September 7, 2026  // Monday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time

Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Luke 6:6-11

The trip to Alaska was hard. A formidable headwind added ninety minutes to an already lengthy flight. By the time I gathered my bags, rented a car, shopped for some food staples, found my lodgings in the darkness of night, and then lugged my many bags inside, I was exhausted. It was a weary beginning to a week’s worth of speaking and leading retreats.

But the next morning, I had the chance to visit the adoration chapel where my reversion really began. It had been thirty-three years since I last visited this sacred, humble spot where Jesus taught me about His Eucharistic Heart. I stumbled into the chapel and collapsed before the Lord for a remarkable holy hour.

So much life had gone by since my last visit. I sat there chatting with Jesus like a long-lost friend reviewing the highs and lows, the sorrows and joys of three decades together. It had been thirty-three  years of growth and grace, challenge and color, sickness and health, heartbreak and glory. And more restoration than I could have ever imagined possible. I was flooded with gratitude over the Lord’s fidelity and generosity, His mercy and tenderness over so much life.

The next day as I prepared for my first gig, it was as though I was the one with the withered hand, being called before the crowd in today’s Gospel. As if Jesus came into the room and asked me: “Stretch out your hand, your life, your heart before me.” And as I did, I was restored. Restored to overflowing. The entire trip to Alaska was nothing short of grace upon grace. On my return, I couldn’t stop grinning for a week.

We need never fear to approach the Lord in all our inadequacy. Where we are withered, Jesus is whole. Where we are empty, broken, and small, Jesus is mighty, infinite, and fullness forevermore. Where we crumple under the weight of our burdens and responsibilities, Jesus can lift us soaring to the heights of His glory and a lifetime of greater restoration and satisfaction.

Relate to the Lord // Spend a holy hour in thanksgiving for the “years of growth and grace, challenge and color, sickness and health, heartbreak and glory.”