Amy Welborn is a contributor - five devotions per issue - to the Living Faith daily devotional .
Today, October 25:
....In other words, my sense of “normal” had developed in that bubble, and it made me think: What about my sense of the fundamental purpose and direction of my life? What “greatest commandment” governs my choices? Is that shaped by my conversations with the world—or the conversation with Christ?
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October 10
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:28
More than one year ago, I stood in St. Peter’s Square when white smoke arose, signaling the election of Pope Leo XIV. What an experience! Folks from all over the world, so different in some ways but all filled with joy, one in Christ.
What’s amazing is that I don’t have to go to Rome to experience that. Every time I’m at Mass, even if there’s only a few other people present in the dimness of 6:30 a.m. in our Cathedral, it’s the same, really.
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September 29:
I witnessed some serious road rage the other day. It was so aggressive that I hung back from traffic, not wanting to be caught in the middle.
A driver honked at the hesitating car in front of him. That driver slammed on his brakes, inched forward, slammed them again, gunned forward into the busy intersection, circled, then raced back in the direction he’d come, engine roaring. What in the world was that for? I wondered. What did that accomplish?
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June 23:
God’s presence is like that. To the ends of the earth, every moment with the Lord gives me the opportunity to learn something new—even in the grocery store I visit daily or in the company of an old friend. Even when ever-old, if my eyes and heart are open to the presence of the living God, what he has to reveal will still be ever-new to me.
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April 23:
I can sometimes allow my understanding of myself, my life and God to stagnate. I assume I get it, that I’ve got the answers for all the good—and bad—questions and challenges.
But is that really so? Is what I think I know now all there is to know? Might I be more open to the Philip I might meet along the way, ready, as the Ethiopian, to have my eyes opened to something new?
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April 4:
Have you ever hit rock bottom? Have you ever been in a situation of such sadness and darkness that you could not imagine ever—I mean ever—feeling anything close to joy again? That there was simply no way to loosen the chains, to not feel the weight of grief, frustration or helplessness that afflicted you at that moment?
And have you ever made it through? Have you found that with time and grace, light glimmers and the weight that seemed to define your days has lightened?
That glimpse? Take that and blow it up, expand it to eternity and let it surround and then sweep away all the heavy darkness of your entire life—of the world.
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March 23:
To imaginatively place ourselves in a Gospel scene is an ancient spiritual practice. To do so here invites us to first see ourselves in a special place: alone with Jesus.
Now he asks: Who has condemned us?
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March 8:
Once again, Jesus’ disciples seem to be almost clueless. They’re also intimidated: They don’t dare ask Jesus why he’s talking to this woman. Here, they can’t see past the literal meaning of his words about food. This dynamic can be both a concern and a comfort to me.
If the disciples spent day and night with Jesus and still didn’t grasp his meaning or purpose, what hope do I have? On the other hand, if even the disciples were confused, I suppose I shouldn’t feel badly when I am either.
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, February 26:
There are so many ways that the Lord gives us strength. It can come as we open ourselves to his grace and just find ourselves stronger in mind, spirit and body. He can bless us with wisdom that gives us perspective and, therefore, strength.
And, of course, God answers our call and strengthens us through others who share our joys and pain, who laugh and cry with us. They are brothers and sisters with whom we can stay strong and even joyful during the journey serving God’s people.
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February 2:
What a richly layered feast this is. It’s the real and final end of the Christmas season: Until a few years ago, the Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square stayed up until this feast. It’s a day to remember and celebrate religious women and men. And over the centuries, the tradition has grown of bringing candles from home to church to be blessed on this day. Candles that, before electricity, would have been used throughout the year, not just for a decorative touch but to give light necessary for everyday living. The candles, then blessed, would shed not only natural light, but be a sign of Christ’s presence.
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December 28:
Among all the genres of viral videos out there, one that I find most affecting is one I’d call “Children meeting their newborn siblings for the first time.”
From teens to toddlers, those moments are nothing but joy. Even small children break into happy tears when their tiny swaddled-up brother or sister is gently placed in their arms. What a mysterious, profound bond is family love!
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November 19:
Could it be that part of Jesus’ “love language” is to gently and persistently remind me to never rest comfortably in my own worldview? That God always has more to reveal to me, and that I always have more to learn?
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November 2:
In many of these shrines, small and large, there’s another image too. It’s a photograph. An old woman. A child. A young man in a uniform. A candle flickers nearby.
Don’t forget, they say. You walk by and ask for prayers. Don’t forget to pray for us too.
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October 11:
A friend is going through a terrible, world-shifting time. Life today looks completely different than it did even six months ago. She’s done what she could, but she really can’t do any more. It’s hard and sad. We do what we can to accompany those in difficult places. But it’s a challenge to offer words that don’t end up sounding like empty platitudes, isn’t it? Or even, if we’re going through our own hard times, reading words like the psalmist’s and believing them.
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, June 6:
A few years ago, I wandered into a little church in Ferrara, Italy, and saw a black and white photo of a woman religious in front of a tomb. This Sr. Veronica of the Blessed Sacrament was a Carmelite mystic who had died in 1964. Her canonization cause (in Italian) is: SuorVeronica.org.
I was struck, first, by the notion of running into a new-to-me saint around the corner. What surprising people and stories might I encounter anywhere if I’m paying attention?
