Witness: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation

This Lent, walk the road to Calvary with those who witnessed the Passion firsthand.

Dominican friar and popular Godsplaining podcaster Fr. Patrick Mary Briscoe, OP, is your guide on that journey in this daily Lenten devotional. Witness brings you face-to-face with the people of the Bible who encountered Christ in his Passion―saints and sinners, friends and enemies, the faithful and the afraid. From the Good Thief to Pontius Pilate, Martha to Barabbas, these figures reveal the depths of the human heart―flawed, fearful, hopeful, and deeply loved.

Each week of Lent, Witness focuses on a key virtue, inviting you into the scripture stories of those present with our Lord:

Week of Ash Wednesday
“Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.”
Embrace your mortality and Christ’s mercy with Mary Magdalene, Simon Peter, Bartholomew, and the Bad Thief.

Week 1: Repentance
“Return to me with all your heart” (Joel 2:12).
Reflect with the Good Thief, Pilate, Claudia Procula, Barabbas, and Caiaphas.

Week 2: Trust
“Let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).
Learn trust from the Virgin Mary, John the Beloved, Martha, Nicodemus, and others.

Week 3: Compassion
“Bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2).
Walk with Simon of Cyrene, Veronica, the angel in Gethsemane, and more.

Week 4: Humility
“Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart” (Matthew 11:29).
Discover humility in the voices of children, soldiers, false witnesses, and guards.

Week 5: Courage
“Take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Be inspired by Thomas, James, Philip, Matthew, and Simon the Zealot.

Holy Week: Sacrifice
“Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” (Luke 24:21).
Imitate those who gave what they could to Christ: the man with the water jar, the owner of the Upper Room, the centurion Longinus, and others.

A journey both for you and for a small group, Witness explores the characters of the Passion one by one, examining their choices, their failures, and their moments of grace. Some will inspire you; others may unsettle you. But all will draw you closer to Jesus, the central figure who transforms the entire drama.

“Because in the end,” Fr. Patrick writes, “the story of the Passion is not only about what happened to him―it’s about what is happening to us. Lent invites us to step onto the dusty roads of Jerusalem, to stand in the courtyard, to kneel at the foot of the Cross, and to watch the stone roll away. And in doing so, it invites us to let the miracle of redemption unfold again in our own lives.”

Each day offers

• a brief but spiritually rich meditation with a quote from the Church Fathers
• reflective questions to guide your prayer
• a rhythm of renewal to prepare your heart for Easter

Each week offers

• meditations on a different virtue with biblical figures from the Passion
• beautiful, full-color artwork to inspire prayer
• a companion video featuring Fr. Patrick’s weekly reflection

Bonus resources: Free companion videos and a downloadable leader’s guide are available at avemariapress.com.

Fr. Patrick Mary Briscoe, OP, is a Dominican friar and author of many books, including Witness: A Guided Lenten Journal for Prayer and Meditation. He is promoter general for social communication for the Order of Preachers and cohost of the Godsplaining podcast. A sought-after preacher and speaker, he has written widely on faith, culture, and the spiritual life, sharing the beauty of the Gospel with clarity and joy.

Briscoe earned a licentiate in moral theology degree from the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC. Following his ordination, he served as a chaplain and theology instructor at Providence College and as a parish priest at St. Pius V Catholic Church in Providence, Rhode Island.

He currently resides in Rome, Italy.

Valerie Delgado is a Catholic painter, a digital artist, and the owner of Pax.Beloved. She illustrated the books Prepare Your Heart by Fr. Agustino Torres, CFR; Adore by Fr. John Burns; Restore by Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT; and ABC Get to Know the Saints with Me by Caroline Perkins.

She lives in the Houston, Texas, area.

Jonathan Roumie is a Catholic actor know for his role as Jesus in The Chosen series.