to hope: not just to do so distantly, but to hope in the immediacy of the promise.  Why might my head be lowered in the first place? Perhaps it is a stance of deep prayer or of humility. But I may also do it for a negative reason. I may cast my gaze downwards because I hesitate to expect something good from God. Perhaps I feel the need to protect myself from premature hope, from looking forward too hard and being disappointed. Maybe my head is bowed under the weight of interior burdens, which today could be the bustle of the holidays or the keen emotions that reappear this time of year. But only when I lift my head and live in active expectation do I see the Lord making His ways known to me (see Psalm 25:4) and guiding me in them with kindness and constancy (see Psalm 25:5, 10). I understand that He is my Savior and friend (see Psalm 25:5b, 14), a hope near at hand.  Dear sister, our hope is almost here: tomorrow night, He comes. May we not fear to look up and see. As Catholics, we know how to meet this day, for every Eucharistic consecration invites us to lift up our heads and behold the sign of our redemption—to come, fix our gaze, and adore Christ.  Relate to the Lord // This week, make a visit to Jesus in the Eucharist and adore Him.

December 22, 2025 // Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: 1 Samuel 1:24-28 Reflect on the Word //  I sat down at the dinner table, ready to share a meal and the events of the day with my family. These school days are long—I rise early to pray and exercise, to fill my cup before the rest of the family wakes. Then we launch into homeschooling, sports, music, and activities. Our life is full of good things. On this night, after we said grace, everyone started eating without a word of gratitude to me for the meal that had been served to them. I was discouraged. Couldn’t they see how much I was pouring into them?  Teaching gratitude to our children and practicing it in our own lives can be hard, but there is nothing more important. Everything in our lives is a gift: the air we breathe, the work we are called to, the love we receive in our relationships with friends and family. All is gift. Hannah from the First Reading had waited and prayed for the gift of a son. When God granted her request, she made the ultimate act of gratitude in bringing her little, newly-weaned son to the temple to give him back to God. What a heartbreaking scene. I can imagine Hannah weeping, Samuel wailing even as she did what she knew was right.  God shows us in the beauty of the liturgy how we are to respond to gifts, especially the Eucharist—we acknowledge them, express our thanks, and offer them back to the Father, even as we unite ourselves to the host and chalice as they are lifted to Heaven after the Consecration. God requires so much of us, but what we receive from Him is infinite and incalculable. As we prepare to celebrate the mystery of the gift of God-made-flesh in the person of Jesus, let us open our eyes to every good gift, thanking the Giver. We tend to hold these gifts close—the bigger the gift, the greater our temptation to hoard. But it is only in releasing the gifts back to God that they will be used to their full potential in His Kingdom.  Relate to the Lord // Jesus, give us the faith to hold Your gifts, loosely, and with profound gratitude to offer them daily back to You.

Saturday, December 20, 2025 Letter from the Editor // Dear Sister, “Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory” (Psalm 24: 7c, 10b). Christmas is so close, we can almost feel it, but still we wait on the cusp of hope for the gift of our God coming as a little Baby. On this Fourth Sunday of Advent, Saint Paul writes to us about what God “promised previously through his prophets in the Holy Spirit” which is “the gospel about his Son descended from David according to the flesh, but established as the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness” (Romans 1:3-4). Jesus is both God and Man and entered our world through our Blessed Mother’s yes to God’s request of her. The prophet Isaiah foretold this birth long before it came about writing that “the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).  Emmanuel—“God is with us.” In the Gospel, we hear Saint Joseph described as a righteous man, meaning he wants to follow the law of God and to do what is right. He is afraid and uncertain when Mary is found with the Child. How often do we fear God’s will or do not understand His plan for us even when we want to do the right thing? We can relate to Joseph’s uncertainty. Waiting for Christmas, for God to fulfill His plan of salvation for the world, is also a time for us to wait for the fulfillment of His promise to us. God is with us now, just as He was with Mary and Joseph. The words of the Gospel are for us too: “[D]o not be afraid” (Matthew 1:20). Do not be afraid, sister, to do what God is asking of you. He will give you the grace you need. In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent: First Reading // Isaiah 7:10-14 Psalm // Psalm 24:1-6, 7, 10 Second Reading // Romans 1:1-7 Gospel // Matthew 1:18-24 Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days Sunday, December 21 // Fourth Sunday of Advent Wednesday, December  24 // Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent // Christmas Eve Thursday, December 25 // The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) // Holy Day of Obligation Friday, December 26 // Feast of Saint Stephen, First Martyr

December 19, 2025 // Friday of the Third Week of Advent Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Luke 1:5-25 Reflect on the Word // When I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, I expected daily medication to improve it. Instead, it slowly turned into the autoimmune disease Hashimoto's. I tried to do everything right, but I still gained weight, felt chronically fatigued, and battled brain fog and inflammation. For years, I prayed for healing and relief, and wondered why God didn’t answer my prayers. In the waiting, however, I slowly accepted the cross God asked me to bear. It wasn’t easy, but the longer I waited, the closer I felt to the Lord. During Advent, God invites us to actively contemplate waiting for the coming of His Son, Jesus. The darkness of night, illuminated by candlelight from the Advent wreath, recalls the Jewish people’s long anticipation of the Messiah. In all of their stories, everything that happened in the midst of waiting, pointed toward the Savior. Today’s Gospel Reading is no different. Zechariah and Elizabeth “were righteous in the eyes of God” (Luke 1:6), yet God still sent them a burdensome cross. Like me, when answers to their prayers didn’t come, they must have wondered why. But notice the angel Gabriel’s first words to Zechariah: “Do not be afraid [. . .] because your prayer has been heard” (Luke 1:13). God heard their pleas, saw their tears, and, in time, answered their prayers in a way they never could have imagined. And all the while, they remained close to Him. Yes, Elizabeth’s long barrenness and the couple’s subsequent suffering were part of God’s unfolding plan of salvation—just as her miraculous pregnancy was too. Their story gives us comfort in the midst of our own struggles. God doesn’t ask us to ignore our sufferings but to bring them to Him in prayer, trusting that He will answer us in His time, beyond our imagination. “And you will have joy and gladness” (Luke 1:14). This is Advent hope! That in the waiting, we may remain close to God and see how everything that happens in the meantime leads to Him, Who is the greatest answer to every prayer. Relate to the Lord // Share your sufferings with Jesus today and renew your trust in Him to answer you in His perfect timing.

December 18, 2025 // Thursday of the Third Week of Advent  Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 1:18-25 to  Reflect on the Word // It was getting down to the wire and the nurse needed us to turn in the birth certificate form for our newborn daughter. Our list of baby girl names was lengthy and the stipulations we had for that name were even trickier. We needed a five letter name and a middle initial that matched the letter of our other two children. As I studied our daughter’s face none of the names on the list seemed to suit her. Even my husband agreed that the well-researched names we had in mind were no match for the new life in front of us.  In today's Gospel we read that the angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream saying, “She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Perhaps Joseph didn’t understand the magnitude behind the meaning of that name in that moment, but time would unfold its significance.  Unlike my daughter's name, the name of Jesus has an effect on the course of history: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means ‘God is with us’” (Matthew 1:23). God is here in the midst of our fragmented society. Here He comes as a baby to heal, save, and anoint us.  When the profound evil that has gripped our world this year has plunged me into depths of despair, repeating Jesus’ name has been the only way I can implore the Light to break through. Jesus’ name echoes into eternity.  When we say Jesus’ name we can be confident that He is still moving, changing, filling, lifting, strengthening, and healing just as He did two thousand years ago when He came to us as a baby and walked this earth. As we draw nearer to His Nativity, we can remember that He came to be with us and is still present in the world. Relate to the Lord // Accept this invitation to pray with the name of Jesus (God saves) and Emmanuel (God is with us). How does the effect of His name move you?

December 17, 2025 // Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 1:1-17 Reflect on the Word //  Sometimes when I’m talking to my toddlers I like to quiz them on where they fall in the family line up. I’ll say something like, “Do you know which baby you are of mine? Are you baby number 3? How about baby number 7?  And then, “And do you know which babies came before you?” We run through all the siblings, and they smile and giggle when we get to their special spot in the line up. This conversation is mostly just silly and cute but it also firms up a beautiful reality for them and for me. Their existence has a place and a purpose in our family life. They were meant to be. People came before and people came after but their place is unique, special, unrepeatable. A spark in the narrative of humanity, and the start of something remarkable—new life. Endless possibility and optimism, ordained and ordered by the Creator of all.  I think this is a part of the beauty of humankind: Our connectedness and our place also speaks to our purpose. Who we came from and where we are going matters; our existence in a time and place matters.  It’s easy to skim through the genealogy narrative in the Gospel, but for today, let’s not. Let’s see this lineage as deeply meaningful and also deeply human. For God became Man, to be with us, to be known by us, and to elevate our humanity. The family tree is now holy; your place in the world is holy. God is so good that He loves our existence, and He sees our purpose as infinite and eternal. He is so good that Jesus Christ was born into something as normal as lineage—to be like us, so that we can be like Him. The ordinary, now super-ordinary. The day-to-day, divine.  Relate to the Lord // Today, be on the lookout for the divine in your day to day.

December 16, 2025 // Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Psalm: Psalm 34:2-3, 6-7, 17-18, 19 and 23 Reflect on the Word // I can still remember a dream I had almost ten years ago. There was a bridge, tsunami-like waves crashing down, chaos and destruction all around, and as anxiety lurked by, I perceived in my heart these words from the Lord: No matter what your eyes see, never doubt My goodness. The words have stayed with me until today.  Praying aloud Psalm 34, which begins with the proclamation that the psalmist will bless the Lord’s name at all times, can be difficult in those hard seasons when everything around us looks bleak, hopeless even. Our hearts are threatened to be overcome by the waves of chaos and grief or the weight of evil and sin. As I think about world events from this past year, I am reminded that the Lord has the final say. Evil does not have the last word but God’s goodness does. The Lord redeems everything when we give our lives and hearts to Him (see Psalm 34:23).  We know and serve a loving God Who is close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:19) and Who mends them. He remains our refuge and safe place even when the world around us crumbles. Our hope is in Him in every season and so we praise and bless His name at all times—even when we do not understand or when it is difficult.  As we will soon come to the end of this year and are now approaching the holy solemnity of the Birth of our Lord in a quiet stable—for the lowly, those crushed in spirit, for the poor ones, and the brokenhearted—may we pray this psalm with confidence. Our God comes for us. In every season, in each tsunami-like storm, in the good times and in the bad ones, He is making a way. He will save us and make us radiant with joy (see Psalm 34:6).  Relate to the Lord // Reflect on the Lord’s goodness today. How has He been good to you?

December 15, 2025 // Monday of the Third Week of Advent Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Numbers 24: 2-7, 15-17a Reflect on the Word //   One of my favorite worship songs is  “Wait” by Phil Wickham. The tender yet powerful chorus flows like a prayer and is evidence of the singer having discovered the sweetness of stillness in divine communion: “Cause the longer I wait, the more You can do. And the deeper I fall in love with You. So I wait. Wait for You.”  Ironically, or rather providentially, I was given a chance to live out these lyrics this past Lent. Prompted by my own silent prayer, I signed up for a twelve-week Catholic wellness program as my Lenten discipline. I had heard phenomenal things about this apostolate, and I was looking forward to all the ways God was going to love me into wholeness through this new approach.  So I waited. And waited. But no matter how many changes I made or commitments I put into practice, I couldn't see the Lord moving—or healing. And the answers I sought in my desperate pursuit for understanding and direction were only met with painful silence.   Unlike the prophet Balaam, “who hears what God says, and knows what the Most High knows” and  “sees what the Almighty sees” (Numbers 24:4), my eyes and heart remained veiled to the divine plan. It was only after many months of patient waiting that clarity began to burst forth like “free-flowing waters” (Numbers 24:7).  Sister, we aren’t meant to have all the answers, let alone immediate ones. The season of Advent is a good reminder for us, that whether we are waiting on a breakthrough, healing, or restoration, hurry is incompatible with the loving pace of God. All things transpire in His perfect timing, including the ultimate victory and reign of the One Whose coming Balaam announced (see Numbers 24:17). The Lord does beautiful things in our lives when we choose to wait on Him and His works. But we don’t wait alone. Like “gardens beside a stream” (Numbers 24:6), He is with us through the waiting until His promises unfold.  Because the longer we wait, the more He can do. So however long it takes, Lord, we will wait for You.  Relate to the Lord // What does waiting with the Lord look like for you? 

Saturday, December 13, 2025 Letter from the Editor // Dear Sister, Gaudete! Rejoice! The liturgy for this Third Sunday of Advent reminds us to rejoice in our hopeful waiting for the coming of Jesus at Christmas. The First Reading is soaked through with this hope promising that “[t]he desert and the parched land will exult” (Isaiah 35:1). We may feel dry and worn out now, but the Lord is doing something great in our lives now, just as He did in those days He walked in Israel, when John the Baptist sent word to ask Who Jesus was. Jesus’ response in the Gospel is a fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, who promised that when the Savior came, “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the deaf ears be clear; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing” (Isaiah 35: 5-6). The people of Jesus’ day witnessed these very things happening around them both in physical healings and in deeper, whole person healings.  Sister, the Lord is still working His healing power in the world. Our coming celebration of Christmas is an annual reminder of His healing love for us. There are many ways in which we are blind, deaf, and lame—unable to see the truth, hear God’s word clearly, and do the Lord’s work as we are called. The Lord offers us special grace at Christmas, the grace of healing. From the moment our God became Man, He began the work of our redemption. This Advent, pray to be set free from your captivity to your sins and inability to trust in Him (see Psalm 146:7). He will come soon. And as the world swirls around you, “[y]ou too must be patient. Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand” (James 5:7-10). In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the Readings for the Third Sunday of Advent: First Reading // Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10 Psalm // Psalm 146:6-10 Second Reading // James 5:7-10 Gospel // Matthew 11:2-11 Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days Saturday, December 13 (today!)  // Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr  Sunday, December 14 // Third Sunday of Advent  

December 12, 2025 // Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Luke 1:26-38  Reflect on the Word // I stepped out of the shop with a stack of paper that still felt warm from the copying machine. Back in the 90s, before blogs and social media, people would self publish zines, usually photocopied low-budget mini-magazines. I had just printed out my first issue, which was a collection of writing, music/concert reviews, and commentary about living a Christian Catholic life. After years away from God, I had recently come back to the faith. I named the zine Handmaid because it was inspired by the Scripture in today’s Gospel reading.  In the beginning of the Gospel of Luke, we read about the Angel Gabriel coming to Mary and explaining God’s plan for her life. It was no wonder that she was troubled as she tried to wrap her head around the situation. Besides the logistics, did she wonder about how Joseph would take the news? Would he even believe her? What about her family? I can only imagine the interior turmoil.  Yet, when the dust settled only one thing was certain in Mary’s heart: that she loved God and she trusted Him completely. With humility, she utters her beautiful words, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:28). I love that verse so much, but have I let it become a title of a zine or a motto on a coffee mug, rather than the way I live my life? Too often I’ve complained or given God my unsolicited opinion about how my life should be unfolding, instead of asking for the grace to humbly trust in Him.  Today’s Gospel invites us to examine our lives and see if there is an area we’re trying to tightly control or have a situation that is leaving us utterly stressed. We can stop and take a breath and whisper, “I am the handmaid of the Lord,” trusting that God will not leave us alone and that He’ll give us the strength to go where He leads and the courage to act as He wills. Relate to the Lord // Today, regularly stop and take a breath and whisper with our Lady, “I am the handmaid of the Lord.”

December 11, 2025 // Optional Memorial of Saint Damasus I, Pope Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Isaiah 41:13-20 Reflect on the Word //  Going to the Sacrament of Confession at lunchtime is my reset button at work, and this week was no different. The conflicts with and harsh words from my colleagues were constantly weighing me down, and my lack of kindness in return led me to the confessional. I was hoping to head back to the office quickly with an easy penance. But instead, the priest instructed me, “Please pray one decade of the Rosary for your colleagues’ well-being.” Huh?!  Today’s First Reading left me with the same awestruck confusion as that day in the confessional. In Isaiah, we hear the Lord speaking to His people, and His exact words were not ones that sat well with me at first.  “Fear not, O worm Jacob, O maggot Israel; I will help you” (Isaiah 41:14). What? Just like in Confession, I did not like these words and what they meant. I was shocked to hear I was supposed to pray for my challenging coworkers and their well-being; it was as baffling as God calling His chosen people those humbling terms in explanation of how much they need Him. In both situations, I felt an immediate sense of discomfort, wanting to turn and run away. Why?  God has a way of pointing out what we need to hear, and for me, that was my need for true compassion at work and humble reliance on Him, things I was repetitively grappling with of late. God reminded me in His Word and through my penance that He gets to tell me where I need to grow in holiness and that I shouldn’t run from His uncomfortable answer, either. The Lord will find a way to gently call out the exact things we struggle with, the ways we fail to be the best versions of ourselves, asking us to work on them as our paths to holiness. Be open to it, and the fruits it will bear. For the Book of Isaiah confirms even after those hard-to-hear words, “You shall rejoice in the LORD, and glory in the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 41:16).   Relate to the Lord // Whose wellbeing do you feel called to pray for today?

December 10, 2025 // Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Loreto Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Isaiah 40:25-31 Reflect on the Word // I read the text message quickly at first, glancing over it as I grabbed a child’s backpack on the way out the door. Why was my friend sounding so heated about a proposed morning coffee date? I grew more and more perturbed as I drove kids to school. When I had a minute to read the text again it still sounded somewhat rude and off-putting. Not surprisingly, when I called my friend and asked her what she meant by the confusing tone in the text, the explanation was completely opposite of what I first interpreted.  The value of hearing the spoken word in action! The reminder today from the prophet Isaiah—“Do you not know or have you not heard?” (Isaiah 40:28)—reminds me of the importance of physically hearing the Word of God spoken out loud. Our brains, and in turn, our hearts, just accept and absorb words differently when we hear them. I think this is why the Church in her wisdom makes the Liturgy of the Word such an important part of the celebration of the Eucharist. Hearing the words of Scripture in the Mass is not simply a motion we go through but an essential way to hear God speak to us. Because we are composed of both body and soul, we understand better when we experience things with all our senses. I think all of us have an experience of reading the Bible ourselves and assuming one thing, then having a piece of Scripture explained or simply proclaimed out loud and coming to greater understanding.  God wants to give us His strength as Isaiah proclaims today. One way we can accept and receive that strength is by hearing the words of Scripture proclaimed and letting them speak to our hearts. The next time you go to Mass try for yourself first reading the readings of the day in advance, then focusing on hearing the words spoken aloud. The Lord wants to communicate to you through all of your senses. Relate to the Lord // Read the daily Readings (even just one!) out loud today. Listen with the ears of your heart.