Come to the Garden Podcast

The Bridegroom has extended an invitation to me and I believe, to you too. My invitation came over a couple of months as a persistent yet gentle repetition in my prayer and Scripture reading of the word “rest”. The recurrence of this concept in prayer coupled with new health issues has made it very clear that if the Lord is inviting me into a season of rest, my body is demanding it. Being the love...

What does it really mean to rest in God? And why does He command us to rest? Get full access to Come to the Garden at lauraercolino.substack.com/subscribe

One evening as I was praying and apologizing to Jesus for what I thought was my failure to do enough for Him, I felt a prompting to go and get my Jewish Study Bible. I asked the Lord to let it open to whatever it was He wanted me to read. It opened to the conclusion of Proverbs 31, the description of the “Proverbs Woman”. At first, I thought He was going to confirm my feelings of inadequacy, but I...

In this reflection presented to the members of Hope’s Garden, I reflect on the opening passage of Handmaid of the Lord by Adrienne von Speyr. May your Independence Day prayer lead you more deeply into the freedom for which Christ lived and died and rose again - the true freedom of the children of God. Here is the passage from Adrienne von Speyr: “As a sheaf of grain is tied together in the middle...

As I listened to the Gospel reading on Friday June 20th 2025, my mind immediately connected Jesus’ words, “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…”, with verse 1:12 of the Song of Songs, “While the King rested in his own room my nard yields its perfume.” Maybe it’s a real stretch, too much of a leap, but humor me and listen as I explain my thoughts to members of Hope’s Garden in this vide...

I love all of the Song of Songs but I really love chapter 4. In this video, I read chapter 4 to you and then share the fruit of my prayer and research on the meaning of these verses. Of course, there is more than one way to interpret the Song of Songs. My heart resonates most with the Christological interpretation - Christ is the Bridegroom and the Church as well as the individual soul are the Bri...

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I was honored to have Father Patrick Schultz from the Diocese of Cleveland as a guest on the Bridegroom Speaks podcast. He shared with us the impact St. John Paul II's teachings have had on his heart and his ministry as a priest. He also tackled two of the most common questions I get about Christ the Bridegroom and gave answers that are food for thought. Father Patrick will be the speaker at our f...

Have you noticed that our Lord has been showing up in books, articles, podcasts, conferences, and on social media as the Bridegroom? Father Ryan Mann and I pondered this together and discussed what it really means that Jesus is the Bridegroom of not only the Church but of our souls. And how does the spirituality of Christ the Bridegroom change the way we evangelize. I hope that our conversation wi...

In this excerpt from the Hope’s Garden study of the Song of Songs, I look at verses 4:1-11 and how they relate to the Passion of Christ the Bridegroom. As He willingly embraced the marriage bed of the Cross, He kept His gaze fixed on the glory to come - the eternal wedding feast. Can we do the same? “For the joy set before Him, Christ endured the cross.” Hebrews 12:2 Get full access to Come to the...

The Bride of the Song of Songs is delighted to simply sit and rest in her Beloved’s shade and let him restore her with his sweet fruit. St. Teresa of Avila explains that verses 2:3-10 of the Song of Songs are actually describing an encounter with Christ the Bridegroom that we are all invited to experience. This Doctor of the Church and teacher of the art of prayer, says that this passage illustrat...

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I was honored to sit down with Dr. Christopher West and talk about the Liturgy and the Eucharist through the lens of St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. We began our conversation with St. Paul’s discourse on marriage and the mystery of Christ the Bridegroom’s marriage to His Bride, the Church, in Ephesians 5. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, a...

For nearly twenty years I had suffered from Chronic Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, depression, anxiety, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The ten muscles at the core of my body were clenched in fear causing pain that was constant and debilitating. But the worst part of this pain was that in the preceding three years it had daily triggered flashbacks and nightmares of the trauma that had caused it. My...

Father Allen Hoffa and I met 5 years ago when I facilitated a retreat for women seeking healing from the devastating effects of their husband’s pornography addictions. Father Hoffa was working with the Catholic ministry, Integrity Restored , and I was just beginning the ministry of Hope’s Garden . Father Hoffa and I have continued to work together to help women heal Betrayal Trauma and other forms...

In this excerpt from a session of the Hope’s Garden study of the Song of Songs, I ponder the verse, “Ah, why are you not my brother nursed at my mother’s breast!” (8:1) This verse often causes discomfort and confusion when first encountering the Song but reading the exegesis of writers such as St. Bernard of Clairvaux unveils the beautiful truth of the Bride’s words. Her heart is longing for the t...

St. Francis de Sales was an avid observer of the divine realities made visible in nature. One of his favorite images for the spiritual life was the honeybee. As his teachings and the Song of Songs converged in my prayer and pondering, I found many connections. In this excerpt from a formation meeting at Hope’s Garden, I share my thoughts on our responsibility to share the sweetness of the Bridegro...

In seeking the answer to the question, “What is the heart?”, I turned first to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. What I found has changed my prayer life as well as my decision-making process. I hope this excerpt from a Hope’s Garden Song of Songs class will bless your heart and draw you more deeply into His Heart. Get full access to Come to the Garden at lauraercolino.substack.com/subscribe

Will you let Jesus rightly order your desires and empty your heart of all attachments so He becomes your all in all? He won't leave you empty! He will will you with Himself! Get full access to Come to the Garden at lauraercolino.substack.com/subscribe

It’s all about the heart of the Bridegroom that was broken for all of us. In His Heart, our hearts find healing and restoration. Get full access to Come to the Garden at lauraercolino.substack.com/subscribe

One of my areas of great interest is the Jewish betrothal and wedding customs of Jesus’ time. Learning about the culture in which Jesus lived and preached opens up a new layer of meaning in the Scriptures and expands my understanding of Him as the Bridegroom of humanity and my calling to live as a member of His Bride. I gave a short teaching to a group of Hope’s Garden members on Friday March 22nd...