Welcome to Word for the Week, the series in which I:

share my experience of hearing God’s Word in Mass last weekend,
explore what I believe the Lord is calling me to do about that Word, and
ask how this Word might impact your life, as well.

I arrived at Mass super early this week! Yet I was simultaneously a few minutes late for rehearsal. Some things never change. The good news is, I got to play with the music ministry team!

It was glorious to play an acoustic piano again! While I’m grateful for my full-length Roland keyboard at home, there’s nothing like a grand piano (except maybe the Nord Stage 3, but I digress). My soul soared when I sang in harmony with other professional vocalists again. And on top of that to also lead the congregation in song? *Happy sigh*

I’ve missed liturgical music ministry a lot.

And the homily! I’ve heard some pretty poor homilies on Trinity Sunday in the past. This one was thoughtful, eloquent, and it took me on a surprising journey. Our pastor preached on the Divine Revelation of the Triune God through the words of Christ. He explained how Christ pointed us to the strongest image of God’s love through the fruitful union of man and woman.

Then, Fr. John asked whether the dignity of the individual always stands, regardless of the circumstances of conception and birth. He gave many examples, from broken marriages to couples who happened to hook up once. With each example, he affirmed that life is a sign of God’s love!

At the very end of the homily, Fr. John emphatically stated, “And THAT is why racism is wrong.” And then he sat down.

The word that stood out to me in Mass was “rejoice!” This week, I feel called to keep finding things to rejoice about, and to share that jubilation with others. Specifically, I need to keep sharing through my songs and writing. And I believe I’m called to in turn invite my friends to rejoice.

So, it’s my turn to ask you: what blessings have you seen in the past 24 hours worthy of rejoicing over? In our family we like to talk about our “rose and thorn” for the day, but earlier this year a friend taught us to add in our “rose bud” (that would represent a sign of hope)! What are some roses or rose buds in your life right now?

Let’s rejoice together?! Here are some images of me as a child, in hopes that I can receive the Kingdom of Heaven as a child this week. In hopes that we can answer this call together: “Finally, brothers, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.” -2 Corinthians 13:11

Special thanks to VIP Patrons:

Kim Moline
Dick Safranski
Jordan Mendez
Julian Padilla
Jessica Cook
Kate Hicks
Sara Chacon
Kelly Wesaw
Deacon Tim & Lily Roberto
Carrie Brzezinski

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Welcome to Word for the Week, the series in which I:

share my experience of hearing God’s Word in Mass last weekend,
explore what I believe the Lord is calling me to do about that Word, and
ask how this Word might impact your life, as well.

Last week, on Pentecost Sunday I watched a live-streamed Mass on YouTube. Bishop Nevares celebrated the liturgy. It was comforting to see and hear the congregation that was present, albeit with masks on their faces! After Mass concluded, I drove over to our church to receive the Eucharist. The words that stood out to me from the gospel were, “Peace be with you.”

“What am I called to do about this word?” I’ve been asking the Lord. I believe the answer is coming by way of many realizations this week. I’m able to see with clarity that the peace of Christ is different from the peace that this world can offer (see John 14:27). This same week, I got a distinct taste of that peace as a few of my earthly freedoms were taken from me.

Our governor implemented Arizona’s first-ever state-wide curfew last Sunday⁠ — Pentecost!⁠ — at 8PM. The curfew is in effect from 8pm to 5am each day for eight days.

As David and I stood out in our backyard on Sunday night around 10 PM, I looked at the cinder block walls that surround our rental property. With tears welling in my eyes, I said, “This is the closest I’ve been to slavery, babe.”

“Slavery? Nobody is beating you, though,” David replied.

“Right. But if I go out there,” I pointed past our house to the quiet suburban street beyond, “I could be sent to jail. Beatings during slavery were for the sake of keeping slaves in captivity.” I gazed up at the faint stars in the darkened night sky. There were no clouds, per usual in Arizona.

I looked back at David and exclaimed, “Now I get to do what my ancestors did!” David took in my beaming smile. He grinned and squinted his eyes slightly. He looked happy to see the fire in my spirit.

The peace I experienced on Pentecost wasn’t coming from the world or from our surroundings. Rather, it proceeded from the same Spirit behind the old Gospel hymn, “I’ve got peace like a river in my soul.” I’ve known that song as long as I can remember! Now, I’ll get to sing it with new fervor.

It’s my turn to practice what I preach, or⁠ — as Mahalia Jackson so eloquently sang⁠ — to “live the life I sing about in my song.”

Special thanks to VIP Patrons:

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Dick Safranski
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Sara Chacon
Kelly Wesaw
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Carrie Brzezinski

To become an Amanda Vernon Patron and receive exclusive rewards, signup at amandavernon.com/patron.

Welcome to Word for the Week, the series in which I:

share my experience of hearing God’s Word in Mass last weekend,
explore what I believe the Lord is calling me to do about that Word, and
ask how this Word might impact your life, as well.

{Disclaimer: I’ve shared openly about overcoming a 3-year experience with Postpartum Depression! Still, I work vigilantly to foster healthy mental patterns now that I’m past that season of life. In today’s “Word for the Week,” I’m going to describe some of that process. I believe mental health is a crucial part of being a healthy individual.}

My sister, Veronica, and I parked in the side lot of the church. There were a dozen cars. I fished a black piece of fabric from my purse pocket and studied it in my hand for a moment. Then, with a resolute sigh, I stretched the cloth with both hands to secure the loops around my ears. My family has dual enrollment; at our other home parish, masks are optional. This was about to be my first time wearing a mask throughout the entire Mass. It was more challenging than I imagined.

There were plenty of humorous moments to balance the internal struggle. For instance, when we arrived, the greeters extended hand sanitizer to us instead of the hugs and the holy water that we normally receive. Also, the sound of 45 people attempting to sing hymns through cloth coverings? That was mostly hilarious until the lack of air became a problem. I realized it’s not going to be safe for me to sing with a face mask. Mostly, Mass felt like a circuitous mind game!

First, was gratitude to be back at church. Followed by anxiety that I wasn’t getting enough air. Then, the idea would arise to slow my heart rate by taking a deep breath. Yet each time I tried to take a deep breath, I instinctually reacted as though someone had their hand over my mouth. That wasn’t helpful. So I would pray harder, and focus on the wonderful fact that I was back in church! Gratitude would resume.

The Word continued to speak even in the midst of my attempts to stave off a panic attack. It was a 3-fold word, this time! First, it was “…speaking about the kingdom of God.” (That’s how Acts 1:3 describes what Jesus did with the apostles after His resurrection.) Then, it was “joy, joy, joy” and “go, go, go.” Those words were repeated in that order in the psalm response and in the offertory hymn (based on Matthew 28:19), respectively.

God is calling me to speak about the kingdom *right now*! And to be myself while I’m at it! #JoyIsMyMiddleName — Looks like social media is the way. So I may or may not need to become that Catholic mom/big sister on TikTok very soon. :0)

Do you need encouragement to proclaim the joy of the kingdom of God today? Here’s some! I learned from Catholic apologist Steve Ray that while John 11:35, “Jesus wept,” is often referred to as the shortest sentence in the Bible, it’s actually 1 Thess 5:16, “Rejoice always!” Because, according to Steve, “the first (verse) has 13 Greek letters but the second has only 12 Greek letters.”

So I’ll invite you to consider with me that even as Jesus weeps with us, He calls us to rejoice. And that’s something worth speaking about.

Special thanks to VIP Patrons:

Kim Moline
Dick Safranski
Jordan Mendez
Julian Padilla
Jessica Cook
Kate Hicks
Sara Chacon
Kelly Wesaw
Deacon Tim & Lily Roberto
Carrie Brzezinski

To become an Amanda Vernon Patron and receive exclusive rewards, signup at amandavernon.com/patron.

Welcome to Word for the Week, the series in which I:

share my experience of hearing God’s Word in Mass last weekend,
explore what I believe the Lord is calling me to do about that Word, and
ask how this Word might impact your life, as well.

There wasn’t any Drive-Up Communion, so that was great. But the socially-distanced version of Mass seemed both somber and nerve wracking. My Word for the Week stood in a stark contrast to the overall feeling of discomfort.

Our 8-year-old daughter, Chiara, and I went to Mass together. I put a face mask on before we entered the church building. We had to show documentation of registration. So I held out my smartphone. The attendant at the door peered over to see the confirmation email as she held a covering over her mouth.

Instead of holy water at the door, there was a big container of hand sanitizer with a gigantic pump. I pushed down with my forearm so Chiara and I could sanitize our hands before entering the church. Hardly anyone else wore a facial covering.

The pews were sectioned off with blue tape. More colorful tape formed arrows on the carpeted floor, pointing which way to walk down the aisle and which side of the pew to enter. Even though the attendance was limited at 25% capacity, there were still bottleneck areas of the building, like when we first walked into the sanctuary. Chiara and I tried to give people enough space.

We chose the very front spot and I removed my face mask. We were at least several feet from anyone else. The music was mellow, we chanted the entrance hymn (or “introit”). The words “make a joyful sound” stood out to me.

The Mass parts were likewise chanted. We sang only a few congregational hymns. The homily was brief. Our pastor explained that Communion was to be distributed in the hand only, unless you went to his station. If you chose to receive on the tongue, he would sanitize his hands before continuing (unless it was clear that two or more communicants lived in the same household).

As Communion began, our pastor donned a face mask and a clear plastic cover over his entire face. The extraordinary ministers of the Eucharistic also wore face masks. It’s hard to say what it felt like to receive the Eucharist again in a church. The distractions were overwhelming. But when we sang the congregational hymns, I couldn’t stop the tears from falling.

“How am I supposed to make a joyful sound this week?” I asked the Lord. And I believe God is asking me to keep doing the things I already know how to do: loving my husband, encouraging my kids, laughing with our friends, singing in praise. There are enough changes already without adding more. What are some familiar practices in which you find a sense of joy this week?

Special thanks to VIP Patrons:

Kim Moline
Dick Safranski
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Sara Chacon
Kelly Wesaw
Deacon Tim & Lily Roberto
Carrie Brzezinski

To become an Amanda Vernon Patron and receive exclusive rewards, signup at amandavernon.com/patron.

Welcome to Word for the Week, the series in which I:

share my experience of hearing God’s Word in Mass last weekend,
explore what I believe the Lord is calling me to do about that Word, and
ask how this Word might impact your life, as well.

I’ve attended a fair number of weird Masses before. Like when the groom left the altar as the bride entered the church. Or when there was a giant paper mountain surrounding the altar, to facilitate a theatrical play during the liturgy. Or when the priest started a second homily in the middle of the consecration. I’m not sure I’ve experienced a weirder Mass than I did last weekend, though.

Our Bishop gave permission for us to receive communion in person at church, provided we first view our parish’s live-streamed Mass. The parish website listed a number of precautions. What I envisioned was a mostly-darkened church: we parishioners would shuffle quietly up and down the aisles, we would all wear face masks and reverently maintain 6 feet of distance between us. What I got was a rude awakening.

As I pulled into the church parking lot, masked attendants directed me toward the parochial school. A large sandwich board displayed the bold text “Drive-Up Communion” along with a big blue arrow. My jaw dropped in disbelief. My sister was with me and she made the obligatory comparison to fast food. We both laughed.

But we fell silent as we pulled up to the Communion station. On either side, a lay volunteer (wearing a face mask) waited to administer the Eucharist. I shifted the van into park, rolled my window down, and stuck my hands outside with my palms open to the sky. After I received, I rolled down Veronica’s window and she did the same.

Before we could take a moment to pray or to reflect, another car became visible in our rearview mirror. “Thanks!” I said awkwardly to the volunteer as I shifted the gear back into drive. At the exit, our pastor exchanged a laugh with us from behind his N-95 mask. He inquired after David and the kids and he handed me a carnation for Mother’s Day.

“What am I learning through this?” I asked myself. (On the drive home, Veronica and I stopped at an empty parking lot for a few minutes so I could alternate between tears and laughter.) In the past few days, an answer has come to light.

Mass was weird last Sunday. But isn’t everything weird lately? Yet Christ descends into our weirdness! He doesn’t wait for us to be normal, healthy, or calm. And somehow God’s tangible love transforms the weirdness into something deeply meaningful.

In closing, my word for the week is, “Let yourselves be built,” from 1 Peter 2:5. So I’ve been lifting weights with extra intensity since Sunday. Not joking.

How are you finding God’s love in the midst of weirdness this week?

Special thanks to VIP Patrons:

Kim Moline
Dick Safranski
Jordan Mendez
Julian Padilla
Jessica Cook
Kate Hicks
Sara Chacon
Kelly Wesaw
Deacon Tim & Lily Roberto

To become an Amanda Vernon Patron and receive exclusive rewards, signup at amandavernon.com/patron.

Welcome to Word for the Week, the series in which I:

share my experience of hearing God’s Word in Mass last weekend,
explore what I believe the Lord is calling me to do about that Word, and
ask how this Word might impact your life, as well.

We had home church yet again last week.

We invited Fr. Matt — friend/Godfather/co-author — to proclaim the gospel and to preach us a homily over a video call. The kids were enraptured. They had lots of responses throughout his message. They shouted out “Yeah!” and “Uh huh!” many times, plus they answered all of the prompts that Fr. Matt included.

As we ended the video chat, 5-year-old Mercedes turned to my sister and said, “That was awesome!” And at the end of “home church,” the kids were able to tell me what they remembered about the message.

As I type this out, it sounds so picturesque. In the moment, it felt utterly exhausting. The kids were squirrelly, multiple timeouts happened, and getting everyone to sing together was a big feat. Thankfully, my Word for the Week was repeated verbatim in one reading so I easily grasped onto it: I am the gate. (John 10:9)

In his homily, Fr. Matt explained that Jesus describes himself as the Shepherd in the gospel. Yet, we also know Jesus as the Lamb of God. And then Jesus even refers to himself as “the gate.” In a nutshell, Fr. Matt explained, Jesus is everything we need.

As I asked the Lord what He wants me to do about this word, I got the distinct sense that I need to be grateful. (In fact, the gospel song “Be Grateful,” keeps replaying in my mind.) And I simultaneously realized that the time for home church has come to an end. It’s been a beautiful retreat at our home church for the past two months, but the season is changing.

Disclaimer: of course we will continue to be the domestic church!! And I’ve also been inspired to be grateful in a number of other ways this week. However, I believe the Lord is inviting me to receive the Eucharist again. I’m called to be grateful, right? Jesus is giving me His own sacrifice to offer back to him in thanksgiving.

Our parish is distributing communion on Sundays with many precautions. I can’t wait. I’m truly so grateful for this open door, er, open gate!

How are you finding ways to be grateful this week?

Special thanks to VIP Patrons:

Kim Moline
Dick Safranski
Jordan Mendez
Julian Padilla
Jessica Cook
Kate Hicks
Sara Chacon
Kelly Wesaw
Deacon Tim & Lily Roberto

To become an Amanda Vernon Patron and receive exclusive rewards, signup at amandavernon.com/patron.

Welcome to Word for the Week, the series in which I:

share my experience of hearing God’s Word in Mass last weekend,
explore what I believe the Lord is calling me to do about that Word, and
ask how this Word might impact your life, as well.

My word for the week is “mighty deeds,” from Acts 2:22. My sister proclaimed the reading to the rest of the family during “home church.” The highlight for me was when we all sang a reflection song in 3-part harmony! Plus, only one of the children needed to leave to take a timeout, so it felt pretty successful, all told.

As I’ve asked the Lord what He wants me to do about “mighty deeds,” I’ve felt convicted about having fun this week. And that having fun even when things go unexpectedly can be considered a mighty deed. This quote from St. Augustine has also helped me to embrace my word for the week: “Bad times, hard times, this is what people keep saying; but let us live well, and times shall be good. We are the times: Such as we are, such are the times.”

In the spirit of living well, I decided to include a list I’ve been compiling called “40 Questions for Quarantine.” My friend Fr. Matt originated a high percentage of these. It brings me a lot of joy and mirth to discuss the answers to these questions with friends and family. Feel free to try out some of these for yourself. Perhaps they can prompt conversations, and hopefully laughter, during video chats, at the dinner table, on social media, etc. Hope you enjoy!

Oh! Also, please add “and why” after each question below!

1. If your childhood was captured in 3 scents, what would those scents be?
2. If your feelings about 2020 so far were a color, what color would they be?
3. If your quarantine was a sound, what sound would it be?
4. If your personality was a candy bar, what kind of candy bar would your personality be?
5. If you could eat at only one specific time of the day for the rest of your life (this one meal would sustain you so you wouldn’t be hungry the rest of the time), at what time of day would you choose to eat?
6. If you had to live in one of these forms of transportation for the rest of your life, in which would you choose to live: train, plane, bus, or boat?
7. If your laugh was the sound of a musical instrument, what musical instrument’s sound would you like to emit from your voice every time that you laugh?
8. For the rest of your life, if you had to choose between traveling to one destination repeatedly or only visiting new destinations, which would you choose?
9. If you were actually an animal, what animal would you be?
10. For the rest of your life, would you rather look good or smell good?
11. Would you rather be famous for painting or for acting?
12. The town needs your help! Would you rather tear down dilapidated old buildings to make space for new infrastructure or build something new in a blank space?
13. Would you rather spend time only in the country or only in the city, for the rest of your life?
14. Would you rather: cause everyone you meet to laugh BUT they will forget about you as soon as you leave the room, OR cause everyone you meet to feel confused but they’ll remember you for the rest of their lives?
15. If you had to wear items of only one color for the rest of your life, what color would you choose?
16. If your vision suddenly became permanently filtered, which filter would you select out of the following: black & white, pastel, or neon?
17. If you could communicate with any animal other than dogs or cats, with which species would you communicate?
18. If your personality was a smell, what smell would it be?
19. If you could only keep 3 of the 5 senses (sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing), which 3 would you keep?
20. If your personality was a piece of furniture in your house, which piece of furniture would it be?
21. If you were an item found in a bathroom, what item would you be?
22. If you were an item of makeup, what makeup item would you be?
23. If you were a type of tree, what type of tree would you be?
24. If your best friend had to describe your personality using one emoji, which emoji do you think your friend would select?
25. If you had to introduce yourself to a stranger using only 5 emojis, which 5 emojis would you choose?
26. If you could wear unlimited clothing items for the rest of your life but only from ONE era, which era would it be?
27. Would you prefer to have beautiful but non functional items or functional but ugly items?
28. If you had to choose, would you rather never be able to sit down or never be able to lie down?
29. If your quarantine was a type of house, what type of house would it be?
30. What 5 YouTube videos would you use to explain who you are to a stranger? (No using videos in which you actually appear.)
31. Peanut butter? (The question is just those two words.)
32. If you were a type of hat, what type of hat would you be?
33. If your life had a soundtrack of one genre of music, what genre would it be?
34. Out of all of the holidays, you get to keep only two. Which two will they be?
35. If you had to choose between mountains but no oceans* or oceans but no mountains, which option would you choose? *Provided that the world still had sufficient hydration in either scenario.
36. If you could be exceptionally knowledgeable in one useless topic, which useless topic would it be?
37. Invisibility or super speed?
38. Super strength or the ability to fly?
39. Day or night?
40. Which are more important: questions or answers?

Special thanks to VIP Patrons:

Kim Moline
Dick Safranski
Jordan Mendez
Julian Padilla
Jessica Cook
Kate Hicks
Sara Chacon
Kelly Wesaw
Deacon Tim & Lily Roberto

To become an Amanda Vernon Patron and receive exclusive rewards, signup at amandavernon.com/patron.

Welcome to Word for the Week, the series in which I:

share my experience of hearing God’s Word in Mass last weekend,
explore what I believe the Lord is calling me to do about that Word, and
ask how this Word might impact your life, as well.

Lately, for “home church” we gather 2 parents, 4 kids, and one auntie/nanny into our home office. I lead songs from the keyboard. Our focal point is David’s favorite painting of Christ. Different family members take turns proclaiming the readings with a microphone. No matter what, there are a lot of distractions at church with 4 kids under the age of 10. I’ll share thoughts about this week once I have time to pray through it. But looking back to last weekend, the message was both clear and repetitive on Divine Mercy Sunday.

“Peace be with you.” Jesus said it three different times in the 20th chapter of the Gospel of John. The word impacted me in myriad ways over the course of last week. For brevity, I’ll elaborate on just one of those ways. (Disclaimer: This is about to get super girly.)

Early in the week, I came across a podcast from a ministry that I love called Fierce Athlete . The episode was entitled “The Female Fertility Cycle + Sports Performance.” As the podcast played in my earbuds on my morning run, I kept stopping to take notes. The host, Sam Kelley, whom I consider a friend and colleague!, interviewed Marie DiCecco. A long-time health education teacher, an athletic coach, and a Fertility Care Practitioner, Ms. DiCecco spoke with compassion, honesty, and a thick New York accent.

This podcast helped me recognize how I frequently disdain myself for a process that naturally occurs because of who I am as a woman. Upon further reflection, I realized the Lord is calling me to be at peace with my body. That includes what I perceive as weakness in myself!

I don’t fully *get it* yet, but I don’t need to. If He’s calling me to be at peace, He’ll show me how to integrate that peace into my thoughts and feelings.

So many of the Easter Season readings speak specifically about Jesus’ Body. Last Sunday, for instance, Jesus invited Thomas to reach out and touch the wounds in his hands and side. (My kids were pretty appalled/enraptured by the Doubting Thomas narrative.) Also, lots of those same stories feature a group of confused apostles.

Philippians 4:6–7 says, “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

If you’re on a journey to be at peace with yourself or with others mentally, emotionally, or physically, I’ll leave you with some recent advice from 3-year-old Serra. She gets it better than I do.

Serra: “God doesn’t make us afraid, Mom. He makes us not afraid.”

Me: “Where did you hear that, Ser?”

Serra: “I just know it, in my heart.”

Special thanks to VIP Patrons:

Kim Moline
Dick Safranski
Jordan Mendez
Julian Padilla
Jessica Cook
Kate Hicks
Sara Chacon
Kelly Wesaw
Deacon Tim & Lily Roberto

To become an Amanda Vernon Patron and receive exclusive rewards, signup at amandavernon.com/patron.

Welcome to Word for the Week, the series in which I:

share my experience of hearing God’s Word in Mass last weekend,
explore what I believe the Lord is calling me to do about that Word, and
ask how this Word might impact your life, as well.

In high school, my friend Josh told me “You take everything as a compliment.” I thanked him cheerfully. This Easter weekend, my Word for the Week was “fullness of joys in your presence” from Psalm 16:11. Since Joy is my middle name, I took it personally! :) So what is God calling me to do about it?

I’ve been inspired to be particularly grateful for the joys of daily life; to embrace an interior sense of wellbeing in specific moments and to lift my heart to God in real time. There have been too many of these joys to list, between quiet bedtime rituals with the kids, late-night walks with David, and hilarious video chats with friends and colleagues. One joy that’s too ironic not to share has to do with inadvertently achieving a life-long goal.

On Easter Monday, I told my mom over the phone, “I’ve accomplished all of my dreams*! Checked off all of the goals that I had for myself. I’m just…happy.” I acknowledged that there were some goals I’d dropped, however. The example I gave was that of winning a Grammy: once I learned the amount of networking that would substantiate that kind of attention in the music industry, it lost its appeal for me.

The same Monday afternoon of the phone call with my mom, David and I received an email to congratulate us on being approved for a grant through the MusiCares COVID-19 relief fund. For the record, this fund is also co-organized by the same Recording Academy that determines the winners of the Grammy Awards.

As a kid, what I wanted was recognition from the Academy on my professionalism and musical success. I let that dream go in favor of a stronger dream of having a quiet and peaceful home life. But then, in the midst of this pandemic, what do I get: recognition from the Academy on my professionalism and musical success, in a way that directly supports our family life!

Wow. Wow. Wow. This is one example of how I’ve felt God’s presence in the specific joys of this Easter season. But just as the apostles (including Mary Magdalene, “Apostle to the Apostles”) received the startling news of the resurrection in many different ways, we’re all processing joy differently this Easter.

Whether your joys look as full as a full-term pregnancy (see this pic from 2014 as an example) or whether your joys feel as empty as the tomb on Easter morning, or whether you’re somewhere in between, this is a season for celebration! “Christ Jesus who died — more than that, who was raised to life — is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” -Romans 8:34

Jesus Himself, who not only died for us but rose to bring us new life, is rooting** for us!*This was an exaggeration. I still have some dreams left, such as singing for the Detroit Tigers, preferably through the Archdiocese of Detroit.

**Rooting, interceding. Those are synonyms, right?

Thanks to new patron Juana.

Special thanks to VIP Patrons:

Kim Moline
Dick Safranski
Jordan Mendez
Julian Padilla
Jessica Cook
Kate Hicks
Sara Chacon
Kelly Wesaw
Deacon Tim & Lily Roberto

To become an Amanda Vernon Patron and receive exclusive rewards, signup at amandavernon.com/patron.

Welcome to Word for the Week, the series in which I:

share my experience of hearing God’s Word in Mass last weekend,
explore what I believe the Lord is calling me to do about that Word, and
ask how this Word might impact your life, as well.

My word for the week is “they wag their heads.”

It’s the new norm that we didn’t go to Mass last weekend. However, when I reflected on the liturgical readings from Palm Sunday, the phrase “they wag their heads” stood out to me from Psalm 22. At first, I recalled others who criticize or misunderstand me from time to time. Yet, in prayer, the Lord showed me a much different reality.

During my private morning prayer with the Liturgy of the Hours, 3-year-old Serra asked me to come sit close to her. She played with little toys in her crib while I reflected on the readings. Then, I closed my eyes tightly and felt deeply that the Lord was asking me not to wag my head at Him this week.

I realized that I’m tempted to say things like, “Why are you leading us this way, Lord?,” or, “This is so crazy,” or, “I’m probably not doing enough.” Those thoughts are from a place of doubt, rather than of trust in Christ. Yet, Christ wants me to stay with him. To stay with His leadership, His plan, His pacing; to trust Him in it all, and to trust His presence within myself.

In that very moment of enlightenment, Serra’s little voice called out, “Mom! Mom! Open your eyes!” I looked up to see her radiant smile.

“I’m closing my eyes because I’m praying, Ser.” I explained.

“No, keep your eyes open!” She implored.

I smiled and asked, “Would you like me to look at you, instead?” She nodded with a grin and then returned to playing with her toys.

Christ is calling me to respond to Him in a way that is both clear and humbling. “Stay home,” for certain. But instead of scrutinizing the manner in which we stay home, I’m being called to rejoice in the simplicity of family life. Thankfully, David has been echoing the same sentiments. Also this week, I read a beautiful encouragement for young mothers by Halley Netsch, co-founder of Everyday Mamas. She explained, “We can focus on sanctification and prayer through the daily sacrifices we’re already making — and the little feet we’re already washing, daily.”

Whose feet are you washing this week? Maybe you’re literally washing the feet of children or of medical patients, or maybe you’re serving others by paying attention to them even from isolation. Perhaps the questions for all of us become: where do we see Christ right now in the life set before us? And can we accept as beautiful the most simple answers?

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