Finding Hope in the Hard Places: An Advent Reflection for Catholic Women

As Catholic women navigating the world of business, leadership, and service, we often carry far more than what others can see. We balance careers, families, aging parents, relationships, and the constant call to show up with excellence even when our hearts feel overwhelmed or stretched thin. Advent arrives each year as a quiet invitation: a sacred pause in the middle of all we juggle, whispering to us to slow down, breathe, and make room for the God who wants to enter the places where we need Him most.

This season is not only about preparing our homes for Christmas. It is about preparing our hearts for Christ to come into the unfinished and uncertain areas of our lives in the questions we hold, the burdens we carry, the places where we long for clarity or peace. In many ways, we are just like Juan Diego, walking up the hillside of our responsibilities while carrying hidden concerns, worries, or wounds. And just like Juan Diego, we are met by a Mother who sees us and gently reminds us: “Am I not here, I who am your mother?”

Our Lady of Guadalupe does not remove our challenges; she walks with us through them. She teaches us that holiness isn’t found in escaping our responsibilities, but in encountering God within them. She invites us to gather the “roses” He is growing in our lives often in the very places that feel barren or impossible. These roses reflect the journey of our hearts: our deepest longings, God’s faithful presence, the testimony being shaped through our struggles, and the mission He is quietly preparing in us.

It’s easy to believe that our worth is tied to productivity, outcomes, or the strength we project. But Advent tells another story: your worth is anchored in being God’s beloved daughter. Your value is rooted in the light He

placed within you. And your mission whether in your workplace, your family, or your community often grows out of the very places where God has met you most tenderly.

During this Advent season, I invite you to pause and reflect:

• What am I longing for in this season of my life or work? 

• Where do I notice God’s presence, even in small or subtle ways? 

• What testimony is being shaped through the challenges I’m experiencing? 

• How is God preparing my heart for a mission only I can fulfill? 

If your heart is craving a moment of quiet reflection, or if you feel the weight of this season more than its peace, I gently invite you to listen to this week’s episode of my podcast, Catholic Moms in the Middle. It’s a guided Advent mini-retreat where we walk with Juan Diego, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the God who brings roses out of winter. My hope is that it blesses you right where you are.

May this Advent be a season of renewal for you and a time of hope, a time of clarity, and a time of remembering that you are never alone. Christ walks with you. The Blessed Mother intercedes for you. And your story, yes, even the hard parts is a gift God will use

for His glory.

Jennie Guinn is a Catholic life coach and founder of Catholic Moms in the Middle. She accompanies midlife women through divorce, grief, and major life transitions, helping them encounter God’s healing and rediscover their purpose.