Abiding Together

In this week's episode, we conclude season 14 by reflecting on what we have learned in our lives this past season. We chat about surrendering control and allowing the Holy Spirit to move in power, the need to be grateful for what we already have and the importance of being present in the present moment. We also share personal experiences of transformation and deep intimacy we have found with God, even in the midst of suffering. Thank you for an amazing season, we are truly honored to be on this journey with you. God bless!

Heather’s One Thing - Her recent Healing Pilgrimage to France through Franciscan University (check out their website to join future pilgrimages) and Michelle’s Sweatshirt

Sister Miriam’s One Thing - You :)

Michelle’s One Thing - Her Summer Reading List, Word on Fire’s children’s books, and the book Between Brothers by Sarah Metts

Announcements:

Join us July 8-29 2024 as we re-release our book study on The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis.

Season 15 begins September 2024 - join our email list to receive updates!

Journal Questions:

• Which episode, conversation, or theme resonated with me most this season?
• What miracles have I been managing lately?
• What has the process of transformation looked like in my life?
• How do I partner with fear in my life? What freedom and goodness does the Lord offer me in those areas?

Discussion Questions:

• What does it look like to move through the power of the Holy Spirit?
• What is God asking you to get rid of and let go of before you move into the next season of life?
• What graces are you grateful for in this season of your life?
• How will you cultivate intimacy with the Lord and community with others throughout the summer?

Quote to Ponder:

“Faith walks simply, childlike, between the darkness of human life and the hope of what is to come.” (Catherine Doherty)

Scripture for Lectio:

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15)

Sponsor - Behold Visio Divina:

Encounter the Lord more deeply amidst all the seasons in life through Behold Visio Divina. Behold is devoted to helping women encounter who Christ is through prayer and sacred art. Through their books, formation, and workshops, Behold hopes women can encounter the beauty of who God created them to be and share that with the world! Offering over 10 different sacred art prayer companions on themes such as praying through fear, post abortive healing, relational healing, and many others, Behold has options for every woman’s heart. Upcoming book topics include miscarriage and infant loss, iconography, and scrupulosity.

Friend, you are seen, known, and loved wherever the Lord has you in life. And we are here to provide the opportunity to invite you and Jesus into conversation through art and community. We currently are accepting registration for our in person and virtual groups taking part this summer. Take a look at our small groups here and join us!

Because the Abiding Together community holds such a special place in our heart, Behold is offering 15% off any of their items, small group registration, and books. Use the code “ABIDING” for this special rate at www.beholdvisiodivina.com. On our website you can also register for our “Weekly Dose of Beauty” emails! We hope you can join our Behold family soon, please know of our prayers for you!

In this week's episode, we welcome Brya Hanan, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, to share how we can learn to engage as an adult with the young parts of ourselves. Brya shares her story, the trauma she experienced as a child, and how it affected not only her self-perception but also how she related to others. She reflects on her healing journey and shares practical ways you can begin your healing journey. We also chat about how our unmet needs as a child can affect us as adults, how to have compassion for ourselves in our brokenness, and why healing ourselves allows us to love those around us much more fully.

Heather’s One Thing - Her parents

Sister Miriam’s One Thing - Lentil Curry and Naan Bread

Michelle’s One Thing - Her husband, Chris, and his loving support

Brya’s One Thing - Barre Classes!

Other Resources Mentioned:

• Buy Brya’s book here
• Check out Brya’s website and Instagram
• Restore the Glory Podcast Episode 99: Parts Work with Brya Hanan

Journal Questions:

• Where do I sense deep divides within myself?
• How do I care for others as a way of avoiding care for myself?
• What would it look like for me to befriend my inner child?
• What are my defense mechanisms?
• Is it time to seek out therapy?

Discussion Questions:

• What “templates” of wounds and experiences do you find yourself living through?
• In your healing journey, when have you experienced things getting worse before they got better? What made the change for the better?
• What does your inner child need to hear today?
• When do you feel dysregulated?
• When do you feel well-regulated?

Quotes to Ponder:

“Remember, you are held safe. You are loved. You are protected. You are in communion with God and with those whom God has sent you. What is of God will last. It belongs to the eternal life. Choose it, and it will be yours.” (Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Inner Voice of Love)

“The history of every human being passes through the threshold of a woman’s motherhood.” (Saint Pope JPII)

Scripture for Lectio:

A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you.Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” (Mark 5: 24- 34)

Sponsor - Holy Confident Birth:

Are you an expectant mama who’s dreaming of a natural birth experience that feels like an act of worship, leaves you feeling empowered in your motherhood, and even brings you closer to Christ? Maybe you’ve been searching high and low for a resource that will help you get there AND that aligns with your Catholic values, but it just didn’t seem to exist! If you want to feel EQUIPPED to knock your birth out of the park, EMPOWERED in your ability to make informed decisions, and EXCITED for the Spirit-led, fear-free birth you’ve been dreaming of, The Holy Confident Birth Course might be just the solution you’ve been looking for. Inside this course, you’ll find eight modules comprised of video lessons and handouts,where you’ll learn about the labor and birth process, building the perfect team, managing your options and interventions, advocating for yourself during labor and so much more!

If you want to take the next step towards a birth you’ll love, learn more at www.holyconfidentbirth.com/birthcourse and use code ABIDE for an extra $49 off at checkout.

In this week's episode, we continue our discussion on communion and focus on the practical aspects of living out in community. We reflect on the four main pillars of building a community: intentionality, vulnerability, proximity, and organically. We also talk about community as a journey and that we learn to love others by experiencing the love of God ourselves. This experience brings communion within us, which bears fruit, and then we are then able to give that love away to others.

Heather’s One Thing - Friends of the Bridegroom

Sister Miriam’s One Thing - What Vegetable are You? Quiz

Michelle’s One Thing - Monk Manual

Announcement:

Check out our new Small Group Resource page!

Journal Questions:

• How can I express more mercy and curiosity within my community?
• Who in my local community can I extend an invitation to?
• Is there variety in my family’s community (vocations, ages, stages of life, etc)?
• For those not currently in an Abiding Together small group: Consider praying about starting an Abiding Together small group or study group. What fears or concerns do I have about starting a group?

Discussion Questions:

• When do you feel more tempted to speak out harshly instead of conversing gently with those you’re in conflict with?
• What repeating strains and roadblocks have you observed in your relationships over the years? What do you think God may be teaching you through those strains?
• Throughout the episode, we covered four different aspects of community (intentionality, vulnerability, proximity, and organic engagement). Which of these aspects is hardest for you within your relationships?
• How can you initiate moments of organic community in your current season? Set a goal for yourself this week and check back in with each next time you connect.

Quotes to Ponder:

"God is love and in himself he lives a mystery of personal loving communion. Creating the human race in his own image .... God inscribed in the humanity of man and woman the vocation, and thus the capacity and responsibility, of love and communion." (CCC 2331)

“The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community)

Scripture for Lectio:

“And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:43-47)

Sponsor - Nazareth Organics:

Nazareth Organics (@nazarethorganics) is a Catholic family-owned natural skincare company that handcrafts balms with high quality, wild-crafted, and organic ingredients from nature.

From facial moisturizers and serums to diaper creams and body butters, Nazareth Organics carries nourishing natural products for a wide array of skin conditions.

They use grass-fed tallow from a local Catholic farm as a base for many of their balms, because it is rich in fat-soluble vitamins and fatty acids that can increase collagen production, strengthen the skin, and calm inflammation.

The best thing about this business is that it’s dedicated to the Holy Family of Nazareth. From website to packaging, every sustainably sourced product points back to the faith and the ultimate source of creation. They also donate a portion of all proceeds to Catholic charitable organizations.

If you want to honor and care for your body using pure and natural ingredients straight from God’s hands, then check out Nazareth Organics. Find them at nazareth-organics.com and use code ABIDE10 at checkout for a 10% discount. Follow them on Instagram and Facebook at: @nazarethorganics.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Nazareth Organics

01:31 - Intro

02:23 - Welcome and Recap

03:23 - Judgement vs Curiosity

06:36 - Bearing Fruit in Community

08:43 - Jesus as a Model of Community

11:05 - Aspects of Community

18:28 - Good Community Takes Time to Build

19:17 - Abiding Together Small Group Resources

22:22 - One Things

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 [email protected]. 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 episode, we reconnect after our summer break to discuss the ways God has grown us this summer and our hopes for the season to come. We marvel together at how the Lord continues to heal us, remind us of His truth, and invite us to abide deeper in who He is and who He says we are. We chat about how the maturation that comes with repentance and the willingness to start over again with God. We pray that God will do a new thing in you as you join us on the journey this season!

Sister Miriam’s one thing - Separate Vocations of Man and Woman - Edith Stein from Essays on Woman (The Collected Works of Edith Stein) - Edith Stein

Heather’s one thing - Speak the Unspoken Podcast S02 E02: The power of story with Heather Kyhm

Michelle’s one thing - Fr. Dave Pivonka, Dr. Bob Rice, and the entire orientation team at Franciscan University of Steubenville

Discussion questions:

1. What stood out to you from this week’s episode?
2. What areas did you learn you needed to grow over this summer? How did God stretch you, humble you, invite you to abide more?
3. In what ways would you like to begin again today? What must you repent of? What must you turn your eyes away from to be able to see Christ looking at you?

Journal Questions:

1. How did you see the Lord using events or memories of your past to grow you, mature you and heal you this summer?
2. What desires would you like to name for the Lord to fulfill as we move into a new season?
3. How can you let the Lord love you where you are most vulnerable and dependent?

Quotes to Ponder: “Always, we begin again.” - St. Benedict

Scripture for Lectio Divina - “It is not that I have already taken hold of it or have already attained perfect maturity, but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it, since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I for my part do not consider myself to have taken possession. Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 3:12-14