Lisa Brenninkmeyer's Blog, page 4

For Your Weekend: It’s Time to Go Home

Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Luke 15:1–3,11–32

I keep hearing the thought that I need to make a “general confession.” And I don’t like it. 

A general confession is when you make an appointment to confess all the sins of your life instead of just those committed since your last confession. It requires a deeper examination, a boatload of courage, and quite possibly a glass of wine. As dreadful as it sounds, “making a general confession,” writes Father John Bartunek, “can be an effective w...

For Your Weekend: A Hard Truth, A Merciful Call

Dig Deep into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Luke 13:1–9

If I had to choose one emoji to describe my face when I read the subheading of Luke 13:1–5 and its verses, it would be 😳. If ever there was a gospel that kicked me into high gear and got me into the confessional, it would be this one. 

Repent or perish, Jesus tells us, not once, but twice. It's so simple and blunt that it leaves us with no room for misinterpretation. To make His urgent message even more explicit, He follows this warning with the pa...

For Your Weekend: Transfigure Us, O God!

Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Luke 9:28–36

How are you “Lent-ing” this Lent?

Yes, I know; I used Lent as a verb. I have a fun relationship with the Holy Spirit whom I consider the mover and shaker of the spiritual world. He’s the ultimate VERB. Nothing happens without Him, certainly not Lent. Personally, I have zero chance of making it through to Easter without His intercession—a little guiding here, some nudging there, maybe even an outright spiritual shove. (Please note the verbs.) Thi...

For Your Weekend: Read Before Eating

Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Luke 4:1–13

For most of my life, Lent meant praying the stations of the cross, giving something up, and throwing loose change in a box for the poor. All good things, yet nothing more than outward gestures that produced little interior transformation. They were checked boxes that failed to prepare me for battle.

Did you know that on this first Sunday of Lent, you are called into battle?

“On this day, which is the real beginning of Lent, the Church invites us ...

For Your Weekend: Don't Just Teach, Be Like THE Teacher

Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Luke 6:39–45

Sunday marks the last Sunday of Ordinary Time for a while, for on Wednesday, we enter into the glorious season of Lent. At Walking with Purpose, we're gearing up to spend Lent—and part of Easter—reflecting on the essential call to discipleship. Indeed, discipleship is not just a calling for a select few but a command given to us by Christ Himself: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19). This is the mission we must embra...

Heart of Vines: A Masterclass for Young Women in Their 20s

“Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?” So begins the book The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, a story of a young woman who finds herself in a library between life and death. Each book on the shelf provides a chance to go back and see how different choices would change her life. Isn’t this a tempting fantasy for any of us who would love to escape our current circumstances? 

Even after making all the “right decisions”—the things we’ve been promised wil...

For Your Weekend: His Way to Charitable Love

Dig Deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel: Read Luke 6:27–38

With utter humility, I admit that I am profoundly weak willed. Let me explain.

On most days, I consider myself a good Christian. I desire intimacy with our Lord. I feel at home in the pages of Scripture. I long for a reverence and relationship with Christ that seeks Him first above all else. 

However, the daily examen I’ve recently begun notes otherwise. Reflecting upon my day, noting where my will is rightly aligned with the Lord’s, where ...

For Your Weekend: Blessed Are You When Your Life Blows Up

Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Luke 6:17,20–26

I gave up coffee for Lent—not last Lent, but this upcoming Lent. I went from drinking two pots a day to nothing—zero cups. I’m already in week three of my coffee fast and have no plans to return. You might be wondering why I started my Lenten preparation so early. Let me explain.

For starters, I am extreme and crazy. But also, I love a good interior challenge. Denying myself just for the fun of it is my love language. I want to be sure my pas...

For Your Weekend: Leaving the Net Behind

Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Luke 5:1–11

The gospel message is radical, exciting, and life-changing—or at least, it is supposed to be. 

Whether it's my own familiarity of hearing these stories for thirty-two years, my sweet little distractions in the pew beside me, or a less-than-riveting homily, there are many times I've listened to the gospel and thought to myself: Check. I know that one. What's next? 

But the Word of God is not dead or mute—it is living and incarnate. And so, we must...

For Your Weekend: Cling to Him

Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Luke 2:22–40

It's easy to be drawn to Simeon in this week’s Sunday gospel reading. 

He rightly receives due attention. Simeon’s canticle of praise, as he witnesses the Christ Child presented at the temple, expressed his profound gratitude for having lived long enough to behold his Savior. His song of thanksgiving is now recited each evening by Catholics praying the Divine Office. His memorable words to our Blessed Mother are both poignant and prophetic. 

But...