Abiding Together Heather Khym, Michelle Benzinger, Sister Miriam James Heidland

In this week's episode, we reflect on the themes of resurrection, grief, and hope in Pope Francis’ Easter Vigil homily. We chat about the sadness of unfulfilled dreams and the tender places in our hearts where we are afraid to hope and want to stay in the tomb. We also talk about the anxieties and worries that can come with trying to figure things out on our own and the importance of surrendering our plans to God. Just like Christ, we are called to walk through the sufferings of this life with Him into the Resurrection.
 
Heather’s One Thing -  Her Easter playlist
Heather’s Other One Thing - The book Becoming Wife: Saying Yes to More than the Dress by Rachel Bulman (or on Amazon here)
Sister Miriam’s On Thing - The book Beloved Daughter by Carrie Daunt 
Michelle’s One Thing - The book Befriending Your Inner Child: A Catholic Approach to Healing and Wholeness by Brya Hanan (or on Amazon here)
 
Other Resources Mentioned: 
The Restore the Glory Podcast series on Parts Work (Parts Work (Part 1) w/ Gerry Crete; Parts Work (Part 2) w/ Brya Hanan; Parts Work (Part 3) w/ Bishop Andrew Miller)
 
Journal Questions:
What hopes have been dashed by the sorrowful mysteries of my life? Where are the places that I am afraid to hope? Do I believe my dreams are doomed to fail? What anxieties in my heart are preventing me from hoping?  
Discussion Questions:
How are you still living in winter during the spring of Easter? Do you know how to practice Resurrection? In what ways do you believe your dreams rely on you for their fulfillment? How do you intellectualize or explain away your dreams?  
Quote to Ponder:
“Yet the same women who bore this darkness in their hearts tell us something quite extraordinary. When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. This is the Pasch of Christ, the revelation of God’s power: the victory of life over death, the triumph of light over darkness, the rebirth of hope amid the ruins of failure. It is the Lord, the God of the impossible, who rolled away the stone forever. Even now, he opens our hearts, so that hope may be born ever anew. We too, then, should “look up” to him.” (Pope Francis, Easter Vigil Homily)

 
Scripture for Lectio: 
“When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back.” (Mark 16:4)

 
Sponsor - Farm of the Child:
Farm of the Child is a Catholic children's home, school and clinic in Trujillo, Honduras where children receive healing care from a team of Honduran staff, Franciscan sisters, and international missionaries. Each year, the Farm of the Child attracts dedicated missionaries who make a 2 year commitment of service. Missionaries come from all different walks of life in order to serve in a variety of functions such as teaching, nursing, project management and community outreach. After spending 6 weeks in Antigua, Guatemala learning Spanish, missionaries travel to the children’s home where they live together and are guided by the four pillars of community, spirituality, simplicity and service.  Short term immersion trips, remote and summer service opportunities are also available. 
If you think you might be called to serve in the capacity of an international missionary, email missions@farmofthechild.org. Want to learn more about how to get involved in the mission in the US? Check out farmofthechild.org and sign up for our monthly newsletter here: https://www.farmofthechild.org/contact-us

In this week's episode, we conclude our Lenten study on the book “A Time of Renewal” and discuss the theme of “focus”. We chat about our natural temptation to focus on our woundedness, why we should take action and invite Jesus into these places, and how our wounds can be transformed into signs of the resurrection power of Christ. We also talk about the crosses we bear and the importance of recognizing the little resurrections in our life. Friends, thank you for journeying with us this Lenten season. We look forward to seeing you again after Easter!
 
Heather’s One Thing -  Our team behind the scenes: Kate, Camille, and Kristina! We are so grateful for you
Sister Miriam’s On Thing - Springtime!
Michelle’s One Thing - These Easter themed charcuterie boards! Option 1 Here. Option 2 Here.
 
Announcement(s):
We will be taking a two week break for Easter beginning on 4/1/24! Season 14 will continue on 4/15/24!
 
Journal Questions:
What was hard for me? What were the graces and mercies I experienced? How have I grown? How can I make this week holy? What wounds do I bring to Jesus? What wounds do I simply “stare at”?  
Discussion Questions:
Where in your life are you seeking glory? Do I live like the Resurrection is a reality? When do you lose hope? Does the story you tell yourself about God align with God’s story (the Paschal Mystery)? What are the places of my heart that I don’t believe the narrative (of the Paschal Mystery)?  
Quotes to Ponder:
“How are wounds made glorious? By our deciding what we will do with them. Our Jesus turned his wounds into beauty, and there is not one of us who would say, “Oh, this should not be in eternity.” Our poor hearts thrill to the verity that he is always showing his wounds to the Father on our behalf. They are transformed now in glory. Likewise, there is a transformation that we too can make of our own little everyday wounds which sometimes seem so deep and so big and so insufferable to us. How do we transform them into glory? By looking at Jesus, by remembering his suffering which was turned into glory.”  (Mother Mary Francis P.C.C. A Time of Renewal. Kindle Edition. Page 207)
 
Scripture for Lectio: 
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (John 12:24)
 
Sponsor - Pearl and Thistle:
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In this week's episode, we continue our Lenten study on the book “A Time of Renewal” and focus on how life is a continual process of refinement and how true learning comes through the healing found in suffering and communion. We also talk about the feelings of shame that accompany situations where we fall short, the importance of recognizing our limitations in humility, and how God desires to redeem our deepest wounds to help us grow in communion and love. 
 
Heather’s One Thing -  Sarah Kroger’s new song No Filter 
Sister Miriam’s On Thing - Heather Khym’s Lenten Playlist (AGAIN!!)
Michelle’s One Thing - Floret Flowers
 
Announcement:
We will be taking a two week break for Easter beginning on 4/1/24. Season 14 will continue on 4/15/24!
 
Journal Questions:
What learning curves in my life do I react to with shame or fear? Where in my life do I feel like I need to figure it out? What are my most frequent complaints? How do they wound the Heart of Christ? How can I honor the Lord this upcoming Holy Week?
 
Discussion Questions:
What lessons are you learning this Lent? What blocks and walls do you experience when learning new lessons? How is the Lord inviting you to put in effort in learning the lessons of this season? How can you show loving and attentive devotion to the Lord in your daily life?  
Quote to Ponder:
“Let us think for a few minutes about the process of learning. All real learning requires a great effort….One could perhaps define the greatest scholars as those who have put forth the most effort with the equipment that God gave them. There is always some form of suffering in all learning because there must be patience, and patience is suffering. There is always humility in learning. It is the great scholars who realize how little they know…”
(Mother Mary Francis P.C.C. A Time of Renewal. Kindle Edition. Page 175)
 
Scripture for Lectio: 
“He said to his apostles, “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.”” (John 16:12)
 
Sponsor - The Christa McAuliffe Academy School of Arts and Sciences:
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In this week's episode, we continue our Lenten study on the book “A Time of Renewal” and focus on the theme of “filling up the sufferings of Christ”. We reflect on the connection between repentance and love, recognizing how they complement each other, and the beauty of repentance as an intimate act of drawing nearer to God. We share our own struggles during this Lenten season, how others have helped keep us accountable, and the importance of helping others grow in holiness. Lastly, we chat about the significance of renouncing falsehoods about ourselves and embracing the truth about our identity that can only be found in God.
 
Heather’s One Thing -The song Jesus is My Healer by Gateway Worship 
Sister Miriam’s On Thing - Andrew Laubacher and his organization called Humanality
Michelle’s One Thing - Fr. Mark Mary CFR new book The Father: 30 Meditations to Draw You Into the Heart of God
 
Journal Questions:
Where is the ease of the Lord in my life? How can I turn back to the Lord in moments of hardship this Lent? In the people I struggle with most, how do I encounter the image of God in them? In my own self-righteousness, from whom do I withhold the kingdom of God?  
Discussion Questions:
Do you perceive repentance as an opportunity for intimacy or a response to punishment? How can you more urgently respond to God’s invitation of love? What accountability can you incorporate to be steadfast to your Lenten promises? How can you invite a culture of redemption into your life?  
Quote to Ponder:
“Our joy must be in him, where alone things have permanent depth and even eternality. The more earnestly we live our Lent, the more will we be finding our joy in Jesus.” (Mother Mary Francis P.C.C. A Time of Renewal. Kindle Edition. Page 148)
 
Scripture for Lectio: 
“He delivered us from the dominion of the darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved son.”  (Colossians 1:13)
 
Sponsor - Mary’s Meals:
Mary’s Meals sets up community-run school feeding projects in some of the world’s poorest communities, where poverty and hunger prevent children from gaining an education. The idea is a simple one that works. Mary’s Meals provides one daily meal in a place of learning to attract chronically poor children into the classroom, where they receive an education that can, in the future, be their ladder out of poverty.
Bringing hope to hungry children around the world, their mission is to enable people to offer their money, goods, skills, time, or prayer, and through this involvement, provide the most effective help to those suffering the effects of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest Communities.
Today, Mary’s Meals is providing more than 2.4 million children with a daily school meal across five continents. But the need is great! The appalling reality is that there are still 73 million children living in extreme poverty in need of school feeding. Please help to reach the next hungry child waiting for Mary’s Meals.
To get involved or learn more visit marysmeals.ca in Canada or marysmealsusa.org in the USA.

In this week's episode, we continue our Lenten study on the book “A Time of Renewal” and focus on the theme of the right kind of zeal. We chat about how we may be feeling tired and tempted to relax our Lenten penances and discuss the importance of taking time to reflect on why we felt called to take on a specific sacrifice and then recommitting ourselves with zeal to carry it out. We also talk about the joys of living in covenant with the Lord, the heartache we should experience when our hearts wander, and the beauty of giving ourselves totally to Him out of love.  
 
Heather’s One Thing - Happy 80th birthday to her dad!
Heather’s Other One Thing - Episode 5 of Fr. Dave’s series called: My father’s Father. Watch on Wildgoose TV here or Faith and Reason here.
Sister Miriam’s On Thing - Heather Khym’s Lenten Playlist
Michelle’s One Thing - The song Closing Distance by Seven Hills Worship (acoustic version here)
 
Journal Questions:
What do you need to fill your tank for the long spiritual roadtrip of Lent? What spiritual rest stops do I need to take to continue to go the distance with the Lord? How am I letting my emotions drive the bus? Do I treat my covenant with the Lord with the same respect as I show the covenants of marriage or religious life?  
Discussion Questions:
How do you need the Lord to love you this week? Have you been feeling empty, angsty, or frustrated this Lent? How is the Lord inviting you into deeper freedom through this experience? How can you suffer and fast with more joy?  
Quotes to Ponder:
“The ancient name for Lent is “the season of the battle”, agonia, which was the Greek word for the final testing of the athlete or the warrior, and has become the term for the Agony in the Garden.” (Mother Mary Francis P.C.C. A Time of Renewal. Kindle Edition. Page 143)
 
Scripture for Lectio: 
“His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, Zeal for your house will consume me.” (John 2:17)
 
Sponsor - JPII Healing Center: 
Discover the healing God deeply desires for you.
 Our brand-new Healing the Whole Person Video Series dives deep into your areas of woundedness and pain and the healing and restoration God deeply longs to give you. All 8 transformational talks by Dr. Bob Schuchts and Sr. Miriam James Heidland, as well as 10hrs of Q&As, are now available to you on our streaming platform right in the comfort of your home. To aid you in your journey to healing and wholeness use code Abiding25 to receive 25% off individual and group leader subscriptions (expires 4/1/24).
Additionally, the numerous books and resources offered in our online store offer you insight and accompaniment on your path to healing. There you will find several familiar authors including Dr. Bob Schuchts and Abiding Together’s very own Sr. Miriam.

In this week's episode, we continue our Lenten study on the book “A Time of Renewal” and focus on the theme of being in conversation with Jesus. We reflect on the importance of reserving space for dialogue with God, surrendering to Him our own plans and desires, and allowing Him to love us in our poverty. The process of dying to self is always accompanied with the hope in the promise of resurrection and new life that Jesus offers.  
 
Heather’s One Thing - In thanksgiving for Deacon Bob and Fr Dave Pivonka letting her use their studio to record this episode and for being asked to be a guest on their podcast called They That Hope.
Sister Miriam’s One Thing - The book How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen by David Brooks
Michelle’s One Thing - Her household sisters at Francisan University
 
Journal Questions:
Am I in conversation with God or in a monologue with myself? How can I create more space for dialogue with God? What Isaacs (idols) do I have? How do I self-sabotage in order to confirm my deepest fears?  
Discussion Questions:
What does it look like for you to be a new creation in Christ? Have you ever felt like God contradicts Himself? How did He resolve that apparent contradiction? What littleness in your life do you tend to hide and run away from? How can you be more open with the Lord in your littleness? What holds me back from entering into prayer honestly or making a confession regularly?  
Quotes to Ponder:
“Then, a word about the Tabor Gospel. I was newly impressed by the fact that Moses and Elijah were in conversation with Jesus. Let us be occupied always in being in conversation with Jesus. We know the deepest conversations are the wordless ones. We love that simple and profound word of Pope Saint John Paul II, “Let Jesus be the one to whom you talk the most.””
(Mother Mary Francis P.C.C. A Time of Renewal. Kindle Edition. Page 76)
 
Scripture for Lectio: 
“Here am I, Lord!” (Genesis 22:1)
 
Sponsor - CORDA:
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CORDA is a Catholic small business run by a husband-and-wife team, and they'd love to gift you a free tealight sampler with your next order of $35 or more - thar's 6 free mini candles! To receive your special gift, be sure to go to cordacandles.com/abiding and follow the steps on that page (good now through April 30, 2024).