July 2013:
No Longer Silent: The Empowerment of Women in the Gospels
By Susan Dehn Matthews
Review: No Longer Silent is an imaginative reflection on the women of the gospels, many of whom have been overlooked, ignored, misrepresented, or misunderstood. Susan Dehn Matthews presents 34 short (five pages or less) portraits of these women, including the more well-known Elizabeth, Mary of Nazareth, and Samaritan woman as well as the nameless women bent double and the woman disciple on the road to Emmaus.
Each of the reflections begins with the Bible passage in which they made their appearance. Along with her personal reflections, the author includes thoughtful and helpful questions for personal reflection or group discussion. This book is a wonderful invitation to listen to these women, whose voices still resonate today.
—Father John Molyneux, C.M.F., Editor, U.S. Catholic
ACTA Publications says: The story of Jesus of Nazareth has been called “the greatest story ever told,” but what role do women play in that story? In No Longer Silent, author Susan Dehn Matthews highlights the women in the gospels and provides the background behind those important women.
Paperback: $14.95
Available at bookstores or from ACTA Publications: 1-800-397-2282 or shop online at www.actapublications.com.
Questions for Discussion
Creation Within: Elizabeth
1. What do I perceive as impossible in my life? What does my willingness to lose hope reveal to me?
2. What place do disappointment and anger have in my life? In what ways have I grown or been stunted through my experience of these emotions?
3. Am I ever tempted to succumb to the excuse of being unable to be full of life? What circumstances cause me to feel barren and empty?
4. When have I looked outside myself for identity and fulfillment? What were the circumstances that prompted me to do this?
5. How have I been drawn into life-giving relationship with God and the whole of Creation? What portion of myself am I willing to invest in this relationship?
The Reflective Woman: Mary of Nazareth
6. How do I sense the interconnectedness of my body, mind and spirit? In which sphere do I tend to dwell; which sphere requires greater integration from me in order to achieve balance?
7. What do I need to change in my life in order to take the time to be attentive and listen carefully to all the voices that speak to me? What level of risk am I willing to take in order to invest myself in the process of change?
8. As I assess the virtues and strengths I possess, do I wonder if they will be sufficient for the arduous journey of my life? What insights or wisdom about myself become apparent as I consider the person I am now and the person I hope to become?
9. Am I willing to conceive of and labor toward bringing about the world as it could be? Have I emptied myself enough to allow alternative visions to energize me?
10. In the emergent pattern of the universe, do I see myself giving birth to the Christ and completing a portion of the cyclical pattern that will continue long after I am gone? What does having a Christic-consciousness mean in my daily life?
Grace ad Vision: Anna
11. When am I most aware of God’s presence in my life? In the world? In the universe?
12. Where is God present to me in the ordinary rhythms of my daily life? In what ways is my search for God a struggle?
13. Do I value what the various people of the world tell me about the face of God? In what ways has my own image of God evolved and grown because of these revelations?
14. Am I willing to acknowledge that my understanding of God is fragmentary and incomplete? Do I experience resonance or resistance to the idea that I must listen to the voices of all people as they share their pieces of the truth about the One God of the Universe with me?
15. Where have I met God face-to-face? Am I able to proclaim my God?
Outspoken Boldness: Mary in the Temple
16. What are the greatest revelations of Wisdom I have received in my life? Is my heart open to new and surprising sources of Wisdom?
17. In what ways am I aware of my own inner child? How do I seek to satisfy my need to learn, to test, to be surprised and to marvel at Creation?
18. What do I seek to control in my life? Do I seek control because I doubt the effectiveness of my own strengths and gifts?
19. What causes me anxiety and worry? Is it possible for me to approach these circumstances in a more life-affirming manner?
20. Is boldness one of my gifts? How far do I dare to go in response to my own true nature?
Feast of Recognition: Mary at the Wedding of Cana
21. How capable am I of recognizing the revelations of God placed before my eyes? What doubts do I have about the authenticity of these disclosures?
22. Based upon my life experience thus far, what do I suspect is my role in birthing the Divine into the world? Why do I trust or dismiss my insights?
23. What is my capacity for participating in the labor of birthing Christic-consciousness into the world? What do I fear are my inadequacies?
24. What depth of intimacy exists in my relationship with Jesus the Christ? How am I revealed to myself through this relationship?
25. Am I capable of living the Truth, as it is revealed to me in the most unlikely places and circumstances of life? Where or when might this be the most difficult for me to live authentically?
Thirst Quenched: The Samaritan Woman
26. What parts of my life have I isolated from the company of others? What prompted me to voluntarily withdraw and submerge those precious pieces of myself?
27. What is my heart tired of fighting? In what ways have I exhibited boldness as a result of this fatigue?
28. Where is the evidence that I possess enough courage and audacity within me to dialogue with the challenges in my life? What am I afraid I will discover in the process?
29. When will I allow the questions and Wisdom submerged in the depths of my heart to surge and bubble to the surface? How will I discern the authenticity of this inner knowing?
30. For what is my heart searching? How will I recognize the goal of my searching when I encounter it?
Serving at the Table: The Mother-in-Law of Peter
31. Why do I dismiss myself as too ordinary to possess qualities worth presenting to others? What prompts me to think this way?
32. What would help me to discern the gifts and talents I am best able to offer in service to the world? How must I reconfigure my daily routine in order to carve out the time necessary for this discernment?
33. What brings me deep joy and satisfaction in life? How do I go about acknowledging that this may be what I am authentically called to do in my life when it may be at odds with what is already known and secure?
34. In what way am I aware of my life’s work as a ministry to the world; how might I affirm this within myself? To what degree is the respect and acknowledgement of others important to my ministering in the world?
35. What risks am I willing to take in order to bring my passions to light? What would cause me to rise to this occasion?
No Longer Invisible: The Wife of the Fisherman
36. What events have irrevocably altered the course of my life’s direction? Did I choose these milestones or were they imposed on me?
37. Have I participated graciously or reluctantly in the changes that have molded the person I am today? What voices of resistance or resonance did I hear within myself at these times?
38. Am I visible to myself? To others? How have I been challenged to look at myself as “anything but ordinary”?
39. When have I experienced an overwhelming sense of urgency, assurance, or power coursing through my being? What was I prompted to do as a result?
40. What is the truth I see and hear in my life right now? How will I proceed from this point forward?
Disowned: My Mother and Sisters
41. In what ways am I possessive rather than expansive in my love? Is it possible for me to serve the world by remaining small?
42. Am I comfortable holding questions that have no ready answers? What feelings are evoked in me when I find myself existing in this in-between place?
43. How have I met the challenge of following my convictions and seeking truth in my own life? In what ways am I invigorated or daunted by the inevitable obstacles and consequences of this journey?
44. When truth does not match my perception of what should be, do I feel “disowned”? What qualities of resilience do I possess that would allow me to overcome this feeling of abandonment?
Word of Love: The Centurion’s Slave
45. In what ways would the ground of my being shift if I allowed myself to see beyond the conventional and expected in life? How might I be lulled into complacency by a lack of imagination?
46. As I look into the myriad faces of humanity, where do I see reflections of my own face? What is my desire and capacity for seeking common ground with other people?
47. If I were to permit love to truly guide my actions and to possess me fully, what dimensions of myself would I retain? What elements of myself would I have to let go of?
48. What is in danger of dying because I refuse to acknowledge its place in my life? What level of urgency do I feel as I look at this piece of myself that is in danger of being lost?
49. How much am I willing to risk for the sake of love? Does the power of Divine Love resonate within me or do I shrink from engaging its immensity and responsibility?
Hope Deep Within: The Widowed Mother of Nain
50. Do I recognize the truth of my identity or do I allow myself to be defined primarily by the roles and relationships in my life? How can I affirm and give greater expression to this authentic core of my being that is undefined by those around me?
51. Does the future inspire fear or hope in my heart? What prompts this response in me?
52. In the face of significant losses, when did I feel desolation creeping in to my mind and heart? How did I respond? What have I learned in those experiences?
53. What signs exist that deep, indwelling trust and hope might reside within me? In what ways do I perceive myself as resilient in my approach to life?
54. What is dead inside me? What new life would I like to see brought forth from these dead places? How is it possible to open myself to the surprising and mysterious work of God?
Confidence: The Woman of Extravagant Love
55. In what ways am I invited into mutual relationship with the Divine? Is there something that motivates me to live and draw breath in conscious awareness of this relationship with my Creator God?
56. When have I questioned my worthiness to be loved so limitlessly by God? How have I allowed the circumstances of my life to diminish or erode my dignity and integrity?
57. What convinces or challenges me to believe that I am the beloved of the Creator? How can I encourage myself to realize that I am known and created by the Divine as an expression of deep, beautiful love?
58. How do I give expression to the inner urge to empty myself into something far greater? What will distinguish my genuine and true need for relationship from mere self-gratification?
59. What circumstances would cause me to worry that God’s love will overwhelm and change how I exist in the world? Under what conditions am I confident and self-assured when I approach the energy of God’s love?
Reborn to Womanhood: The Daughter of Jairus
60. What hopes and dreams have sustained me through my life’s journey? If faced with the prospect of relinquishing a cherished dream, how do I imagine myself responding?
61. Who are my role models? What qualities do they possess that I desire to assimilate? What reflections of myself do I see in them?
62. Do I respond to change in my life with resistance and confusion or do I allow myself to be vulnerable and malleable as the forces of transition engage me in becoming more authentic? In what way do I exercise my free will in choosing one or the other of these responses?
63. At what point(s) in life did I feel my authentic nature assert itself and emerge from within? What emotions were evoked in me by these experiences?
64. If change is inevitable in life, what has the process of rebirth propelled me toward? As a result of the waxing and waning pressures of this movement, what has unfolded within me?
Audacity: The Hemorrhaging Woman
65. What causes the hemorrhaging of life for me or the depletion of my energy? How is my relationship with the community of Creation impaired as a consequence of this diminishment?
66. In the face of challenges that could potentially distort my life, what part of me wants to simply sink into helplessness? What part of me resists that urge? Which is the stronger response?
67. What is my capacity, regardless of cost or discomfort, for searching out solutions to the unexpected and unwelcome dimensions of my life? From where does this capacity originate?
68. How deep is my desire to reach for what is life-giving when faced with the risk of personal embarrassment or possible retribution at the hand of another? Is it my fear or my desire that is stronger?
69. Does the vulnerable openness needed to receive healing energy create a welcome, expansive space within me or am I immobilized by the unknown possibilities that stretch before me? By what means can I develop a balanced approach to openness and healing?
Given Voice: The Healing of the One Who Was Mute
70. Have I known periods in my life when my voice has been muted by forces outside myself? If asked to describe how I felt at these times, how would I characterize my response to being subdued?
71. How do I respond when my words are strangled and I am at a loss to communicate my thoughts and desires? What alternate means are at my disposal to articulate what I cannot readily speak out loud?
72. What circumstances exist within my life, right now, which feel as if they prevent me from freely speaking my mind and heart? Do these circumstances actually prevent me from using my voice or does my perception of the situation inhibit me in some way?
73. Do I feel absolutely silenced in any aspect of my life? How have I resisted or acquiesced to whomever or whatever has imposed this on me?
74. If given the dignity and power of my full voice, what would I feel compelled to say? Is there anyone in particular to whom I would speak?
Journey Home: The Syro-Phoenician Woman
75. In what ways is the journey of my life an expression of prayer? How do I welcome reflective silence into my prayer as preparation for hearing the voice of Divine Wisdom?
76. How will I learn to recognize and honor the universality of Divine Wisdom wherever and however it is revealed in Creation? What is my response when I encounter an expression of Wisdom that seems foreign or difficult to comprehend?
77. In order to participate in breaking down the barriers that divide human beings from one another and from the rest of Creation, to which of Wisdom’s many voices do I need to be more attentive? What degree of personal energy do I need to expend in identifying the common ground between these various voices?
78. On what levels are my intellect and heart invited to engage in a dialogue with Wisdom? As I search for Truth and Wholeness, what is Wisdom’s message for me?
79. What word do I need to hear that will assure me of healing in my life, in the world, in Creation? This word carries with it a personal mandate; how do I envision it bringing my journey to fullness?
Openness to Receive: The Mothers of Capernaum
80. By what means do I sometimes brush off my work in the world as inconsequential to the unfolding of Creation? How might I envision myself as integral to the well-being of Creation?
81. What crosses my mind when I am asked to characterize what I do in the course of an ordinary day? In what ways could I consider my work as a valuable service or ministry?
82. As I open myself to all that life has to offer, do I cringe in fear of the responsibility that is entailed? How different is my reaction if I think of being receptive to life as the ‘ability to respond’ to whatever comes?
83. How willing are my heart and mind to accept my own or another’s affirmation of my personal value? If asked to describe my purpose in life, what is my answer?
84. What are my hopes and dreams for the generations who will come after me? In what way are my contributions, right now, critical to making these hopes and dreams become reality?
Revealed in Rape: The Woman Accused
85. As I consider the times when I have felt overwhelmed or paralyzed by the events occurring in my life, how did my body respond? What Wisdom did my body communicate to me?
86. When have I ever, under any circumstances, succumbed to darkness and retreated from the world surrounding me? Who or what empowered me to emerge from darkness and engage in the world again?
87. As I stand looking into the eyes of the woman accused, how do I perceive myself as complicit with her attackers when I face the injustice and persecution of the world with my silence and inaction? What is revealed to me in this brief encounter with the woman accused?
88. How do I fail to love? What do I need in order to understand my great need for compassion and forgiveness?
89. Do I allow myself the vulnerability of standing in a silent, open space with Jesus? Why or why not? As I consider my life, what might I expect to hear if I stood before him?
Letting Go: The Widow Who Gave Everything
90. What is the source of my heart’s joy? How do I share that joy? How do I protect it for myself?
91. In what ways do I attempt to live simply, choosing to focus on the gift of “blessings beyond measure”? Within the climate of contemporary culture, what mitigates against my choice for such a lifestyle?
92. How do I respond when I am asked to let go of someone or something precious to me? As I contemplate my response, what were the possible benefits or blessings I received as the result of a difficult letting-go experience in the past?
93. How can I better ready my heart each day for the journey into an unknown future? Will this be a solitary journey or is there someone who will accompany me on this journey?
94. As I survey my life, do I possess all that I need? What constitutes “everything I have to live on?”
Sisterhood: The Women of Means and Resources
95. Do I believe I am truly free to choose what is life-giving? What encourages or hinders my freedom? Is there something I need to change in my life in order to exercise this freedom?
96. Am I capable of boldness, of going against the grain of social convention, in order to be faithful to the truth of who I am and what I have to offer to others? How have I exhibited this in the past? How can I make this a part of my future?
97. It is said that we teach by the example of our lives. What are the lessons to be drawn from my life? Who will benefit from this legacy of experience and knowledge?
98. What hardships and brokenness have I endured on my journey? What joys have resulted from these deprivations and wounds?
99. Who are the people I have chosen to weave into the fabric of my life in a meaningful way? What does their presence in my life teach me about human relationship and interdependence?
Dishes and Questions: Mary and Martha of Bethany
100. Is it self-limiting to not realize or admit to the fullness of my gifts and talents? As I name the extent of these in my life, what might I be called upon to do because of them?
101. When frustration and anger build within me, have I ever allowed these emotions to blind me to the possibilities that exist for becoming who God desires me to be? How might I choose to diffuse these emotions in order to see my options more clearly?
102. Do I harbor jealousy toward those who have discovered their “better part” in life? What would release me from this state of mind and heart?
103. How difficult is it for me to allow myself the flexibility and openness of a both/and perspective, rather than to view my life as a series of either/or choices? What would the ramifications of such a perspective be on my life?
104. What is the unique, sacred power of my life? How does this power inspire wonder and awe in me? What generates fear in me — possible inadequacy, mediocrity, greatness?
Blessed: The Woman Who Heard the Word of God
105. When have I evidenced the attitude that there is nothing more to learn? Under what circumstances has the sometimes difficult process of maturity pushed me to exhibit trepidation because I might be stretched far beyond my comfort level?
106. When was the last time I felt the deep excitement of apprehending a new awareness? As I grow older, do I remain capable of grasping a tiny fragment of truth and holding on to it tenaciously? How might the fear that truth could slip away as suddenly as it had appeared motivate my desire for it?
107. Am I capable of being surprised, or do I live with rigid expectations of what should happen next? What would allow me to spontaneously burst out of my mindset or limitations?
108. As I wrestle with ideas or truths that I encounter in my daily life, what processes do I engage to determine whether or not they apply to me? How do I carve out space in my life for quiet discernment?
109. Do I trust the Word of God I hear within my mind and heart, or do I assume what I hear is only my own ego playing games with me? How do I know the difference?
Earth and Light: The Woman Bent Double
110. Where in my body or spirit do I carry the broken and ravaged elements of my life? In my day-to-day existence, how do I seek out healing for the damage and hurt that I carry?
111. In what ways do I persist in contemplating the dust of life, rather than the light? What holds me back from raising my eyes to the light?
112. Do I possess a heaviness of heart that prevents me from acknowledging my physical, mental, or spiritual infirmities? What would help me to choose instead to see and soar beyond the limits of these frailties?
113. Perhaps in spite of a great longing to be known for the truth of who I am, how do I attempt to convince myself that I am inconspicuous to others, to God, and even to myself? Why do I feel the need to hide at times and not be noticed?
114. How do I respond to the energy of light when I am exposed to it? What are the similarities in my response to the Light of Christ when the depths of my being are addressed by the Word?
No Longer Cast Aside: The Women of Judea
115. What realistic impact does the call to wholeness and chaste living have on my life? What are my perceptions of it as possibly restrictive or limiting? How might it be a liberating invitation for me?
116. Under what circumstances am I prone to assuming someone else’s shortcomings or failures as my own? What pressures compel me to do this?
117. When do I minimize or deny my own desires and needs in favor of placing a greater priority on satisfying the demands of others? What motivates me to do this — duty, love, fear, my need to control difficult situations, or something else?
118. Do I believe that I am meant to reveal the face of God to others? How would this awareness enhance my ability to be deeply present to the Divine spark in others?
119. If I am called to be chaste in all of my relationships (with self, others, Earth, and God), how do I intend to become more fully integrated and self-aware over the course of my lifetime? How will I accomplish the paradigm shift necessary to envision all of life as an expression of the Divine?
To Drink the Cup: The Mother of James and John
120. As I look back over my life, when and under what circumstances did my journey show me to be a follower? Why did I choose to follow at those times?
121. In my concern for the welfare of others, when have I paused to examine my motives and actions? Upon introspection, did I act selflessly in those instances or were there other agendas behind my behaviors?
122. Thinking of a time when I have been called upon to lead, what was my first reaction to the invitation? Why did I either embrace the occasion as an opportunity for growth, or refuse and shrink back out of fear?
123. What constitutes a leader? What natural strengths of character and spirit allow me to contemplate the personal possibility of leadership?
124. In which of my life roles do I know myself as a true leader? Who looks to my experience and wisdom for guidance?
Grief Expressed: The Sisters of Lazarus
125. How often am I capable of expressing my emotions without self-judgment or self-criticism? What circumstances prompt me to protect and defend my own emotional needs or those of others?
126. If I know what it is to abandon, or be abandoned by, love, how deep were the effects of the experience on me? What elements of my person were stymied? Which dimensions were freed as a result?
127. What is there an urgency to love in my life? How does it manifest itself? What might provoke me to ignore it?
128. How different would my life choices be if my heart and emotions were consistently involved in determining the criteria for action? What happens when I rely solely on my intellect to make decisions?
129. What prompts the deepest core of my being to weep when I look at myself, others or the world? How is my empathetic response to the needs of the world essential to realizing the Domain of God?
Remembered: The Woman with the Alabaster Jar
130. In what ways does life’s ephemeral nature make itself known to me? What degree of urgency do I feel to respond to the present moment and how do I express it?
131. Of that which is most precious to me, what also holds me captive? Do I harbor joyful anticipation or reluctant fear as I imagine the possibility of releasing it?
132. What needs exist in both the human community and the natural world that lure my heart and draw me to action? What is preventing me from pouring out my life to them for the benefit of Creation?
133. If I am willing to break myself open with extravagant selflessness and generosity of spirit, how is this desire to be manifested in my life? How am I called to serve?
134. What do I hope will be remembered about me? What will be my legacy?
Because of a Dream: The Wife of Pilate
135. How can I pay closer attention to the inner workings of my being? By what means am I alerted to God speaking within me?
136. When I deeply and honestly confront who I am, what is disclosed and brought to conscious awareness? In what ways does the material world help or hinder the revelation of my true identity?
137. If I encounter confusion and struggle in my life, what benefits might accrue if I willingly remained in the ambiguity of the questions while listening for answers? How can I attune the ears of my heart in preparation for these moments?
138. How am I called to be a visionary prophet? What awareness or truth do I know in my own depths that, if spoken aloud, would contribute to the unfolding knowledge about the indwelling of the Divine present in the Universe?
139. Do I trust my inner knowing? Why am I reluctant to share it?
Tears: The Daughters of Jerusalem
140. With whom do I share my experiences of Divine Wisdom and the questions that arise within me from these encounters? What blessings or challenges do I receive in these conversational exchanges?
141. What do I believe is the power of shared energy, right now, in effecting changes upon the trajectory of life for future generations? How do I enlarge my capacity for empathy and cooperation in order to be able to share and receive more readily?
142. What insights concerning the future have I already arrived at as the result of Wisdom-sharing? What questions remain to be contemplated and shared?
143. What does it mean to receive new life and to nurture it to fullness in my life, in the world, and in the universe? Which parts of the paradigm out of which I live need to expand or contract in order to accommodate the fullness of life?
144. When I have before me the choice between what is life-giving and what is death-dealing, where do I choose to stand and with whom? What are the implications of my choice?
Witness: The Galilean Women
145. When were the times in my life when prayer and silent witness were the only words I could utter? If I were called upon now to articulate what those moments were like, how might I describe them?
146. How has my image of the Divine changed over the years? Through what circumstances of life have I experienced myself as a midwife who was called upon to assist in birthing a new understanding of God’s presence in the world?
147. Is it possible that I have knowingly or unknowingly withheld the means and resources that are mine to give for the benefit of others and the whole of Creation? By what means am I able to cultivate a personal culture of generosity?
148. What events have I witnessed that enlarged my consciousness of the Divine at work in the Universe? How will I communicate my experience to those future generations who have not yet heard the story of God’s great love for the world?
149. What strengths of character do I possess that allow me to create a welcoming home within my heart for the unwanted and unexpected? Who has been entrusted to my care in the hope and with the anticipation of a compassionate embrace? How have I responded?
Sitting in the Dirt: Mary Magdalene
150. When were the times in my life when prayer and silent witness were the only words I could utter? If I were called upon now to articulate what those moments were like, how might I describe them?
151. How has my image of the Divine changed over the years? Through what circumstances of life have I experienced myself as a midwife who was called upon to assist in birthing a new understanding of God’s presence in the world?
152. Is it possible that I have knowingly or unknowingly withheld the means and resources that are mine to give for the benefit of others and the whole of Creation? By what means am I able to cultivate a personal culture of generosity?
153. What events have I witnessed that enlarged my consciousness of the Divine at work in the Universe? How will I communicate my experience to those future generations who have not yet heard the story of God’s great love for the world?
154. What strengths of character do I possess that allow me to create a welcoming home within my heart for the unwanted and unexpected? Who has been entrusted to my care in the hope and with the anticipation of a compassionate embrace? How have I responded?
Preeminent Choice: Joanna
155. What bars me from fully embracing what I love? How am I called to be present to what I love despite obstacles?
156. From what have I sought release in my life? What do I seek to release from my life?
157. When I am rooted and grounded in hope, how do I manifest this perspective in my life? To whom or what am I abidingly faithful? How does hope strengthen my commitment?
158. Who has companioned me in facing the seemingly insurmountable obstacles of my life? Who have I companioned under similar circumstances? How have these relationships added dimension and depth to my life?
159. What moves and rises within me? What does this movement compel me to acknowledge in my life?
Known by Name: Mary Magdalene
160. In my life, when have I felt that the world crumbled around me and the ground under me was shaken by events beyond my immediate control? How did I respond? How will I respond if I am presented with such a challenge again?
161. When choices present themselves, who or what do I rely upon in making a decision? Do I trust and consult my own wisdom and inner urgings? How do I integrate the various perspectives?
162. At what point(s) in my life have I felt that I existed between two worlds — and did not truly belong to either? How did I seek resolution to the dilemma(s) and what, in turn, have I learned?
163. What am I searching for that I feel is lacking in or missing from my life now? Am I willing to walk beyond my comfort zone to discover what I need?
164. What are my definitions of personal and spiritual freedom? What would truly free me to be my authentic self?
Heart on Fire: The Woman on the Road to Emmaus
165. What deep energy within me serves as an anchor in my life? How trusting am I of the sensations of warm memory and the Wisdom of my heart’s knowing for guidance in life?
166. When do I allow myself to experience Sabbath moments that restore my energy and clarify my vision? Why do I relinquish fulfilling my need for this refreshment so readily?
167. What makes it difficult for me to focus beyond the next step of my journey? What prevents me from noticing others as they approach me?
168. How do my memories enliven and energize me? When images from my past materialize in front of my mind’s eye, what glimpse of the Divine appears simultaneously?
169. Who is Jesus for me? What does my encounter with him empower within me?
