“What labels have I used to describe myself?  What names do I secretly call myself?  In what ways do I criticize or belittle myself?” Br. David Vryhof challenges us to look past the labels we use, and instead to see the beauty in ourselves and others.

“In our modern culture, powerful language now reaches farther faster.  In as little as a ‘tweet,’ we see how speech can be used to create either thoughtful uplifting speech, or used to attack and denigrate those who would think differently than ourselves. How can we as Christians, who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ change this trend?” Br. Jim Woodrum urges us to harness the power of language for good, by using words that bless and heal, rather than injure and maim. He offers practical suggestions for how we can choose to put right words into right action.

“Jesus is not 'charging his batteries' so that he can be a more efficient pastor. He is not engaging in mindfulness meditation in order to generate more brilliant ideas or wow his board of trustees. And Jesus is not pulling an all-nighter so that he can ace the final exam. He is doing something for eight to ten hours straight with no obvious utility, in the dark, on a mountaintop. And this is where the imprudence, the counter-intuition, and the extravagance come in. Jesus is not saving up fuel or conserving energy for his big day. He is spending it with wreckless abandon.” Br. Keith Nelson paints a portrait of Jesus as a man who loses sleep for love of God; he invites us, too, to spend ourselves with reckless abandon, certain that God imprudently, extravagantly, counterintuitively, graciously fills vessels that are emptied of their own light, their own fuel, their own energy, and their own will.

“We live in a world, and in an age, and in a culture, that tells us lies. One of those lies is that there are people who are beyond Jesus’ love. And this story smashes that lie. And I love it.” Br. James Koester revels in a breathless seven-line story in Mark's Gospel, which powerfully smashes the lies we have been told about ourselves, our neighbors, and our God, whose loving and healing touch extends to everything and everyone.

“If Jesus is the ultimate expression of God’s love, Mary is the foreshadowing of that love. If Jesus has brought the fullness of God’s salvation for the world, Mary is its dawning.” On the feast of the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Br. Curtis Almquist invites us to celebrate not just how unique Mary is, but also how much we have in common with her.

“Jesus recognized a potential within Peter that would be useful for the ministry that he was about to develop.” Br. David Allen considers how reading the Gospel stories of Jesus calling his disciples can help us to understand Jesus' call to follow him.

“Engaging the forces of evil in the world and in the Church can be costly business.  It was for Jesus, and it will be for us.  It takes courage to name evil and to challenge it. It takes persistence to stand on the side of justice.” Br. David Vryhof looks to the Gospel stories of exorcism for inspiration and direction as we take on Jesus' mission: to liberate and set free, to heal and deliver, to bless, and to bring life.

“We see ourselves in others, particularly those who get under our skin… because they belong there. We are they. What we see in other people – particularly people who affront us – are ourselves. This is who we are. They are the mirror.” Br. Curtis Almquist commends a spirit of humility, which seeks to listen to, and learn from, and reverence the other, especially those who seem to us wrong or unworthy.

“We need the discerning shrewdness of Matthew’s wise bridesmaids, now more than ever, to see our way forward in the darkness, to actively filter out lies, and to determine how best to acquire the oil we need to keep our lamps burning in the long night.” Br. Keith Nelson considers how the different types of wisdom depicted in the Scriptures can help us to navigate the anti-wisdom of the contemporary American cultural landscape.

“Trees make exceptionally good teachers here. The roots are drawing nourishment from the dark places under the soil, while the leaves, high in the sky, drink light from the sun. And meeting somewhere in the middle is the fruit, the fruit of earth and heaven, drawing the two together as a beautiful gift.” Br. Nicholas Bartoli explores the dichotomy of our human experience, caught somewhere between light and shadow, heaven and earth.