Burning Hearts with Rachel Herbeck

Today we discuss the amazing truth that through are baptism, we are found in Christ. Not only do we belong to Him, but we are made a part of His body, so He is in us and we are in Him.

Paul continues to expound on the surpassing worth of Jesus. As we continue in Philippians 3, we reflect on the reality that the only thing of true worth and value is to gain Christ.

We begin this week by diving into Philippians 3, where Paul expresses to us that Jesus Christ is the only thing that will satisfy us. We ask for the grace of the Holy Spirit to see Jesus as worth giving everything up for.

Ultimately, we don’t walk in holiness on our own effort, but because of the blood of Christ. Today we reflect on the reality that Christ has ransomed us from a futile life.

As we walk on our spiritual journeys, we need more of the fear of the Lord so that we can see God and ourselves rightly and walk in righteousness.

Today we are encouraged to be holy as our heavenly Father is holy. This requires recognizing the holiness of God and the reality that we belong to a Holy God.

Continuing in 1 Peter, we are encouraged to walk in obedience considering our calling to set our eyes on Christ. This helps us during lent to walk in childlike obedience.

This week we dive into 1 Peter 1 and we see Peter communicating what the true end and goal of the Christian life is; the revelation of the Jesus who will come again in glory.

Finally, Jesus’ call to follow him asks for and requires total surrender. That total surrender asks for full gift of self, but in response, Jesus gives us His entire self as a gift.

One of Jesus’ most essential teachings on discipleship is following him to the cross. As we walk with him, we need to grow in our love for the wounded, crucified Christ.

A confusing yet powerful teaching of Jesus is the call to hate your life in this world. Today we discuss truly what it means to be detached from our lives here in a healthy way.

As we continue through Jesus’ teaching about following him, we see that true discipleship first helps us confront in us what is disordered and through encounter with Jesus, He reorders our loves.

This week we dive into Luke 14 and hear Jesus’ convicting words regarding His vision of discipleship. We ask the Holy Spirit to help us respond to Jesus’ words even when they are challenging.

Let’s look at the book of Galatians this week and see what St. Paul has to teach us about the Holy Spirit, freedom, and faith.

In Galatians, St. Paul makes a distinction between the flesh and the Spirit. What are three desires of the flesh particularly prevalent in today’s society?

The fruits of the Spirit need to be grown and experienced by those around us. What are three fruits in particular needed in the Church today?

What does it mean to live by the Spirit and to walk by the Spirit? What differences can we expect in our lives when we do?

Galatians 2:20 invites us to be crucified with Christ. What does that mean and how is that expressed in our lives?

Wrapping up the first week of Lent, we read the prophet Isaiah chastising Israel for their heart posture as they fast. The Holy Spirit convicts us today to be truly concerned with the pursuits of God and not just what we desire.

Now that Lent has begun, we hear more from the Prophets, and we read an invitation to delight in God’s law and instruction. We are convicted that obedience is the fruit of love and ask the Lord where He desires us to submit.

As we begin Lent, we see the readings shift from James to the Old Testament prophet Joel. Joel convicts us to rend our hearts in true repentance to the Lord, and we ask the Holy Spirit for a spirit of deep repentance on behalf of ourselves and the world.

As we continue going through the Mass readings, we see the first reading is a continuation of James 1. Here we are encouraged to persevere so we may receive the crown of life. We ask God for help on our race as we grow in endurance.

This week we dive into the readings of the day as we prepare for Lent. Today we begin with the letter from James and his intense and convicting to challenge to count each trial as a joy.

As we wrap up this week, we take time to focus on each fruit of the Spirit, what it is, and what are signs that those fruits are at work in our lives.

We continue to examine the things that separate us from God, particularly how our sin affects our communities. Paul tells us that if we submit to these things as our masters, we will not inherit the kingdom of God.