July 11, 2026 // Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 10:24–33 Reflect on the Word //   My mentor at work is a phenomenal woman—smart, kind, gentle, accomplished—and yet, being the soft-spoken one out of the two of us, she is the last person to boast of her greatness. So, when she received a well-deserved promotion in our office, I knew I wanted to use my boisterous voice to support her. Even though she was hesitant about her future in the position, I never was. I always knew she would do great, and I practically shouted her amazing accomplishment from the rooftops, wanting everyone to hear about the wonderful work she has done—and will continue to do.  Looking at today’s Gospel, I pondered how I use my voice to speak of my faith. Do I confidently proclaim the goodness of the Lord in the same way? With the same amount of pride and volume? Do I want everyone to hear Him?  Matthew shares Jesus’ request: “What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops” (Matthew 10:27). Sometimes the voice of Jesus on earth is like that of my mentor: quiet and humble in its greatness. The Lord saves lives, loves us deeply, and rescues us from sin, yet He does these things in gentle, subtle ways. Jesus does not force His love onto humanity; He whispers it. It is our voice that amplifies His love for others. I believe in Him, we should all firmly believe in Him, and together, we can proclaim His saving goodness from the rooftops for all to hear!  Where is God calling you in your life to speak up and out for Him? What do you want the world to hear about Jesus and His goodness? Each of us can be a confident and proud amplifier of the One Who loves us most, using the voice He gave us. Relate to the Lord // Use your voice today to share Jesus’ love with someone.

June 4, 2026 // Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: 2 Timothy 2:8–15 Reflect on the Word // The popular Christian song “Love You to Death” by Josiah Queen and Strings and Heart perfectly captures the guilt I sometimes feel as a 21st-century Catholic in the western world. The song talks about wanting to love and follow Jesus but worrying that our faith isn’t as great as that of the early disciples and martyrs, like Saint Stephen or Saint Peter. How can we claim to have faith when it doesn’t cost us what it cost those first Christians?  I often question in the same way: Do I love Jesus fully if I am living a safe, cushiony modern life?  In today’s First Reading, Saint Paul shares his own experience of loving Jesus to death and answers my modern-day question too. From his prison cell in Rome, Paul writes about his sufferings as a follower of Jesus during that time: “Remember Jesus Christ [. . .] such is my Gospel, for which I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a criminal” (2 Timothy 2:8).  Paul beautifully sacrificed his life for the Lord, yet instead of comparing himself to others, he invites all disciples to live this way with Jesus too: “If we have died with him, we shall also live with him; if we persevere, we shall also reign with him” (2 Timothy 2:11-12). Even if our faith does not incriminate us as it did Saint Paul, we can still choose ways to spiritually die and persevere for Jesus in our lives today. Sister, what chains or crosses might the Lord be asking you to bear? Let Paul’s words remind us that our modern chains of discipleship are good and holy too, even if they don’t look like first-century incarceration or martyrdom. Let us love Him to death in whatever way He is calling us in our lives today, so that we may live with Him forever in the life to come. Relate to the Lord // What would it look like to bear your cross for love of Jesus today?

April 27, 2026 // Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Psalm: Psalm 42:2-3; 43:3, 4 Reflect on the Word // “You should drink eight cups of water a day,” goes the well-known adage you hear often in our culture, especially if you spend time with mothers, athletes, or anyone working in healthcare.  Consistent water intake is important for our physical health, and as a marathon runner trying to take good care of my body, I find myself making checklists, buying new water bottles often, and using a water counter phone app. I’ve found every trick in the book to get those sixty-four ounces of water in a day; yet at the same time, I know my living water count is not being taken as seriously. In today’s Psalm, the author reminds us that we all thirst for the Lord. He shares, “As the hind longs for the running waters, so my soul longs for you. Athirst is my soul for the living God” (Psalm 42:2-3). Just as Jesus refers to the living water He offers the Samaritan woman in John 4, the Psalmist here depicts how vital the Lord’s living water is for the soul—in the same way all living creatures need regular water. The Psalm continues, “Send forth your light and your fidelity; they shall lead me on” (Psalm 42:3). In faithfulness and the light of Christ, we should pursue the Lord and His living waters. As our souls thirst for and need Him to survive, we in turn must quench this need as thoroughly and persistently as I do with my two daily liters of water. For Jesus will truly satisfy our hearts in “gladness and joy” in more ways that our bodies will ever know in this life (Psalm 42:4).  Where do you see yourself dehydrated and in need of His goodness and life? In what ways are you able to remind yourself of this thirst and lead yourself back to Him? The Lord wants to fill us every day with living water—through prayer, through Scripture, through His Real Presence in the Eucharist, through inviting the Holy Spirit into each moment of our lives, through loving Him daily in all we do.  Relate to the Lord // Take care of your body today by drinking more water.

February 27, 2026 // Friday of the First Week of Lent Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 5:20-26  Reflect on the Word //  How can I apologize for something I haven’t done? This question racked my brain as my upstairs neighbor continued to repeatedly stomp on my ceiling. I had been living alone in my first apartment for a month when the stomping began. The older gentleman above me had taken it upon himself to reprimand me for the cigarettes he was convinced I was smoking and therefore harming him with. Running into him a few times, I tried to explain that it wasn’t me, that I wouldn’t do that to either his well-being or mine. But unfortunately, he didn’t believe me and demanded I stop and say sorry, and in the meantime, he would kick, curse, and yell until I “stopped.” The Gospel today reminds us that it is human nature to choose anger and violence during conflicts; yet, Jesus desires for us to turn away from sin and turn back toward one another in peace and kindness. Describing my housing situation perfectly, Jesus warns that “whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgement,” no matter what side of the argument is “right” (Matthew 5:22). Jesus doesn’t focus on what begins strife, but on whether we handle it with grace, holiness, and mercy.  Our Lord continues, “Go first and be reconciled with your brother, then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court” (Matthew 5:24-25). When it comes to discord among one another, instead of fighting for first place,  Jesus asks us to be proactive, to be humble, to be sacrificial, and to be haste-minded toward a peaceful and just resolution. It is up to us to do so.  No one wins when we turn sin into something akin to a boxing match. We also can’t expect our brothers and sisters in Christ to step away from sin if we push them straight back toward it with our own behavior. During this Lenten season, we can ask for the grace to turn opponents into neighbors and strife into an opportunity to pick up our own cross and love others with it.  Relate to the Lord // Have you been falsely accused? Share your pain with Jesus Who understands.

January 30, 2026 // Friday of the Third Week of Ordinary Time Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Psalm: Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6a, 6bcd-7, 10-11 Reflect on the Word // Growing up, I judged harshly Edmund Pevensie from The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. In the 1950 classic, Edmund gave the impression of someone who would never be a hero. Making fun of his youngest sister, lying often, and eventually abandoning his family and betraying the Christ figure, Aslan the lion, Edmund had almost sealed his fate. Yet Edmund finally chooses meekness, asks for forgiveness, and finds himself a hero. But he almost got everyone hurt and denounced Aslan in front of everyone! These were my arguments throughout my childhood. Did he really deserve to change the narrative?  Of course he didn’t deserve it. But as an adult now I see it differently. The Lord gives us, too—undeserving yet so loved by Him—the chance to change our stories, if we want to take it. Edmund personally asks Aslan for mercy and to rewrite his fate; his plea is like Psalm 51, “Turn away your face from my sins, and blot out all my guilt” (Psalm 51:11). And he is accepted with open arms, and able to act heroically afterwards. Today’s Psalm is an image of the conversation God wants us to have with Him. Psalm 51 shows how asking for mercy requires meekness and courage, however sinful and undeserving we may feel: “For I acknowledge my offense and my sin is before me always” (Psalm 51:5). The Psalmist beseeches forgiveness without denying what they had done, and shows us that acknowledging our own wrongdoing leads to the Lord’s mercy— and with His help, rewrites your soul’s narrative for the better. Sister, you are not your sins or your failures. Meek humility and courage before the Lord—alongside His accompanied mercy—can change our stories for the best even if we never truly feel like we deserve it. Let us all trust in God’s forgiveness and use our fallenness as an opportunity to begin anew and heroically choose Him each day. Relate to the Lord // Make a plan to receive the Sacrament of Confession. His mercy is waiting for you.  

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

October 21, 2025 // Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Romans 5:12-21 Reflect on the Word //  One of my old colleagues had a special penchant for getting away with going around the rules of my previous organization to get what he wanted. He often got praised for his work too, like he’d done nothing wrong during all those months that I had noticed his actions. It’s true I didn’t know if he was doing these things on purpose, and yet the very moral side of me still got so frustrated, I wanted to tattle to my supervisor saying, “Him! It’s him, he’s doing something wrong!” But I never did. No, even though my emotions told me to focus on the wrongs I thought my coworker had committed,  the Lord had called me to something better: to focus on the rights I could do, both inside and outside the office. In today’s First Reading from his Letter to the Romans, Saint Paul reminds us that goodness and grace can only follow those who pursue obedience in Him—and conversely, choices made in disobedience can only lead towards sin and death. If my colleague was purposefully making poor choices at work, that was his business, not mine—God could sort out and handle the rest, as Jesus did on the Cross all those years ago. No, Christ didn’t harp for hours and hours on the Fall caused by Adam and Eve’s decision, but instead chose to right the wrongs through His own willing obedience, His own life. In Paul’s own words, “just as through the disobedience of one man the many were made sinners so through the obedience of the one the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19). The overflowing fruitfulness of grace and goodness are available to us, if we focus on and allow the Lord to perfect our own path. May we all choose to stay in God’s holy lane rather than judging another’s and let the grace that comes from our obedience to the Lord inspire those around us to do the same. Relate to the Lord // What does staying in your holy lane look like? Ask God for the grace to focus on Him today.

August 26, 2025 // Tuesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Psalm: Psalm 139:1-6 Reflect on the Word // She will never know all I do for her. It’s the consuming thought I grappled with as I visited my grandmother at her memory care facility. Is it worth being here if she never remembers I came? I quickly snapped myself out of my ruminating and returned to my grandma and the flowers she held in front of her.  When I turned the corner, her smile had grown. As I handed her the bouquet of colorful daisies, her demeanor had shone brighter. Even though these things were true, I knew that by the next day, she would have forgotten I had come at all due to her dementia.  But if she doesn’t remember, does that mean this visit wasn’t worth it at all? The Lord reminds us through today’s Psalm that the answer is a resounding no.  “You know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar“ (Psalm 139:2). God knows us and everything about us, catching all those acts of kindness or faith that those around us miss or overlook. God knew I took time out of my weekend to visit my grandma. “You have searched me and you know me,” the Psalm reads, and it’s true. He sees and acknowledges every sacrifice, even if I don’t feel it deeply or hear it loudly in the moment, for “with all my ways you are familiar” (Psalm 139:3). The same is true for my grandmother—He sees her and knows her too—and spending time with her myself allows His love to shine through and be felt. While her mind may forget in this lifetime, her heart might remember in the next. Sister, God thoughtfully pursues knowing us, our hearts, our actions, and our intentions—and He’ll always remember. And when we offer these things to Him, uniting them to Christ’s saving act on the Cross, our acts of love have worth evermore in His eyes. And I can’t think of any better reward than to be personally seen and known by our Lord. We can rest in the knowledge that God sees all that we are and “knows the whole of it” (Psalm 139:4). Relate to the Lord // Read Psalm 139 slowly, maybe even out loud. Notice what verse or image sticks out to you and carry it in your heart throughout the day.