St Margaret Roman Catholic Church

Saint Vincent Ferrer, Priest (Optional Memorial)

They knew not the hidden counsels of God. (Wisdom 2:22)

Can’t you just hear these words describing the religious leaders who were opposed to Jesus? The very things they plotted against him would be turned upside down by God’s “hidden counsels.” Jesus’ death would not stop him; it would vindicate his righteousness and show God’s power to deliver us and save us!

God’s mysterious ways are at work in your life as well. When you face a challenge or trial, you might be tempted to think it means that God isn’t with you or that he isn’t paying attention to your prayers for help. But more likely than not, he is just moving in ways you can’t perceive at that moment.

This is the challenge of faith: to believe that God sees a much bigger picture than we do, and to trust that he knows what he is doing. So how can we do that?

One way is to look at the Scriptures. The Old Testament is full of stories of how God’s “hidden counsels” took something evil and turned it around for the good. Think about Joseph, sold into slavery by his brothers. God used him to preserve the Israelites during a severe famine (Genesis 37). Or think of Abraham taking his son, Isaac, up the mountain to sacrifice him—at God’s command. God saved Isaac at the very last minute and showed Abraham (and us) just how much he appreciates our faith (22:1-19).

Perhaps you can recall a difficult time in your own life where you now understand how God deepened your faith or brought about an outcome better than you expected. With hindsight, you can see he was clearly at work. Let these insights serve as a foundation for you when challenging events arise in the future.

Whenever you are facing a trial, ask your heavenly Father to show you his hidden counsels. You probably won’t get an answer right away—that’s why they’re called “hidden.” Still, take the situation as an opportunity to strengthen your faith. Remember, you are God’s precious child. So keep trusting him, and ask him to show you how near he is and how much he loves you. Even if you don’t understand his ways now, ask him to fill you with peace in not knowing everything.

“Lord God, I trust in you. Open my eyes to see your hand in all things.”

Psalm 34:17-21, 23
John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

Jesus wants us to have right and loving relationships, especially within our families. He wants us to forgive everyone who has hurt us—seventy times seven times, if

He asks us not to condemn, not to hold any anger against anyone, but to replace resentment with love. In short, Jesus calls us to love others as fully as he has loved us (John 15:12).

If we were to compare these demands with our experience, we might come to the conclusion that it’s nearly impossible to fulfill them. Our human frailty convinces us that we simply cannot live out such a high calling on our own strength. Some wounded relationships and scarred memories will take a very long time to be healed. That’s why we need to turn to Jesus and ask him to give us his grace, his healing, and his transforming power. During this season of Lent, experiment with this method. Ask God to help you forgive. Give the Spirit a chance to heal your wounds.

This prayer really works. For example, one person was deeply hurt over a division between himself and some close friends in his neighborhood. He wanted to let go of his bitterness, but the pain was too great. He even developed physical pain in his arms and shoulders because of the tension in his heart. When he asked some friends to pray with him for inner healing, he was set free from his bitterness and from his physical pain! We can be tempted to dismiss a story like this as a unique work of God that is beyond what we can normally expect. But God wants us to know that he is prepared to work this powerfully in all of our lives.

Jesus wants to heal the wounded relationships of our past—especially those within our marriages and families. He wants to cover all of our resentments, hurts, and guilt with his precious blood. He wants us all to move forward, with the wind of the Spirit at our backs, in the call to become more like him and to share his forgiveness and mercy with the world.

As long as sin is in the world, we will continue to be hurt by others and even to hurt other people ourselves. The memories of hurtful situations and relationships will remain with us, but Jesus wants to heal them so that they no longer cause us crippling pain. The more we are set free from bondage to our past, the more we will be transformed into Christ, and the more we will be able to have mercy on those how have hurt us.

Invite the Lord into your memories and ask him to heal you. Allow him to set you free from captivity to old memories and move you into the healing and transforming presence of God.

Saint Isidore, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Optional Memorial)

Search the Scriptures. (John 5:39)

Have you ever picked up your Bible, read a passage from it, and then sat back and wondered what in the world God was trying to say to you? It’s possible that you may have walked away and decided either that you were spiritually deaf or that the passage didn’t have any consequence for your life. But somewhere inside your heart, you sensed that there was something in that passage for you—you just couldn’t put your finger on it.

We all know that God wants to reveal himself to us through Scripture. But just like everything else in the Christian life, Scripture won’t just magically make sense to us. We need to cooperate with the Spirit, and that takes some time, attention, and perseverance.

The following guidelines can help you hear the Lord as you read his word. Try them over the next few days, and see if they make a difference.

• Select a Scripture passage that you want to read. Maybe you will choose to follow the daily Mass readings with the meditations in this magazine.

• Don’t read right away, but begin with prayer. If you feel like singing or humming a hymn from Mass, do it.

• Next, read the Scripture passage you have chosen.

• Read it again slowly, dwelling on the words or phrases that struck you.

• Use your imagination to place yourself in the scene described in this passage.

• Imagine that Jesus is sitting across from you and telling you this story himself.

• Be still. During this quiet period, some words or pictures may bubble up in your thoughts. This may be God speaking to you—especially if the images and thoughts lead you closer to Christ, fill you with hope, or stir your heart to love and forgive.

• Try to write out what you think God is saying to you, and close with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving.

God wants to reveal himself to us in Scripture. Only by quiet reflection will we learn to hear his voice.

“Holy Spirit, quiet my heart, and help me to read Scripture with new ears. Let your revelation guide me to become more like Jesus.”

4th Week of Lent

The Lord comforts his people. (Isaiah 49:13)

When you think about being comforted, you might imagine someone putting their arms around you or speaking encouraging words when you were hurt or sick or upset. You might recall moments from childhood when your mother knew just the right way to make you feel better. She listened to your concerns, even though she knew she couldn’t fix everything. She probably told you how much she loved you as well and that she would try to help. Her presence and love reassured you that somehow, things would be okay.

Even if you never really knew this kind of comfort from your parents, you can still experience it from God. Today’s first reading promises that! Your God knows you intimately; he knows your needs, your worries, and your sorrows. He won’t forget you, not even for an instant. Even if a mother forgets her child, God will never forget you (Isaiah 49:15).

Now, you can’t have someone’s arm around you all the time. But then again, maybe you can. God’s comfort is not limited to physical closeness. He is always with you, even when you make a mess of things and everyone else has left you alone. This is what the Scriptures mean when they proclaim God to be faithful and true. Jesus promised he will be with us always—and he never breaks his promises (Matthew 28:20).

You may have already experienced God’s comfort in a personal way. Maybe you felt him strengthen you during a stressful time. Or maybe he guided you through a confusing situation. Even so, the difficulties of life can tempt you to think that God is far away. He isn’t. He walks beside you: suffering with you, persevering with you, and comforting you, even if you aren’t sure that he is there.

So feel free to talk to Jesus about your joys and struggles, your questions and doubts. Don’t be afraid to express your deepest thoughts, even the ones that are filled with anxiety, fear, bitterness, or anger. Don’t worry; you won’t surprise or offend him. In fact, it’s in those moments that you may begin to sense his presence and his comfort. And even if you don’t exactly feel his presence, that’s okay. He is still there. God is giving you a chance to strengthen your faith. Always remember: he will never leave you.

“Jesus, be my comfort today.”

Psalm 145:8-9, 13-14, 17-18
John 5:17-30