Welcome to Saintly Journeys: March 2026

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 Matt.17:1-9

From the shining cloud the Father’s voice is heard: This is my beloved Son, hear him. Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone. As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, “Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” “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.