April 24, 2025 // Thursday in the Octave of Easter
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Luke 24:35-48
Reflect on the Word //
This is nothing short of a miracle, I think to myself. Between another invitation to a baby shower, another birth announcement on social media, and a close friend sharing the same all in one day—I approach Him and am at complete and total peace. I head outside to catch a breath of fresh air and I'm gently reminded that this peace hasn't always been my reality. As I stand in the warmth of the sun, I remember being the overwhelmed recipient of all of the invites. I'd crumble into myself instead of approaching Him.
I begged for a miraculous turn of events. I begged for less anger and the grace to surrender. I begged for less sadness and the grace to be at peace. I begged God for years, and the miracle came in time—it wasn't a positive pregnancy test but a profound awareness that He was born in me like He'd never been before.
"Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?" (Luke 24:38) Jesus asks me just as He did the disciples so long ago. I wrestled with disbelief and wonder. With anger and sadness. Until finally, a desire to believe that He is Who He says He is rose within me and then—He opened my mind to understand.
Sometimes the miracles we beg God for cloud out and close us off from the beauty and good He intends for us instead. We forget that the miracles we long for and experience are gifts we are given to make the presence of Jesus more fully known in our lives. Miracles are meant to increase our awareness of Emmanuel—God with us.
Do the miracles we pray for become an end in and of themselves instead of sign posts that direct us to Him? Sometimes, our miracles come just as we've prayed. And sometimes, it is Jesus Himself that greets us in our requests for the miraculous. He stands among us and says, "Peace be with you" (Luke 34:26). He invites us to come close, to "touch [Him] and see" (Luke 24:39), that the culmination of all that is miraculous is right here beside us, and has always been.
Relate to the Lord // Ponder the miracle of Jesus’ personal love for you today.
Shalini Blubaugh is a Minnesota transplant living in Coppell, Texas. She served with NET Ministries and went on to graduate with her J.D., though happily left all things law behind. Along with her roles as wife and mom, she now runs her own company, Pray. Train. Grow., as a Certified Fitness Trainer and Nutritional Therapy Practitioner. Her mission is to help Catholic women grow STRONG in mind, body, and heart through the integration of Faith, fitness and food.
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