Eighteen-year old Helen Kowalska had things on her mind as she attended a dance in Lodz, Poland. She was doing her best to forget them, dancing gaily with her sister and friends, when her merriment came to a halt. As she later wrote, “I suddenly saw Jesus at my side. Jesus racked with pain, stripped of his clothing, all covered with wounds, who spoke these words to me: ‘How long . . . will you keep putting me off?’” More »

The apostle Thomas is best remembered as the doubter—a stubborn realist who needed hard evidence before he would believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. More »

Renaissance and Elizabethan Englanders called Mary Magdalene the “Mawdleyn,” a version of her name that gave rise to the modern word “maudlin,” which describes someone who weeps sentimentally. More »

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him. Very early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb. More »

Have you ever read a newspaper story about a prison inmate who was facing execution? Or perhaps you’ve seen a movie that depicts a convict on death row. It’s a very intense situation, and the condemned man tends to be solemn, quiet, and reflective. More »

The fourth commandment instructs us to “Honor your father and your mother.” How many times as youngsters did we confess that we had disobeyed our parents in ways great and small? Yet we can understand this commandment more fully by considering how it encompasses God’s entire plan for marriage and family life. More »

Think back to the last time you and your spouse had a disagreement. Were you both able to communicate your feelings and viewpoints, or did you end up in a shouting match? More »

Mary’s response to the angel is to express complete openness to God’s will for her life: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” More »