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 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

In this episode, we continue our four part series on the identity of daughter. This episode is now offered in video on youtube! We discuss wounds from our childhood - rejection, abandonment and a failure to feel safe - and the lasting effects these wounds can have in our adult relationships. We chat about loving our younger selves with compassion, so that we can receive God’s unconditional love today. We pray you would allow the Divine Healer to look on your wounds with compassion this week! Be sure to subscribe to the Abiding Together Podcast on YouTube to watch our video podcasts!

Sister Miriam’s one thing - Mama Heidland’s Seafood Gumbo Recipe

Michelle’s one thing - Sacred Rest by by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith

Heather’s one thing - Change the Way You Think: A Conversation with Louie Giglio, Jennie Allen and Craig Groeschel

Other Books Mentioned -

Life Model: Living from the Heart Jesus Gave you - James Friesen

The Inner Voice of Love: A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom - Henri Nouwen

Discussion questions:

1. What stood out to you from this week’s episode?
2. Are your childhood wounds healed places of glory or are they bandaged up, still hiding, and in need of Christ’s light?
3. How do you see core wounds from childhood - abandonment, rejection or a gap created because your heart did not feel safe - affecting your relationships today? Do you recognize any of the effects listed by Sister Miriam in the episode? How can you receive God’s restoration for you in these places?
4. What does it look like to welcome home the little parts of yourself with compassion and gentleness?

Journal Questions:

1. Are there particular memories from your childhood that this series has brought to the surface? Where do you need to hear the truth that the woundedness caused by others was not your fault?
2. Try to find a picture of your younger self. What would you like to share with her or him? Are there critical words and judgements you would like to take back or words of affirmation and compassion you need to speak over your younger self?
3. Pray with Jesus’ words ‘be not afraid.’ How does He desire for you to receive this message when acknowledging wounds from your childhood?

Quotes to Ponder: “You keep listening to those who seem to reject you. But they never speak about you. They speak about their own limitations. They confess their poverty in the face of your needs and desires. They simply ask for your compassion. They do not say that you are bad, ugly, or despicable. They say only that you are asking for something they cannot give and that they need to get some distance from you to survive emotionally. The sadness is that you perceive their necessary withdrawal as a rejection of you instead of as a call to return home and discover your true belovedness.” - Henri Nouwen

“A part of you was left behind very early in your life: the part that never felt completely received. It is full of fears. Meanwhile, you grew up with many survival skills. But you want yourself to be one. So you have to bring home the part of you that was left behind. That is not easy, because you have become quite a formidable person, and your fearful part does not know if it can safely dwell with you. Your grown-up self has to become very childlike—hospitable, gentle, and caring—so your anxious self can return and feel safe.” - Henri Nouwen

Scripture for Lectio Divina - “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” - Ephesians 3:14-21

This episode is sponsored by House of Joppa.

This week’s episode is sponsored by House of Joppa. If you are looking for beautiful Catholic home décor, jewelry, art, rosaries or other Catholic gifts, look no farther than House of Joppa....

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