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!

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

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

Week 2: Finding Peace

 Psalm 46: “Be Still, and Know That I Am God" 

 Read this slowly: 

 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 

Therefore, we will not fear though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea. Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah 

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. 

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her right early. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah 

Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has wrought desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear, he burns the chariots with fire! "Be still and know that I am God. I am exalted among the nations; I am exalted in the earth!" The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah 

 REFLECT (Reread it): • "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Not distant. Not absent. Present. • The imagery is chaotic: earth changing, mountains shaking, waters roaring. Life can feel like that. • But then: "Be still and know that I am God." In the chaos, there's an invitation to stillness. • You don't have to create the stillness yourself. It's a gift God offers. 

 RESPOND (Talk to God): What feels chaotic in your life right now? What mountains are shaking? Talk to God about the turmoil. Then ask Him to help you be still, even for just a few minutes. 

 REST: Repeat quietly to yourself: "Be still and know that I am God." Let your breathing slow. You don't have to fix anything right now. Just be still. "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." - Psalm 145:18

Coming When Called: The Gospel Invitation to Follow Reflections on Mark 1:14-20

After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." Then they abandoned their nets and followed him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him. 

There's something beautifully abrupt about this gospel passage. Jesus doesn't offer a theological dissertation. He doesn't present credentials or outline a detailed ministry plan. He simply walks along the shore and says, "Come after me."

 And they come. 

Simon and Andrew drop their nets mid-cast. James and John leave their father in the boat, mending half-finished. The text gives us no record of their internal deliberations, nor any mention of weighing pros and cons. Just the call, and the response.

 This is how the kingdom breaks into ordinary life—not through our careful planning, but through divine interruption. 

Meeting People Where They Are 

Notice where Jesus finds these first disciples: at work, hands occupied with the familiar rhythms of their trade. He doesn't wait for them to come to the synagogue or complete a period of formal preparation. He meets them on the shore, among the nets and boats and fish. 

This is the heart of what we're about at Saintly Journeys. We don't wait for seekers to find their way to traditional spaces or master religious vocabulary before beginning the conversation. We meet people where they already are—scrolling through social media, searching online for meaning, wrestling with questions in the middle of ordinary life. 

Jesus's "Come and see" approach didn't require his first disciples to have it all figured out before following. They learned by walking with him, by being in relationship with him. Our ministry embraces this same spirit of invitation over interrogation, companionship over credentials. 

The Time of Fulfillment

 "This is the time of fulfillment," Jesus proclaims. Not someday. Not after you've gotten your life in order or completed your spiritual checklist. This is the time. Now is when the kingdom draws near. How many of us spend years waiting for the "right time" to respond to God's call? We tell ourselves we'll pray more deeply when life calms down, we'll explore our faith when we're less busy, we'll answer that tug toward something more when we feel more qualified.

 But Jesus's call to those fishermen reminds us: the time is now. The invitation comes in the middle of the ordinary, and it asks for an immediate response. 

That's why Saintly Journeys exists in digital spaces—because people are searching, questioning, feeling that pull toward something transcendent now. We can't wait for perfect conditions. The kingdom is at hand today, in this moment, wherever you're reading these words. 

Becoming Fishers of Men

 Jesus promises to transform these fishermen's existing skills and experiences into something new: "I will make you fishers of men." He doesn't ask them to become something completely foreign to themselves. Instead, he reorients their gifts toward a greater purpose.

 This is God's pattern with each of us. Our backgrounds, our experiences, even our questions and doubts—none of it is wasted. God takes what we already are and invites us into a larger story.

 As fellow pilgrims on this journey, we don't claim to have reached a spiritual destination. We're simply further along the path, extending the same invitation we once received: Come and see. Walk with us. Let's discover together what it means to follow. The nets can wait. The familiar can be left behind. The kingdom is breaking into your ordinary life right now.

 What is Jesus calling you to leave behind today? What might he be inviting you toward?