April 24, 2026 // Friday of the Third Week of Easter // Optional Memorial of Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Priest and Martyr Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Acts 9:1-20 Reflect on the Word // “Take a walk,” spoken in a firm but gentle tone is often the last thing anyone wants to hear in the heat of an argument. I wanted to stay firm in my stance, but the words nudged me onward like a sudden gust of wind, giving me no choice but to move with it. I huffed as I walked, incredulous at the conversation I was just pulled from. I stubbornly laughed at the absurdity of a walk. If I take a lap around the block, won’t I just return bearing the same anger and confusion? What can a walk really do?  As I learned, a walk can do a lot. When our legs begin to move, our blood begins to flow, we feel the breeze through our hair, and we experience movement throughout our body. Movement is a small change, a gentle reminder that if our legs can move, our blood can flow, and our hair can lap in the breeze, then what is stopping our hearts from being moved? In today’s First Reading, Saul left for Damascus, “still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord” (Acts 9:1). He was brimming with rage, a mission that pushed every stride, but Jesus fell into step with him on the journey. He appeared to Saul suddenly, saying, “Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4) Jesus didn’t stop Saul from going to Damascus, but He did move Saul’s heart with holy conviction. Saul had embarked on his walk to carry out his own sinful plots, to dig his heels in further, but the Lord, Whose blood he was shedding, delivered a new mission—to proclaim the very One he had set out to persecute. How humble Saul must have been to abandon his quest and admit he was wrong. When we find ourselves angry, whether it be righteously or unrighteously, do we set out to persecute others or to cultivate resolution and peace? Sister, the Lord has fallen into step with you. He does not want you to walk with a hard heart. He wants to give you His. Relate to the Lord // Go for a walk today. Long or short, fast or slow, it will do your heart good.  

April 23, 2026 // Thursday of the Third Week of Easter // Optional Memorial of Saint Adalbert, Bishop and Martyr // Optional Memorial of Saint George, Martyr Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 6:44-51 Reflect on the Word //  Holiness is the best gift you can give your family.  I heard these wise words years ago when I was a young mama wanting to raise good, holy children. A friend of mine had heard this from a holy priest and while I couldn’t figure out exactly what it meant, I was hopeful that it was true. At first I thought it meant simply reading the Bible or paying better attention in Mass. It seemed overly simplistic.  Over time, however, I realized holiness was more about letting the Lord in—into broken spaces and hurting spaces and the beautiful spaces of my interior as well. And now, years later, I have seen that the more effort I put into being loved by the Lord, the more I am able to love my family.  The Lord offers Himself to humanity. As He says in today’s Gospel, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world" (John 6:51). We receive the Lord in the Eucharist, His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. And in turn, we share Him with those around us. We receive God’s love and we share it. The Lord offers Himself to us, for our own holiness and for the good of those around us.  The more healed we are—through the Sacraments, through time spent with God in prayer, through God’s healing love—the more love we can pour out on our loved ones and on the people the Lord puts in our path. We are an object of God’s love, and, as He transforms us to be more like Him through His love, we become instruments of that same love.  Relate to the Lord // How is the Lord inviting you to grow in holiness in this season? 

April 22, 2026 // Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Acts 8:1b-8 Reflect on the Word // The bells in the gable clinged and clanged. The ringing sounds drew our gaze upwards to the Assisi skies, where the Crucifix, perched atop Santo Stefano church, beckoned for us. We turned a corner and descended the Umbrian steps, inspired to enter and led to pray. Walking into the Church and proceeding down the long center aisle, we found a wooden bench to sit on. One of my sisters excitedly turned to the rest of the group, proclaiming her love for Saint Stephen. She went on to recount the profound story that Stephen’s death was met with great reverence by our Lord, Who rose from the throne of grace to welcome His first martyr into eternity.    As the people buried Stephen and lamented in today’s First Reading, he was being welcomed into the halls of Heaven by the Son of God. Meditating on his entrance into the heavenly banquet, I imagined Jesus bestowing him with the crown of martyrdom. There was a profound sense of Stephen’s joy in that moment. He was consumed with zeal for the House of the Lord and was given the gift of being able to testify to Christ the Way, the Truth, and the Life with his own life. The witness of Stephen’s life and death galvanized the early Church to preach the word and proclaim Christ to the world. Saint Stephen galvanizes me to do the same. His witness rouses me to remember that the way of the disciple demands the entire gift of ourselves, not to our detriment but for our good. In this total surrender and preoccupation with the Glory of the Lord, our lives become a living yes to the One Who Loves us and awaits us.  Saint Stephen reminds each of us that we are made to live in the gaze of Christ, where our eyes remain fixed on Heaven as we travail through this valley of tears. His witness strengthens us, calling to mind that death does not have the final word and that we are longed for in that place where there is “great joy in that city” (Acts 8:8).  Relate to the Lord // How can you say yes to Jesus today?

April 21, 2026 // Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter // Optional Memorial of Saint Anselm, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Acts 7:51-8:1a Reflect on the Word //  I was returning from a funeral at my parish when surprised by joyful news: A friend was in labor with her second child. My thoughts were suddenly torn between melancholic considerations of the brevity of existence and tender excitement for an infant’s coming. The close, paradoxical succession of sorrow and joy in life is unpredictable and often catches me unprepared. An expectant mother does not know when her child’s birth will begin, and the moment of death cannot be anticipated either. But we can trust that the Holy Spirit is with us in these moments. Today’s First Reading recounts the martyrdom of Saint Stephen. It is almost shocking how quickly after Easter day the stories of the sufferings of the first Saints in Acts are paired with Christ’s lifegiving discourses from the Gospel of John. Yet rather than being unsettled by this, I can see it as a sign of the Holy Spirit present in the liturgical year and in our world.  The Holy Spirit figures prominently in the story of Saint Stephen’s death. In fact, the entire Blessed Trinity is present to the first martyr, for he is “filled with the Holy Spirit” and sees “the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55). By contrast, the people stoning Stephen are told they “always oppose the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51). I, too, at times oppose the Holy Spirit instead of consenting to be filled with His grace. I want to always desire to be like Stephen, convicted of the Blessed Trinity’s presence, asking them to deepen my trust in the Holy Spirit present in my life and open Heaven even amid mundane moments (see Acts 7:56). The Blessed Trinity is present in our paradoxes and will welcome us into eternity one day, at a moment still hidden to us. Life and death, joy and sorrow stand alongside each other here below, but the final word is rebirth in the Resurrection. Relate to the Lord // Pay attention for the Holy Spirit’s life-giving presence today. Where is moving? 

April 20, 2026 // Monday of the Third Week of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 6:22-29 Reflect on the Word // “Lord,  I cannot do this. Please do this for me.” Standing in the dimly lit little hotel room, I brushed my teeth as quietly as I could and hoped I wouldn’t wake the rest of the family. We had been traveling all day, and even with the time change to my advantage, my body ached for the bed. If I was lucky, I would get a decent six hours. Hopefully that would be enough to keep me alert for the long drive home the next day.  “Lord, I need you.” So often I have uttered, pleaded, cried out those words. I am weary, worn down, depleted. Sometimes I reach this state of distress because I have failed to take care of myself physically, but more often I cry out in desperation because I have been subsisting on the bread of this world. I have been carefully managing my exercise, sleep, and nutrition, but not nourishing my spiritual life. We are both flesh and spirit. Our bodies need to be treated gently sometimes and pushed at other times, but always our spirit needs the substance of eternal life. In today’s Gospel, Jesus commands the crowd not to work for food that perishes, but rather for the food of eternal life, which is a food only Jesus can give. And this bread is not something that we earn with our hard work. It was already given to us. We need not travel to far-off lands or seek some mystical experience at the end of a long pilgrimage. We need not earn it through countless Rosaries or hours reading Scripture, although those are wonderful practices. We simply need to seek Him with all our hearts. He is there for us in the Sacraments. Jesus is hidden in His Precious Body and Blood offered daily for us. Jesus is there at your parish church, patiently waiting for you to seek Him out, and He not only offers you the food—He is the food, giving you His very life. Relate to the Lord // Make a visit to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Ask Him if He’s calling you to commit to a weekly holy hour.

April 18, 2026 // Saturday of the Second Week of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 6:16-21 Reflect on the Word // I held the holy card and repeated the prayer on the back over and over until I fell asleep. This was my nightly routine as a little girl. I was plagued by fear, nightmares, and worry. The image of Jesus, His eyes filled with love, calmed me. I didn’t realize it at the time, but on the back of my crinkled holy card was a Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Each night that I trembled and wiped my tears, I was making an offering, even on the nights that I felt deeply alone. Waves of suffering crashed against my soul. The sea of life was oftentimes stormy, dark, and sometimes terrifying. For many years, I lived my life from a place of fear. Jesus healed this wound in my heart. When I wondered if I was truly loved, or if my brokenness made me unlovable, Jesus responded, “It is I. Do not be afraid” (John 6:20). And the truth of those words eventually pierced my heart. I saw Jesus and His Sacred Heart burning with tremendous love for me. He is sovereign. He desires that I be with Him. I am His, and there is truly nothing to fear. When we feel the familiar grip of fear destroying our peace, we can look amid the thrashing waves, and see the gentle smile of Christ. Through the wind and the storms we can see love bursting forth from His Heart. He knows our anxieties. He sees our pain, our suffering, and our doubt. He remains near. He is in control. We can trust Him.  Relate to the Lord // What Scripture or prayer can you repeat as you lean into trust?

April 17, 2026 // Friday of the Second Week of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 6:1-15 Reflect on the Word //  I looked at my husband and nodded my head in agreement, despite my fear and apprehension. We had decided to pull our son out of the Catholic high school he was attending. He was having some mental health issues and homeschooling was a better option as he continued to get the care he needed. However, the daunting task of having three sons in three different schools and juggling all the activities and needs of each, along with the demands of homeschooling, seemed like more than I could handle. I knew God would have to provide me with the means to get it all done.   In the Gospel of John, the Apostles were in a situation in which they were unable to solve a problem on their own. When Jesus saw a large crowd approaching, He asked Philip how they would feed the people (see John 6:5). The disciples knew that they didn’t have enough money to buy that much food and that the small amount of loaves and fishes available wouldn’t be enough to feed everyone. I can imagine the Apostles looking expectantly at Jesus, waiting for Him to explain how He’d solve the problem. Instead Jesus simply told them to have the people recline. Did the disciples look at each other and silently wonder: And then what? There must have been uncertainty as to how their impossible situation would be resolved. However, Jesus was not uncertain. He knew exactly what He was going to do. He blessed the meager loaves and fishes, and as they passed the food around, it multiplied to amounts even greater than they needed.  Jesus challenged the Apostles to remain faithful and follow His instructions, despite not knowing how the problem would be solved. We’ve all experienced times when we didn’t know the answer or felt completely unqualified to accomplish something. Our challenge is to discern and then take the next best step, trusting that God will lead and provide where we are lacking. Like the loaves, He takes what little we have and accomplishes marvelous deeds.  Relate to the Lord // Where do you need to lean into the Lord’s leadership and provision? Identify your place of need and ask Him what’s next.

April 16, 2026 // Thursday of the Second Week of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 3:31-36 Reflect on the Word // I felt like my heart was searching for God’s voice or at least leaning on Him for several days. It was the anniversary of a tragic event and His Cross was my only solace. Semi-numb, I walked into the chapel, genuflected, and slid into the end of a pew. As I looked up, I saw a dear friend and had a quiet desire to tap her on the shoulder and to slide in next to her. My heart lightened at this inspiration from the Holy Spirit. The enemy was trying to tell me not to be so needy, but luckily I knew better—for the Lord delights in ministering to us precisely when we are needy.  The gentle knowing became salvific as I considered what a profound blessing it was to sit next to this friend of so many years who was a mom of so many dear children. So many seasons of life were represented as we knelt there silently adoring the King of the Universe Who came from above and is above all (see John 3:31). We didn’t need to speak to each other because we understood each other from the heart and did not need to speak of earthly things as “one who is of the earth” (see John 3:31). And as I thought of the tremendous gift of perseverance and fortitude in both of our lives, the phrase from today’s Gospel that most reechoed in my heart was “He does not ration his gift of the Spirit” (John 3:34). It was a miracle we were there. His gift of faith in us was a miracle. His gift of love between us—even without words, just a hello-hug—was a miracle. Sister, no matter what seasons we are going through in our lives right now, we belong to the One Who is the definitive Victor over anything that is imperfect, not whole, and in need of redemption. May this Easter season be a cause for profound renewal and strengthening for each of us as we open ourselves to receive all the Gifts of the Resurrected One! Relate to the Lord // What gifts is the Lord pouring out in this season? Take stock. 

April 15, 2026 // Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Acts 5:17-26 Reflect on the Word // I am sitting in a cage—one fit for an animal, not a person. The key is in my hand, yet I remain afraid. This cell has become safe; no one can hurt me here. Inside this interior prison, I avoid being myself if it might lead to rejection. But I know this is not who God created me to be. In my holy imagination, I see Jesus walking toward me. Although metal bars separate us, I can feel the radiance of His love. Please come out. He invites. You don’t belong in there. I know He has the power to unlock the door—or vanish the cage altogether—but He doesn’t. He respects my freedom. This prison is my choice. I take one deep breath of courage. I am not powerless. I place the key in the lock and turn it. The gate swings open, and I step onto soft grass. His hand is extended, but instead of cautiously taking it, I run to embrace Him, no longer afraid. In today’s First Reading, the Apostles are imprisoned for proclaiming Jesus, but during the night an angel opens the door, and they are led, not to a safe hiding place, but back into the temple with a clear command: “Go and tell the people everything about this life” (Acts 5:20). Freedom is given, but it requires courage. They must choose to trust the Lord and step into the light. How often do our own prisons feel safer than being who God created us to be? Behind bars, the risk of rejection is low. Yet there is no room for love inside a cage. When we lock ourselves in, we also lock others out. Today’s First Reading, my sister, is not only about the Apostles. It is about us. God opens doors, but He does not force us through them. He invites us in freedom to witness His love. The key is in our hands. The door may already be open. It’s up to us: Will we remain hidden or step out to share “about this life”? Relate to the Lord // What doors or bars are between you and the Lord’s love? Tell Him about it.

April 14, 2026 // Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter  Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Acts 4:32-37   Reflect on the Word //  “Now that Lent is over, I don’t think I’m going back.”  My mom’s face clouded over with disappointment as I shared my decision to deactivate my social media page, which had become more of a ministry over the past several years. Before this statement, I had every intention of resurrecting my online presence after a much-needed forty-day fast. But now, I couldn’t reconcile how this public space aligned with the Lord’s mission for my life and prayer as His consecrated spouse. To be perfectly honest, a disordered focus on views, likes, and follower count had started to creep in as well, causing me to grasp control of my platform as if it were my own possession rather than the fruit of God’s provision.   The remedy came in today’s First Reading: “[F]or those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the Apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need” (Acts 4:34-35).   Rather than abandoning my online community and God’s blessing of growth, I was being invited to do something even more radical: lay the “proceeds” of my labor at the feet of Jesus and then let Him disperse my offering to those it would bless or benefit. This was a harder challenge than abandoning my ministry altogether, as it required me to reserve my choicest fruits for the Lord alone, claiming nothing as my own.  Dearest sister, where is the Beloved asking for the first fruits of your heart? As Saint John of the Cross says, “The property of love is never to seek self, to keep back nothing, but to give everything to the one it loves” (source).  The Lord is a jealous Lover, but He also calls us to love the people He places in our path. We can ask Him to help us to seek Him first and foremost and then share the love that is too good to keep to ourselves with those who have need of it. All that we are and have is His. Let’s give it all back to Him to do with us as He wills.   Relate to the Lord // Pray with this question: Where is the Beloved asking for the first fruits of your heart?

April 13, 2026 // Monday of the Second Week of Easter // Optional Memorial of Saint Martin I, Pope and Martyr Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 3:1-8 Reflect on the Word // There’s nothing quite like feeling a warm breeze after living through months of winter. Here in northern Canada the slightest winter wind makes an already cold day feel like the air is piercing your skin with tiny knives. But when the warm breeze finally appears in the spring, it feels like the welcome harbinger of the warm air almost mysteriously appearing and beginning to thaw the outside world.  In the Gospel, Nicodemus comes seeking more from Jesus whom he recognizes has been sent by God. I can imagine he is dying to ask Jesus what the exact things are that we can do so that we know we’re going to Heaven. But the answer Jesus gives of being born again of water and the Spirit shatters any easy answers. What Jesus shares about the life of Faith is mysterious. Being born again by water and the Spirit? This is not something that is within our power or capacity as human beings; only through the power of God through Baptism can this new birth occur. Jesus speaks of being completely transformed by the power of God, a transformation that also requires living by faith.  How else but through faith can we live in the freedom and trust of following the grace of the Spirit when it blows through our lives like the wind? The graces we receive sometimes come strongly and undeniably, but many times softly, gently, and sporadically. Just as we can see the effects of the wind, feel its breeze upon our skin, and hear it rustle through the leaves, we also know that we are not in control of it; it is completely outside our power. The life of the Spirit which Jesus speaks of today relies on having the faith to trust in a life we cannot control, the life of grace. Sometimes our faith becomes cold, like a long Canadian winter. But, the truth is that we have been born again through water and Spirit. We just have to tap into the warmth of grace offered to us the Sacraments and we will see the effects of grace.  Relate to the Lord // How do you perceive the warm wind of the Spirit moving in your life right now?

April 11, 2026 // Saturday in the Octave of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Acts 4:13-21  Reflect on the Word //  I stood in a very long and slow airport security line, tired, anxious, and determined to not engage in conversation. When a man behind me inquired about my destination and purpose of travel, I replied tersely, “Omaha, for work.” But he persisted, “What do you do for work?” There it was, the Holy Spirit’s nudge! “I’m Catholic. I speak and write about Jesus.” His eyes lit up as he described recently entering a Catholic Church for the first time: “I saw something round and white in a gold stand on the altar. I can’t stop thinking about the peace I felt. What was that?” I eagerly replied, “What you described is actually a Who; His name is Jesus and you can find Him . . .” The line was moving too fast to say much more, so I prayed for him as I walked to my gate, determined to speak about Jesus more willingly. In today’s First Reading we see Peter and John, alive in the Pentecost power of the Spirit, courageously speaking and healing in the Name of Jesus. Their fearlessness and confidence both astonish and concern the Jewish leaders, who thought Jesus’ Death had ended His influence. As men who have been with Jesus, these Apostles aren’t simply keeping the memory of Jesus alive. Instead, the Risen Jesus is continuing to act through them. Although the Sanhedrin threatens punishment, it is impossible for the Apostles not to speak about what they have seen and heard as companions and eyewitnesses to Jesus (see Acts 4:20). The Lord wants to do the same through me, just like He prompted me to do at the airport. And He wants to do the same through you. What might be holding you back from speaking about Jesus? Rather than it feeling like an inconvenience or impossibility, may we be filled with power from on High that makes it impossible not to speak about what we have seen and heard! Relate to the Lord // Talk about Jesus today. Whether to a friend or stranger, allow the Holy Spirit to bring His Name and your testimony to your lips.

April 10, 2026 // Friday in the Octave of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 21:1-14  Familiarity. In the middle of big moves, new plans, or scary situations, I have always found comfort in things that are familiar to me: the sound of church bells, my mother’s cooking, throwback worship songs from the early 2000s, etc. In the tension and uncertainty of what had just happened—the dying and rising of Jesus—Peter and some of the Apostles went back to what was familiar to them: fishing (see John 21:3).   The events that unfolded were truly familiar: they caught nothing all night (see John 21:3); Jesus instructed them to cast the net on the other side and they were then overwhelmed by the catch (see John 21:6). Lastly, they recognized Him as “Lord” (John 21:7). These four moments can be compared to the first call of Peter, Andrew, James, and John by Jesus to become fishers of men (see Luke 5:1-11).  Then we realize a difference: In the first encounter, the nets began to tear (see Luke 5:6). But after the Resurrection, during this encounter on a very familiar sea, with the same band of friends and probably a boat and net similar to their old ones, something different happened: “the net was not torn” (John 21:11). There’s a sense of completion, of fullness. This time for Peter and the others, the encounter was different. This time, it clicked. They were filled with a certainty that had escaped them before. Now, on those shores by the charcoal fire, no one had to question anything; they knew it was the Lord (see John 21:12).  This encounter with the living God—with Jesus Christ Who was dead and was now alive again in their midst—emboldened them to go out in faith and preach and heal in His name after His Ascension.  Sister, in difficult seasons may we go running to what is familiar: to our first encounter with the Lord.  When we encounter Him alive in our lives, we will be filled little by little (or all at once!) with the boldness of the Apostles. Their net didn’t tear and neither will ours.  Relate to the Lord // Recall your first encounter with the Lord. Describe it, savor it, remember Who He is.

April 9, 2026 // Thursday in the Octave of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Luke 24:35-48 Reflect on the Word //  It was the night of the Easter Vigil, and from the moment of walking into the church, you could sense the buzz of excitement. The scent of the Easter lilies rose through the air, spirits were high—yet my heart was heavy after an excruciating Lent. Throughout that Lent, my heart wrestled with the haunting thought: Is God even real, and does He care? That part of my heart was still stuck in Good Friday. I didn’t think Resurrection was a possibility.  In today’s Gospel, I was struck by the response of the disciples, as they failed to recognize Jesus within their space. Even after Jesus vulnerably shared His wounds—“Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see” (Luke 24:38-39)—the disciples were still “incredulous for joy” (Luke 24:41). Taking notice of how Jesus greets His disciples with, “Peace be with you” (Luke 24:36), it is clear that Jesus can and desires to pour out peace into the areas of their hearts still consumed by grief and held by hopelessness. The Resurrected Lord is not limited because of their sorrow. Their anguish is what produced their doubt. Jesus doesn’t question their disbelief to make them feel shameful, but instead, He reveals the truth of Who He is. He’s not condemning His disciples, but instead He’s patient and willing to touch the places of their hearts that have yet to be healed.  Sister, the Resurrected Jesus wants to bring you back to life. There’s nothing the Resurrected Jesus can’t do. There’s no place in your heart or story that He doesn’t desire to restore. The peaceful approach of Jesus towards His disciples, is the approach He takes towards your sorrowful places, the areas of your heart that are still in Good Friday. The Resurrection has the final say, and we will be “witnesses of these things”(Luke 24:48). Let us live into this miraculous reality. Relate to the Lord // Where do you desire to encounter the Resurrected Jesus in your heart or story? Tell Him about it.

April 8, 2026 // Wednesday in the Octave of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Luke 24:13-35 Reflect on the Word // I stood on a low stone wall and delighted over the view. A few dozen pairs of women were walking the grounds of the convent where we were hosting a women’s half-day retreat. They were taking an Emmaus walk.  We’d spent the afternoon opening our hearts to the Father’s love as revealed in Jesus and now He “drew near and walked with them” (Luke 23:17).  The disciples who walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus are not really very different from us. Like them, we have questions, fears, dashed hopes. Things rarely work out the way we imagine, even for those trying to discern and do God’s will. So when we’re left holding the broken pieces of our plans and hearts, we too can become downcast.  In moments like these, we can take a simple spiritual lesson from the Gospel: Go for a walk. Moving our bodies helps us to get out of our heads and integrate what we believe with what we feel. The fresh air, the rhythmic movement, the deep breaths will all help us to process and move through confusing or painful parts of our lives.  Perhaps this week you could take your own Emmaus walk with a friend, in person or over the phone if you need to. Like the disciples, open your hearts to one another about what has happened, what you hoped, and where to go from here. And as you walk, open your heart to Jesus. With Jesus and a friend, as you share “what sort of things” are burdening you (see Luke 23:19), our hearts, so slow to believe in His goodness and love, will slowly begin to burn again. Relate to the Lord // Call or text a friend to take an Emmaus walk this week. Share your heart with her and the Lord. 

April 7, 2026 // Tuesday in the Octave of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 20:11-18 Reflect on the Word //  Shamed for my tears, I’d long ago exchanged them for emotional numbness and habits of negative self-talk. This all changed when I went on a healing retreat, and I found myself arrested by an image of Jesus crowned with thorns and weeping. The tears on His cheeks and His loving gaze conveyed an immense depth of sadness. The Holy Spirit used this image to convince me that Jesus, far from shaming my tears, weeps with me when I weep. Since He cries with me, I now freely let my tears flow when I have the need to cry. In today’s Gospel, Mary Magdalene weeps without shame. Peter and John see the burial cloths in the tomb, believe, and go home while Mary Magdalene stays outside the tomb weeping. When she bends to look inside, two angels ask her why, and  she says she doesn’t know where they took Jesus’ body.  Jesus is there too, though Mary mistakes Him for a gardener. Jesus asks her why she weeps and Who she’s looking for. Do her copious tears blind her from recognizing Jesus? Does her inner anguish mute the sound of the voice she knows so well?  Jesus doesn’t scold her for her tears nor for being slow to recognize Him. He listens to her desperation, then simply speaks her name. Something about the way He says her name transports her from the fog of grief to the reality that her beloved Lord is here with her. She responds, “Rabbouni” (or teacher), for He shows her how to live. I wonder how I’ve let my own perception of circumstances blind and deafen me to seeing and hearing Him. Like Mary Magdalene, we can seek diligently for the Lover of our Souls, whether in joy or in pain. Even when we don’t recognize Him, He listens, then calls us by name until we are transported to the reality of resurrection life. He’s alive! As this truth sinks in, we can announce with joy, “I have seen the Lord!” (John 20:18) Relate to the Lord // What tears are you withholding from Jesus? Share your sadness with Him and in prayer see Him weep with you, for you.

April 6, 2026 // Monday in the Octave of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 28:8-15 Reflect on the Word //  “We lost the contract,” my husband’s text said. I read it under the soft glow of our Christmas tree while visions of sugarplums died in my head. My gut response was fear. Of course it was. This contract meant food on our table and a roof over our heads. It meant paying our bills and keeping the water running. It held within it the difference between poverty and profit.  And it is there that we currently linger—in the in-between—watching our savings ebb while praying for work to flow. But it is also here, in this in-between, that I see God at work. I feel Him calling me out of my fear of the unknown and beckoning me to step into something unexpected—excitement.  In today’s Gospel, the two Marys became witnesses to the Resurrection of Christ. In the face of that reality, they were met with both fear and joy (see Matthew 28:8)—fear for the unnatural truth they were beholding and joy for the knowledge of what that truth meant. I can see the same dichotomy at work in my life right now. I feel both the fear of the unknown and the excitement for what God has planned. Yet, it is in Jesus’ greeting to the two Marys that my heart finds the most balance.  In Matthew 28:10, the very first thing Jesus says upon seeing them is, “Do not be afraid.” These words are easy to gloss over. They are simple to sit with when life is predictable and kind. They are much harder to live with when faced with an unknown fate.  Sister, I don’t know what unknowns you are walking into, but I do know that you tremble as you do. I know because I do// too. But I want to remind you that the words of Christ are alive, even today—even to you. “Do not be afraid.” Relate to the Lord // Pray with the words of Jesus today: Do not be afraid. How are His words alive and personal for you today?