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Monday, March 23, 2026

Week 6: Finding Gratitude

Psalm 100 - “We Are His People, the Sheep of His Pasture"

Read this slowly:

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the lands! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the LORD is God! It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him, bless his name! For the LORD is good; his merciful love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

REFLECT (Reread it):

• This is a psalm of pure joy and gratitude. Even if you're beginning to pray, there are things to be grateful for.

• What does “make a joyful noise" mean to you? Does joy in prayer feel natural or awkward?

• “It is he that made us, and we are his." How does it feel to hear that you belong to God? Comforting? Strange? Hard to believe?

• “Enter his gates with thanksgiving." What are you genuinely grateful for right now—even in the midst of struggle?

• This psalm was sung by people entering the Temple—coming home to worship. Where is "home" for you spiritually? Have you found it yet, or are you still searching?

RESPOND (Talk to God):

If you're feeling grateful: Tell God specifically what you're thankful for. Make a list—out loud or in your heart. Your health, family, and home. A friend who showed up when you needed them. The fact that you're here, praying, seeking.

If you're struggling to feel grateful: That's okay. Be honest: “God, this psalm is about joy, but I don't feel joyful right now." “I want to be thankful; God can handle your honesty. Bring what you have, even if it's not overflowing gratitude. But I'm struggling. Help me see what's good."

If you're feeling like you don't belong: Tell Him: “The sheep imagery is nice, but I don't feel part of the flock." God meets you in that honesty, too.

Now, simply rest.

You don't need more words. You don't need to produce insights or feelings. Just sit in reality:

• You were made by God

• You belong to God

• God's merciful love endures forever

• God is faithful

Repeat quietly in your heart (or out loud):

"The LORD is good."

"His merciful love endures forever."

"I am his."

A Prayer for Week 6

Lord, After six weeks of seeking, questioning, listening, and learning, I come to this final psalm with whatever gratitude I can muster.

Some days, thanksgiving flows easily. Other days, I have to search for it.

Help me to know—really know—that I belong. That I'm not an accident. That You made me, and I'm Yours.

Thank You for meeting me in these ancient words.

Thank You for being patient with my questions. Thank You for Your merciful love that endures even when my faith wavers.

Teach me to make a joyful noise—imperfect, unrehearsed, but genuine.

Teach me to enter Your gates with thanksgiving, recognizing that gratitude is the path home.

And most of all, help me remember: I'm Your sheep, and You're my shepherd.

I don't have to find the way on my own. I just have to follow Your voice.

Thank You for these six weeks. Thank You for this journey.

Thank You for meeting me here.

Amen

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

Today's Reading from the Holy Gospel John 8:1-11

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.” “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.