Abiding Together

In this episode, we continue our book study on Friendship in the Lord and reflect on what it means to be truly known, deeply loved, and fully at home with another. We talk about why we must first learn to abide in the love of God, how appreciation helps others become who they were created to be, and what it looks like to grow in friendship over time. Whether friendship feels life-giving or challenging in this season of your life, we invite you to bring every desire, wound, and longing before the Lord, who first calls you His friend. 
 
Announcement:
You can buy your copy of Friendship in the Lord from Ave Maria Press (or Amazon).

 
Journal Questions:
How is the Lord inviting me to cultivate deeper community where I live?
Where in my life am I trying to love others without being in communion with God?
Am I truly allowing the love of Christ to come out within a community?
Am I at home with the Lord?
How have I been possessive of my relationships within my community?
When have I experienced belonging within community?
How can I create more reverent space in my relationships to allow others to become?
 
Discussion Questions:
How is the Lord calling you to mission?
When you think about a friendship or marriage that you admire, what qualities of that relationship inspire you?
Who are the people in my life that I feel at home with?
How have you experienced possessiveness negatively impacting your relationships?
Where do you long for a deeper sense of belonging?
Which friends and relationships have played a role in helping you become who God has created you to be?
 
Quotes to Ponder:
"The mission of joy and friendship within the Christian community is even more fundamental than the Church's mission to the poor and needy, because love and joy are the source from which all ministry to the sorrowing must flow." (Friendship in the Lord, Page 7)
 
"The wonderful mystery which is you is not complete until you are appreciated." (Friendship in the Lord, Page 19)
 
Scripture for Lectio:
"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.  I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." (John 15:12-15)
 
Sponsor - Ascension:
For the first time in more than 50 years, the Church in the United States will begin praying with a new translation of The Liturgy of the Hours starting in 2027. This long-awaited update marks a historic moment in the life of the Church and offers the opportunity for a renewed encounter with her daily prayer.
Chosen by the USCCB as one of the official publishers, Ascension has carefully crafted an edition designed to serve the Church's prayer for generations. Every detail has been thoughtfully considered to provide exceptional readability, lasting durability, and beauty worthy of this sacred tradition.
Ascension's Edition features:
Original commissioned artwork rooted in Catholic Tradition
Top-of-the-line typesetting to maximize readability
Custom Ascension Serif typeface to support extended prayer
Durable Smyth-sewn binding and premium materials crafted for daily use
Availability in multiple formats to support individual prayer needs
Available in both Standard and Large Print formats, with three cover materials to choose from, The Liturgy of the Hours, Second Edition may be preordered as individual volumes or as the complete four-volume bundle. Volume II will begin shipping on January 1, 2027, in time for use beginning on Ash Wednesday, February 10, 2027.
Experience the beauty of the Church's daily prayer in an edition thoughtfully crafted to support prayer for generations. Preorder The Liturgy of the Hours, Second Edition at www.AscensionPress.com/Abiding.
 
Timestamps:

00:00 Ascension
01:32 Intro
02:18 Welcome
02:37 Scripture Verse and Quote to Ponder
03:31 Mission Comes from Community
05:26 Abiding in God's Love First
10:42 The Feeling of Belonging
14:18 Appreciation is Necessary in Friendship
17:22 We Help Others Become Themselves
20:09 Intimacy is Being at Home with Someone
25:49 Being Attentive to Fear
26:59 Closing Prayer

In this episode, we begin our summer book study on Friendship in the Lord by Fr. Paul Hinnebusch, OP. We focus on the foreword and prologue and reflect on the difference between prudence and fear, the ways we self-protect in relationships, and our longing for authentic communion. We also talk about what it means to love without possessing, how to receive others as a gift, and why friendship is a foretaste of heaven. 
 
Other Resources Mentioned:
Friendship in the Lord Study Webpage
Small Group Discussion Guide
 
Announcement:
If you'd like a copy of Friendship in the Lord, you can buy your copy from Ave Maria Press (or Amazon).
 
Journal Questions:
How do I self protect and hide myself in my relationships?
When have I felt embarrassed by my own need for friendship?
Do I allow people to be free in my relationships?
How has a friend failed me and how have I failed a friend?
 
Discussion Questions:
How do you define good friendship?
How have your friendships brought you closer to the Lord?
How is God inviting you to bring your relationships into closer communion with God?
When have you experienced possessiveness in your friendships?
What hopes and desires do I have for my friendships?
 
Quotes to Ponder:
"A true friend is a sort of icon of God, an other through whom the Lord's kindness and mercy shine in a manner that binds up and anoints our brokenness." (Forward to Friendship in the Lord, Fr. John Burns, xv) 
 
"As Fr. Hinnebusch says so well, "What a Christian friend wants above all else for the loved one is his or her communion with the Lord. The one I love, my wife, my husband, my friend, belongs first of all to the Lord. And in that sense, I am only the friend of the Bridegroom. He alone is true Spouse of each and every human heart. He must increase, while I must decrease."" (Forward to Friendship in the Lord, xvii)
 
"A friendship is two lives joined in love and lived as one. But friendship in the Lord is never two people closed in upon themselves. Each of the friends is fully open to the Lord and open to other friends in such a way that the friendship is always part of a larger community. The Christian community is a cluster of many friendships knit together." (Preface to Friendship in the Lord, xix) 

 
Scripture for Lectio:
"Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.  But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
"Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
    and they shall name him Emmanuel,"
which means, "God is with us."  When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife,  but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus." (Matthew 1:10-25)
 
Sponsor - Ascension:
For the first time in more than 50 years, the Church in the United States will begin praying with a new translation of The Liturgy of the Hours starting in 2027. This long-awaited update marks a historic moment in the life of the Church and offers the opportunity for a renewed encounter with her daily prayer.
Chosen by the USCCB as one of the official publishers, Ascension has carefully crafted an edition designed to serve the Church's prayer for generations. Every detail has been thoughtfully considered to provide exceptional readability, lasting durability, and beauty worthy of this sacred tradition.
Ascension's Edition features:
Original commissioned artwork rooted in Catholic Tradition
Top-of-the-line typesetting to maximize readability
Custom Ascension Serif typeface to support extended prayer
Durable Smyth-sewn binding and premium materials crafted for daily use
Availability in multiple formats to support individual prayer needs
Available in both Standard and Large Print formats, with three cover materials to choose from, The Liturgy of the Hours, Second Edition may be preordered as individual volumes or as the complete four-volume bundle. Volume II will begin shipping on January 1, 2027, in time for use beginning on Ash Wednesday, February 10, 2027.
Experience the beauty of the Church's daily prayer in an edition thoughtfully crafted to support prayer for generations. Preorder The Liturgy of the Hours, Second Edition at www.AscensionPress.com/Abiding.
 
Timestamps:

00:00 Ascension
01:32 Intro
02:19 Welcome
07:06 Scripture Verse and Quote to Ponder
08:32 Becoming an Icon of God
10:21 Self Protection in Relationships
12:40 Adult Friendships Must Be Cultivated
15:11 One Person Cannot Satisfy All Our Desires
19:55 Christian Community is a Cluster of Friendships
23:39 The Temptation to Possess
27:42 Closing Prayer

In this episode, we conclude season 18 by reflecting on the grace-filled moments this past season and the quiet ways the Lord continues to invite us into deeper communion with Him. We share who our favorite guests were, which episodes deeply ministered to us, and what we are hoping for in this next season. 
Thank you for spending this season with us, friends. It has been such a gift to walk alongside you in every conversation, prayer, and story shared. We'll be holding you close in prayer over the summer and look forward to gathering with you again on July 6th, 2026 for our summer book study.


Heather's One Thing - Our Abiding Together Team: Kristina, Camille, and Kate!
Heather's Other One Thing - The team for a Healing the Whole Person Retreat in England
Sister Miriam's One Thing - Seeing Abiding Together listeners in the wild!
Sister Miriam's Other One Thing - The Dignity of Dependence by Lea Libresco Sargeant
Michelle's One Thing - Timothy Shriver's Laetare Address and Eric Church's Commencement Address
 
Other Resources Mentioned:
Diane Keaton Because I Said So Clip
The Ladies' Favorite S18 Episode: Prophetic Motherhood
Sister's Other Favorite S18 Episode: Episode on Forgiveness 

 
Announcement:
Our summer book study on "Friendship in the Lord" by Fr. Hinnebusch begins July 6th! You can buy your copy from Ave Maria Press (or Amazon).
 
Journal Questions:
How is God teaching me to love those around me differently?
What risks have I been asked to take lately?
What expectations is God inviting me to release?
What is the pace of beauty in my life?
What fears am I carrying below the surface today?
 
Discussion Questions:
What struck you throughout this season?
How has your life changed during this season?
When have you been tempted to possess rather than receive?
What gifts has God given you this year?
Where is the Holy Spirit already moving in your life?
 
Quote to Ponder:
"Above all, trust in the slow work of God. We are, quite naturally, impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. We should like to skip the intermediate stages. We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new. And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability—and that may take a very long time." (Pierre Teilhard de Chardin)

 
Scripture for Lectio:
"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end." (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
 
Sponsor - BeeStill Design:
BeeStill Design is a handcrafted Catholic jewelry and art brand founded by Louisiana artist and entrepreneur Holly Klock. A wife and mom of three, Holly has built BeeStill from a small creative outlet into a growing brand known for pieces that are both beautiful and meaningful.
Her collections feature heirloom-quality jewelry, pressed flowers, and custom intaglios, along with enamel work and ornaments. From the very beginning, she has sought to bring the joy and beauty of our faith into each creation—always with the same vision: to design timeless pieces that tell stories of faith, love, and family.
Whether you are looking for a piece of jewelry to be a daily reminder of God, or would like to find a meaningful gift for someone in your life, we encourage you to head over to beestilldesign.com. Use the code "AbideinHim" for 25% off.
 
Timestamps: 
00:00 BeeStill Design
01:00 Introduction
01:46 Welcome
02:40 Scripture Verse and Quote to Ponder
03:38 Our Favorite Guests this Season
06:58 Our Favorite Episodes this Season
12:28 Receiving Good Gifts
16:58 Fruit Being Born in Our Lives
19:42 Hopes and Desires for the Next Season
26:28 Summer Book Study Announcement
28:26 One Things

In this episode, we reflect on how Pentecost is more than just an event of the past, but can be an ongoing outpouring of God's love and grace in our lives today. We discuss how the Holy Spirit helps heal our wounds, restores communion with God, and teaches us how to live with power and boldness, even in the places where we feel unable to love the Lord. As we prepare our hearts for Pentecost, we talk practically about cultivating a posture of receptivity, learning to invite the Holy Spirit more deeply into our hearts, and how to allow His fire to illuminate our identity and transform us from within. The Holy Spirit is alive within us, able to enter even the locked places of our hearts, and desires to help us bear much fruit in our lives.
 
Heather's One Thing - Pentecost | Holy Spirit Rest on Us Playlist
Heather's Other One Thing - Wild Goose Series with Fr. Dave Pivonka
Sister Miriam's One Thing - The Discerning Hearts Podcast App
Michelle's One Thing - College Graduations

 
Other Resources Mentioned:
Be Transformed Book Study
 
Journal Questions:
How can I make myself more open to encounter the Holy Spirit pirit this Pentecost?
Where in my life do I feel powerless?
Am I allowing the Holy Spirit to make me more like Jesus?
How am I rationing the boldness of the Holy Spirit?
Where do I need to unlock the doors of my heart?
 
Discussion Questions:
How can you welcome the Holy Spirit into your life in a deeper way? 
What does it look like to experience the Holy Spirit in community?
What gifts of the Holy Spirit do you desire to empower your work of building the Kingdom of God?
How will you celebrate Pentecost?
 
Quotes to Ponder:
"If there be among the gifts of God none greater than love, and there is no greater gift of God than the Holy Spirit, what follows more naturally than that He is Himself love…." (Saint Augustine)
 
"This great mystical tradition . . . shows how prayer can progress, as a genuine dialogue of love, to the point of rendering the person wholly possessed by the divine Beloved, vibrating at the Spirit's touch, resting filially within the Father's heart." (Pope Saint John Paul II, Novo Millennio Ineunte, Paragraph 33)
 
"A noble and delicate soul ... follows faithfully the faintest breath of the Holy Spirit; it rejoices in this Spiritual Guest and holds onto Him like a child to its mother." (The Diary of St. Faustina, Entry 148)



Scripture for Lectio:
"On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Then they gathered around him and asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight." (Acts 1:4-9)
 
Sponsor - Mary's Meals:
Every mother knows what it's like to want to protect their child and provide for them, to make sure there's food on the table, to make sure her child is safe, cared for, and able to grow into who God created them to be. But for millions of mothers around the world, hunger stands in the way of that hope. Their children walk to school carrying empty bowls, wondering if today they'll have anything to eat. And that's where Mary's Meals steps in.
Mary's Meals provides one daily meal in a place of education for children living in some of the world's poorest communities. And that simple meal becomes the reason a child comes to school. Once they're there, everything can begin to change. Education can become a pathway out of poverty. 
So a child who is hungry can focus. 
A child who is vulnerable can dream. 
And a mother who felt helpless can begin to hope again. 
What we love most about Mary's Meals is how ordinary people get to become a part of that story.
We don't have to solve global hunger. We simply have to feed one child. And here's the beautiful thing. It only costs $25.20 to feed a child for an entire school year. 
That's one child sitting in a classroom instead of sitting at home hungry.
One mother experiencing relief instead of worry. 
One life changed through a simple act of love.
So if your hearts are moved to help, we invite you to join us in supporting Mary's Meals. You can head over to their website marysmealsusa.org (or marysmeals.ca for Canada) and together we can offer hope, dignity and a daily meal to a child who needs it most. 
 
Timestamps:
00:00 Mary's Meals
01:39 Introduction
02:26 Welcome
03:24 Scripture Verse and Quote to Ponder
04:39 Preparing Our Hearts
07:34 Healing the Wound of Powerlessness 
09:26 The Holy Spirit Enables Us to Love
11:04 Inviting the Holy Spirit into Our Hearts
12:50 Our Advocate and the Forgiveness of Sins
15:10 "It is Better that I Go"
17:14 Baptized with Fire
19:15 Bearing Fruit in Our Lives
20:57 When We Restrict the Holy Spirit
22:50 Receiving the Holy Spirit within Community
28:08 Being Inspired by the Holy Spirit
31:04 One Things

In this episode, we reflect on the sacred wounds of Jesus, the reality of our own woundedness, and Jesus' invitation to make us well. We talk about how our wounds, so often hidden in shame or self-protection, when transformed, can actually become places of communion and grace. We also share about our personal experiences of facing fear or disappointment and how the slow, often painful, process of healing reminds us that God's ways are not our own. Jesus tenderly meets us in every broken place within our hearts and ardently desires to make all things new.
 
Heather's One Thing - Worship Session with Kory Miller
Sister Miriam's One Thing - Life Transitions Part One and Part Two with Chris Benzinger
Michelle's One Thing - The Kentucky Derby
 
Other Resources Mentioned:
Glory: Women's Gathering
The Restore the Glory Podcast
The Anatomy of a Wound Series Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
 
Journal Questions:
Where am I self-protecting instead of bringing my wounds before the Lord?
Do I think Jesus can make me well?
How have my wounds impacted my outlook on life and perspectives on painful situations in my life?
When have my own expectations of what Jesus should do gotten in the way of my own healing?
 
Discussion Questions:
Are there areas that you have grown accustomed to your own pain?
How have you equated healing with fixing?
What has the Holy Spirit taught you about yourself through the healing journey?
How has disappointment affected your trust in Jesus and His goodness?
 
Quotes to Ponder:
"Nobody escapes being wounded. We are all wounded people, whether physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. The main question is not, 'How can we hide our wounds?' so we don't have to be embarrassed, but 'How can we put our woundedness in the service of others?' When our wounds cease to be a source of shame, and become a source of healing, we have become wounded healers." (Henri Nouwen) 
 
"Our brokenness reveals not a failure but a doorway through which God's healing can enter." (Henri Nouwen, The Inner Voice of Love)

 
Scripture for Lectio:
"Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate, there is a pool, called in Hebrew Bethesda, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"  The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me." Jesus said to him, "Stand up, take your mat and walk." At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk." (John 5:2-9)
 
Sponsor - Seton Home Study School:
Since 1982, families have entrusted their students to Seton Home Study School.  Seton is thoroughly Catholic, academically rigorous, and fully accredited with the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Seton high school graduates have been admitted, and excelled, at virtually every college and university in the United States, including Ivy League Universities and military academies.
A Seton enrollment includes thoroughly Catholic books, detailed lesson plans, grading services, transcripts, and there is no extra charge for telephone counseling.  Parents love Seton's "open and go" approach – everything you need is provided and can be trusted.  You can even customize the program at no extra charge, enrolling a fourth grader in fifth grade reading, for example. For more information, visit their website.
Parents of students with special needs can find help to develop a curriculum and workload suited to each individual child. Learn about Seton's special services department here.  
In addition to books and lesson plans, high school students enjoy a host of other benefits and services. Click here to learn more.
Enrolled teens and Seton alumni can also join Catholic Harbor, a safe, online student-moderated community.  There they can engage in debates, spiritual discussions, and discuss hobbies and other interests.  For more information visit their website here. 
 Seton hosts a podcast directed at homeschooling moms.  Podcasts hosts, Mary Ellen Barrett and Ginny Seuffert, both with decades of experience, offer practical tips and ideas to make home education accessible to all.  
 
Timestamps:

00:00 Seton Home Study School
01:29 Intro
02:15 Welcome
05:32 Scripture Verse and Quote to Ponder
06:50 "Do You Want to Be Made Well?"
10:22 Jesus is Drawn to Our Wounds
12:30 Exposed Wounds are Places of Grace
15:21 Awareness is Half the Battle
19:09 The Lord Knows what Our Healing Journey Should Look Like
24:09 All We Can Do is Take the Next Small Step
26:20 Suffering in Communion
29:12 Transforming Our Relationship with Our Wounds
32:37 The Parts of Us that don't Trust God
34:46 One Things