February 14, 2025 // Memorial of Saints Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Mark 7:31-37 Reflect on the Word // Entering the solitude of the confessional, the noise of the outside world disappeared. While I knew the priest was waiting for me, it was not his presence that I sensed; it was Someone else’s. As I knelt down, and before I could even utter the words, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned,” tears began to flow. Not again. I couldn’t remember the last time I didn’t cry, even sob, during the Sacrament of Confession. It was a difficult season. One in which I was trying hard to hold it all together for everyone else. Month after month, it was only in the safety of the confessional that I could be honest about my struggle. As I bared my soul and confessed my sins, Jesus opened all those places in my heart that were closed off to the hope of being healed. He opened my lack of faith. He opened the places filled with worry and anxiety. He opened my resistance to love. With each admission, it was as if Jesus was whispering in my ear, “‘Ephphatha!’ (that is, ‘Be opened!’)” (Mark 7:34). And immediately, all those places in my heart, where I was holding everything in, where I was closed off to love, were finally open enough for Him to enter, touch the pain, and heal my wounds. Sister, Jesus longs to open the locked up parts of your heart too. Like He did in the Gospel for the man, He wants to take you “off by [yourself]” (Mark 7:33) in order to personally commune with you and heal you with His embrace. If you close your eyes, can you imagine His tender gaze toward you? With an outstretched arm drawing you in, can you hear Him whisper, “Ephphatha”? Jesus especially longs to meet you in the Sacraments, where we encounter Him in the most intimate way possible. There, He will touch each closed-off part of your heart and open it to a fresh outpouring of His love and grace. All He asks is that you are open to His desire to meet you in your need and heal you according to His will. Relate to the Lord // Imagine His tender gaze toward you. What does He look like? How does it feel?

February 13, 2025 // Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Genesis 2:18-25  Reflect on the Word //  Where do I fit in? What is my place? Do I belong? Lonely, isolated, longing for authentic friendship. I wandered the halls of my high school asking these questions. Everywhere I looked there were groups, cliques, teams—there was community—but I just didn’t feel like I fit in anywhere. I tried so hard to be “one of them,” but how could I be one of them if I didn’t know who I was? Lord, You have always seen me, just like You saw the first man and woman in the garden. You know me more deeply and fully than I could ever know myself. No matter how hard I try to discover who I am and where I belong, I will always come up empty if I leave You out of the picture. I must ask You who You created me to be and turn to You and receive from You the gift of my identity. You, Lord, created me not to exist in conformity with the world, to be just like all the others, but to be myself in You. You did not create me for isolation, loneliness, and longing. You created me to belong first to You and then to all those You place before me day in and day out. You did not form my eyes to see as the world sees, but to gaze upon Your children with Your look of love, to recognize Your presence in them. You did not make my mind to know and understand as the world knows, but to know You, and the truth of Who You are. When we wonder where we belong and what we are made for, the Father looks upon us and declares, “it is not good for [her] to be alone” and He gives us helpers (Genesis 2:18). At every stage in life, He places us in the presence of those who mirror our dignity, our identity, in their gaze of love and confidence in their own identity. We must unashamedly receive that gaze of love and, in return, mediate the Father’s love to all those we meet.  Relate to the Lord // Get in His gaze today and receive your belovedness, whether in quiet prayer or Eucharistic Adoration.

February 12, 2025 // Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Mark 7:14-23 Reflect on the Word // From the Saturday morning kids’ shows of my youth that taught me I could be anything I wanted to be if only I would believe in myself, to the girl-power pop songs of my young adulthood, which insisted that I’m perfect just the way I am and not to let anyone tell me differently, I was fed a steady diet of self-empowerment messaging throughout my formative years. It wasn’t until marriage and motherhood inspired me to learn about my Catholic faith and take it seriously that I realized, hey, I might not be quite so perfect as I had been led to believe. I began to see the consequences of my inclinations towards sin and selfishness as a “me problem," rather than just a failure of others to celebrate and appreciate me enough, warts and all. What if focusing on loving and serving  Jesus and my family and my neighbor more, and myself less, would help, like, actually rid me of some warts? Jesus, speaking to His disciples in today’s Gospel, makes it clear that it’s not outside factors, but our own sins that create our suffering: “From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile” (Mark 7:21-23). This tendency towards sin in us—a result of Original Sin—is called “concupiscence” (see CCC § 2514-2519). And, really, it explains so much. It also leads us to the solution: it’s not believing in ourselves more (sorry, cartoons); it’s not blaming others (sorry, pop songs); rather, it’s strengthening and purifying our hearts and taming our inclination to sin by practicing love and prayer and sacrifice.  For me, it was a whole new way of looking at myself and the world, but it was one that lined up with my life experience, and one that, slowly and steadily, has borne fruit in my life. Maybe I can’t be anything I want to be, but—through God’s grace—I might be able to be what God wants me to be.  Relate to the Lord // What “warts” has Jesus healed or set you free from? Which ones still need purifying? 

February 11, 2025 // Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel from the Optional Memorial: John 2:1-11 Reflect on the Word //  I was a young fiancée finishing my undergraduate degree when I was given an assignment to write a biblical exegesis (an analysis of the text). With all things wedding and marriage on my mind that year, I gravitated towards this Gospel passage of the Wedding at Cana, the starry-eyed romantic in me loving the idea of Jesus at a wedding. Even though I dove in looking for what I wanted—Jesus’ celebration of and blessings upon marriage—Jesus gently revealed a different part of the story to me then, and still does every time I read this story of the Wedding at Cana. Jesus, You have been so kind to me every time I read about Your first public miracle. How grateful I am that You shared my excitement about my upcoming wedding, and also started to prepare my heart for a deeper relationship with Your Mother and You. The way Your Blessed Mother shows her love and care for us by directing the servants to You makes me desire her help in my life. I don’t know if the newlywed couple was aware that the wine had run out during their celebration. I also don’t know how Mary knew, but she noticed that detail and cared about the couple’s situation so much that she brought it to Jesus’ attention. Her words, “Do whatever He tells you” (John 2:5), must have been encouraging to the servants, who trusted and heeded Jesus’ direction. It consoles me to consider how much Mary cares for details and how she brings our needs to Jesus. Her words to the servants echo in my heart often, encouraging me to trust Jesus now, and to not be afraid to live as He directs. Mary, encouraged by the way you interceded at Cana, I entrust my heart and life to you. Bring my needs to Jesus’ Sacred Heart. Pray for me to follow Him in trust as the servants did.  The Blessed Mother cares for our joy. She cares about the provision in our lives. As Queen of Heaven, she already knows our needs and desires our holiness.  Relate to the Lord // On this feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, ask her to intercede for your intentions and the needs of our time. 

February 10, 2025 // Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Genesis 1:1-19 Reflect on the Word // As I stepped out of the cabin into the cold night air, my heart skipped a beat. It was so dark I could not see my young children, whom I knew had come outside ahead of me. I followed the sound of their voices, still unable to see anyone. We were spending the weekend in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, far removed from any sizable civilization.  “Mommy! Mommy!” my daughter shouted as I caught up to her. “Look at all the stars!” To my amazement, I looked up to see what must have been hundreds, if not thousands, of stars sparkling in the clear night sky. I stood in awe. I could hardly take my eyes off of them, repeatedly craning my neck to take in their astonishing beauty. “Let there be light,” are the first words the Creator speaks in today’s First Reading from Genesis (1:3). Verses later, we read how He created “the two great lights [. . .] and he made the stars” (Genesis 1:16). Here, at the very beginning of the Bible, God reveals a truth: He will not leave us in darkness.  As I ponder the stars, my heart fills with wonder, and the Spirit illuminates for me the depth of this beauty. The Lord reminds me that the stars I gaze upon could very well be the same ones Abraham saw when He made His promise, the ones the Wise Men looked to in search of the newborn king. The stars always hang in the sky, yet we can only see them in darkness. The number of stars we are able to see greatly decreases when we are too near the things of this world. Man-made lights from cities wash out the night sky, and mask our ability to witness the fullness of His glory. How true is this also in our spiritual lives?  When we pray with the story of Creation and then lift our gaze towards Heaven where the Creator resides, we glimpse true Beauty; we learn His character. He reveals His generosity, kindness, and incredible thoughtfulness. What a gift to receive His marvelous Light, the source of the Christ-light shining within our hearts. Relate to the Lord // What stars is the Lord illuminating in your own personal darkness? Ask Him to shine His light in your circumstances.

Saturday, February 8, 2025 Happy Saturday, friend! We are so excited to share with you what's coming up this week as we all prepare our hearts by praying with readings for Sunday, the day of rest with our Lord. Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days Saturday, February 8 (today!) // Optional Memorial of Saint Jerome Emiliani; Optional Memorial of Saint Josephine Bakhita, Virgin Sunday, February 9 // Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time Monday, February 10 // Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin Tuesday, February 11 // Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes Friday, February 14 // Memorial of Saints Cyril, Monk; and Methodius, Bishop Letter from the Editor //  Dear Sister, On the Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time, we hear that because of grace we are much more than ordinary. Saint Paul writes of his conversion saying, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective” (1 Corinthians 15:10).  Paul had confidence in the Lord, knowing that he could only do great things with God’s help. Like the Psalmist prayed, he knew that the Lord  would “complete what he has done for” him, and that the Lord’s kindness “endures forever” (Psalm 138:8).  While we may feel that we are not worthy or able to do what the Lord asks, we must have confidence in His grace and be willing to “[p]ut out into deep water” (Luke 5:4). In seeing His greatness and our own weakness, our impulse towards the Lord might be like Saint Peter who said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man” (Luke 5:8). It is true that we are not enough without Him, but He wants to make us extraordinary with His grace. He may push us to our limits but He will not abandon us. At our Baptism and with each Confession He purifies us as Isaiah was purified by the burning coal in the First Reading (Isaiah 6:6). When we hear the Lord’s question, “Whom shall I send?”  let us respond, “Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8) And, like the Apostles in the Gospel,  leave everything and follow Him (see Luke 5:11). In Christ’s Love, Susanna Read the readings for the Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time:  First Reading // Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8 Psalm // Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 7-8 Second Reading // 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Gospel // Luke 5:1-11 Prayer Practice // Reflect on the Lord’s call in your life. How can you give a greater yes today?

February 7, 2025 // Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Hebrews 13:1-8 Reflect on the Word //  My mother and father-in-law often host Sunday brunch after Mass, inviting family, friends—and sometimes, someone they just happened to meet at Mass—into their home. We usually bring the donuts. Sitting at the dining table, we’ve met people from all around the country. Our parish isn’t too big, but it’s big enough that we might not have ever known them had my in-laws not invited them over. It reminds me of how meaningful it is to be noticed, and to be invited. We all crave to be seen and to be included. My in-laws are a model of the opening of the First Reading: “Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels” (Hebrews 13:1). And it brings to mind my reading of a story many years ago about Saint Isidore, the patron Saint of farmers, and his wife—also a Saint—Saint Maria. I read that he would often invite people over for meals in their home without letting Maria know, and that she would somehow have enough food to share among everyone, although this was a humble and poor family (so this wasn’t an extravagant meal by any stretch of the imagination). But I do imagine it was a warm, inviting space to share a meal. They knew that the Lord was their help, and they need not be afraid to serve Him (see Hebrews 13:6). Now, I don’t know if this story is really true, but it seems like something a saintly couple would do.  And at the very least it’s a good story to try to live up to ourselves, for the Lord calls us all to extend “brotherly love.” Are we willing to invite someone in, and to share with them what we have—even if it’s not much? Imagine the warmth and the joy that can be shared with someone—who might really need it—if we do.  Relate to the Lord // Who around you might be waiting to be invited in, to be noticed, to be cared for? Ask the Holy Spirit to highlight them today.

February 6, 2025 // Memorial of Saints Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading/Psalm/Gospel: Mark 6:7-13 Reflect on the Word // The newly ordained bishop greeted me at the youth event I was speaking at, and I joyfully asked him, “Do you still smell like oil?” He laughed and said, “Probably! They sure doused me with it!” Do you love the smell of holy oils as much as I do? What a gift it is as Catholics to have symbols like oil that make tangible the work of Jesus—even more of a gift is when we can go back to Scripture and see our Sacraments alive in the Gospels.    In today’s Gospel, we find the Twelve anointing with oil after being sent out by Jesus: “The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them” (Mark 6:13).  Sit for a moment within this scene today, entering prayerfully into Israel in Jesus’ time. Join the Twelve on their missionary journeys, watching them anoint people with oil, watching people being healed, watching an early form of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick we hold sacred today. Imagine the smell of the oils. See the hope in the midst of suffering on the faces of the ones being anointed. Take a moment to meditate on the beauty of our Church, that the work carried out by the Twelve is still being carried out today by priests and bishops. There are men who have been anointed with oil themselves in ordination who are in homes, hospitals, churches, and more anointing others today, in this very moment, the very way Jesus taught.  Our sacramental life today echoes what Jesus showed the Twelve to do, and it is a beautiful thing to stop and meditate on the gift that it is to be a Catholic, to have seven Sacraments that have brought a richness and depth to our lives of faith for thousands of years.  Relate to the Lord // Thank God for the gift of the Sacraments!

February 5, 2025 // Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Hebrews 12:4-7, 11-15 Reflect on the Word //  I had known loneliness in the past, but not loneliness like this. I was heavy hearted from a difficult and hidden situation—not one that I could speak to many about. My exhaustion from it was so much that I could physically feel it some days, being unable to kneel from pain. As I came into the chapel that day for 7 a.m. Mass, I finally related to our Lord how heavily tempted I was to despair in this season and how I could no longer handle the weight of it in this isolation. As the silence passed, I expected some sort of intense “Army boot camp” response of,  “I get it, but toughen up, get it together, and keep going.”  But Christ, in his wisdom and kindness, did no such thing. He did, however, bring me to Gethsemane where He experienced immense temptation, similar to the temptation described in today’s First Reading: “In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood” (Hebrews 12:4). I saw there with Him that God is no foreigner to my suffering under temptation and pressure in darkness. He is no foreigner to feeling alone in it as the disciples, too tired from sorrow, fell asleep rather than stayed awake with Him (see Luke 22:45). I no longer feel alone knowing that Christ has suffered in every way that I do. Christ’s love here moves the deepest part in us as human beings: the need for connection, for relationship, to be seen and understood in our suffering. To have Christ not only as a model for suffering but as a true companion.  While we may not have struggled to the point of shedding blood, we can sit with grateful hearts knowing that our strength and joy comes from the One Who willingly entered into our loneliness and darkness out of absolute and total love. We can know that we are children of God, and our suffering is His suffering. Relate to the Lord // Where do you need Christ to be a companion in your suffering?  

February 4, 2025 // Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Hebrews 12:1-4 Reflect on the Word //  My brother has recently started returning to a focus of faith in his life, recognizing the importance of this not just for him personally but for his family as well. This summer, I traveled to visit him for a few days, and as he was driving me to the airport he caught me off guard. “Rach,” he said, “I just want to thank you and Paul for being examples of living the faith for all these years. Your caring about that made a difference for me.” My brother explained that just watching us make this a priority in our lives was a quiet witness to him. Our commitment to running the race was for him evidence of something good and was waiting for him when he was ready to recognize it. I was humbled, and I got a little emotional. I never thought in terms of being an example. My husband and I  just did what we knew God was calling us to do—to follow Him, to make Him a priority. “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses . . .” (Hebrews 12:1). I reflect on all the people who are part of the cloud of witnesses in my own life. Certainly there are the Saints and holy men and women within our rich faith tradition; what a gift! But there are also the people in my own life who have followed the Lord and have inspired me to pursue holiness. I see how they “persevere in running the race” and keep their “eyes fixed on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:1). And I am thankful for how they have helped me grow in my own faith.  When others witness the faith to us, it reminds us—compels us!—to do the same. With the help of each other, we will not grow weary in running the race!  Relate to the Lord // Who is in your “cloud of witnesses”? Make a list of the Saints and people of faith who inspire and intercede for you—and thank God for them!

February 3, 2025 // Optional Memorial of Saint Blaise, Bishop and Martyr; Optional Memorial of Saint Ansgar, Bishop Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 31:20, 21, 22, 23, 24 Reflect on the Word //  I’m often proud enough to think that I’m further down the spiritual path than to need to be reminded that my heart should take comfort in the love of God. Like somehow I’m beyond that, or maybe it’s just that I feel I should know, or like it’s step one in the walk of faith. Maybe it’s simple and my goals should be more lofty. How little I know myself and my own needs! Through the Responsorial Psalm, I’m reminded of the words of Christ that I should become a child to enter into the kingdom of Heaven (see Matthew 18:2-5). Yet I’m quick to over complicate my own heart and the Heart of Christ, Who is gently calling us again today in the Psalm to be comforted and to cast our cares on Him. Do I have cares? Or worries? Or concerns? Every minute of my life. But I often think they are things that should just be overcome. Instead Jesus is reminding us to “take refuge” (Psalm 31:20), to be comforted and to be cared for, and to know the depths of His love for us. It’s easy to know how to love a child—they are honest when they are needy. If they are cold, you know! If they are hungry, you know! If they are in pain, you know! And on and on. It’s almost because of that honesty, not in spite of it, that we are so eager to give them what they need. Sincerity is precious, and even our flawed human hearts know it. So, why is it so hard to be simple and honest with the One Who is our Father? Pride (for me) or any other vice will always keep us far from Love. But let’s resolve to be small again, and to be closer than ever to Love and to the Father.  “Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord” (Psalm 31:20-24). Relate to the Lord //  Be honest with the Lord today. How are you really? What do you need? Share your heart with Him without editing.

Saturday, February 1, 2025 Happy Saturday, friend! We are so excited to share with you what's coming up this week as we all prepare our hearts by praying with readings for Sunday, the day of rest with our Lord. Live Liturgically // This Week’s Feast Days Sunday, February 2  // Presentation of the Lord  Monday, February 3 // Optional Memorial of Saint Blaise, Bishop and Martyr; Optional Memorial of Saint Ansgar, Bishop Wednesday, February 5 // Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr Thursday, February 6 // Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs Letter from the Editor //  Dear Sister,  Tomorrow we celebrate a very special feast, one so important that it takes the place of the normal Sunday. It is the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord, on which the Holy Family went to the temple in Jerusalem forty days after Jesus’ birth. They followed the law of Moses by dedicating Jesus to God with an offering of two pigeons. This first sacrifice of He Who is our “merciful and faithful high priest” makes way for His ultimate sacrifice (Hebrews 2:17).  The temple was the dwelling place of God on earth, and, did you know, dear sister, that you are a temple? From the moment of your Baptism the Trinity has dwelt within you. While God cannot dwell in us when we are separated from Him by grave sins, He comes back every time we repent and are healed in Confession. In the words of the prophet Malachi, “suddenly there will come to the temple the LORD whom you seek” (Malachi 3:1). Every Mass we attend we share in offering “due sacrifice to the LORD” (Malachi 3:3). And as we prepare to receive the Eucharist, we rejoice and “lift up,  o gates, [. . .] that the king of glory may come in!” (Psalm 24:7) In living our faith through the Sacraments we follow in the footsteps of Jesus, offering to God due worship. Like Anna in the Gospel, may we never leave “the temple” of our hearts and of the Church, but “worship night and day” (Luke 2:22-40). In Christ’s Love, Susanna   Read the readings for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord:  First Reading // Malachi 3:1-4 Psalm // Psalm 24:7, 8, 9, 10 Second Reading // Hebrews 2:14-18 Gospel // Luke 2:22-40 Prayer Practice // What will you offer to the Lord at Mass this Sunday?

January 31, 2025  // Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Hebrews 10:32-39 Reflect on the Word//  It is a beautiful thing to grow older, to have experiences with the Lord stored up to remind you that He is faithful. With the gift of hindsight, I have seen that the moments of my deepest pain were highways to the Heart of God (when I let them be). Still, when I am faced with a cross of any magnitude, I initially shrink from it. I’d rather life be easy. But suffering is a part of any life. I’m continuously learning that these challenges are better embraced because Jesus is there all along. My task is to keep going. The author of Hebrews confirms this, inferring that we cannot be converted to Christ and then avoid difficulties or persecution. He gives us help through perseverance in a love for God that seeks union with Him in spite of and through all the suffering.  Unlike our self-reliant perseverance that runs on our own strength, it does not falter shortly after we have “been enlightened” (Hebrews 10:32).  When the attacks assail, I am tempted to doubt, to draw back, to contemplate why I’m here rather than Who is with me. Yet we read, “Do not throw away your confidence” (Hebrews 10:35). Confidence is something, then, that I can take hold of, something I can possess. Thus, I can always rid myself of it—the choice is mine. But it is this confidence that propels me forward in perseverance because it is confidence in Jesus, not myself. I can awake each morning and renew my confidence in God, holding fast to my faith in love.  “You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised” (Hebrews 10:36). Endurance, perseverance, is the necessary element in our pursuit of holiness, in our habits of prayer and receiving the Sacraments. It also encompasses our will to not give up. The Lord is encouraging us today through His Word to reflect upon where we see our endurance waning and where we are tempted to give up. When we ask, the Holy Spirit will show us where we have “thrown away” (see Hebrews 10:35) our confidence. Then, we get to joyfully hold fast to it once again.  Relate to the Lord // In what area do you need to renew your confidence and trust in Him? 

January 30, 2025 // Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Mark 4: 21-25 Reflect on the Word // I choked on my tears as I read the final pages of Chiara Corbella Petrillo: A Witness to Joy. The story of the young Italian mother who had buried two babies only to be diagnosed with cancer during her third pregnancy had captivated me from the beginning. Now, as the narrative turned to her final hours, and her family gathered for one last Mass at her bedside, I found my heart twisting within me. How could such suffering be endured? The priest, Father Vito, turned to the dying Chiara during the homily. “Then he asked her: ‘What is Jesus’ lampstand?’ And she said, ‘The lampstand is the Cross’” (A Witness to Joy, 151). The lampstand is the Cross. In today’s Gospel, Jesus, the Light of the World, reminds His disciples of the proper place for the light from a burning lamp: a tall stand, a place from which the light can radiate to the corners of the room, revealing, warming, and clarifying.  Only one like Chiara could recognize, in her agony, the highest, most radiant lampstand: the Cross of Jesus Christ. Only one who shared that Cross, who hung on it with Jesus, writhing and gasping, could understand the luminous privilege and power of sharing in the suffering of Jesus Christ. The Lord invites you to bring your own suffering, be it great or small, into His suffering. He brings you into the light onto the lampstand of the Cross, and you begin to burn with a light the night cannot overcome.  Sister, we become radiant when we willingly share the Cross with Christ. We become little sanctuary lamps burning to signify, God is here.  The world, drawn out of its darkness by our flames, will look up and wonder, How can such suffering be endured? And we will stretch out our arms, bringing them in to hear the secret. We will tell them what we have learned as we’ve walked, prayed, worked, rested, and suffered with Jesus Christ:  It cannot simply be endured. It is the highest, brightest union with a God Who suffered for us. It must be embraced. Relate to the Lord // Look lovingly on a crucifix. Spend five minutes meditating on Jesus’ love for you.

January 29, 2025 // Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Mark 4:1-20 Reflect on the Word//  I lay back inside the hyperbaric oxygen chamber, one of the multiple treatments of my complex healing protocol, and took a few moments to pray. Will all this be worth something to You, Lord? This healing journey had already taken so much from me and it was taking all my mental, emotional, and physical strength to continue to go back day after day, week after week, appointment after appointment, trusting that these treatments that were making me feel so sick were also eventually making me well.   Would all this be used to bear fruit? my heart asked the Lord. I thought of the parable of the sower and the seed that falls on the rich soil, praying that something good could come from this season of suffering. Or would the graces hidden within these moments of suffering be eaten up, withered, or choked out by my own inability or refusal to bear this well (see Mark 4:4-9)? Jesus was definitely tilling the soil of my heart and preparing and planting something unseen within me.  Will all this be fruitful? In that season of full-time treatments, where I was not able to work or continue to move forward in my mission and calling, I often felt worthless and the whole situation meaningless. In faith I prayed,  Father, can You take every pain, every injection, every tear, every IV, every medication, every day, and every moment of mine and really, truly bring about an abundant harvest? I believe You can, Lord. Make my heart the rich soil, Jesus. I surrender this all to You. Thank You, Holy Spirit, that You cause the growth. Thank You that You use my seemingly useless weakness for Your glory. Give me a heart to hear and accept Your Word.  With Jesus, we can yield a harvest of thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. May Jesus make our hearts the rich soil, prepared to hear and accept His Word, so that He can bear great fruit from what may seem to us like futile weakness. United to Jesus, everything can be used for His glory.  Relate to the Lord // What sufferings can you unite to Jesus today? Ask Him to make them fruitful.

January 28, 2025 //Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church Read the Word // Open your Bible to the First Reading for today’s Memorial: Wisdom 7:7-10, 15-16  Reflect on the Word//  As a trainer and nutritional therapy practitioner, it’s my job to help women grow in health. I spend time walking with each woman as she grows in knowledge of the ways to best support her body, her mind, her soul, her health. It’s been much of my own journey that’s inspired my approach: I spent years simply longing to transform my exterior on my own, rather than hand my health to Him and invite Him to transform all of me from the inside out. I go to Him in honest prayer. I am tired and have spent so much time trying to figure out “the best way” to be healthy. I am confused—which direction might I go next? And it is here, in my wandering and wondering, that You approach. You stop in front of me and it is only—finally—in the moment Your gaze meets my own that I am at peace. In Your presence, all things become incredibly clear: even in this—a desire for greater health—You want to lead the way. To remind me that there is so much more to health than the numbers on a scale. That yes, both our bodies and our souls are worth tending to. "For He is the guide of Wisdom and the director of the wise" (Wisdom 7:14).  God desires to free us from a disordered  "love [of] health and comeliness" that eventually leads to exhaustion, confusion, wondering, and wandering. Yet, when we seek Him and His Wisdom first—seeking happiness with Him above all else—we no longer have to wonder which way to go. As I fall into Your arms, overcome with gratitude, clarity, and peace, I desire never to let go. As if You hear my thought, You lean just far enough away to whisper these words into my ear: I will see you in the Eucharist—where My Body meets your own. He sees you in the Blessed Sacrament, and deeply wants to accompany you in your health journey, to fill you with His Wisdom to know what is most important. He will help you order your steps forward—that you may experience new life from the inside out. Relate to the Lord // As we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, who loved Wisdom with his whole life, pray with his hymn to the Eucharist.

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!