March 12, 2025 // Wednesday of the First Week in Lent
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Jonah 3:1-10
For one year, I knelt before our Eucharistic Lord every day just before six o’clock in the morning. Some mornings I was barely awake but I had to be there anyway. I was a postulant with cloistered Carmelites and my world was being rocked. I was deeply aware of my need for Him.
I thought I knew what humility was. I thought I knew what it meant to rely solely on the Lord, until I realized that I did not. Every fiber in my being grew tired from hard labor, silence, prayer—some fun times too—yet I had to keep showing up. Bowing low before Him, I would ask Him to change me, to heal me, to help me on this new journey. He was the sign I was looking towards.
When I read today’s account of the king rising from his throne, setting aside his robes, and putting on sackcloth to sit in ashes (see Jonah 3:6), I know that this awareness of my sin and repentance is something I must repeat daily. Not only while in Carmel discerning religious life, but also here and now in my daily tasks as wife, mother, sister, and daughter. I must look to the sign and change my ways to live differently (see Jonah 3:10).
While I look upon Him, Jesus lovingly invites me to repent and rise from the throne of self-reliance. He helps me to take off the robe of shame, pride, and false humility, in order to put on His heart, His humility, His disposition.
I want to put on a spiritual sackcloth of repentance and sit in His presence, allowing Him to transform me in the Eucharist, through His Word, in the Sacraments, through day-to-day encounters, and in seasons of penance and fasting. I want to allow Him to be the sign, the One that changes the trajectory of my life—from halfway living to becoming fully alive—a Nineveh, repented and restored.
Relate to the Lord // Take time before bed tonight to talk to Jesus about when you were close to Him and when you chose to sin. Tell Him you are sorry and thank Him for His love. Consider making an examen at the end of the day as part of your daily routine.
Rocio Hermes est une nounou à temps partiel née en République dominicaine et élevée aux États-Unis. Elle est enthousiaste à l'idée de bâtir une communauté, d'écrire de la poésie et de partager le message de la théologie du corps. Elle est titulaire d'une maîtrise en théologie et vit à Berlin avec son mari, où ils forment secrètement la meilleure équipe de pâtisseries de la ville. Elle est un auteur contributeur de Blessed Conversations: Dwell . Vous pouvez lire plus d'elle ici et penser à la vie avec elle ici .
Rocío Hermes es una niñera a tiempo parcial, nacida en la República Dominicana y criada en los Estados Unidos, a quien le entusiasma construir comunidad, escribir poesía y compartir el mensaje de la Teología del Cuerpo. Tiene un máster en Teología y vive en Berlín con su marido, donde juntos forman el mejor equipo de pasteleros de la ciudad. Es autora colaboradora de Blessed Conversations: Dwell.
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