May 19, 2026 // Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Acts 20:17-27
Reflect on the Word //
Dinners with my college roommate are some of my most cherished memories. The two of us shared a cramped, corner apartment with a cracked window and a long hallway trek. Our schedules looked vastly different by day, but by the evening, we both ended up back in our living room, perched on floor cushions and chatting about life. She is not Catholic. So at first, I was tempted to water down stories from Bible study and revelations in prayer. But as time went on, and she began to ask me more questions about my faith, I realized that my friend wanted to know me deeper. She was not shrinking from the truth, but I was.
In today’s First Reading, Paul, preparing to depart, boldly addresses the elders of the Church in Ephesus saying, “I did not at all shrink from telling you what was for your benefit” (Acts 20:20). Paul, having experienced a life-changing conversion himself, saw people as the Lord sees them—curious and deserving of the Gospel. He relentlessly pursued their hearts and hid nothing from them, because he recognized all that he had been given as a gift to be shared.
At times, our lives with God can become detached from our lives with friends, acquaintances, and colleagues. We say that we are walking with the Lord, but we leave Him at the door of dinner parties, work events, and college classes. Our Lord wants to be invited into these spaces. He wants to know our friends, and their curious hearts crave to know Him. This doesn’t always look like preaching the Gospel from a podium, but it often sounds like sharing encouraging, biblical truths to an anxious friend, or asking a colleague what drives their purpose.
You can bring Jesus into fluorescent-lit rooms and crowded restaurants, surfing the natural ebbs and flows of conversation and paying heed to His gentle nudges to share His Word. Our Heavenly Father does not want you to hold back, for He has entrusted much to His humble servant.
Relate to the Lord // Where have you been holding back with the Lord or in your life? Talk to Him about it today.
Olivia Jackson, known by her family and friends as Liv, recently graduated from the University of Iowa College of Education. She now happily lives and works in Des Moines, Iowa as a third grade teacher at a catholic grade school. She enjoys anything outdoorsy, creative, or active and can often be found reading in a hammock, scrapbooking with music and a snack, or enjoying a fun workout class. Olivia is a social butterfly and loves being surrounded by and meeting Christ in her family, friends, co-workers, and students!
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