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Walk in Her Sandals: Experiencing Christ's Passion through the Eyes of Women

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Pray in a new and creative way this Lent by joining the women of WINE: Women In the New Evangelization on a journey through Christ's passion, death, and resurrection. What if you could have been a witness to the events of the last days of Jesus’ life—walking with him as he entered Jerusalem, observing his crucifixion, and embracing him on Easter?

Walk in Her Sandals, edited by popular Catholic author and speaker Kelly M. Wahlquist, takes you deeper into your relationship with Jesus by helping you relate to him in a profoundly intimate way. Looking at six universal gifts of women through the eyes of women in the gospels, the book guides you on a prayerful and creative journey through the days of Holy Week, Easter, and Pentecost.

As you imagine the experience of the women who met Jesus, you will discover how each of them expressed one of six, distinctive, feminine gifts identified in the writings of St. John Paul II. Through the eyes of an imagined woman who watched Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, you will understand how she conveyed the gift of receptivity. Through the hands of Veronica, who reached out to wipe the face of Jesus, you will discover how sensitivity is present and can grow in your own life. These gifts, along with generosity, prayer, maternity, and the Holy Spirit, come to life through the vivid portrayal of women who walked with Jesus. Their imagined stories are complemented by the real accounts of contemporary women who share their own stories of receiving and cultivating these gifts.

Walk in Her Sandals is a collaborative effort, edited by Wahlquist with contributions from twelve leading Catholic women writers, all of whom are associated with the organization she founded—WINE: Women In the New Evangelization. The contributors will help you break open the scripture, reflect upon it and apply it to your own life, and share those insights in a small-group setting through the use of questions and challenges. Each chapter unfolds in eight movements:

A Moment to Ponder: Wahlquist sets the stage for the theme of that chapter.

Entering the Scripture: Sarah Christmyer, codeveloper of The Great Adventure Catholic Bible Study, reveals the riches of the scripture that corresponds with the day, both in the biblical narrative and in the liturgical year.

Walk in Her Sandals: Stephanie Landsem, author of the biblical fiction series The Living Water, draws you into the story and allows you to experience what it may have been like for women who lived and walked with Jesus.

Unwrapping the Gift: Catholic author, speaker, and faith-formation leader Pat Gohn shows how each woman demonstrates a particular feminine gift and invites you to nurture that gift in yourself and understand anew the beauty of your dignity and vocation.

Reflect on the Meaning: Writers including CatholicMom.com founder Lisa M. Hendey and popular media personality Teresa Tomeo offer insight, encouragement, and inspiration for your own journey through their personal stories.

Lectio and Meditatio: A prayerful reading of the scripture and a guided meditation to draw you more deeply into an intimate relationship with Jesus.

Questions for Group Discussion: Carol Younger, senior fellow at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, offers a helpful tool to share your experience with other women.

Walking in the New Evangelization: Wahlquist offers two ways to contribute to the New Evangelization—first by growing in your contemplative spiritual life and then by giving you practical suggestions to enhance your active spiritual life.

Walk in Her Sandals will allow you to enter more fully into life in Christ by praying over his passion, death, and resurrection. It will help you experience a conversion of heart and recognize your own giftedness.

160 pages, Paperback

Published October 10, 2016

80 people are currently reading
288 people want to read

About the author

Kelly M. Wahlquist

11 books13 followers

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5 stars
121 (41%)
4 stars
105 (36%)
3 stars
51 (17%)
2 stars
9 (3%)
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3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
Profile Image for LeAnne.
Author 13 books40 followers
October 12, 2016
I marvel at how a book with ten authors can come together so beautifully and approach common themes from such a variety of gifts and perspectives. Walk in Her Sandals combines devotional reading and Scripture with Biblical fiction, thoughtful questions and suggestions for putting faith into practice into one beautiful whole.

“Jesus went to Jerusalem for Passover in order to transform the central feast of the Jewish faith into that which all Passovers since the first one pointed to: freedom from sin and the power of death to be the children of God” (loc 387).

Especially designed for Lent, the book focuses on events in the last week of Jesus’ life and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Stephanie Landsem, author of the Living Waters series of biblical fiction, contributes stories that show women of Jesus’s day confronting their fears and faith in ways that mirror our own needs. I especially liked her vivid fictional accounts of the resurrection of Christ and of Pentecost. Sarah Christmyer’s “Enter the Scriptures” (a regular feature of the book) gave me new understanding of the pre-Christian meaning of Pentecost, the Feast of Weeks when the first fruits of the harvest were brought to the temple. Later this feast came to commemorate as well the gift of the Law on Sinai. What a time for God to establish his new covenant with the first-fruits of his church!

The format of Walk in Her Sandals works well for either individual use or small groups. The authors are Catholic and their intended audience is Catholic, but as a Protestant I found very little with which I didn’t identify. There is something here for every woman seeking godliness. Catholics are evidently more theologically literate than Protestants; the authors use terms like “Paraclete” (Holy Spirit) without explanation. They also give more credit to Jesus’ mother and more credence to tradition than you would find in a Protestant book. If you grew up Catholic and didn’t meet the Lord personally until later in life, you will probably be uncomfortable with this book, but if you are open to learning from various traditions of our faith that seek to delve deeply into Scripture, you will find much to appreciate.
[I received a free copy of this book from Net Galleys in exchange for my honest opinion.]
Profile Image for Carolyn.
Author 19 books265 followers
April 28, 2017
Walk In Her Sandals takes an innovate approach to meditating on the Passion of Christ. By combining fiction and nonfiction, this little volume offers the best of both types of writing. It draws you into the heart of Holy Week with Scripture and Stephanie Landsem’s wonderful prose, then takes you a step beyond with reflection and questions designed to draw you closer to Jesus.

If you’ve read Stephanie Landsem’s Living Water Series, which I highly recommend, you’ll recognize her hand here as she draws you into the life of Christ from the margins. By offering the perspectives of women of various ages on the periphery of Jesus’s ministry, you’ll become immersed in the life-changing events of Holy Week.

Walk In Her Sandals is designed for both personal and group use with questions for discussion. It would make a good Christmas gift for any Catholic woman in your life. (Non-Catholic Christians would find much to enrich them as well.) While particularly appropriate for the Lenten season, the riches of Christ’s Passion can be delved into year round.

(I received a free copy from the publisher.)
Profile Image for Amanda Marie.
298 reviews31 followers
April 30, 2017
I loved this approach to meditating on the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. I don’t know how to adequately put into words how much I liked this book.

Each chapter begins with a setting of the stage, delves into the Scriptural account, moves into the potential narrative story of one of the women followers of Jesus, speaks of a feminine gift relative to the chapter, reflects on the meaning of the previous sections, leads one through lectio divina on the Scripture passage, contains questions for group discussions or journal entries, and gives two ways to continue growing in faith through the new evangelization.

I recommend this book, without hesitation, to all Christian ladies who want to grow closer to the Lord through meditation on His Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension.

This book covers so much and I firmly intend to reread this during Lent. In fact, I have discovered just today that Kelly Wahlquist will be giving a retreat weekend in Montana a few weeks before Easter. I have to say that I am very excited and hope to be able to attend.

I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley for review consideration. This in no way affects my opinion of the title nor the content of this review.

This review first appeared at Orandi et Legendi.
301 reviews1 follower
July 19, 2016
I chose this book to read and review because I thought it was the next book in the series by Stephanie Landsem whose books I find amazing. Although she has a short story included, this book is a devotional study for Catholic women to participate in during Holy Week.

This tome is filled with inspirational stories and insights by a number of prominent Catholic women. It follows Christ’s journey and how various women from the Bible were affected by their meetings with him during this tumultuous week. It also shares stories of modern women and how the scriptures comfort and guide them in their life’s journey.

I did enjoy reading the moving stories gathered and also the scriptures that were included. The book is directed towards Catholic women though and not being Catholic, I had a hard time understanding some of their references to customs in the Catholic Church.

I requested and received this book for review from NetGalley.
Profile Image for Michelle.
596 reviews3 followers
April 7, 2020
This is a perfect book to read during Lent. The book weaves through gifts that women have using stories to make them real. Would definitely read this every Lent!
Profile Image for Ann Ahrens Beck.
332 reviews7 followers
December 31, 2024
I enjoy these Kelly Wahlquist books, which present Christ’s story through different lenses. I hope to read her Christmas/Advent book as well as I like the structure of these stories.
Profile Image for Olivia Goodale.
103 reviews
April 26, 2025
This is the second time I’ve read this book and I enjoy breaking it out during Lent. I like the way each chapter is structured. Each chapter focuses on a gift of femininity, a day of Holy Week, a fictionalized viewpoint of that day, and a grounded reflection. The Passion of Christ is told by women for women.

My favorite reflection and fictionalized account is Veronica’s story on Good Friday. The gift paired with it is the gift of sensitivity. It seems that whatever inner struggle I have, this reflection pierces my heart in a special way. It’s always been one of my favorite stations and moments in the Bible.

This was my first time reading through the Passion as a mother. The pure sacrifice of his body and the amount a mother sacrifices for a child really brought home to me how much Jesus truly loves us.

My favorite quotes:

-“His greatness is born out of humility and self giving” (34).

-“On Good Friday, look at Jesus and adore the Cross; he did this for you” (57).

-“[Veronica] had been looking for Jesus, but as she gazed at the cloth, she realized that Jesus had been looking for her” (63).

-“Sensitivity is true power moves a woman to help. Sensitivity is strength a catalyst for healing” (65).

-“The Holy Spirit empowers us to be bold in living and proclaiming the faith with confidence, conviction, and hope” (117).

This book may not be for everyone, especially the style with which it is written in, but I enjoyed it and may pick it up next Lent.

4/5 stars
Profile Image for Cindy Coleman.
1 review3 followers
December 27, 2019
We usd this for a book club and everyone LOVED it. The 'word of mouth' was so good that women not in the book club heard about it from their friends, decided to read it as well and were asking me if I had any extra copies. It is a most unusual, yet perfect, blending of elements which were in excellent balance providing something for everyone. There is no other book like this I have ever found. 'Sandals' looks a the events of Holy Week and Pentecost in a variety of ways. There is a fiction story of a group of women of various ages/perspectives as they encounter these events. This is combined with just the right amount of reflecting on the related scripture and superb Bible background to provide depth. Married with these elements are reflections on the unique gifts of women, plus the personal stories of real life Christian women that show that gift in their life. Helpful for book clubs there were discussion questions included. I can not recommend this book highly enough. It is hard to describe the various parts of this book and how they come together in an extraordinary whole. Our group that came together for this book had such a good experience we have decided to make our book club a regular event. I hope to see more such books from these authors.
298 reviews
June 12, 2019
I've wanted to read this book for the past two years and it got tabled for various reasons (busy life, content too heavy, book club didn't want to read it). I connected with a couple of my spiritual tribe and we made this the focus of Holy Week 2019. WOW! All I can say is this was even more powerful than I expected and we thoroughly enjoyed meeting almost daily to journey with the women around Christ's Passion. I was concerned that the fiction component of each chapter would detract from the scripture readings, but they only enhanced it. I constantly felt like I was part of the action leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection. It was a struggle to keep from reading ahead!

I learned more about Holy Week and Pentecost this year than I knew before. There were reflection questions at the end of each chapter that led to introspection and great discussions. I look forward to sharing it with others in my church community next Lent. This book could have been a disjointed mess considering so many contributed to it. Instead, it was concise and well edited.
261 reviews3 followers
March 25, 2021
Gifts. The six universal gifts of women are (1) receptivity - biologically, spiritually and emotionally we receive (2) sensitivity - God's genius shows up in a woman in that a woman can see another person similar to how God sees them and they see them with their hearts (3) generosity - we cannot fully find ourselves except through making a sincere gift of ourselves to others (4) maternity - we co-create with God to bring new life into the world that lives forever, maternity rhymes with eternity (4) the gift of prayer - we receive God's love in prayer, we are generous with God by praying, we are sensitive to the needs of others by praying for them (5) the gift of the Holy Spirit - God in action and our yes to the Holy Spirit cooperates with the Holy Spirit's genius by expanding our generosity, our sensitivity becomes a holy listening, our maternity increases a fruitful yield, our prayer is knowing God's will.

Receptivity - Palm Sunday. Generosity - Holy Thursday. Sensitivity - Good Friday. Prayer - Holy Saturday. Maternity - Easter Sunday. Holy Spirit - Pentecost.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Liz DeLise.
565 reviews6 followers
April 10, 2025
A wonderful women's study around Holy Week and Pentecost. Each chapter is a different day it contains scripture, and then reimagines the day as the women who were present (but their stories aren't really told in the Bible), personal stories relate back to both and there are some wonderful small group questions and some lectio divina. I'd recommend this book for your next women's group study, it was especially good to have covered during Lent, our group did a chapter a week starting after Ash Wednesday and breaking just before Holy Week and it was a wonderful pace.
12 reviews1 follower
March 28, 2020
This was an okay read. It wasn't as in depth as I would have liked, not reaching deep enough into the spiritual life. I definitely think that there is a place for this book, it is a good introduction into deepening and discovering one's prayer life and relationship with God.

I really enjoyed the fictional narratives of the events of the passion, it really brought me into the scripture into a deeper understanding.

742 reviews1 follower
March 30, 2023
This was the Spring reading of our women's bible study. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, the group really seemed to like the fiction story of the women around Jesus..... The discussion questions did not seem to get much discussion going in my group. The book made me think about Holy week in a new way... there were many authors and each author put their own spin on the topic... so someone should be able to identify with something.
Profile Image for Maeve.
161 reviews
February 24, 2025
I may be biased by a couple of factors, including that I did not use this book as it was intended and simply listened, but my biggest struggle was the fictional stories written to go with each biblically based idea. There are so many stories of women in the scriptures, and there are a decent number in just the New Testament, yet the authors decided to make up stories. I had a hard time getting past that.
Profile Image for Cathy.
103 reviews
May 14, 2017
This was an excellent view into the lives of the women around Jesus during the last week of his life and after his resurection. Ok, it is fiction but packed with solid spiriturality. This book will help women see their worth at the time of Jesus and moving into today. What gifts those women had that translate into our journey today. This is well worth reading.

Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Celia.
831 reviews10 followers
June 20, 2019
I shared this book with my Catholic women's group, and we all agreed that it was very good. This book of spiritual wisdom for women, takes us from Ash Wednesday through Pentecost. There are essays and a fictionalized story of women in Jesus' time, a part for lectio divina, and then discussion questions. We had some wonderful discussions. A great selection for a small, Catholic women's group.
618 reviews19 followers
March 30, 2020
Meh. These are the stories of six women who have met Jesusand tell how he affected them. Reminds me of the 50s and how women were “supposed to behave” then; they advocate the stay-at-home, obey and cater to their husbands mentality. Okay enough telling of the stories, but way too much preaching.
Profile Image for Donna.
233 reviews
April 16, 2021
Truly enjoyed this book. I read it along with a co-worker and shared our thoughts and stories together once a week. The stories of Anah gave me a visual. I could walk with Jesus in his final days through Anah. Some really good thought-provoking questions to reflect upon and bring God and the Holy Spirit closer.
Profile Image for Jasmine.
585 reviews81 followers
May 10, 2017
I think this book is a great guide for Easter, and I really enjoyed the personal experiences. I could have done without the female fictional account of the Easter events. I felt it detracted a little from the authenticity of the information.
Profile Image for Barbie.
179 reviews1 follower
May 1, 2019
Good book to read for Lent.
Profile Image for Don.
1,564 reviews22 followers
April 7, 2020
see the glory of God in each person.
Profile Image for Cathy.
28 reviews
March 12, 2021
Read for women's church zoom book club for Easter.
Profile Image for Abby Avery.
76 reviews4 followers
April 6, 2022
Corny. It’s nice to picture the women in the Bible doing stuff though
30 reviews1 follower
April 7, 2023
I'm so glad I found this at our parish library and can pass it on for others to read and pray with.
Profile Image for Anne Farrington.
312 reviews5 followers
April 16, 2019
This is an extremely interesting book. It presents the events of Christ’s passion through the eyes of women that were there. The book contains discussion of the scriptures, but also an intriguing fictional narrative walking through the experiences of women and families who were linked to Jesus and the disciples. For those interested in acquiring a unique perspective on Passover and Holy Week, I’d strongly recommend this (and not only to women).
Profile Image for Candice Woods.
244 reviews8 followers
May 12, 2022
A great book to read and contemplate on during Holy Week.
420 reviews13 followers
March 26, 2024
4.5*
This lovely Lenten devotional book, edited by Kelly Wahlquist, combines the writings of several prominent Catholic women authors, all members of WINE (Women In the New Evangelization). I loved the format of this book and enjoyed the audio quite a lot. Each week explores 8 aspects of that week's focus, including a fictional piece, reflection, discussion questions, prayer, and more. Although written by Catholic women, this is a great Lenten devotional for any Christian woman. Several women who we know to have been present at Christ's Passion and Crucifixion are mentioned by name in the dramatized fictionalized pieces, helping us to dive deeper into Christ's experience on the Way to the Cross. Something particularly innovative about this title is the inclusion of a chapter on Pentecost… many Lenten devotionals end at Easter, but this book includes the time following Easter up to the Feast of Pentecost!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews

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