Let Your Word Dwell Within Us
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Be strong, let your heart be bold, you who hope in YHWH.
Psalm 31:25
As we enter the unfolding mystery of Holy Week, we are reminded that two things can be true at once. Like a roller coaster that is both frightening and thrilling, life—and faith—hold joy and sorrow together. What we are taught and what we experience do not always align, yet both can reveal truth.
Franciscan theology affirms that the Incarnation flows from divine love, not as a response to sin but as God’s free choice to dwell with us. That same love stretches from Jesus’ birth through his life of contemplative action to his death and resurrection.
Christ is our exemplar, showing us how to live and love. As Sister Ilia Delio, OSF, reminds us, there is no other Christ now but you and me. Transformed through hope, we are called to be attentive, to be strong, bold, and united in our love. We are called to be the presence of divine love in the world today.
Let Us Pray
Holy One, remind us that you dwell with us and within us. In these days of polarization and fear, strengthen our weary hearts. With Jesus, our brother, we know fatigue and uncertainty. Help us to remember that we are called to be your presence of goodness, kindness, love, and compassion in our world today.
Reflection Questions / Practices
- Where am I being invited to slow down and practice contemplative action?
- What does it mean for me to hear: “There is no other Christ now but you and me”?
- How is love calling me to be more attentive, bold, or united?
- Pause – Before acting, breathe and ask: What does love ask of me here?
Call Out Quote
You truly exist where you love, not merely where you live.
~ St. Bonaventure