May 18, 2026 // Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter // Optional Memorial of Saint John I, Pope, Martyr Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 16:29-33  Reflect on the Word // I pulled into a parking spot and turned off my car, reaching for my phone to check voice memos. Alone on an errand, I finally had space to listen to my friend’s message. During a season of brokenness and sorrow, I needed her voice of reassurance. “Let’s look for little miracles each day. We’ll share them with each other and find hope together,” she said. We also agreed to seek Saint Josemaria Escriva’s intercession. His words, “Cling tightly to our Lord's hand and remember that God does not lose battles,” inspired us (Friends of God, 214). He became our go-to prayer warrior as we praised God for His work in our lives and petitioned Him to help us with our struggles. Saint Josemaria’s confidence in the Lord echoes Jesus’ own words from the Gospel. I imagine the scene: eleven of His most-trusted companions sitting together for Passover in the Upper Room, listening to Jesus teach them. Jesus’ life had been threatened; yet, He came to Jerusalem anyway. Some Apostles appear uneasy. “In the world you will have trouble,” Jesus says, and the Apostles’ heads nod in agreement. I, too, nod my head in agreement. So many troubles, Lord. Jesus continues, “. . . but take courage, I have conquered the world” (John 16:33). Every time I read the words, I exhale and release some stress. Jesus offers peace and tells me to have courage. Not anxiety, not fear, not self-pity. Courage, because He has already won all the battles. I’ve practiced a quiet kind of courage, actively looking for God’s work in my life, like my friend and I did. When I see God at work, I learn to trust His way. The more I trust, the more cooperative I am to follow where He leads me, and the closer I walk with Him.  Courage, I find, is clinging tightly to the Lord. Our lives may be messy and chaotic, doubts may threaten our faith, fears may steal our peace. But no troubles can undo Jesus’ work, ruin His plan, or overwhelm Him. Our Lord doesn’t lose battles, sister. He has already conquered the world. Let us take courage in Him. Relate to the Lord // Cling tightly to the Lord today. What might that look like?

May 16, 2026 // Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 16:23b-28 Reflect on the Word // Recently, our friends experienced a deep and sudden loss in their family. Their younger sister, beloved aunt, baby daughter—in other words, someone whom they were in no way prepared to lose—was snatched from life too soon. As I grieve with and pray for them, I’m brought back in memory to the sudden loss of my husband just over five years ago, and how excruciating it has been to guide my children through their grief. I want to believe that I have something to offer, some wisdom to share, but I still find myself grappling with Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel: “Whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you” (John 16:23b). My little daughter once asked me how that could be true, since the only thing she wanted was her daddy back. I was speechless, praying silently that the Holy Spirit would offer her solace where I couldn’t. But little by little I have come to see that Jesus wasn’t giving us a magic word, a formula for getting whatever we want whenever we want it. He was teaching us to pray, as he did in the Sermon on the Mount, “your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10). When we ask in Jesus’ name, we are not asking for our will to be done, but for our will to be conformed to the Father’s. Recall Jesus’ words in Gethsemane: “not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). Jesus promises, “ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete” (John 16:24b). What would that look like? Total gratitude for the present moment. This day’s opportunity to share Christ’s life and love with everyone we meet. Honest and humble acknowledgement of our own littleness, because “when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10b). Relate to the Lord // Be honest with the Lord about what you desire. Holding it up to the Father, pray with Jesus, “Not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39).

May 15, 2026 // Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter // Optional Memorial of Saint Isidore [in the dioceses of the United States] Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 16:20-23  Reflect on the Word // As I walked, my pace matched the dreariness of the sky, reflecting the darkness that enveloped my heart. It was the first week of Lent, and the weight of my suffering felt unbearable. Yet, the Lord in His generosity would surprise me with glimmers of the Resurrection. Whether it was a rainbow, a blooming flower, laughter, etc., I was surprised to experience these bits of joy, during such a dark time in my life. Little did I know, joy doesn’t depend on my circumstances, but it deeply depends on Him.  In today’s Gospel, Jesus communicates the reality of suffering to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve” (John 16:20). However, Jesus isn’t inviting his disciples to fall into despair, but to hope. He continues, “Your grief will become joy” (John 16:20). Jesus isn’t promising His disciples that it’ll be easy, but He’s also promising that joy is to be experienced, which is what I received during that Lent. He didn’t create me to remain melancholic on this earthly pilgrimage, but to live into an abundant life with Him here on earth, and, one day, fully in Heaven. The joy He speaks of can only be provided by Him, and it doesn't depend on my circumstances or how I feel. Through His generosity, this gift of joy will never grow weary or become outdone. It’s a supernatural joy that will never be taken away (see John 16:22), and can shine though the darkest of places.  Sister, don’t be afraid to ask the Lord for an increase of joy this Easter. Jesus invites us to ask, “Whatever you ask the Father in my name He will give you” (John 16:23). We can’t produce this joy ourselves. True joy cannot be experienced or received without Him. It’s not scarce or restricted. The Lord Himself will provide it, and provide abundantly.  Relate to the Lord // Go on a joy treasure hunt today. Let Jesus surprise you with rainbows, flowers, or laughter–whatever delights your heart!

May 14, 2026 // Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle // Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord [In Ecclesiastical Provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Omaha, Philadelphia] Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 15: 9-17 Reflect on the Word //  The kneeler creaked as I lowered myself into it. The sanctuary lamp flickered beside the monstrance, its flame casting a dim light. Jesus’ Eucharistic Presence in the Host remained steady, while my mind refused to be still. The day had left me scattered. Conversations replayed. Decisions loomed. I pressed my forehead into my fingers and whispered, “I cannot see what You are doing.” Today’s Gospel answered with quiet authority: “I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father” (John 15:15). Jesus knows the Father’s Heart. He is the Beloved Son in His Father’s house. Christ’s knowing becomes my refuge. “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love” (John 15:9). Jesus knows what the Father is doing and His presence offers deep consolation. Christ’s joy draws close to my wounded heart, just as He promised: “I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete” (John 15:11). I feel the weight slowly lift as I pray before the Eucharist. He has not hidden the truth from me. He has drawn me close to it. Now sometimes we might feel like we are walking through shadows without a map. We long to understand what our Father is doing. Yet we are not slaves left in the dark. We are friends invited into deep intimacy. We remain in His love, and that love becomes a wellspring of grace, strength, and quiet courage to take the next step on the dark paths. For we know what the master is doing. We are being led into deeper union with the Trinity, preparing us for our eternal home with Him in Heaven. Relate to the Lord // Draw near to truth Himself. Make a visit to Jesus in the tabernacle or adoration chapel this week.

May 13, 2026 // Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter // Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Acts 17:15, 22—18:1 Reflect on the Word //  Every mother has at least one scary “lost child” story. Mine involves a shopping trip with three-year-old Augie, my youngest child at the time. We were together at a sporting goods store when he disappeared. I spent the next thirty harrowing minutes racing through the store in search of him. I did all the logical things. I ran outside to check the car. I barged into the men’s room. I even checked the large safes at the back of the store to confirm he had not gotten trapped (being a mom makes you wise and also crazy). Eventually, Augie appeared right behind me and had been trailing me the whole time, hiding in clothing racks and watching me look for him.  Today’s First Reading reminds me of searching for someone who feels very far away. When in Athens, Paul discovers an altar inscribed to “an unknown god,” which he explains is actually an altar to the one, true God. He tells them that this God that they do not know is not far away at all but is right here, giving us “life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25). In our own lives, God sometimes feels distant, but in truth He is actually very close. When we are searching for Him, we find evidence of His presence in the blessings we have had in our lives, in the comfort we have had from Him in our sorrows, in the love we experience from friends and family. God does not lurk behind us but is waiting for us to reach out to Him, to ask Him to reveal Himself to us. Sometimes it is as simple as His peace as we pray to Him.  We do not worship an unknown God, but a God Who is very near, right here within each one of us. How is God made known? When we search for Him, we find Him. When we seek evidence of God’s presence, we find it. And while we may think we are doing all the work in searching, the God Who gives us life and breath seeks out union within each one of us even more.  Relate to the Lord // Pause and pray. Breathe. God is not far off but has made His home within your baptized soul. Connect with Him there. 

May 12, 2026 // Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter // Optional Memorial of Saints Nereus and Achilleus, Martyrs; Optional Memorial of Saint Pancras, Martyr Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 16:5-11 Reflect on the Word // I remember the deep sorrow I felt in driving away from our Georgia home for the very last time. I remember the tearful goodbyes and the difficult conversations and the looming feeling that I’d forever miss dogwood trees in the springtime. My love for that sweet southern charm was hardwon, but by the time we left it for our home state of California, it had wiggled its way past my best defenses—bless my heart.  I learned a lot while I was in Georgia. I learned that friendships run a little deeper and the pace of life runs a little slower and that Catholic infertility doctors are hard to come by. You see, we were deep in the throes of infertility at the time, yet despite it all, I was enamoured by the warmth of life there. I couldn’t understand why we were being called out of it.  In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells His disciples that He must depart from them (see John 16:5). I can’t imagine what they must have thought. They had Jesus walking alongside them. They loved Him. They followed Him. They risked their very lives for Him. So, it is fair to reason that they probably couldn’t have thought of anything better than what they already had—Jesus, in the flesh. His departure must have felt like a loss.  But God knew. Because in John 16:7, Jesus tells them that if He did not go, the Advocate (the Holy Spirit) would not come to them. He knew that their perceived loss was actually for their gain. Because the only thing better than God standing next to you is God dwelling within you.  Like the disciples, I couldn’t have known that our move to California would have been for our benefit. I couldn’t have known that we’d meet at Catholic OBGYN and that one year later I’d be delivering a son after ten long years of waiting.  But God knew.  He always does. Trust Him, sister. Relate to the Lord // When has a loss actually resulted in a gain for you? Reflect on that grace with gratitude today.

May 11, 2026 // Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 15:26-16:4 Reflect on the Word // It all happened one right after the other: job loss, illness, the loss of a loved one. It didn’t seem possible, and it certainly didn’t seem fair. I remember the day when the tears wouldn’t stop, when anger and hurt rose up so strongly I couldn’t contain them. All I wanted was normalcy. Calm. Peace. How much crushing and pressing can my heart bear, Lord? And what am I supposed to do with it all? I had no choice but to surrender—not easily, but simply. I accepted and embraced this cross, because what else was I supposed to do? Nothing happens in this world by mistake. As I surrendered, I waited for and trusted the Lord to come to my aid. In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks to His friends just before He is betrayed. He does not hide the truth: suffering will come, the world will oppose them, and their hearts will be tested. Then, He offers them a promised gift—His Holy Spirit. “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth [. . .] he will testify to me” (John 15:26). Jesus is not only speaking to the Apostles. He is speaking to us too. My sister, life on earth is hard. We will experience loss and disappointment, pain and heartache. There will be days of sorrow and moments of anger. And while our first instinct may be to run in the opposite direction and wish it all away, Jesus invites us to stay: “I have told you this so that you may not fall away” (John 16:1). Through His Holy Spirit, He promises never to abandon us and to always bring us comfort and help. When we reach those tipping points, let us not forget Jesus’ promise. Let us lean in closer and trust that the Holy Spirit will settle the unsettled parts of our hearts with His grace, peace, and love. Relate to the Lord // Ask the Holy Spirit for the grace you need today. 

May 9, 2026 // Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 15:18-21 Reflect on the Word //  An elegant, jazzy ambiance pulsed through the restaurant downtown even as airhorns and megaphoned voices throbbed outside. These were not the circumstances my choirmates and I expected for our special post-performance dinner, but we were safe. Although the protestors outside were nonviolent and few in number, their noise was great, and their shouts proved that they knew Who we followed. Eventually, we raised our own chorus from indoors, the Salve Regina. I heard the commotion stop halfway through the hymn, and to my disbelief, it never resumed. Our love and praise for the names of Jesus and Mary quelled this persecution. During this close brush with animosity because of the faith, I thought of Christ’s words from today’s Gospel: “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first [. . .] if they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:18, 20b). With this reminder from Jesus in mind, I was not perturbed. Instead, I counted it a privilege to experience the world’s hatred “on account of [Christ’s] name” (John 15:21). When others lash out from places of hurt deep inside of them, intending to demean us for our faith, they in fact only reaffirm the dignity of our discipleship in Christ. We can experience peace in the face of opposition because we know we walk in the love of God.  The world touts “love” everywhere, particularly as their buzzword to back whatever awareness movement they are trying to push. And yet their version of love is a strongly selective, feel-good concept, because the world only loves its own. Jesus reminds us that we “do not belong to the world” (John 15:19)—we were chosen out of it by true, abiding Love Himself. The world hates this, yet they know they are lacking something. They don’t know that they replace authentic love with mere fickle favor.  The Lord invites us to a constant, faithful love, built on His abiding, eternal love. The One Who sent us invites us to confidently choose peace and praise even when the world clamors against us. We can witness to His Love, trusting that He will overcome all hate. Relate to the Lord // Sing or listen to the Salve Regina. Ask Our Lady to pray for you today.

May 8, 2026 // Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 15:12-17 Reflect on the Word // I rushed into the grocery store. The sun had begun to rise and as I saw the colorful rays burst their glorious light over the mountain, I did not ponder their beauty, but instead I felt an increase in my urgency. We were going to be late for school if I didn’t hurry. I pushed the cart aisle by aisle, checking the time on my phone over and over. I passed by others quickly and did not notice them all that much. We made it to school on time, but when I arrived back home to pray, I noticed that I had written on the calendar a message to my children: “Love Jesus. Love others. This is the most important task.”  “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you” (John 15:12). Throughout my rushed morning, the tender gaze of Jesus did not leave me. In every moment, His love was being poured out over me. The colorful rays of sunlight were a gift from Him. The precious souls I passed as I rushed through the store were a gift from Him. The food I had thrown in my cart was a gift from Him. In all of this, Jesus invited me to live out His commandment to love. In these moments of mundane life, the Heart of Christ continues to burn and thirst for souls. It is all an encounter with the Beloved. I was called to be a missionary of love. Called to love as He loves. What does that look like in practice? It looks like reverencing Christ within the person before you and loving them because He created them. The person at the grocery store. The person in the school pick-up line. Our coworkers, our friends, our family, those who are easy to love, and those who are difficult to love. Jesus has given us the gift of calling us to love every single soul that we are blessed to meet in our everyday life. When we deeply contemplate the love of Christ and the command He has given us, it will transform us and those around us. Relate to the Lord // How will you love Jesus today? How will you love others? 

May 7, 2026 // Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 15:9-11 Reflect on the Word // There were four generations present at my friend’s family gathering. Children and a dog whirled around our legs, delivering rapid hello-hugs as we arrived. Their excitement at seeing my friend and me was intense, but it may have simply matched the timbre of their joy at their homemade game which they interrupted as briefly as possible to greet us. Being away from family during the holidays, that kind of welcome made me smile from the inside out, long into the night. Songs, games, treats, conversation, food—every bit of it was love. As I continue to meditate on this little real-life parable of the family gathering as an illustration of our Lord’s words in today’s Gospel, His words, “Remain in my love” (John 15:9), have become luminous and vibrant with life.  “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love” (John 15:9). The Lord’s tender hope and longing are present in these poignant words. I can feel His vulnerability in them; He is as vulnerable as those excited children who gave such hearty hugs to tell us how happy they were we had finally arrived. Our Lord’s love is just as excited but purer and therefore, more vulnerable, because His love is more profound and immediate.  Yet, how can we remain in His love? He wants to redirect our attention from jumping into the spiral of self-evaluation—with the foregone conclusions of our inadequacy—and He invites us to allow Him to show us what it would be to remain. Sister, remaining in the truth of His love is steadying and healing. Enfolded in His love, the storms of human thoughts are like distant wind howling forebodingly. Remaining in His love enables us to resonate with our truest essence like a gentle soprano note, inviting us to admire—contemplate— how God’s beauty is always more than we can expect. Will we say yes like our Lady and remain? Relate to the Lord // When you’re tempted to self-evaluate today. Practice looking at Jesus instead.

May 6, 2026 // Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 15:1-8 Reflect on the Word // I pulled the dog-eared book off the shelf in preparation for an interview for my new podcast. Father Dave Pivonka, TOR, the President of Franciscan University of Steubenville, was going to walk me and future listeners through the “tests” for decision-making laid out by the late Father Michael Scanlan, TOR, in What Does God Want? As I flipped through the creased pages, I realized how much the book had shaped my ability to know and follow God’s will.  In the introduction, Father Scanlan reassures readers that the questions he posits for discernment need not be considered in any particular order.  Except for one. There is one vital question that we need to ask before even beginning to consider any action: Is the decision I am considering in line with Church teaching? This is what Father Scanlan calls the “conformity test.” And if the answer is no—if the opportunity or idea or proposed action violates what God has already revealed through Scripture and through the teaching of the Catholic Church, entrusted with its interpretation and application—then we must not take the matter any further.  In the Gospel for today, Jesus explains this concept using the image of a vine: “Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me” (John 15:4). Apart from the Church, separated from its wisdom and life-giving sacramental grace, we cannot expect to flourish, to bear fruit. God loves us, sweet sister, and He has provided guardrails—trellises—for our flowering. When we stay faithful to what He’s already revealed, our decisions will become easier and far more fulfilling and fruitful.  We may not always understand completely or find it easy to follow God’s revealed will in Scripture or the teaching authority of the Church, but we should find it freeing that there are solid, Spirit-given foundations on which we can and must make our decisions. If we want to follow His will, we’ll never find it apart from the place He promised He’d remain forever: His Church.  Relate to the Lord // Is there a decision that needs to be made in your life? Consider this question in prayer: Is the decision I am considering in line with Church teaching?

May 5, 2026 // Tuesday of Fifth Week of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 14:27-31a Reflect on the Word //  Sitting across from my colleague in a bustling café, surrounded by the clink of coffee cups on saucers, the smell of buttery croissants, and the steady murmur of a dozen conversations, I waited for her to speak. “I just feel like I want to run away,” she finally confessed, averting my gaze as she looked down at the tabletop. I knew the feeling. And although it had been a few years since I had experienced that same restlessness, although I now felt settled in my job and my city, I remembered all too well the temptation lurking beneath those first few painful months of adjustment: I’d be happier, it would be easier, things would be better . . . if I were somewhere else.  I tend to agonize over decisions because I want to choose the option that will guarantee the least suffering (and by that I mean I don’t want any suffering at all). I plan for all contingencies, brace myself for the worst, and when something inevitably goes wrong or I feel the sting of the sorrow I tried so hard to prevent, I consider it a failure on my part to make the right choice. And I want to run. In today’s Gospel, Jesus offers us a different way: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27). Peace, given to us. Peace we don’t have to chase. Peace we need only to open our hearts and receive.  Sister, we will experience peace in this life—but it won’t be something we can manufacture if we just make the right choice, the one that defies all suffering and discomfort. True peace isn’t an absence of struggle, or some elusive contentment to be found in the perfect set of circumstances. Peace is a Person, the Person of Christ, Who abides with us always —in every circumstance—and invites us to rest in Him throughout them all.  Relate to the Lord // Stop and welcome the Person of Peace, Jesus Christ, Who is with you now. Welcome His presence and ask Him for the peace only He can bring.

May 4, 2026 // Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 14:21-26  Reflect on the Word //  I was casually perusing Target and recognized a mom I had just recently met volunteering at the kids’ school. She mentioned having to leave Mass after Communion because of other plans: “We already go to the weekly school Mass so Sunday is extra. My son can’t sit still after forty minutes and I don’t want to push his limits.” I was stunned. The kind that leaves you bewildered and wondering if you will be able to speak coherently. When I did encourage her to help her son understand the Mass, she dismissed what I said, and the conversation ended there. It's easy for me to assume that every single baptized Catholic has an ardent faith and a burning desire to follow what the Church teaches. My ignorance isn’t from a high expectation of my neighbor but from a love for God and His Church. I am not a better person for attending Sunday Mass regularly as the Church directs us to do. Nor do I stand as a judge. My own personal relationship with Jesus beckons me to point others back to Christ out of love for Him (see John 14:21).   Bringing others to Christ isn’t a rescue mission that I can do on my own. I can quickly fall prey to discouragement that I don’t have the apologetics or theological expertise to explain that the lens through which the world views the Church will always be watered down. However, Christ promises that we have “[t]he Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father has sent in [His] name,” Who works through us to bring others back to the faith and keep it (John 14:26). My love for the living God makes me want to pray harder for those who have not allowed God to dwell within them yet.   Sister, as we continue to celebrate this season of Jesus' Resurrection, may our encounter with the Risen Lord burn in our hearts so deeply that we may reveal the truth of our faith to others. May the Lord give us the courage to be the witnesses He is asking us to be in this season.  Relate to the Lord // Look for an opportunity to share your faith and joy in Jesus with someone today.

May 2, 2026 // Memorial of Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 14:7-14  Reflect on the Word // I’ve noticed how often my prayers sound like Philip’s. Just show me. Show me what you're doing. Show me that you're really here. Show me something unmistakable so I don’t have to keep wondering. I find myself asking this in the middle of ordinary days, halfway through a prayer, mid-thought, mid-doubt, simply longing for something concrete to hold on to. There have been moments when faith felt like squinting in the dark, trusting God’s presence without feeling His closeness.  I didn’t stop believing; I just wanted reassurance. Something tangible. Something more. In today’s Gospel, Philip voices that same desire: “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us” (John 14:8). And Jesus responds—not with anger, but with a kind of gentle ache: “Have I been with you for so long [. . .] and you still do not know me?” (John 14:9) Jesus isn’t withholding revelation; He is the revelation. To look at Him is to see the Father’s heart—His mercy, His patience, His compassion in flesh and blood. God is not a hidden mystery; He has made himself visible in Christ. What strikes me is that Philip wasn’t rejecting Jesus; he simply wanted clarity. And Jesus meets that longing by redirecting it. It’s almost as if He’s saying, “Don’t look elsewhere. Don’t wait for something bigger or more dramatic. Look at Me. Listen to My words. Notice My work.”  Faith isn’t about chasing extraordinary signs—it’s about trusting that God has already come near. Jesus then goes even further, extending an invitation: Those who believe will share in His work (see John 14:12). Knowing the Father doesn’t end in understanding; it flows into action, prayer, and participation in God’s life. We often ask God to show Himself more clearly. May we learn to see Him in Jesus—in His words, His works, and His love made visible in Scripture and in the Eucharist. And trusting that He is already with us living within our hearts, may we live and pray with confidence, believing that God is nearer than we think. Relate to the Lord // Turn to Jesus in Scripture today. Reread today’s Gospel (John 14:7-14) and let Jesus reveal Himself to you personally there. 

May 1, 2026 // Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter // Optional Memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 14:1-6  Reflect on the Word // On the day I’m writing this devotional, months before you read it, a dear local family buried their nineteen-year-old son and brother, Joseph. His sister, Monica, also writes here for Blessed is She, and she and her family have been community friends for many, many years. Imagine my surprise when I sat down to read the Gospel in my prayer today and turned to John 14. Imagine my surprise when I sat to write my assigned devotional and saw the same exact Gospel for May 1, over three months from the day I write this.  I could go on and on about Joseph, about his faith, his hope, and the beauty and resilience of his family as they have weathered this tragedy. I could share how his mother held me at Joseph’s viewing last night, and reassured me of the goodness of God. He is good. Truly.  Beyond the hope we can see in the Weinkopf family are roots buried deep in the faith of a God that is really, very good. Behold, I am going before you to prepare a place for you (see John 14:3). Is there anything that speaks to you of love more than this? I read the words this morning, hours before Joseph’s funeral Mass and thought to myself—He knew all along. God has always known. And He goes before us to ready the path, to ready the room, to be with us again.  It’s simple and yet profound beyond comprehension. God loves you and He is waiting for you to be with Him forever. He was waiting for Joseph, and He is waiting for us.  In the eulogy, Joseph’s older brother, Kolbe, shared that Joseph hard carved the word “Live” into the underside of his bunk bed slats. Let us live like he did. Let us live like women fully alive, longing for our home in Heaven, and living each day like we believe it.  Relate to the Lord // Pray the Requiem Aeternam for Joseph or for another soul who has passed into eternity:  Eternal rest grant unto him/her [or them], O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him/her [or them]. May he/she [or their souls] and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

April 30, 2026 // Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter // Optional Memorial of Saint Pius V, Pope, Religious Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 13:16-20 Reflect on the Word //  Whispers after lights out. Shared secrets under blankets. The wonder of girlhood rolling into the moods of teenagerhood. She was the first to hear my frustrations but also my joys. My younger sister and I slept feet away from each other for over fifteen years, and our nightly dialogues led to the best of friendships. Fast forward a few years, and a new roommate entered my life. We quickly learned each other’s moods, patterns, and eating habits. I counted on her to wake me up, so we could pray together in the mornings, and we studied so late into the night it typically turned to laughter and rather silly activities. Again, an intimacy bubbled up and thrived because of the time and vulnerability we poured into our friendship.  Praying with today’s Gospel, I imagine myself at the table amongst Jesus’ closest friends, the twelve Apostles (see John 13:16-20). The familiarity and affection of the moment is palpable. As He approaches the hour of His Death, Jesus leans more into sharing His Heart. I feel the love of this moment, His longing to converse with me too. He wants to share in my moments and have me share in His.  In this snippet of conversation, Jesus leaves His disciples with two key truths: Who He is and who we are. He is a Messiah Who has come as the Son of God to serve us. And service is how we continue living that love that we have received.  It is in regular conversation with Jesus that we can grow to know Him closer than a roommate or sister. And when we make talking with Him a major part of how we start and close our days, checking in frequently throughout the day to share our highs and lows, we will remember how we are to live. Making a point to continually be in an exchange with Him will anchor our hearts in an intimacy that will overflow into the rest of life. Relate to the Lord // Talk to Jesus from your heart today. Share your highs and lows. Listen for His response. 

April 29, 2026 // Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 12:44-50 Reflect on the Word //  The familiar chords reached my ears as we sat in the dimly lit church, a spotlight illuminating Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament upon the altar. The music was familiar because the D-F-G chord progression preceded just about every late 90s worship song I knew, so I was still in the dark about what we were about to sing. Then, the words came: “I want to know You, I want to see Your face, I want to know You, Lord . . . ” It’s the cry of every heart that seeks the Lord—to know Him, to see Him, to touch Him, to hear Him. Lord, let me understand what You are doing, where You are at work, what this means. So often, surrounded by darkness in the world, in relationships, in our own sin, all we desire is the plan, the purpose, to know the end and purpose of it all. “I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness” (John 12:46). Yes, there is darkness in the world and in our lives, but He did not come to leave us searching and fumbling, looking for an anchor of hope. He came as the answer to every longing and question of our hearts. Pope Saint John Paul II wrote that “Jesus Christ is the answer to the question posed by every human life” (source). Jesus came to show us His face, the face of our Savior and the face of our Father. We do not have a God that stays hidden or leaves us in the shadows. We have a God Who made Himself visible to us, and brings clarity to our obscurity. When we seek Him we see His light and the light of the One Who sent Him, our Father (see John 12:44). In secret, in the quiet places, He is there so we can be in the light and live not as souls condemned but as children of our Heavenly Father, believing and hoping in His Word, trusting and embracing His commandment, which is everlasting life (see John 12:50).  Relate to the Lord // Spend at least ten minutes in silence today seeking His face in prayer.