John’s words in 1 John 4:11–18 draw us back to the very heart of the Christian life: love. Not the fragile, shifting kind we often encounter in the world, but the steady, self-giving love that begins in God and flows through us. “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another.” It’s both a command and a revelation. We love because we have first been loved.
Continue reading “Remaining in the Love That Remains in Us”
A Gentle Examen for the New Year
Every so often, the Spirit nudges us to pause, not to judge ourselves harshly, but to look honestly at the shape of our lives. Are we living in a way that reflects the One we claim to follow? Are our habits, our reactions, our desires slowly being formed into the life of Christ?
Continue reading “Are We Living the Life of Christ?”
Do you need the grace of courage?
In Luke 16:1–8, Jesus tells a surprising parable: a dishonest steward is praised—not for his cheating, but for his resolve. Faced with crisis, he examines his situation, acknowledges his weakness, and acts decisively. Jesus invites us to do the same—not in cunning, but in spiritual courage.
Continue reading “Discernment and Decision”
Our spiritual life is most deeply shaped not by abstract ideas, but by lived experience. The divine is the depth dimension of everything that exists—God as Being itself, dwelling at the core of who we are. When we discover a place of at-homeness within ourselves, we awaken to the unique God-dimension planted in each soul.
Continue reading “Thanksgiving: The Lived Experience of God”
The Christian life is not simply about belief—it is about imitation. To walk in the way of Christ is to let His pattern of humility, patience, and sacrificial love shape our own.
Continue reading “My Slow and Swift Rescue”
We were made to reveal God’s goodness—to be living signs of His mercy, love, and faithfulness. Yet how often do we conceal it? Not with malice, but with silence. With hesitation. With the quiet decision to keep God’s work in our lives tucked away, lest it be misunderstood or dismissed. Where are you revealing or concealing God’s goodness?
Continue reading “A Choice with Eternal Weight”
Desire directs our lives. It’s the quiet compass beneath our choices, the unseen current beneath our prayers. What we desire—deeply, persistently—either adds to our joy or erodes it. There is a relationship between the quality of our desires and the quality of our lives.
Continue reading “The Shape of Our Desires”
“Don’t spend your energies on things that generate worry, anxiety and anguish. Only one thing is necessary: Lift up your spirit, and love God.”
—Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina
We live in a world that constantly pulls at our attention and burdens our hearts with worry. But Padre Pio’s words offer a gentle redirection: lift up your spirit, and love God. When anxiety threatens to consume us, we’re reminded that the most important thing isn’t fixing every problem—it’s turning our hearts toward the One who holds us.
Continue reading “A Reminder to Lift Up Your Spirit”
“I supply streams of water in the desert and rivers in the wilderness to satisfy the thirst of my people, my chosen ones, so that you, whom I have shaped and formed for myself, will proclaim my praise.”
—Isaiah 43:20–21 TPT
In a world that scatters our attention and mocks tenderness, Edith Stein gives us a model for living. She chose one thing—and made it her door to God.
Continue reading “The Doorway of One Thing”
Smitten With Goodness 