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Hollowed Out by Love: Suffering as Purification (Lectio Divina)
Drawing on the haunting image of Abba Arsenius — whose tears wore a hollow in his chest over a lifetime of weeping — this Lectio Divina reflection traces the movement from suffering to purification, from emptiness to union. Our longing for God will cause us pain as we grieve for all that is not-God.…
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We Know Not Where But With And To Whom (Lectio Divina)
What does it mean to follow Christ when we do not know where he is leading us? Drawing on Thomas à Kempis’s invitation to follow the Way, the Truth, and the Life, this Lectio Divina sits with the paradox at the heart of Christian discipleship: we do not know where Christ takes us, but…
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More Than We Can Handle: On Grace, the Cross, and the God Who Never Turns Away (Lectio Divina)
We are often told that God will not give us more than we can handle — but this is only partly true. In fact, God often gives us exactly more than we can handle: tests we cannot pass, crosses we cannot bear, laws we cannot follow on our own strength. And this is the…
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Not the Final Word: On Suffering, Brokenness, and Grace (Lectio Divina)
Some days — some weeks, months, and years — we are going to be beaten down by the world’s brokenness. Suffering is real, brokenness is real, and the pain we carry can feel like our ultimate reality. And yet, in silence and stillness, something more real than our suffering is revealed. Drawing on St.…
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God Doesn’t Change Our Circumstances. He Changes Our Hearts. (Lectio Divina)
Drawing on John of the Cross’s counsel to live as though only God and yourself were in this world, this Lectio Divina explores why God does not change our circumstances — but changes our hearts. Through the cross, the cry of Gethsemane, and the kenotic pattern of Christ’s self-surrender, this reflection invites us into…
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The Tapestry of Life: Finding Joy Through Suffering With St. John of the Cross (Lectio Divina)
Drawing on Fr. Daniel Chowning’s reflection on St. John of the Cross, this Lectio Divina explores how joy does not mean the absence of suffering — but is woven through it. Through the Scotist lens of a God who willed us for love from the beginning, this post meditates on how the full tapestry…
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Bathe in the Ocean of Matter: On Embodiment, Suffering, and the God Who Is Always Becoming (Lectio Divina)
Drawing on Teilhard de Chardin’s image of the ocean of matter, this Lectio Divina explores what it means to live fully as embodied beings — diving into experience rather than withdrawing from it, and trusting that the God who is always becoming sustains us through suffering with a peace that depends on nothing, even…
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Where Light Enters: The Wounds of Christ and the Wounds We Carry (Lectio Divina)
When Jesus rose from the grave, he rose wounded. Drawing on Cecilia González-Andrieu and the Beatitudes, this Lectio Divina explores how our suffering connects us to the wounded, risen Christ — and how grace enters the world through the very places we are broken open.
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Blessed Are the Afflicted: Bearing Suffering With Thankfulness (Lectio Divina)
Drawing on the wisdom of Abba Copres and the story of Job, this contemplative reflection explores what it means to bear suffering with thankfulness — not as passive resignation, but as an act of deepening trust. When the answers we seek never come, and when blame offers no peace, the invitation is to consider…
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Softened Hearts Through Suffering and Grace (Lectio Divina)
In the face of suffering, we are challenged to either harden our hearts or let our pain soften us. Through suffering, we are drawn into humility, empathy, and gentleness, becoming vessels for love and connection. Perhaps our suffering is a bridge to deeper relationships with Christ and our fellow humans.