Seek What Is Above
“To arrive with the Son of Man through suffering and death at this splendor of the Resurrection, is the road for each one of us, for all humankind” (Edith Stein, aka St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross).
In the second reading for today’s Mass, St. Paul says, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth” (Colossians 3:1-2).
I cry every year on Easter morning. When the organ starts and the procession begins, I get chills, and I have to brush away tears. It’s so easy to think of what is above when celebrating the resurrection at Mass.
Outside of Mass? Not so much.
Is Jesus Top of Mind?
After I had my second daughter a year and a half ago, I scaled back a lot of my work outside of caregiving and homemaking. We invited a talented editor and writer to join our leadership team at Catholic Women in Business as our new managing editor. I put all speaking engagements on hold, and I spent much less time on social media. 2025 was a doozie of a year in many ways, and I needed some time to focus more on my family and recalibrate my life.
This re-juggling of my responsibilities was beneficial in many ways; but I recently realized that it had a major drawback. When I’d been spending more time editing, writing, and speaking about faith-related topics, Jesus was on my mind much more. Now, it felt like Jesus was a friend who’d moved away, whom I’d forgotten to keep in touch with.
I went to Mass and I prayed a daily Rosary, but I wasn’t reading Scripture. I wasn’t really reading anything spiritual. And I was barely praying other than that daily Rosary and our family prayer before meals and prayers before the girls’ bedtime.
Getting Back in Touch With God
Something needed to change, I realized. I talked to my husband, and we started reading the daily readings aloud at breakfast (sometimes, anyway). One habit, however, has stuck and transformed my life.
I moved my phone.
Instead of having it next to our bed, I put it across the bedroom, right next to the door to our bathroom. And I set an alarm for 6 a.m. rather than relying on our baby monitor to wake me up. No more snooze button – I have to walk across the room to turn off the alarm. Once I’m there, it’s just a step into the bathroom. I get in the shower, where the hot water relaxes my muscles and wakes me up.
Then, I pour myself a cup of coffee, sit in the living room across from the glass door (through which you can watch the sun rise), and take out my prayer journal and my Bible.
It’s the best journaling practice I’ve ever had. I’ve always struggled to consistently journal at night. I should have known; I’m a morning person, not a night owl. It’s easier to pray, to write — to do anything — in the morning than in the evening, after a full day of mothering.
That is, it’s easier for me. It may not be easier for you. Maybe your brain is better at night. Maybe you have a baby waking you up during the night and you need whatever extra sleep in the morning you can get. (That was me, just last year!)
However, if you’re in a rut in your prayer life, if you feel like Jesus is more of an acquaintance than a friend and Lord, I encourage you to make time to “seek what is above.” I didn’t think I had time. I didn’t think I had energy. It took one small tweak—and a week or so of dragging myself out of bed and hating every moment of it—to create that time and energy.
I’m still impatient with my daughters. I still don’t always listen to my husband when he’s trying to share his day with me. I still don’t immediately go to Jesus when I need help. And I’m still figuring out the right “balance” of work and family time.
But I ask forgiveness. I thank God. I pray for my family, my friends, and myself. I’m feeling more energized by writing and more excited about other work. Most of all, I feel more confident that if God needs to get my attention, it’ll be a little easier for me to hear Him. After all, I’m spending some time each morning trying to listen.
Happy Easter from all of us at Catholic Women in Business! We hope you have a joyful Easter season.
Taryn DeLong co-wrote Holy Ambition: Thriving as a Catholic Woman at Work and at Home (Ave Maria Press) to help women hear and follow God’s unique calling for their life. Following her own calling, she currently spends much of her time caring for and homeschooling her two daughters.
Taryn studied psychology and education at Meredith College in Raleigh, NC. Before becoming a mother, she worked in university advancement and then B2B editing.
Since Taryn was a child, she’s called the Raleigh area home, and she and her husband are now raising their family in a small Raleigh suburb. In addition to supporting Catholic women, she's passionate about inclusion of people with disabilities in life, work, and (most importantly) the Church. She also enjoys reading and playing the piano.
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