Scripture
Reflections
Holy Week Reflections are available now. Explore below.
2025 Holy Week Reflections — Available now!
Perhaps no other time in the liturgical calendar offers more theological inspiration for our work than Holy Week. This year, CMN has provided a collection of Holy Week reflections to bolster your prayer during this journey from Christ’s execution to his Resurrection.
We invite you to pray with these at your own pace throughout these Holy days. You can download the packet of reflections by clicking the button below, or scroll to explore each reflection here on this webpage.
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Easter Sunday — Hope Never Fails
Easter Sunday — Hope Never Fails By Bishop Emeritus Felipe Estévez, Diocese of St. Augustine As we celebrate the Lord’s triumph over death, I can’t help but think of the men in my own state of Florida whose lives have recently been taken by capital punishment. I pray that Edward James, who was executed on…
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Holy Saturday — Waiting in Darkness
Holy Saturday — Waiting in Darkness By Sr. Barbara Battista, SP We call this day “Holy Saturday.” We spend this day, between death and resurrection, in quiet remembrance, as a somber vigil at Jesus’ tomb. This is not simply a re-enactment. Holy Saturday invites us to ponder the “tomb time” between Jesus’ death and resurrection….
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Good Friday — The Women at the Foot of the Cross
Good Friday — The Women at the Foot of the Cross By Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy “Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister. Mary, the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdala.” (John 19:25) Today’s Good Friday gospel reading is heavy. We remember the Passion story: Judas, Jesus’ disciple, betrays him….
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Holy Thursday — Becoming Eucharist
Holy Thursday — Becoming Eucharist By Don McCrabb, D.Min. The Eucharist is a restorative practice. It gathers strangers together and forms us into a community. It holds the tender truth of our failings and unleashes the power of our faith in the innate dignity of every human being. The Eucharist restores our humanity and sends…
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Palm Sunday — Reflecting on Imago Dei
Palm Sunday — Reflecting on Imago Dei By Lori Stanley Palm Sunday signals Jesus’s path to the cross and juxtaposes the honors he received upon entering Jerusalem with the suffering and violent torture that would follow. As bodies of onlookers hugged the road, Jesus made the journey to enter the city. Riding on a donkey…
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The Fourth Sunday of Advent: The Power of a Visit
The Fourth Sunday of Advent: The Power of a Visit December 22, 2024 | Sr. Janet Ryan, OSF | Sunday’s Readings In today’s Gospel, Mary’s visit to Elizabeth had a profound impact on both women. Elizabeth, in her time of need, received the gratuitous ‘love of neighbor’ exemplified by Mary. And from Elizabeth, Mary received…
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The Third Sunday of Advent: What then should we do?
December 15, 2024 | Cullen Larson | Sunday’s Readings “What then should we do?” – Luke 3:10 In his Gospel, Luke is careful to tell us that John the Baptist and Jesus came along at a very specific place and time in history, with particular characters in control of both religious and political power. Just…
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Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe: Now what?
December 12, 2024 | Sr. Misty Garriga, C.D.P | Today’s Readings “Now have salvation and power come, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed.” Rev. 12:10 I am privileged to be able to work with the men on Death Row at the Polunsky Unit in Livingston, Texas. This past September,…
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The Second Week of Advent: Finding God in the Desert
The Second Week of Advent: Finding God in the Desert December 8, 2024 | Caitlin Morneau | Sunday’s Readings The Word of God came to John in the desert. In the desert of all places. When I was in college, my campus minister offered us a busy student Advent retreat. I remember my freshman year…
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Feast of the Immaculate Conception: Carrying Christ’s Light into the World
Feast of the Immaculate Conception: Carrying Christ’s Light into the World December 9, 2024 | Amber Herkey | Today’s Readings Last year, I became a mother. Holding my child, I was struck by the miracle of new life — a living testament to hope. In this new chapter of motherhood, I began to see that…