Welcome to Saintly Journeys

Thursday, March 26, 2026

The Invitation Going Forward

The past 6 weeks, for those who have followed Praying with The Psalms, have been an invitation to Come & See (John 1:39).

You came. You saw. You tried prayer. You brought your questions. You showed up.

Now the invitation is:

Keep coming home. Not perfectly. Not without questions. Not without struggle.

But keep entering those gates with thanksgiving. Keep recognizing you're the sheep and God is the shepherd. Keep trusting that His merciful love endures forever.

Keep coming home to the God who's been waiting for you all along.

Now What?

Option 1: Keep Praying the Psalms. There are 150 psalms. You've only scratched the surface. Pick another psalm and use the same Lectio Divina method.

Option 2: Pray the Gospels. Try applying Lectio Divina to the stories of Jesus. Start with the Gospel of Mark—it's short and vivid.

Option 3: Explore the Liturgy of the Hours. The Catholic Church prays the Psalms daily through the Liturgy of the Hours. Apps like iBreviary or Laudate make it accessible.

Option 4: Find Community Prayer can start alone, but it grows best in community.

Consider:

• Visiting a local Catholic parish

• Attending an OCIA inquiry session (no commitment required)

• Joining an online Bible study or prayer group, like this one at Saintly Journeys.

• Finding a Spiritual Director

The Most Important Thing: Don't stop praying. It doesn't have to be every day. It doesn't have to be perfect. But keep showing up. Keep seeking. Keep listening.

Prayer is a relationship, and relationships require presence.

"O taste and see that the LORD is good! Happy is the man who takes refuge in him!" — Psalm 34:8

It has been an absolute blessing sharing the Psalms with you all and Meeting You Where You Are!

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.

Today's Reading from the Holy Gospel John 8:51-59

Jesus said to the Jews: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.” So the Jews said to him, “Now we are sure that you are possessed. Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? Or the prophets, who died? Who do you make yourself out to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing; but it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ You do not know him, but I know him. And if I should say that I do not know him, I would be like you a liar. But I do know him and I keep his word. Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.” So they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area. “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.