You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
Are there sweeter words in the New Testament than these, “Come and have breakfast?” The disciples’ encounter with the risen Christ kept getting better and better. First, they made an enormous catch of fish. Then they realized Jesus himself was on the shore. And when they landed, they found another delightful surprise: When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.”
What an invitation after a sleepless, fish-less night. What a reversal of circumstances in just a short time. Why did Jesus wait until morning to help them out? Why does God allow us to endure waiting or suffering or not knowing? Could it be that it strengthens or softens us, or makes us readier to receive the gift when it comes? A mystery for another time.
What matters now is that the fish have swarmed, the nets have filled, the Lord has come, and these hot and hungry fisherman are invited to a feast, right there on the beach. And they're not passive guests – they are invited to help make the feast. Perhaps the most important words in this passage are “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” God provided the catch, allowed them to participate in gathering it, and then asked them to bring some to Jesus for the celebration. Jesus provided the bread; they were invited to offer some of the fish.
So it is in our lives – God provides the feast and invites us to participate in gathering it, and then to bring some of it together for the celebration. That's what we do in our offering in church, and our gathering at the eucharistic feast (of which the offering is the first part). That's our whole life in God – a life of participation in God’s mission in which the Spirit leads us to the fields, allows us to help gather the harvest, and then bring some of that harvest together to celebrate.
What are the “big catches,” or areas of abundance in your life? And where do you feel Jesus inviting you to breakfast? And what might you bring to that feast?
We don’t see a “mighty catch of fish” every day. But what if it’s there, unnoticed? Might we say, by faith, “Yes! The fish have swarmed, my nets have filled, the Lord is here, and I am invited to a feast, right here.” Then we might have to look around, all around, and ask, “Okay, where are the filled nets?” I bet each of us could name at least one area of life where our nets are filled. That’s a good start.
And then, “Where do I bring my fish? Where is the feast Jesus is inviting me to contribute to today?” We can trust that he has brought the Bread of Life, his own self. He invites us to bring some of our fish.
© Kate Heichler, 2025. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
4-30-25 - Who Is That Guy?
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
We don’t always recognize God’s activity in our lives until after the fact – after an accident has been avoided, “coincidental” timing confirmed, an unexpected encounter opened into new opportunities. And we rarely experience God where we expect God to be. Jesus’ disciples certainly didn’t expect him to show up on a beach by the Sea of Tiberias. So they did not recognize him – until they saw his handiwork, which they had witnessed (in Luke’s account) at the beginning of their story with Jesus.
So they cast the net, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.
It amuses me that the naked Peter puts on clothes to jump into the water – it just wouldn’t do to greet his risen Lord and Savior in his birthday suit. And once they realize it is Jesus on the shore, all of them hurry to get there, though it must have taken a lot of muscle to pull those heavy nets. And then someone ignored the crucified and risen Lord in order to count the fish, for John records there were 153 of them (fishermen, like baseball fans, do love their stats…) John also mentions that, “though there were so many, the net was not torn,” perhaps to emphasize that God’s work is always to make things whole.
Because we don’t expect to see Jesus around and about in our lives, we don't always notice where he is. But we can learn to notice. Becoming attuned to where Jesus is, where the Holy Spirit is moving and shaking things up, is essential for those who want to be part of the Jesus movement. We are called to join him where he is already working, or to prepare the place where he wants to come next. We don’t have to do anything on our own. So we need to learn to recognize him, even before the “evidence” appears.
This is a habit of the heart we can cultivate as we do any other important activity or attitude. After a while, our spiritual sense becomes more acute, but at first we may have to work at it. Perhaps at the beginning of each day we can review our plans and pray about where we plan to join Jesus or want him to join us. And at the end of the day review where we’ve been, and write down where we realize in retrospect – or knew at the time – that he was present in some way.
How might he be present? He might have spoken through someone, or we might have found our attention drawn to something life-giving. We might have felt a peace or a holy urgency, or found ourselves compelled to draw near someone because of a gift they had or a need they manifested. Sometime we know he was there because he’s now gone, as happened to the disciples in Emmaus.
Notice. Name it. Write it down. Review it at the end of the week. In time, we will become so accustomed to Jesus being around, we won’t need miracles to get our attention.
© Kate Heichler, 2025. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
We don’t always recognize God’s activity in our lives until after the fact – after an accident has been avoided, “coincidental” timing confirmed, an unexpected encounter opened into new opportunities. And we rarely experience God where we expect God to be. Jesus’ disciples certainly didn’t expect him to show up on a beach by the Sea of Tiberias. So they did not recognize him – until they saw his handiwork, which they had witnessed (in Luke’s account) at the beginning of their story with Jesus.
So they cast the net, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.
It amuses me that the naked Peter puts on clothes to jump into the water – it just wouldn’t do to greet his risen Lord and Savior in his birthday suit. And once they realize it is Jesus on the shore, all of them hurry to get there, though it must have taken a lot of muscle to pull those heavy nets. And then someone ignored the crucified and risen Lord in order to count the fish, for John records there were 153 of them (fishermen, like baseball fans, do love their stats…) John also mentions that, “though there were so many, the net was not torn,” perhaps to emphasize that God’s work is always to make things whole.
Because we don’t expect to see Jesus around and about in our lives, we don't always notice where he is. But we can learn to notice. Becoming attuned to where Jesus is, where the Holy Spirit is moving and shaking things up, is essential for those who want to be part of the Jesus movement. We are called to join him where he is already working, or to prepare the place where he wants to come next. We don’t have to do anything on our own. So we need to learn to recognize him, even before the “evidence” appears.
This is a habit of the heart we can cultivate as we do any other important activity or attitude. After a while, our spiritual sense becomes more acute, but at first we may have to work at it. Perhaps at the beginning of each day we can review our plans and pray about where we plan to join Jesus or want him to join us. And at the end of the day review where we’ve been, and write down where we realize in retrospect – or knew at the time – that he was present in some way.
How might he be present? He might have spoken through someone, or we might have found our attention drawn to something life-giving. We might have felt a peace or a holy urgency, or found ourselves compelled to draw near someone because of a gift they had or a need they manifested. Sometime we know he was there because he’s now gone, as happened to the disciples in Emmaus.
Notice. Name it. Write it down. Review it at the end of the week. In time, we will become so accustomed to Jesus being around, we won’t need miracles to get our attention.
© Kate Heichler, 2025. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
4-29-25 - God On the Sidelines
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
Simon Peter was a professional fisherman before Jesus called him from his nets. He knew his way around a boat, a net, a lake, a school of fish. He knew how to do this – except that night, nothing. All night, no fish. And then some yahoo on the shore tries to tell him how do to it: Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish.
I can imagine the language in that boat at this suggestion. “We’ve cast the nets on every *&@#%* side of the boat! Who is this guy?” And then perhaps more colorful language yet as their nets inexplicably become so full they could hardly move the boat.
Many of us have areas of life in which we don’t think we need God’s assistance. I often hear people say, “I don’t need to bother God with that!” or “We’re not at the point of needing prayer yet…” as though we're to deploy the “big guns” only as a last resort.
But God doesn’t want to be on the sidelines of our lives. God wants to be right smack dab in the middle of our work, rest, relationships, joys, frustrations, questions, convictions. Indeed, God wants to be working with us and through us. And could it be that the One who made all universes knows a thing or two about teaching, medicine, tax preparation, marketing, finance, law, or whatever it is we do for a living? What if we invited God’s presence at regular intervals into our work days? Someone I know was facing a tense work meeting – and remembered to invite Jesus. The meeting went better than she could have imagined, and the relationship with that co-worker is prospering.
The Holy Spirit can help us in all our relationships, our stresses, our habits. And – surprise! – God can help us in our churches and ministries. We don’t have to put prayer and worship on one side and the “work of the church” on the other. It’s all of a piece. It’s all holy work, as we allow the Holy Spirit into it.
What is most frustrating to you in your life right now? Where do you feel stuck, jammed, not moving, not growing, in the dark, out to sea? Could it be that Jesus is nearby? Might he have a word to you? Have you asked his guidance? That can be scary – what if he doesn’t answer? Then we ask again.
Jesus said something about wanting us to be fruitful, so I’m guessing he will have a word to guide us. Maybe he’s already speaking it through someone we don’t want to listen to – and that might include our own deepest selves.
What if he’s already given us the answer? What “expertise” do we need to let go of in order to hear it?
© Kate Heichler, 2025. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
I can imagine the language in that boat at this suggestion. “We’ve cast the nets on every *&@#%* side of the boat! Who is this guy?” And then perhaps more colorful language yet as their nets inexplicably become so full they could hardly move the boat.
Many of us have areas of life in which we don’t think we need God’s assistance. I often hear people say, “I don’t need to bother God with that!” or “We’re not at the point of needing prayer yet…” as though we're to deploy the “big guns” only as a last resort.
But God doesn’t want to be on the sidelines of our lives. God wants to be right smack dab in the middle of our work, rest, relationships, joys, frustrations, questions, convictions. Indeed, God wants to be working with us and through us. And could it be that the One who made all universes knows a thing or two about teaching, medicine, tax preparation, marketing, finance, law, or whatever it is we do for a living? What if we invited God’s presence at regular intervals into our work days? Someone I know was facing a tense work meeting – and remembered to invite Jesus. The meeting went better than she could have imagined, and the relationship with that co-worker is prospering.
The Holy Spirit can help us in all our relationships, our stresses, our habits. And – surprise! – God can help us in our churches and ministries. We don’t have to put prayer and worship on one side and the “work of the church” on the other. It’s all of a piece. It’s all holy work, as we allow the Holy Spirit into it.
What is most frustrating to you in your life right now? Where do you feel stuck, jammed, not moving, not growing, in the dark, out to sea? Could it be that Jesus is nearby? Might he have a word to you? Have you asked his guidance? That can be scary – what if he doesn’t answer? Then we ask again.
Jesus said something about wanting us to be fruitful, so I’m guessing he will have a word to guide us. Maybe he’s already speaking it through someone we don’t want to listen to – and that might include our own deepest selves.
What if he’s already given us the answer? What “expertise” do we need to let go of in order to hear it?
© Kate Heichler, 2025. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
4-28-25 - No Turning Back
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
This week we get to explore the most fun of all of Jesus’ recorded resurrection appearances – his beach-side fishing lesson/breakfast combo. It starts out low-key – Peter decides to go fishing, and six of his fellow disciples join him (two unnamed… I wonder why the evangelist John, who later tells us exactly how many fish were in the nets, couldn’t be bothered to find out who those two were...)
After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Why did Simon Peter decide to go fishing? Let’s review the tape: Jesus has risen from the dead. He has appeared at least twice in the locked room where the disciples have been hiding out. He has spoken peace to them, breathed the Spirit upon them and commissioned and sent them to bring forgiveness and release to the world. Only, they haven’t gone. He did all that on his first visit, and a week later they are still in the same room. He has also appeared to a few on the road to Emmaus, and in Galilee, and a few other times not spelled out in the gospels. But no one seems to know what to do next.
From what we know of Peter, he did not do well with inaction. He is a man of strength and impulse. Thomas too is shown in the story of Lazarus to be action-oriented and brave. Yet they don’t seem to know how to move forward in the situation in which they find themselves. Jesus is risen; that’s incomprehensible and wonderful, all at once. It also raises the risk levels – the authorities who executed Jesus might well want to stamp out his following. It’s not safe outside, yet they can’t stay in that room forever.
So Peter and his buddies go back to what they know. At least they can get out of Jerusalem, get out on the water they know and love, maybe even make a few bucks if they get a good catch. But they don’t catch a damn thing. Jesus had promised to make them fishers of men, and now they don't seem to know how to catch fish anymore! The movement of God is always forward, not back.
Have you ever tried going back to an old pastime, habit, relationship, milieu? It never works. The pull of the familiar is strong, but we worship the One who said, “I am making all things new.” (Rev. 21:5) We do need to get out of the locked rooms of our fear and distress, but before we go back to the last place we felt comfortable, it is good to ask God, “Where are you inviting me to join you next?” We can look around to see where God is at work, doing the things we know God does – healing, feeding, restoring, renewing, reconciling – and join God there. We can discern where our energy seems to rise, where we feel the winds of the Spirit blowing us.
Peter and his friends thought they were killing time, waiting for God to summon them. Little did they know that God was right there, inviting them to see the familiar in a whole new light. God is always up to something new – what is it in your neighborhood?
This week we get to explore the most fun of all of Jesus’ recorded resurrection appearances – his beach-side fishing lesson/breakfast combo. It starts out low-key – Peter decides to go fishing, and six of his fellow disciples join him (two unnamed… I wonder why the evangelist John, who later tells us exactly how many fish were in the nets, couldn’t be bothered to find out who those two were...)
After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Why did Simon Peter decide to go fishing? Let’s review the tape: Jesus has risen from the dead. He has appeared at least twice in the locked room where the disciples have been hiding out. He has spoken peace to them, breathed the Spirit upon them and commissioned and sent them to bring forgiveness and release to the world. Only, they haven’t gone. He did all that on his first visit, and a week later they are still in the same room. He has also appeared to a few on the road to Emmaus, and in Galilee, and a few other times not spelled out in the gospels. But no one seems to know what to do next.
From what we know of Peter, he did not do well with inaction. He is a man of strength and impulse. Thomas too is shown in the story of Lazarus to be action-oriented and brave. Yet they don’t seem to know how to move forward in the situation in which they find themselves. Jesus is risen; that’s incomprehensible and wonderful, all at once. It also raises the risk levels – the authorities who executed Jesus might well want to stamp out his following. It’s not safe outside, yet they can’t stay in that room forever.
So Peter and his buddies go back to what they know. At least they can get out of Jerusalem, get out on the water they know and love, maybe even make a few bucks if they get a good catch. But they don’t catch a damn thing. Jesus had promised to make them fishers of men, and now they don't seem to know how to catch fish anymore! The movement of God is always forward, not back.
Have you ever tried going back to an old pastime, habit, relationship, milieu? It never works. The pull of the familiar is strong, but we worship the One who said, “I am making all things new.” (Rev. 21:5) We do need to get out of the locked rooms of our fear and distress, but before we go back to the last place we felt comfortable, it is good to ask God, “Where are you inviting me to join you next?” We can look around to see where God is at work, doing the things we know God does – healing, feeding, restoring, renewing, reconciling – and join God there. We can discern where our energy seems to rise, where we feel the winds of the Spirit blowing us.
Peter and his friends thought they were killing time, waiting for God to summon them. Little did they know that God was right there, inviting them to see the familiar in a whole new light. God is always up to something new – what is it in your neighborhood?
4-25-25 - Life Through Believing
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
Where do you find life? I don’t mean conception and birth; I mean, what quickens your pulse day-to-day? What causes energy to rise in you, excitement to tinge your voice? What – or who – could you talk about all day long if anyone would listen? That’s one way to discern where we find life.
Have you ever thought you could get life through believing? Believing seems a fairly passive activity – and yet it may just be the most courageous action we can take in a disbelieving world. We learn at the end of this week’s gospel reading that the reason John wrote his gospel was so that we might come to believe and have life: Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
Jesus’ disciples came to believe he had risen from the dead because he stood in front of them; he surprised them on roads and at tables; he made breakfast for them on a beach. Though they did not really act on this knowledge until the Spirit filled them with power at Pentecost, they had the conviction of their experience, and ultimately died witnessing to that truth.
We have to believe on less tangible evidence – yet as we allow it to accumulate, as we really start to list all the “signs” of God’s power and love we have witnessed and experienced, we too can come to believe that Jesus is the Anointed One, the Son of God. And as we begin to exercise spiritual power in his name we find such abundant life, and more evidence piles up.
John says he wrote about the signs of Jesus’ presence so that his readers would come to believe. What if we started talking more often about the evidence we’ve seen of God’s movement in the world, in our lives? How many might come to believe – or at least, explore Jesus for themselves?
Think of the impact John’s Gospel has had on the world. Just one of your stories might change someone’s life, and allow them to have eternal life through believing. Which one will you tell first?
© Kate Heichler, 2025. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
Where do you find life? I don’t mean conception and birth; I mean, what quickens your pulse day-to-day? What causes energy to rise in you, excitement to tinge your voice? What – or who – could you talk about all day long if anyone would listen? That’s one way to discern where we find life.
Have you ever thought you could get life through believing? Believing seems a fairly passive activity – and yet it may just be the most courageous action we can take in a disbelieving world. We learn at the end of this week’s gospel reading that the reason John wrote his gospel was so that we might come to believe and have life: Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
Jesus’ disciples came to believe he had risen from the dead because he stood in front of them; he surprised them on roads and at tables; he made breakfast for them on a beach. Though they did not really act on this knowledge until the Spirit filled them with power at Pentecost, they had the conviction of their experience, and ultimately died witnessing to that truth.
We have to believe on less tangible evidence – yet as we allow it to accumulate, as we really start to list all the “signs” of God’s power and love we have witnessed and experienced, we too can come to believe that Jesus is the Anointed One, the Son of God. And as we begin to exercise spiritual power in his name we find such abundant life, and more evidence piles up.
John says he wrote about the signs of Jesus’ presence so that his readers would come to believe. What if we started talking more often about the evidence we’ve seen of God’s movement in the world, in our lives? How many might come to believe – or at least, explore Jesus for themselves?
Think of the impact John’s Gospel has had on the world. Just one of your stories might change someone’s life, and allow them to have eternal life through believing. Which one will you tell first?
© Kate Heichler, 2025. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
4-24-25 - Blind Faith
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
IWe often associate faith with vision. Insight, perception, illumination are all words connected to sight. But think about it: true faith means being willing to live blind, to trust in what we cannot see. But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
Thomas was strong and courageous, devoted and steadfast. Yet he was short on faith – and until he was willing to become blind, he would never see.
Those who lack physical vision need to trust in many things – helpers, service animals, canes, the goodwill of the people around them. Many also report that, in the absence of sight, other senses become more acute. A sight-impaired person might feel a disturbance in the air that tells them someone has come into or left a room, or recognize someone by their scent, or their footsteps.
So it is with the life of faith. We voluntarily put our trust in things and people we cannot see, and as we do, we find our spiritual senses become more keenly developed. Maybe we become more sensitive to people in pain, or we can sense the presence of evil more acutely. As we spend time in prayer, we come to recognize the presence of Jesus, God as Father, the Holy Spirit. And as we learn to step out in faith when we feel the Spirit nudge us to do or say something, we often find those nudges become more frequent and vivid. We are learning to walk by faith, not by sight.
Jesus gave Thomas a break – he showed up again and let him see him, touch his wounds. “Do not doubt, but believe,” he said. And then he added a word for us: Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
I would go so far as to say we cannot grow in faith if we are not willing to become blind, to stop relying so heavily on what we can see with our eyes and perceive with our minds, to truly trust the instinctual life of the Spirit in and around us. What we perceive with our physical senses sometimes causes our faith to falter – we see the pain of the world, the ongoing illness of those for whom we have prayed, and that “evidence” can shut us down. Jesus invites us to lean instead on what cannot be seen, what can only be believed. Only then will our vision become sharp enough to see God.
© Kate Heichler, 2025. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
IWe often associate faith with vision. Insight, perception, illumination are all words connected to sight. But think about it: true faith means being willing to live blind, to trust in what we cannot see. But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
Thomas was strong and courageous, devoted and steadfast. Yet he was short on faith – and until he was willing to become blind, he would never see.
Those who lack physical vision need to trust in many things – helpers, service animals, canes, the goodwill of the people around them. Many also report that, in the absence of sight, other senses become more acute. A sight-impaired person might feel a disturbance in the air that tells them someone has come into or left a room, or recognize someone by their scent, or their footsteps.
So it is with the life of faith. We voluntarily put our trust in things and people we cannot see, and as we do, we find our spiritual senses become more keenly developed. Maybe we become more sensitive to people in pain, or we can sense the presence of evil more acutely. As we spend time in prayer, we come to recognize the presence of Jesus, God as Father, the Holy Spirit. And as we learn to step out in faith when we feel the Spirit nudge us to do or say something, we often find those nudges become more frequent and vivid. We are learning to walk by faith, not by sight.
Jesus gave Thomas a break – he showed up again and let him see him, touch his wounds. “Do not doubt, but believe,” he said. And then he added a word for us: Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
I would go so far as to say we cannot grow in faith if we are not willing to become blind, to stop relying so heavily on what we can see with our eyes and perceive with our minds, to truly trust the instinctual life of the Spirit in and around us. What we perceive with our physical senses sometimes causes our faith to falter – we see the pain of the world, the ongoing illness of those for whom we have prayed, and that “evidence” can shut us down. Jesus invites us to lean instead on what cannot be seen, what can only be believed. Only then will our vision become sharp enough to see God.
© Kate Heichler, 2025. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
4-23-25 - Our Super Power
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
If you could be granted a super power, what would it be? The ability to fly? Become invisible at will? Transform into another kind of being? Heal people just by touching them?
According to the Gospels, some of those super powers may be ours someday, if the properties of Jesus’ resurrection body have anything to tell us. And some of those super powers are already ours by faith through the gift of the Holy Spirit. But the first super power Jesus conferred upon his disciples when he returned to them Easter night was one we might not think to ask for – the power to forgive: Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
This is the first gift of the Spirit mentioned in the Gospels. It is a power that can bring freedom and peace. And, like many super powers, it can be dangerous if abused - or neglected. The saints of God have the authority to forgive, to set free those who have caused harm to themselves or others. And the church (the saints of God) has the authority to withhold forgiveness, to keep people locked in the consequences of the harm they’ve caused. When the church forgets it has been given this authority, when it either devolves into self-righteous condemnation of others, or a wishy-washy "no problem, God loves you" sentimentality that ignores the real toxicity of sin, we end up with a whole lot of stuckness clogging our wheels, impeding our progress.
We can see the fruits of unforgiveness writ large in the American body politic. Many who claim the mantle of Christ seem to have gone out of the forgiveness business altogether, preferring to label and demonize, objectify and divide. Indeed, there are few temptations more corrosive than righteous indignation – it can fuel our anger and quell our compassion and point us inward. When large swaths of the population stop talking to – or listening to – other large groups, we become polarized and paralyzed. And when some do this in the name of Christ, the church is weakened.
We have received the Holy Spirit – in baptism, in communion, in prayer, in action. Before we seek the splashier gifts of the Spirit, what if we focus on our calling to be agents of forgiveness? I once read an interview with Thich Nhat Hanh, the late Buddhist spiritual teacher, on the subject of forgiveness. He said we have to deal with anger before we can forgive – and one way to deal with our anger is to cultivate compassion for those who are causing harm. We can ask God to show us why they have become that way, what unhealed wounds they are operating out of. And we ask God to show us the same about ourselves.
The super power to forgive – or not – has been given to us. Will we use it for good?
© Kate Heichler, 2025. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
If you could be granted a super power, what would it be? The ability to fly? Become invisible at will? Transform into another kind of being? Heal people just by touching them?
According to the Gospels, some of those super powers may be ours someday, if the properties of Jesus’ resurrection body have anything to tell us. And some of those super powers are already ours by faith through the gift of the Holy Spirit. But the first super power Jesus conferred upon his disciples when he returned to them Easter night was one we might not think to ask for – the power to forgive: Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
This is the first gift of the Spirit mentioned in the Gospels. It is a power that can bring freedom and peace. And, like many super powers, it can be dangerous if abused - or neglected. The saints of God have the authority to forgive, to set free those who have caused harm to themselves or others. And the church (the saints of God) has the authority to withhold forgiveness, to keep people locked in the consequences of the harm they’ve caused. When the church forgets it has been given this authority, when it either devolves into self-righteous condemnation of others, or a wishy-washy "no problem, God loves you" sentimentality that ignores the real toxicity of sin, we end up with a whole lot of stuckness clogging our wheels, impeding our progress.
We can see the fruits of unforgiveness writ large in the American body politic. Many who claim the mantle of Christ seem to have gone out of the forgiveness business altogether, preferring to label and demonize, objectify and divide. Indeed, there are few temptations more corrosive than righteous indignation – it can fuel our anger and quell our compassion and point us inward. When large swaths of the population stop talking to – or listening to – other large groups, we become polarized and paralyzed. And when some do this in the name of Christ, the church is weakened.
We have received the Holy Spirit – in baptism, in communion, in prayer, in action. Before we seek the splashier gifts of the Spirit, what if we focus on our calling to be agents of forgiveness? I once read an interview with Thich Nhat Hanh, the late Buddhist spiritual teacher, on the subject of forgiveness. He said we have to deal with anger before we can forgive – and one way to deal with our anger is to cultivate compassion for those who are causing harm. We can ask God to show us why they have become that way, what unhealed wounds they are operating out of. And we ask God to show us the same about ourselves.
The super power to forgive – or not – has been given to us. Will we use it for good?
© Kate Heichler, 2025. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
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