TOUCH HIS WOUNDS AND BELIEVE

On this Divine Mercy Sunday, Jesus doesn't condemn Thomas for his disbelief, but compassionately offers up his wounds because he wants him to believe.

RESURRECTION

Today there is an opportunity to live not just any life, but one that proclaims the Gospel through how we engage with each person that we encounter.

GREETING JESUS AS OURSELVES

As long as we can welcome Him as we are, the Risen Christ will gladly visit and stay with us, giving us warmth and spiritual sustenance.

CONVERSION

Conversion is a delight. God is forever working with and within us to call us to embrace all of creation.

FINDING GOD IN ALL THINGS

Our encounter with the Lord and his accompaniment of us in those ways help open our hearts to see, love, and serve him in others.

THE FIRST PHONE CALL

All of these first hearers and witnesses to the Resurrection could not keep the news to themselves.

FEARFUL AND OVERJOYED

Our commitments to our loved ones enables us to face the challenge, even with the fear, because we have a purpose.

GRIEF & GRATITUDE

Let us ask for the grace to be surprised by joy.

LIMINAL SPACE

So, while God might not be here… maybe he’s just right over there.

THE WAY OF THE CROSS

The subtle urge to look or turn away from suffering faded as something new took its place.

TOO MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT FEET AND MORE

Jesus kneels at our feet to accept what we hide.

DIVERGING OR CONVERGING PATHS

But perhaps God’s plans are always the right timing, accounting for where we are and helping us move forward.

FOLLOWING IN FAITH

We are asked to follow and then understand along the way; even if the way is paved with challenges.

KNEELING AT THE FEET OF JESUS

"...but only say the word and I shall be healed.”

EMBRACING PARADOXES

In those junctures, I offer myself a chance to pause, calm my mind and heart, and ask God, “Are You saying yes, no, slow, or grow?”

I’d Rather Hide

I had planned to hide, but God made space for me to be seen.

OUR VOICES ARE HEARD

Once I have taken care of any practical issues that contribute to my distress...the avenue left is prayer.

JESUS HID

Even amidst the darkest depths of Lent, we have a spark of joy reminding us of the other side.

A BETTER RECIPE FOR CREAM PUFFS

Jesus isn’t as worried about following the rules, he’s looking at the bigger picture – looking to see how we love.

COURAGE OF OBEDIENCE

Joseph was as human as I am. How difficult it must have been for Joseph after he made his decision.

CAUGHT IN A TRAP

Jesus extends his loving mercy to the person in front of him.

THE INVITATION TO A GREATER HARVEST

I may not have noticed it at the time when I was in it, but God continues to put points on the scoreboard in my game of life.

SMELLS LIKE JESUS

Sometimes Jesus comes in the “sweetness” of life, but sometimes Jesus comes in the mess of life and challenges us to look beyond ourselves.

ENTRUSTED

In the event that there are people who think ill of us or think less of us, we can lean on God and trust in His image of us as we are.

LIVING WATER

Belief is not merely an intellectual exercise but a journey of the heart.

GOD, I TRUST IN YOU

I've doubted & feared the future because of the stresses of life, but God's gifts remind me that I don't need to be afraid & I can trust in Him.

“DO YOU WANT TO BE HEALED?”

“Do you want to be healed?” is a deceptively simple question. Of course, we want to be healed. Perhaps we just don’t always want to be healed enough.

HAVE NO FEAR

The Church is a place where our desolate souls are consoled through faith and community who believe along with us.

MADE VISIBLE

In a crowded classroom on a random Sunday, I was reminded that the Word continues to be made flesh in my midst.

IT’S (NOT) ALL ABOUT THE OPTICS

God does not play the “optics” game with us, where we would have to tiptoe around Him to get in His good graces.

THE FIRST MOVE OF MERCY

I’m slowly coming to trust that our wounds—like Jesus’—are not removed but revealed to be part of a greater, divine wound of love and solidarity.

FOLLOWING THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE RISEN CHRIST

In moments of desolation, I remind myself that Jesus is constantly there working on me – to fulfill his plans.

A NEW SEASON, A NEW CALLING

Perhaps now we are called to carry this life-giving love on for this new season, and a newer generation.

PERCEPTION CHECK

We don’t see them as they are, we see them as we are.

BEYOND GRIEF

Jesus, meet us on our way this Easter. Let your presence warm and console our hearts.

LOVE TRANSFORMS

I wonder, if she had not wept, could she have testified to this great Love?

A FLOWER THAT DOESN’T DIE

As Christians, we have found that Jesus is that flower that will never die, a reminder of our eternal life with Him.

EASTER ENTRY POINTS

Easter is a mystery we encounter, enter, and embrace.

... WITH GOD, IN OUR HOLY SATURDAYS

May we remember our own ‘original goodness’ in the midst of the sometimes slow and painful waits, of our Holy Saturdays.

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO STRUGGLE AND STUMBLE

When we unite our suffering and offer it up, we come to experience the fullness of our humanity and the holiness that can be found in it.

UNFAILING LOVE

God’s love is given to each of us without distinction.

SETTING OUR FACES LIKE FLINT

Let us resolve to be present to Christ, with our utmost focus, in these last few days of Holy Week.

NOTHING IS EVER IN VAIN

We must remember our trust in God and His purpose and plan for our lives.

PRAYERFUL QUESTIONS

What is it that will be meaningful for you this Holy Week? 

NOT ME, LORD…

The problems are too big, the pain too complex. Surely it is not me who might look with love?

A ONENESS WITH OUR BELOVED

Comfort, peace, and love washed over me, mixing with the grief of reality.

FARING IN FEAR

May I know you carry my fear with me and remain with me still.

PROMISES, PROMISES

Whether we are the best promise keeper in the world or the weakest, let us offer up our most sincere efforts to keep a promise with God.

GLORY AND PRAISE

Let us remember that even amidst the darkest of times, we are called to be in relationship with God.

TO BELONG

There is such an ache in my heart when I am not able to be where Jesus is.

“NEITHER DO I CONDEMN YOU”

God beholds me and smiles, and I am worthy, no matter what.

ENDURING THE STENCH

I entrust my life and heart to God and yet I am hesitant to roll back the stone to see what lies behind it.

AND THE ANGEL(S) APPEAR

Trust in the slow, good work of the Lord–even during the deserts, but especially during the deserts.

BEAUTIFUL SUMMONS

Lovingly, I felt the Lord reveal to my heart, that I could not get rid of Him so easily.

UNEDITED

Where God continues to invite me to is being more gentle and patient with myself.

FORGOTTEN TENDERNESS

Jesus, please help me to trust in your tenderness to find my way to a deeper joy in You and one another.

SURPRISE ENDINGS

Are we leaving enough room to be surprised by God? 

A GREAT TIME FOR RAIN

And then I forage beneath the judgmental surface of my life and think, “well, isn’t this God.” 

BELIEVING IS SEEING

As I’m continually taught to accept my limitations and weaknesses, to embrace my blindness, my mind and heart shift to God’s love and God’s grace.

FROM HEAD TO HEART

My hope is to put down my shield, let go of needing to know why certain life events happen, and let God’s love take deeper root once more. 

PEACE BE WITH YOU, AGAIN and AGAIN …

The image of Jesus going through locked doors is a most consoling image of faith for me.

REAL OR FAKE?

Everything fell into place as they recognized their own truth as disciples and believers in the Resurrected Christ.

Let It Go

In the moments in which I am able to respond to God's invitations, I am met with an abundance of grace.

QUIET COURAGE

Everything in the world is presented to us as a way of knowing God because God's presence can mostly be found in the everyday activities of ordinary life.

THE JOURNEY

Jesus was right there the whole time guiding us and helping us on this new journey.

Why Are You Weeping?

Mary Magdelene's hope arrived in a way that she never thought possible. May our hope also come unexpectedly and joyfully.

A THANKFUL HOME

I am entering the Easter season filled with gratitude and some brief reprieve in peace.

The Clothes Make the Man

Today, we taste, touch, and see the tangible signs of Easter.

SHARING THROUGH, WITH, & IN GOD

In putting my guard down and being more open to the expansiveness of God’s tender mercy, I’m able to repeat the mantra of goodness.

WHAT DO YOU THIRST FOR?

Through the desolation, through the longing, through the thirst, we can receive the living waters that Jesus promises.

NEAT BOXES

There is nothing that can keep us from the immense love of God.

LOOKING FOR A REASON

Transform my brokenness into something new.

SUBTLE SHIFTS

May we trust that God is at work in our lives and our hearts and remain open to His love.

TO BE HUMAN

In the middle of everyday life, when things feel chaotic and overwhelming, how can I center myself on Jesus?

A CURRENT EVENT

What if I entered Holy Week with this living, breathing Jesus in mind?

GROUPED WITH THE 99

Do we identify as one of the Lord’s beloved sheep?

THE LORD HEARS YOUR VOICE

Do not pray for the pain to go away, pray for the strength to get through it.

CLAY

Is there a place in my mind and heart that is currently closed to Jesus?

ENSLAVED

What might Jesus be trying to set free within me?

JUST OUT OF REACH

We long to be seen, heard, and known. We yearn most of all for God.

SPIRITUALLY SHIFTING INTO NEUTRAL

Can we abandon our will and trust Him? I have learned that in hopeless moments, it is the only way to move forward.

Passages to Something New

The question is not how to avoid loss and make it not happen, but how to choose it as a passage, as an exodus to greater life and freedom.

LETTING MYSELF BE WEAK

It is in my weakness that I find Christ, especially during this Lenten season. I want to take refuge in the Lord.

HEY, JUDE.

Jesus is closest to those that are hurting and suffering.

CHOOSING TO BE SAVED

I realized that the desire to give into shame was strong, but the invitation to choose love is stronger.

SCORCHING WIND AND SUN

No matter how dry my prayer feels, God continues to offer the water of everlasting life.

An Acknowledgement and Invitation

My hope is to live beyond my own limited imagination, and into God’s dream for me.

*Photo credit: Tory Hallenburg

THE POWER OF TRUST

Help me to gather the strength to let go of that control and put my trust in you more and more each day.

Coming Home

Our homecoming involves allowing the inner voice of mercy and love to take hold of us and move us beyond self-rejection to live as God’s beloved children.