Weekly Digest of the Regnum Christi Daily Meditations: Apr 5 – 12, 2026
WEEKLY DIGEST OF rc
DAILY MEDITATIONS
Week April 5 - 12, 2026
Sunday, April 5, 2026 – A Witness to Resurrected Life
Monday, April 6, 2026 – Go Tell My Brothers!
Tuesday, April 7, 2026 – Easter Eyes
Wednesday, April 8, 2026 – Back on the Road
Thursday, April 9, 2026 – Touch Me and See
Friday, April 10, 2026 – Fishing for Humble Hearts
April 5, 2026 – A Witness to Resurrected Life
Easter Sunday: The Resurrection of the Lord
John 20:1-9
On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead.
Opening Prayer: Jesus, grant me a more profound hope in your powerful and creative love, a hope that never gives up or is overcome, so that I may always acknowledge your grace at work for good in all circumstances.
Encountering Christ:
- Making Sense of Confusion: No one saw it happen. Yet, the Resurrection of Jesus, in the words of Pope Benedict, is “a cosmic event linking heaven and earth.” Contrast the silence of the empty tomb on that early spring morning with the chaos experienced by the people who encountered it. Some would recall Jesus mentioning he would rise from death and wonder. Others would feel disheartened, let down, or just lost by the apparent absence of Jesus. Neither Mary Magdalene nor the two Apostles came to believe in the Resurrection without first experiencing confusion and uncertainty. Their running to and from the tomb suggested their inner turmoil. We learn from them that amidst the chaos in our lives we need to keep seeking Christ and await clarity.
- Thankful Hope: The empty tomb can only mean that Jesus is truly alive. The empty tomb speaks to the truth that nothing is final in this life. Jesus has kept his promise, showing us that God’s love is stronger than any human power, violence, or cruelty. This understanding came slowly for Peter. We also saw Mary and the other Apostles struggling to fully realize that Jesus’ promise to be raised on the third day was real. Gradually joy would come to them, and a strengthened faith would turn into thanksgiving. The truth of the Resurrection is realized by each of us in God’s time according to his plan. As we look into the empty tomb this morning, no matter what our vantage point, let’s allow our faith to express thanksgiving and hope in the Lord. He is making all things new even when we can’t see it.
- Witnesses of the Resurrection: Jesus’ Resurrection is an everlasting sign of hope that gives us meaning and shapes how we live out our Christian lives. We are witnesses to the Resurrection of Christ “when his light illuminates the dark moments of our existence, and we are able to share it with others; when we know when to smile with those who smile, and weep with those who weep; when we accompany those who are sad and at risk of losing hope; when we recount our experience of faith to those who are searching for meaning and happiness… and there—with our attitude, with our witness, with our life—we say ‘Jesus is Risen,’ with our soul” (Pope Francis, Easter message for 2019). Where is the Lord inviting you to see the signs of the Resurrection at work in your life?
Conversing with Christ: Although no one saw the marvel of the Father’s power to raise the Lord from the dead, everyone is subject to its impact. Mary and the Apostles each arrived at the empty tomb with their dazed and troubled hearts. They saw, they believed, and they were transformed into courageous, joyous apostles, spreading the news of your Resurrection far and wide. Help me to see, believe, and share the Good News as well!
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will spend a moment praying about who in my life I need to reach out to and offer encouragement. With whom you are calling me to share the joy of your Resurrection?
For Further Reflection: Delve deeper into the glorious Easter Mystery with “The Tomb and the Pearl: A Retreat Guide for Easter,” a free, do-it-yourself retreat available in video, audio, and PDF formats.
Lucy Honner is a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi and the Assistant Director of Campus Ministry at University Catholic, a community of students in the Nashville area who are serious about their faith. Since 1998, she has exercised her apostolate as a speaker, spiritual director, integrated health coach, and retreat director throughout North America.
April 6, 2026 – Go Tell My Brothers!
Monday in the Octave of Easter
Matthew 28:8-15
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce the news to his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened. The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel; then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’ And if this gets to the ears of the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day.
Opening Prayer: Lord, help me to turn to you, with my fears and anxieties, to renew my confidence and find my courage in you alone.
Encountering Christ:
- Greetings!: What was in the hearts of the holy women as they left the tomb overwhelmed with joy, yet fearful of the mystery still unfolding? The women interpreted emptiness positively. Having gone to care for the dead, they came to realize they had a new task: to announce to the living disciples the reality of the Resurrection. Having set aside their preoccupations and sadness, they were able to meet Jesus and receive him. They had made space in their hearts to approach, embrace, and do Jesus homage. Where in our hearts might Jesus be inviting us to lay aside any preconceptions, attachments, or worries, so we can be open to receive him and freely proclaim his good news?
- “Do Not Be Afraid”: Fear is a powerful emotion that can have a strong effect on our mind and body. We all suffer to some degree from fear. Any number of things can cause us anxiety or stress: threat of death (either perceived or real), public speaking, being alone, failure, a terrorist attack, or spiders, just to name a few. Fear is a natural and real response that can be challenging to manage. When Jesus came to the women with his overwhelming resurrected presence, their fear disappeared, and joy flooded in. Learning to feel less fearful is to allow Jesus to accompany us and to be present with us. Our circumstances might not change, but our hearts do, knowing on whom we rely for strength, courage, and guidance. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear” (1 Jn 4:18).
- Go!: Galilee is the place where Jesus both began and ended his ministry. From this remote rural backwaters of Israel, he sent his disciples forth. His invitation came with a promise: “There they will see me.” He likewise sends us to go to ‘Galilee’: the familiar places of our neighborhoods, our families, our parishes, our encounters with the poor and those in need. Wherever we find ourselves, there we will see him. The risen Lord is everywhere we bring his love.
Conversing with Christ: Lord, you are the only one to cast out my fears and fill me with confident joy. Only by encountering you do I gain strength and courage to go out into the world, where I find you disguised in my neighbor, the poor, the suffering, and all those in need. Grant me the grace to witness to you as an agent of consolation, hope, and encouragement.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will make a special effort to speak well of others, especially those with whom I disagree.
For Further Reflection: Discover more with “Sharpening Your Tongue,” a reflection on charity in our words by Fr John Bartunek, LC.
Lucy Honner is a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi and the Assistant Director of Campus Ministry at University Catholic, a community of students in the Nashville area who are serious about their faith. Since 1998, she has exercised her apostolate as a speaker, spiritual director, integrated health coach, and retreat director throughout North America.
April 7, 2026 – Easter Eyes
Tuesday in the Octave of Easter
John 20:11-18
Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the Body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and then reported what he had told her.
Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to accept your invitation to live a more mature faith in the face of desolation or disappointment.
Encountering Christ:
- The Great Gardener: We see well into the heart of Mary Magdalene, filled with grief-stricken sorrow at the loss of her beloved Jesus. Bent over the empty tomb, she is disconsolate and disoriented. Jesus knows how to give comfort to her aching heart. He turns her heartache into joy and her misery into delight by merely recognizing and acknowledging her, by calling her name. As the great gardener of our souls, teacher and Lord, he also knows how to cultivate lasting fruit in our lives. It’s important—a matter of spiritual life or death—that we spend time each day sitting with Jesus, acknowledging he is present, and waiting for him to call our name and reassure us that he is at work in our soul.
- “Stop Holding On to Me”: Jesus asked Mary the same question he first posed to his early followers: What do you want? Whom are you looking for? It reveals Jesus’ utmost concern for the state of our hearts. Jesus cares about where we seek comfort, security, and assurance. If not in him, our desires will be frustrated and limited by self-centeredness. “Stop holding on to me.” These seemingly harsh words encouraged Mary to lift her heart to the Father and ponder eternity, to elevate where and to whom she attaches her hopes and wants. His apparent reprimand is an exhortation for all of his disciples to set our hearts and minds on what is above, increasing our desire to follow him to the Father who waits for us in heaven, in the glory of eternity. St. Paul understood Christ’s words perfectly: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth” (Col 3:1-2). This invitation is for all of us.
- Rising From Darkness: Growth in faith is a personal and continuous journey from the darkness of no faith, to partial faith, and then finally to perfect faith. Initially, Mary’s seeing is clouded by disappointment, grief, emotion, and unspeakable sadness at the loss of being separated from the Lord. But the sound of Jesus’ voice and the use of her name gives her clear vision. She recognizes him and is filled with hope and joy. What does she do next? She becomes a model for every Christian as she obeys the Lord’s instruction to go and tell the other disciples, “I have seen the Lord.” We are also called, by his grace, to share our real and personal encounters with the Lord.
Conversing with Christ: Lord, your Easter appearance bids me to leave my tomb of self-absorption and hopelessness. Help me to look at the circumstances of my life from the renewed perspective of the Resurrection with Easter eyes. Let me not get stuck in the human limits of understanding, but rather deepen and broaden my capacity for hope and faith in divine possibilities. May my humble efforts to share how you touch my life enable others, in this broken and hurting world, to rise from their tombs and live with hope and faith.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will acknowledge your presence in my life, rejecting any spirit of helplessness or sadness despite the challenges that surround me, and offer an act of hope, gratitude, and praise for your grace at work in me.
For Further Reflection: https://youtu.be/Alo77MdkYWE?si=ZugIOkAiJQmQImx1&t=152.
Lucy Honner is a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi and the Assistant Director of Campus Ministry at University Catholic, a community of students in the Nashville area who are serious about their faith. Since 1998, she has exercised her apostolate as a speaker, spiritual director, integrated health coach, and retreat director throughout North America.
April 8, 2026 – Back on the Road
Wednesday in the Octave of Easter
Luke 24:13-35
That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?” And he replied to them, “What sort of things?” They said to him, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his Body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?” So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the Eleven and those with them who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, open my spiritual eyes to the power of your word and your faithful presence in my daily life.
Encountering Christ:
- The Great Disappointment: Jesus’ appearance to the disciples on the way to Emmaus responds to the anguishing desire of our hearts to make sense of suffering. Jesus encounters his two friends in a shared experience of fear and lack of faith, discussing how the death of Jesus and the scandal of the cross have killed hope within them—an all too familiar situation for the early persecuted Christian community, and also the predicament of many people today. Jesus gets close to them and walks by their side. He listens to their conversation and asks, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” “We were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel.” Following the example of Jesus, we need to get close to suffering souls in our path and learn to listen to their reality, feel their problems—to be capable of asking questions that will help those around us to look at their reality from the perspective of faith.
- “Stay With Us, Lord”: “At every time and in every place, God draws close to man.” (CCC 1). In every place and at every moment, Jesus comes unobtrusively near and patiently awaits for us to welcome him. This is an experience we desire whenever we pray. We start out on our own, perhaps a little hopeless and in need of his divine inspiration. When we share what is on our heart, Jesus listens, then gradually and gently, he sheds light. When he draws us to his word, a line from Scripture comes alive and reveals a nugget of understanding, consolation, and guidance. Our heart becomes lighter. Perhaps it even begins to burn with fervor and passion. Time spent with the Lord is never wasted. It allows for our friendship to grow. By the end of the prayer, we can sometimes find it difficult to leave. “Stay with me, Lord.” What a mysterious and awesome privilege it is to know the Lord’s presence in prayer.
- Back on the Road: In the Emmaus scene, we ponder how much Jesus not only wants to spend time with us but desires to remain with us. Jesus gives us not just ordinary bread, but his very self. Deep down in that mysterious place of our heart, we are nourished and strengthened with food for the journey of life. All we need is to be open, empty, and hungry to receive him. Satisfied and strengthened by his word and the Eucharist, the two disciples courageously headed back on the road to Jerusalem. They knew that the same forces that had killed their hope still existed, but everything else had changed. Jesus was alive within them. They were resurrected! Fear, disbelief, and despair dissolved into faith, hope, and zeal. They were truly alive. Let us speak to Jesus about how the Good News of his Resurrection gives us the experience of life in abundance! (cf. Jn 10:10)
Conversing with Christ: Like the two disciples I walk with you, Lord, journeying along many paths, but I do not always walk in the right direction. You made sense of the disciples’ distress through your presence and your word. Open my heart to your word and increase in my heart a desire for receiving you in the Eucharist. I thank you that I can always turn to you in prayer to open the ears of my heart to hear your voice and recognize your presence sowing seeds of hope. Give me the courage to move forward living from a life resurrected in you.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace, and in gratitude for your presence in my life, I will reach out and invite a friend or family member in need to share a meal with me. Help me by your grace to listen, to learn, and to encourage him or her by sharing a message of hope.
For Further Reflection: Delve deeper into overcoming discouragement with “A Cure for Discouragement: A Retreat Guide for Easter,” a free, do-it-yourself retreat available in video, audio, and PDF formats.
Lucy Honner is a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi and the Assistant Director of Campus Ministry at University Catholic, a community of students in the Nashville area who are serious about their faith. Since 1998, she has exercised her apostolate as a speaker, spiritual director, integrated health coach, and retreat director throughout North America.
April 9, 2026 – Touch Me and See
Thursday in the Octave of Easter
Luke 24:35-48
The disciples of Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way, and how they had come to recognize him in the breaking of bread. While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. Then he said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of baked fish; he took it and ate it in front of them. He said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said to them, “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”
Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, may my heart be always open to encounter you in your word to find in the Scriptures my consolation, strength, wisdom, and conversion of heart.
Encountering Christ:
- “Why Do Questions Arise in Your Hearts?”: Jesus appeared to the disciples bringing peace: “My peace I give to you” (Jn 14:27). He gave them the gift of his peace—a peace he promised through his Resurrection. How convinced are we of the power of such love? Why are we sometimes afraid? Why do we doubt that he is with us? Why are we anxious? Let’s listen as Jesus asks his disciples, “Why are you troubled?” and reflect about what circumstances and people weigh on our hearts and minds. What robs us of interior peace? Jesus knows the many questions we have in our hearts. Let’s make an act of entrusting ourselves to Jesus’ love and thank him for his presence through the gift of peace. We need to renew this act as often as worries assail us.
- “It Is I Myself!”: With a simple gesture, we understand the desire in the heart of Jesus to help the disciples overcome their fear and unbelief. He showed them his nail-marked hands and feet, inviting them to look and touch. Why did the disciples believe? What is it that makes us believe? Jesus is not afraid to show us his hands and his feet through his mystical body, the Church. He says, “It is I myself!” Can we not see beyond the human condition God’s power at work in all things? When we contemplate the wounds of Christ in his risen body, his body the Church, his power and grace can prevail over the damage, scars, pains, and sufferings we endure. Let’s open our hearts to share with the Lord any hesitation to forgive those who have hurt us. Let’s believe in Jesus’ healing power through the Church.
- Scripture Revealed: The Scriptures already hinted at a Messiah—a Suffering Servant who would rise from the dead, forgive sin, and be preached to all nations. Jesus, risen from the dead, fulfills this prophecy. By his Resurrection, we know that our whole person, body and soul, will one day be resurrected. “We believe in the true resurrection of this flesh that we now possess… We sow a corruptible body in the tomb, but he raises up an incorruptible body, a ‘spiritual body’” (cf. 1 Cor 15:42-44) (CCC 1017). Praise Jesus for the beautiful eventuality of our own resurrection!
Conversing with Christ: Lord, I place my worries and preoccupations in your hands. To your providence I entrust the causes of my concerns. May I always live with belief in the power of the Resurrection to be working for good in all circumstances. I know you are with me. Grant me the courage to speak of you and your love with the prudence to know what to do and what to say, drawing from your word in the Scriptures.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will spend time reading from the Acts of the Apostles to be encouraged by how the disciples courageously witnessed to the Resurrection.
For Further Reflection: Reflect on chapter 4 of the Acts of the Apostles.
Lucy Honner is a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi and the Assistant Director of Campus Ministry at University Catholic, a community of students in the Nashville area who are serious about their faith. Since 1998, she has exercised her apostolate as a speaker, spiritual director, integrated health coach, and retreat director throughout North America.
April 10, 2026 – Fishing for Humble Hearts
Friday in the Octave of Easter
John 21:1-14
Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way. Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We also will come with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.” So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish. So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards, dragging the net with the fish. When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they realized it was the Lord. Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish. This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead.
Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to listen for the guidance of your voice and to respond with faithful and loving obedience, confident that you will bless and multiply all I do for good.
Encountering Christ:
- “I Am Going Fishing”: Peter was struggling, lost, and floundering. Not surprisingly, he turned back to where he felt secure, comfortable, and in control, taking the other disciples with him. What does his response to stress say to me about my own life? Do I recognize how inner confusion gives rise to thoughts of self-reliance or cowardness? “We have caught nothing!” Peter’s decision resulted in a night of futile fishing with empty nets and empty hearts. What “boats” do we cling to that have us toiling in vain? The Lord wants to speak to our hearts about those places in our life where false securities are hiding us from him.
- “It Is the Lord”: Jesus stood on the shore as a beacon who remained steadfast, vigilant, and faithful, but they did not recognize him. “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” Responding negatively, they realized the night’s deceit. Jesus had invited the disciples to let go of and cast aside the nets entangling them in apprehension and fear. Only when they obeyed his command did incredible results follow. Out of love, John, the beloved disciple, called out, “It is the Lord.” Peter was not the first to recognize Jesus, but he was the first to respond. As John loved and Peter acted on this love, let us intuitively jump into the water to get close to the Lord. Let’s ask him to show us where he wants us to be open to accepting his will. He may surprise us!
- “Come”: How tenderly and sensitively Jesus dealt with his beloved disciples. Likewise, he knows our needs and our hunger. How open and aware are we to God’s kindly care for us in each moment? The disciples caught such a great number of fish, and yet the net did not break. The disciples learned to bend themselves in obedience to what Jesus was asking of them and to trust that he would bless and make their efforts fruitful. They learned that “without me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5). None of them was bold enough to ask, “Who are you?” because they knew he was the Lord. On the shore, taking the bread, Jesus revealed himself in the Eucharist as a privileged place for an encounter with the Risen Jesus. When we receive the Eucharist, we can spend time speaking to him, asking him to stay with us, to bless and multiply our efforts to be obedient to him.
Conversing with Christ: Jesus, you are always there at the water’s edge of my ordinary life. You know how to nourish me with your word and warm me with the fire of your love in the Eucharist. Help me in turn to nourish, heal, and love those in my life and all I encounter today. Let me never tire of listening for your voice and heeding your command in faithful obedience. I put my trust in your grace to do marvels working through my faithfulness, humility, and sincerity of heart.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will see all situations as opportunities for loving with attentive kindness and gentleness to accept and respond to the needs of others before my own.
For Further Reflection: Reflect on Chapter V from the encyclical by St. John Paul II, Redemptoris Missio.
Lucy Honner is a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi and the Assistant Director of Campus Ministry at University Catholic, a community of students in the Nashville area who are serious about their faith. Since 1998, she has exercised her apostolate as a speaker, spiritual director, integrated health coach, and retreat director throughout North America.
April 11, 2026 – Appearing and Disappearing
Saturday in the Octave of Easter
Mark 16:9-15
When Jesus had risen, early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told his companions who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. After this he appeared in another form to two of them walking along on their way to the country. They returned and told the others; but they did not believe them either. But later, as the Eleven were at table, he appeared to them and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had been raised. He said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.”
Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe that you are alive and close to me, especially through your sacramental presence. From here, you work tirelessly to extend your Kingdom. May I cling to your Church so that your love will continue to flow through me and sustain me in fulfilling the mission you have entrusted to me.
Encountering Christ:
- Unbelief: Three times in the Gospel summaries of the Resurrection appearances, we learn that Jesus’ witnesses were “not believed.” Jesus reproached the disciples for their lack of faith, but he sent them to proclaim the Good News anyway. Mary Magdalene may not have seemed a likely candidate to witness to those who would not believe. Jesus wants us to see that our worthiness to witness to the Gospel as an announcer of his truth is not judged according to our perceptions, but rather according to his personal, loving call. If we are believers in the Resurrection events, why is it so difficult to believe in this same love at work transforming our hearts and the world around us? Our disbelief does not discourage the risen Lord! With a sincere heart say, “Lord, I do believe, help my unbelief!”
- Alive and Seen: Faith in the risen Christ came slowly for the disciples, and Jesus had to convince them that he had indeed risen from death. Our faith journey has its fair share of ups and downs, but we cannot deny in times of darkness or desolation what we have seen in the light and experienced in a sure moment of grace. Even though our life of prayer goes through phases, at times filled with many words and at other moments in complete silence, Jesus wants us to learn to trust that he is always near even when it may not seem so. By loving Jesus in obscurity and darkness, our faith springs to life.
- Go Into the Whole World: Jesus knows that, at times, we will struggle in our efforts to carry out our mission, just as it was challenging for the disciples to believe in the Resurrection. We can be outwardly confident yet harboring doubts, and in other moments hesitant to proclaim what seems certain. Jesus sees and understands our resistance and reluctance; however, he continues to send us out to “the whole world.” He never despairs of us, his beloved followers. After all, it is his work taking effect through our faithfulness. “The Lord has taken the initiative, he has loved us first (1 Jn 4:19), and therefore we can move forward, boldly take the initiative, go out to others, seek those who have fallen away, stand at the crossroads and welcome the outcast” (Evangelii Gaudium, 24). Listen for where the Lord is inviting you to proclaim the Good News in the current circumstances of your life.
Conversing with Christ: I have experienced the presence of God in numerous ways, not the least of which is in the sacraments given to me through the Church. I have had so many moments of strength, consolation, and peace in prayer to the risen Lord who desires to draw near. May I grow deeper in my conviction and more courageous in my response to the commission to proclaim the Gospel in every aspect of my life.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will lean on your grace in the sacraments, either by participating in daily Mass or regular confession, to ask for a renewed confidence in my mission to show God’s love in the precise circumstances of my everyday life.
For Further Reflection: “Sent,” a video by Fr. John Bartunek, LC, on Mary Magdalene’s vocation as the Apostle to the Apostles.
Lucy Honner is a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi and the Assistant Director of Campus Ministry at University Catholic, a community of students in the Nashville area who are serious about their faith. Since 1998, she has exercised her apostolate as a speaker, spiritual director, integrated health coach, and retreat director throughout North America.
April 12, 2026 – Peace Be With You
Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday
John 20:19-31
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I praise you for your Resurrection masterpiece. You died, destroying death; now you have risen, restoring life. Thank you for every Sunday Mass, in which we remember Christ’s victory. Alleluia!
Encountering Christ:
- “Peace Be With You”: Many elements in this Gospel passage can help us to reflect more deeply on the celebration of the Eucharist. For example, Christ said three times, “Peace be with you.” These can be likened to the triple invocations of the “Kyrie Eleison” or the “Lamb of God.” The number three is the number of completeness and perfection. God himself is three persons in one God, and each person is very present in this passage: Jesus mentioned the Father (“the Father has sent me”) and the Holy Spirit (“Receive the Holy Spirit”), while Thomas mentioned the Son (“My Lord…”) and his divine nature (“…and my God!”). And what do the Kyrie and the Lamb of God and Jesus and Thomas and the Mass all show us? That there is mercy, there is forgiveness of sin, there is peace.
- Faith and the Eucharist: Devotion to Mary, Undoer of Knots has been on the rise in recent years. Many Catholics are attracted to the Mother of God as an aid in untying the tangles of life. In an analogous way, today’s Gospel presents to us Jesus, Comer through Locked Doors (twice!). He came to the Apostles despite the obstacles they placed before him. His presence and his mercy pursue us—especially at Easter—until we allow him to come in and give us peace. And he made his Apostles protagonists in the giving of grace. We can therefore also ask for the intercession of the Apostles, Forgivers of Sin. But there is one more title to bestow in our list of devotions: We, the Blessed Unseers. Christ praised all those who have not seen and yet have believed—that is, all those who receive the Eucharist with faith. The bread we see is like a locked door that cannot prevent Jesus from coming at the consecration. And when he does, the priest echoes his words: “Peace I leave you, my peace I give you.”
- Bookwork: John tells us that Jesus did many other signs “not written in this book.” John probably could have written another book, even longer than his Gospel, describing Jesus in detail. He confesses, “There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written” (Jn 21:25). Only in heaven, perhaps, will we learn more of John’s unwritten library. It would simply be too much for us here on earth. In fact, the library grows because Jesus works new wonders every day! Through the devout recitation of the liturgy of the hours by priests and lay people the world over, all of Jesus’ deeds recorded and unrecorded are praised continually to high heaven.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, thank you for searching me out when I lock myself in my own upper room. I want to take part in the liturgy with devotion, so that I can praise your glorious Resurrection and your Divine Mercy.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will go to Mass with a joyful heart.
For Further Reflection: St. Therese of Lisieux’s Story of a Soul exemplifies the three points of our meditation today. She tried to live with great peace and trust in God; she showed great faith and devotion to the Eucharist; and she tried to write down in her book how Jesus had worked in her life, similar to St. John’s account of the Gospel.
Fr Erik Burckel, LC was ordained to the priesthood in 2022. He writes articles and short stories for diverse purposes and publications, and can be reached at eburckel@legionaries.org.
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Fr. John Pietropaoli, LC was born in Malone, New York and was ordained a priest in 2012. Since then, he has served as chaplain at Divine Mercy University, and as community superior and local Regnum Christi director inPhiladelphia. He has also written retreat guides and RC essays, and is a regular contributor to the weekly letter series at RC Spirituality. Fr. John is currently serving as a professor at the Legionaries of Christ College of Humanities in Cheshire.
Anne Will is from a big Catholic family in Fort Recovery, Ohio. When she was in 5th Grade, one of her friends invited her to the Challenge Club in Minster, Ohio, and Anne thus found her spiritual family, joining ECYD and then Regnum Christi as an adolescent. During her sophomore year of high school, when praying about which college to go to, Anne felt God invite her to discern what to do with her life. By the end of her senior year of high school, Anne had discerned that she was called to be a Bride of Christ and was consecrated in 2005. Anne has served in secretary work and in youth and adult ministry in Connecticut, New Jersey, at Immaculate Conception Academy and Overbrook Academy in Rhode Island, in Florida, at The Highlands School in Dallas, Texas, and in the Territorial Secretariate in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, having also made trips to serve in other states as well as in Nicaragua, Guatemala and Canada. Anne currently lives and serves in Dallas, Texas, with a passion for helping people to grow in their relationship with Our Lord, in vocational discernment and in living life to the full via retreats, spiritual and formative events and spiritual direction.
Fr. Scott Reilly, LC is from Kankakee, Illinois and was ordained in 1997. Following ordination, Fr. Scott served primarily in Atlanta from 1997–2010, fulfilling roles such as chaplain at Pinecrest Academy and St. Pius X Catholic High School, and later as territorial director. Since then, he has ministered in Houston and Philadelphia. He currently serves as the pastor of St. Brendan the Navigator Parish in Cumming, Georgia. Deeply engaged in spiritual guidance and evangelization, Fr. Scott emphasizes accompaniment, community, and mission in his priestly ministry to families.
Dcn. Edgar Henríquez, LC is from Temuco, Chile, and was ordained a deacon in September of 2025. During his period of studies in Rome, he collaborated in the International Office of Institutional Communication of the Legionaries of Christ and had the opportunity to participate in the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops on Synodality in October 2024. With a background in journalism and social communication, he will continue his apostolic mission in California, where he is serving as a contributor at Radio Guadalupe in Los Angeles.
Fr. John Bartunek was ordained in 2003. He has taught moral theology at various ecclesiastical institutions at the graduate and undergraduate levels, and has authored many books, including the Gospel companion, The Better Part, and Inside the Passion, the only authorized behind-the-scenes look at the film, for which he provided on-set spiritual support. His online retreat guides are available in multiple formats at RCSpirituality.org. Fr. John currently resides in Atlanta, where he is serving as territorial vicar for the Legionaries of Christ.
