15Feb26 (26aO6) Jesus raises the bar beyond mere rule-keeping: it is not enough to avoid murder or adultery—disciples are called to transformed hearts. The Christian life is not about minimal sin avoidance, but about choosing life through love of God and neighbor. As Lent approaches, we are invited into the desert not for self-improvement alone, but to reorder our lives through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving so that we run toward Christ and grow in authentic love.

15Feb26 (26aO6) Jesus raises the bar beyond mere rule-keeping: it is not enough to avoid murder or adultery—disciples are called to transformed hearts. The Christian life is not about minimal sin avoidance, but about choosing life through love of God and neighbor. As Lent approaches, we are invited into the desert not for self-improvement alone, but to reorder our lives through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving so that we run toward Christ and grow in authentic love.

1Feb26 (26aO4) The Beatitudes overturn the world’s idea of being “blessed.” Jesus does not promise comfort or success, but true happiness—human flourishing rooted in God. Drawing on the Beatitudes and the Christian understanding of happiness, we are challenged to examine where we seek fulfillment. Real blessedness is found not in wealth, ease, or power, but in poverty of spirit, generosity, perseverance, and living for the Kingdom of Heaven.

25Jan26 (26aO3) Reflecting on Jesus’ call of the first disciples and the prophecy of light dawning in Galilee, we are reminded that Christ still speaks clearly today through Sacred Scripture. On this Sunday of the Word of God, we are urged to deepen our familiarity with the Bible, recognizing that ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. As disciples, we are called not only to hear the Word, but to let it illumine our lives, strengthen our hope, and draw us more fully into following Jesus.

18Jan26 (26aO2) We reflect on John the Baptist’s testimony that reveals Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Drawing on the Passover, the prophets, and the servant songs of Isaiah, we see that Christ’s sacrifice is not only for Israel but for all nations. Called and sanctified in Christ, we are invited not to think too small, but to live holy lives that share in His mission to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.

11Jan26 (26Baptism) We reflect on why Baptism is the gateway to the Christian life and why Christ Himself chose to be baptized. Baptism forgives sin, makes us temples of the Holy Spirit, and—most profoundly—adopts us as children of God. Though it fully cleanses us, it does not remove human weakness, which is why confession and the Eucharist continually renew our baptismal life. We are reminded that God freely chose us in Baptism, bound Himself to the sacraments for our salvation, and calls us to live confidently as sons and daughters of the Father.

4Jan26 (26Epiphany) We reflect on the Magi as seekers of truth who follow what is good, true, and beautiful—even before fully knowing God. Epiphany reminds us that faith and reason are not opposed: truth is one. God reveals Himself not only through Scripture, but also through creation, science, and sincere searching. Like the Magi, we are invited to keep pursuing truth wherever it leads, trusting it will ultimately lead us to Christ.

25Dec25 (25ChristmasEve) We face a broken, anxious world and our own messy lives, and we admit how much we want God to simply fix it all. Christmas shows us something deeper: God doesn’t stay distant or override our freedom—He enters our chaos. In Jesus, God becomes one of us, walking with us in weakness and disorder so we are never alone.

JESUS

Manifest Infirmity, wondrous Humility,

in which all the greatness of God lay hidden:

He is both great in the nature of God

and small in the form of a servant.

But His greatness is not diminished by His smallness,

nor His smallness overwhelmed by His greatness.

He Himself with the Father and the Holy Spirit precedes all spans of time,

but on this day, issuing from His mother,

He stepped into the tide of the years.

* * * * *

He who made man, was made Man;

He was given existence by a mother whom

He brought into existence.

He finds no room in the inn, but

He builds a temple for Himself

in the hearts of those who believe.

Unspeakably wise, He is wisely speechless;

filling the world, He lies in a manger.

He is wrapped in swaddling clothes,

but He gives us a garment of immortality.

John the Baptist baptized Christ, the Giver of Baptism,

in waters made holy by the One Who was baptized.

* * * * *

In Him we see our God made visible,

and so are caught up in the love of the God we cannot see.

He came to pay a debt He didn’t owe

because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay.

Such is the love of our God!

Then let us be kindled with love,

that we may come to His eternity!

By Marie E. Barfknecht (1926-2019)

21Dec25 (25aA4) We step into St. Joseph’s quiet holiness: a righteous man who doesn’t speak in Scripture, but acts—protecting, providing, obeying, and staying open to God’s voice in unexpected ways, even through sleep. We explore the Church’s growing devotion to Joseph as a needed model of strong, humble fatherhood, and we keep a clear boundary between private revelation and the public revelation of the Church. Then we pivot to a hard challenge for modern—and military—life: we are not “human doings,” but human beings, made for worship and communion with God, not endless toil. Drawing on Josef Pieper’s Leisure, the Basis of Culture and Psalm 127 (“He pours gifts on his beloved while they slumber”), we confront the lie that rest is only “recharging to work harder.” True leisure is Sabbath-shaped: worship, presence, prayer, Scripture, and Eucharist—spaces where God builds the house while we stop trying to carry the whole world.

14Dec25 (25aA3) We sit with the Advent tension of the Christian life: already saved by grace, but not yet fully purified and ready for heaven. Using John the Baptist in prison—who seems to question, “Are you the one who is to come?”—we explore how faith can feel strained when the world still looks broken, and how Jesus answers not with theories but with signs: sight restored, the dead raised, good news preached to the poor. We consider two readings of John’s question—crisis of faith or a final act of humility to push his disciples toward Jesus—and we hear Advent’s practical call: be patient with ourselves and others, stop living on accusation, and learn John’s rule for holiness: “He must increase, and I must decrease.”