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Sunday, March 15, 2026

Week 5: Asking for Help

Psalm 25:1-7 – “Teach Me Your Paths”

Read this slowly:

To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust, let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Yes, let none that wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your merciful love, for they have been from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth, or my transgressions; according to your merciful love, remember me, for your goodness' sake, O LORD!

REFLECT (Reread it):

• The psalmist is asking to be taught: "Make me to know your ways... teach me your paths."

• If you're exploring prayer, you're already doing this—you're asking to be taught.

• "Remember not the sins of my youth, or my transgressions." We all have regrets. The psalmist asks God to remember him in love, not for his mistakes.

• Notice the waiting: "for you I wait all the day long." Sometimes prayer is simply waiting with openness.

RESPOND (Talk to God): Ask God to teach you. Tell Him, "I don't know how to pray. I don't know what to believe. Show me." If you have regrets weighing on you, tell Him about those, too.

REST: You don't have to have all the answers. Rest in being a student, a learner, someone willing to be taught.

Tuesday, March 10, 2026

Week 4: Experiencing Wonder

Psalm 19: “The Heavens are Telling”

Read this slowly:

The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them, he has set a tent for the sun, which comes forth like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and like a strong man runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them; and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

REFLECT (Reread it):

• Even if you're not sure about God, you've probably experienced awe: a sunset, the ocean, mountains, a starry night.

• The psalmist says creation itself is speaking, declaring something about its Maker.

• “There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out."

• Have you ever felt something bigger than yourself when experiencing nature?

RESPOND (Talk to God): Tell God about a time you felt wonder. Maybe at the ocean, or holding a baby, or seeing something beautiful. Ask Him to help you notice His presence in the world around you.

REST: If you can, go outside. Look up. Notice the sky, the trees, the birds. Let yourself simply receive beauty without needing to explain it.

"The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." - Psalm 145:18

Sunday, March 1, 2026

Week 3: Being Honest

Psalm 13: “How Long, O Lord?”

Read this slowly:

How long, O LORD? Will you forget me for ever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; lighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed over him"; lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

But I have trusted in your merciful love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

REFLECT (Reread it):

• This psalm starts with raw, honest questions. Four times: "How long?" The psalmist is frustrated, maybe even angry.

• Notice that the psalmist doesn't pretend to have it all together. Prayer isn't about being polite—it's about being real.

• "How long must I bear pain in my soul?" If you've felt this, you're not alone. This is in the Bible.

• The psalm ends with trust, but it starts with struggle. That's okay. You don't have to skip to the happy ending.

• The struggles aren't obstacles to prayer; they're the raw material of it. Bringing your struggle to God's conversation is essential because it's the root of change and growth. When you name what's actually weighing on you—when you stop performing spiritually and start being real—you create the conditions for God to meet you where you are, not where you think you should be. You can't be transformed by a conversation you're not actually having.

• So when you sit down with Scripture, don't sanitize your prayer. Bring the mess. God's not afraid of it. The psalm ends with trust because it started with struggle. That's where the Holy Spirit does His work.

RESPOND (Talk to God):

Ask God your "How long?" questions. How long will this loneliness last? How long until things get better? How long will I feel lost? Don't edit yourself. God can handle your questions.

REST: You don't need to resolve everything. Sit with your questions. God is big enough to hold them with you.

Today's Reading from the Holy Gospel John 4:43-54

At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee. For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his native place. When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves had gone to the feast. Then he returned to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, who was near death. Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” The royal official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and left. While the man was on his way back, his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live. He asked them when he began to recover. They told him, “The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.” The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live,” and he and his whole household came to believe. Now this was the second sign Jesus did when he came to Galilee from Judea. “The Gospel of the Lord.”

Peace Be With You!

I'm Randy—husband, stepfather, Eucharistic Minister, Cursillista, and a Catholic layman who said 'yes' to God's call to evangelize online. My journey toward online evangelization began during Cursillo #109 in the Orlando Diocese. It was during my Cursillo weekend that I encountered the scripture theme: "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" In that powerful moment of grace, my response echoed Isaiah's: "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8) In the days that followed, I found myself in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit how to put into action all that I had discovered. It was then that the vision for Saintly Journeys took shape—not as something I had planned, but as a ministry the Lord was calling me to embrace. I'm not a priest, theologian, or Bible scholar—I'm a layperson living out the call to evangelize, probably a lot like you: balancing faith and family, wrestling with questions, discovering God meets us where we are. My role isn't to stand above you with answers, but to walk alongside you as a fellow member of the laity, both of us sharing in Christ's mission in our own unique ways. As I often say, God doesn't call the qualified; He qualifies the called. My mission is to evangelize from the screen to the altar, mending the nets in the digital vineyard.