Scripture Scribbles: December 14, 2025
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.
Rejoice! Go on, rejoice! It’s the third week of Advent!! Gaudete Sunday! The Rose colored candle on our Advent wreath! The Rose colored vestments on our Priests! Gaudete, a Latin word which means REJOICE! I love this “permission” to rejoice, I also love this “reminder” to actually rejoice! Not run around doing all the things, not watching the chaos of the world and swirl with anxiety…..rejoice! Why? Because we are in the season of Advent. We are preparing for our Lord to come. We get this week to taste a little of the Joy that we will get to enjoy fully on Christmas.
On November 30th this year, the first day of Advent, I put these words up on my board in our kitchen; Hope, Peace, Joy, Love, to remind myself, and my family, of what each candle of Advent represents. I was delighted when my “Scribble” fell on this third week. I hope I can encourage you (and me) to recognize what God is doing in our lives. He sent us a savior.
Scripture Scribbles: December 7, 2025
I can almost feel the heat of the sun in the desert as I hear John the Baptist’s passionate invitation to repent to prepare for the coming of the Messiah. The way he preaches is intense and oriented toward urgent change. His deep experience of the holiness of God pulses through everything he says. I hear an echo of the prophet Isaiah’s words from the first reading in John’s preaching:
“He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.”
This is describing Jesus.
He is the Holy of Holies.
His word holds all things in existence.
And right now, this very moment, we have the chance to repent, to begin again, so that we can fully receive him.
Scripture Scribbles: November 30, 2025
Lord, am I awake?
I want to be awake, but I am just not sure. Please enter into my heart. Into my mind. Lead me and guide me. Help me to surrender my ways for Your own. Show me the way. Open my eyes. Open my heart. Help me to trust in You. To wait to hear Your voice and to say yes to whatever You may reveal for me in the year ahead.
Scripture Scribbles: November 23, 2025
Just shortly before the Advent Season in the liturgical calendar begins, I was expecting to read something about Christmas or Mary’s conception of Jesus. Instead, our gospel for this Sunday is about Jesus hanging on the cross next to the criminals who committed really serious crimes. I had to do a double take as I read the gospel because I was a bit surprised. Nonetheless, I particularly liked what the penitent thief on the cross said to Jesus. "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." But what I loved even more was Jesus’ reply to this man.
"Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
Isn’t this the ultimate reward? Redemption? Shouldn’t this be our major goal while still on earth? Salvation?
Scripture Scribbles: November 16, 2025
“We’re in the end times,” my friend warned, “and we need to be prepared.” Theresa often listened to modern-day prophets who spoke of “powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues … mighty signs from the sky.” She believed these were signs of the last days. She reviewed a list of staples—firewood, bottled water, warm clothing, flashlights, candles, rice, and canned goods—as though I were preparing for a long-term power outage. As she continued, I wondered how prepared my soul was for the final encounter. Matthew Kelly reminds us that Judgment Day is when the person you are meets the person you could have been. I shuddered at the thought…
Scripture Scribbles: November 9, 2025
Most often when I read this passage, I think about Jesus’ righteous anger and how we can relate to Him more because He even was upset at times. Today, however, I encountered something different - trust when we do not understand. How often has the Lord spoken to you in prayer and you misunderstood him? You thought he meant one thing, but really, He meant to help you grow in ways you hadn’t thought of before. In the Gospel, everyone thinks Jesus is referring to the temple building and didn’t understand what He meant until He was resurrected. The disciples remembered what he said in hindsight.
Scripture Scribbles: November 2, 2025 - All Souls
“Come Holy Spirit”
These are the words I whisper inside my head as I sit in the most peaceful adoration Chapel, hoping to write a reflection on today’s Gospel. I want the words to come from the Spirit, I want the Spirit to guide me. The desire I feel is to write about Joy…to write about the beautiful fruits of the Holy Spirit. How Paul lists them in Galatians 5:22-23 “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” I want to feel the abundance of these fruits bubbling up in my heart. Spilling over my cup so they are just pouring out into the lives of everyone I encounter…
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.