
Robert Van Valkenburgh traces the arc from childhood hyper-vigilance to a 4 a.m. moment of insomnia — where the altar of self-made atonement becomes, by grace, the place of surrender. Drawing on St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s bold declaration that she fears only one thing — keeping her own will — this Lectio Divina asks…

What does it mean to love God when your very capacity to love him is a gift he gave you? In this Lectio Divina reflection, Robert Van Valkenburgh draws on Thérèse of Lisieux’s Act of Oblation to Merciful Love — her prayer that the waves of infinite tenderness shut up within God might overflow…

Drawing on Thérèse of Lisieux’s insight that God asks only for surrender and gratitude, this Lectio Divina explores what it means to practice Sabbath not as a single day but as a disposition of the whole life — a perpetual yes to God’s love, learned slowly, in faith and through grace.

Discover St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s wisdom on surrender and gratitude. Jesus doesn’t demand heroic acts but invites us into simple trust and thankful hearts, echoing Mary’s faithful yes and Scripture’s call to rest in grace.