“The Father who is holy perfects his children through the medicine of mercy that is administered gradually over a lifetime.”
~Scott Hahn
Reflection:
Where in my life am I being invited to trust God’s mercy to work slowly and patiently rather than demanding immediate perfection?
Scripture:
“And I am sure that the one who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” — Philippians 1:6
No one comes to God
in wholeness
no one approaches Him
without sin
for it is in our brokenness
that He calls us
to heal the wounds
we have within
in Christ our weakness
becomes His strength
through the cracks
the light shines in
~Robert Van Valkenburgh
Reflection:
Where in my own brokenness might Christ be inviting me to receive His healing and strength today?
Scripture:
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’”
— 2 Corinthians 12:9
“The love of God is the soul’s health, and the more we grow in love the healthier we become.”
~Fr. Daniel Chowning, O.C.D.
Reflection:
Where in my life is God inviting me to receive His love more deeply so that my soul may be healed?
Scripture:
“Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.”
— Jeremiah 17:14
Heal me Jesus
from my worldly attachments
my desires for money
honor
power
that distract me from love
draw me into your embrace
Almighty Son of God
for yours is the treasure
the glory
the kindom
I wish to seek
~Robert Van Valkenburgh
Reflection:
What worldly attachments or desires most compete with my freedom to love God and others fully?
Scripture:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy… But store up treasures in heaven.”
— Matthew 6:19–20
“A person has only died a good death when stalwartly accepting, like Jesus, one’s own internal god-forsakenness; only that is ultimate pathless mysticism.”
~Karl Rahner
Reflection:
How do I respond when God feels absent—do I resist the darkness, or can I remain faithful within it?
Scripture:
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” — Matthew 27:46
Lord how long
did you call for me
and I did not answer
how long did you reach out
and I pulled away
how long did you mourn for me
and I ignored your tears
to live my life
to do my will
to seek my glory
and yet when I was ready
when I had enough pain
you welcomed me back
in celebration
and in love
~Robert Van Valkenburgh
Reflection:
Where in my life have I resisted God’s call, and how might He be inviting me today to return and receive His mercy with trust and humility?
Scripture:
“While he was still far off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.”
— Luke 15:20
“As simple and quiet sisters, peace and love require no arms. For it is not in war, but in peace, that we are trained.”
~Clement of Alexandria
Reflection:
Where in my life is Christ inviting me to lay down my defenses and be trained in peace rather than struggle?
Scripture:
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.”
— Matthew 5:9
Christ on the cross
does not call us to passivity
any more than He calls us to fight
or to run away
Christ on the cross
calls us to love
to forgive
to pray for God’s mercy
even for those who hurt us
abuse us
reject us
abandon or betray us
for those who would take our lives
Christ on the cross
calls us to stand up for love
to lay down our lives for love
to never give up on love
~Robert Van Valkenburgh
Reflection:
Where in my life is Christ inviting me to respond to suffering not with withdrawal or retaliation, but with courageous, forgiving love?
Scripture:
“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”
—Luke 23:34 (NRSV)
“Many of those who are humiliated are not humble. Some react to humiliation with anger, others with patience, and others with freedom. The first are culpable, the next harmless, the last just.”
~St. Bernard of Clairvaux
Reflection:
When I experience humiliation, do I react with anger, endure it with mere patience, or receive it freely in trust that God is at work within me? What does my reaction to humiliation reveal about my heart?
Scripture:
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”
— James 4:10
My dear friend
I want to share with you
what the Lord is doing
with me today
but you are gone
returned to the dust
and the ether
no longer there to call
nor to send a note
no more coffee chats
or stories shared over a meal
I long to hear your voice
to receive the return note
to know you understand
to know someone understands
what the Lord is doing with me
my dear friend
~Robert Van Valkenburgh
Reflection:
Who do you bring to God in prayer when the one who once understood your heart is no longer here—and how might the Lord be inviting you to trust Him with what remains unspoken?
Scripture:
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
— Psalm 34:18 (NRSVCE)
Grappling With Divinity 