Scripture Scribbles: October 26, 2025
Today’s Gospel has me pondering the ways that we hide ourselves. When I read the Pharisee’s prayer, I think about the relationships and situations in my life where it feels really important to be unassailable, where it feels really important to be better than someone else, where it feels terrifying to admit my own need for help and mercy.
Those relationships and situations are ones where there has been deep hurt in my story. And it feels much safer to draw up the walls of self-sufficiency and self-righteousness and put on the armor of my own merit than it does to risk letting anyone get close to (or even see) the tender places. Even the Lord.
In Adam’s words after the fall, “I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself.” (Genesis 3:10)
Scripture Scribbles: October 12, 2025
Isn’t Jesus the perfect example of embracing and accepting the “least” of our brothers and sisters. When it comes to loving the unlovable, He practically embodies unconditional love.
Jesus teaches us to accept the odd one out. The outcast. The one who doesn’t belong. The sinners.
Who among these Biblical figures left a remarkable impression to you? While Jesus’ gestures of acceptance totally moved us and inspired us to emulate Him, we cannot ignore the people whose lives were changed because of Jesus’ love.
Mary Magdalene, Paul, Lazarus, the Gentiles, the Samaritans, the lepers, the blind, the sick, and the tax collectors were never the same again after Jesus touched their lives in the most amazing way possible.
Scripture Scribbles: October 5, 2025
Yes, I would love to have a faith that commands an obedient mulberry tree to be “uprooted and planted in the sea,” a faith that accomplishes the seemingly impossible: softening a hardened heart, converting wayward children, restoring damaged relationships, mending broken hearts, healing deep wounds. A faith that conquers all fear. How do I increase my faith?
Faith means not only believing that God exists and that everything He has revealed through Scripture, Tradition, and the Church is true, but also living according to these truths. Fr. Mike Schmitz teaches that faith in Jesus is inseparable from obedience: living this life for the next, becoming His disciple by striving to obey Him in all things. It is not perfection, but a sincere effort to “do whatever He tells you” (John 2:5).
Scripture Scribbles: September 28, 2025
As I reflect on today’s Gospel, I keep thinking of last week’s Gospel as well - you can’t serve both God and Mammon(money). The rich man this week clearly served Mammon. He had the finest wardrobe, delicious food, and many fancy things. He was attached to his lifestyle and comfort. Meanwhile, Lazarus “would have gladly eaten the scraps.”
The word that struck me is “gladly.”
I ponder how the majority of us live quite comfortably, and still yearn for the latest gadget, better clothes, choicest foods. Is it possible that we lack gratitude and freedom from material things?
Scripture Scribbles: September 21, 2025
I believe this is probably a familiar Gospel for you, and if you’re like me, it’s a bit confusing. So I sit and ask: Lord give me your wisdom, give me ears to hear. I think about yesterday’s Gospel with the seeds and the sower and what strikes me is yesterday’s Gospel was followed up with an explanation, a clear breakdown of what Jesus was teaching. I’m not finding that in today’s, so I had to dig a little deeper. I had to find a few people much wiser than myself to break it down for me.
I’m going to start with the last line of this Gospel “you cannot serve both God and mammon.” Mammon = money… aha! We know this, we know we should not worship money, wealth, fame…. But do we live this out? Is God first in our lives? Is He at the center of all I do, think, say?
Scripture Scribbles: September 14, 2025 - Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Dear hearts, this week has been difficult, hasn’t it? I am not usually attached to social media (or any media) but this week I have struggled to stop myself from visiting the infinite scroll of tragedy and horror unfolding. I am exhausted and heartbroken by all I have seen and read, by all that has happened, by the darkness and cruelty that abounds.
Then the Spirit whispers, “…But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” (Romans 5:20).
Scripture Scribbles: August 31, 2025
How do you stay grounded? How important is it to be humble in the eyes of God?
Humility is not too hard to do. It is even free because we don’t have to pay a thing in order to do it. However, because of pride, humility sometimes becomes just an illusion. The desire to be the first, to be on top on things, to be the greatest or the best, keep us from choosing modesty over conceit.
The gospel today teaches how to treat our poor brothers and sisters. God wants us to be generous without expecting for anything in return. Just plain giving. The gospel is also a very good reminder of how we should manifest humility in our everyday lives.
Scripture Scribbles: August 24, 2025
The virtue of strength—fortitude—doesn’t come naturally to me. My cousin nicknamed me “Kitty
Cat Karen” because of my meekness and timidness. Many school days ended in tears, shed
over others’ unkind remarks. I was too weak and afraid to fight back—I didn’t know how to.
Scripture Scribbles: August 17, 2025
Growing up, I didn’t understand this Gospel. Why would Jesus want to divide families, when families are so important? Would these divisions cause a complete cut-off from family members? It wasn’t until I started to follow Jesus more closely, that I began to understand. When I was a young adult, I decided to go to Mass which conflicted with a time my parents wanted to accomplish a task. I was divided between being obedient to them and worshipping the Lord. I chose Mass and it caused a small rift. There have been other instances - comments made from various family members, tensions of timing parties because my husband and I choose to go to Mass. At times, the mention of Mass, causes hairs to raise.
Scripture Scribbles: August 10, 2025
I have this desire to pull out each and every line of this Gospel; there is so much here that truly is speaking to my heart. My ADD is in overdrive as I try to keep some order to my thoughts. I’ll try to start at the beginning, no, not in Genesis….but in Luke 12:32 when Jesus says to his disciples: “Do not be afraid any longer…” Are you afraid? Am I afraid? I can read this and see the part that says; “Jesus says to his disciples” and I can mistakenly believe that He is not addressing me….but he is! That is kind of what we are all doing right? Being disciples? Trying our best to be followers of Christ? So if that's true, then he is also telling me, and YOU, do not be afraid any longer.
Scripture Scribbles: August 3, 2025
As I pray with this gospel, the Lord nudges me toward the request we hear today from the crowd. I smile because it sounds so familiar to me as a mother.
“Tell my brother to share!”
As my heart moves with a mother’s tenderness and love toward this voice in the crowd, the Lord reminds me that He also hears me with tenderness and love when I ask him for things.
And boy have I been asking for things.
Desperately asking.
Asking my friends and family for intercession.
Praying novenas.
Offering masses.
Asking the saints for intercession.
What I desire has been filling my mind and thoughts.
They are good things, these desires
But they are not the best thing.
They are not Him.
Scripture Scribbles: July 27, 2025
Prayer. What a loaded word.
What does it even mean? I spent years wondering that myself.
Maybe you can relate. I wonder if the disciple in today’s reading, the one who asks Him to teach them to pray, was struggling with some of these same things.
But then he saw the Lord pray.
And something awakened in his heart.
Scripture Scribbles: July 20, 2025
How often do we have guests? How hospitable are we?
Today’s gospel reminds us that preparing for and serving our guests is a good thing. However, God wants us to look at the bigger picture. The main reason we’re having guests is because they want to be with us, isn’t it? By this, I mean they want to spend quality time with us by sharing meals, exchanging stories, updating one another about minor or major changes in one’s life, going somewhere together, and the like.
Scripture Scribbles: July 13, 2025
A burly, disheveled man holding a torn cardboard sign with faded lettering stands as a seemingly permanent fixture at the intersection. He’d be a monthly budget item if I gave him something every time I passed by. At times, my response to him has been less than charitable—my judgmental mind quickly recalling 2 Thessalonians 3:10: “If anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat.”
Scripture Scribbles: July 6, 2025
What a rich Gospel for today! So much to unpack! As I grow in deeper conversion, boldly living my faith comes a little easier; however, reading the Gospel for today reveals to me an invitation to expand more and allow God to further transform my heart. Am I confident enough to proclaim in front of a crowd of people hostile to the Faith and shake the dust off my feet if they reject me? I’m not so sure. I would like to be, so I pray for that grace.
Scripture Scribbles: June 29 - The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles
I love this, I love when the Gospels open up to me like a door, a door I can spiritually walk through. Peter spoke the truest words he knew, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.”
Jesus’ reply, that His heavenly Father revealed this to Peter, is stunning and at the same time it's the only thing that makes sense.
It’s the only thing that makes sense today.
If you have faith, and you believe that Jesus is the son of the living God….then do you know who revealed this to you? The living God!
Why? I don’t know.
Scripture Scribbles: June 22 - The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
“As the day was drawing to a close…”
This line catches me today. It is a little detail in the account of the spectacular miracle of the loaves and the fishes on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
The day was drawing to a close.
The expected time for ministry was drawing to a close.
The expected time for Jesus to heal and teach was drawing to a close.
Even Jesus’ best friends were confining his work to their own expectations, timelines and limitations that day.
Scripture Scribbles: June 15 - The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
He will guide you to all truth.
Full. Stop. Go back and read that again.
Do we really believe these words? Like, to the core of our being?
I wonder how different our lives would be if we truly did believe them.
Because these words, if they are actually true, change everything.
I think we often understand Jesus, but I wonder if we actually believe Him.
Today’s Gospel is one of those passages of Scripture that can knock the wind right out of me if I actually slow down enough to receive the words Jesus is speaking and let them sink into the depths of my being.
Scripture Scribbles: June 8, 2025 - Pentecost Sunday
The calm after the turbulence. The quiet after all the chaos. The solace after all the anxieties.
Today’s gospel is a very good reminder to us that the Holy Spirit is powerful and special. Jesus bestowed it to his friends after His resurrection. Upon receiving the Holy Spirit, we know what happened to Jesus’ apostles. On Pentecost, the followers of Christ were filled with the Holy Spirit that they turned courageous to become witnesses of Christ. They were on fire. They became steadfast, focused, renewed, and passionate.
Scripture Scribbles: June 1, 2025
Hardness of heart is something that I have always struggled with. I wasn’t born with a heart of stone. My sensitive nature, easily hurt by family member infractions, caused my heart to harden as I constructed protective barriers. A memorable confession 20 years ago began the break down of these walls. “You need to forgive and love,” my confessor said gently and calmly. “I can’t!” I responded stubbornly, somewhat shocked by my audacity to challenge a holy priest’s guidance. Undeterred by my childish response, he leaned closer, looked me straight in the eye, and slowly, clearly, and firmly intensified the words, “Yes, you can.” He leaned back and continued, “With God’s grace, you can do anything.”