Daily Reflection – You Were Made for Perfect Happiness
Daily Reflection – You Can Live Differently Than the World Lives
Verse of the Day – All Things Work for Good for Those Who Love God
//Catholic Company//
God is Your Healer
A body riddled with cancer. A heart loaded with grief. A mind addicted to prescription medication. A soul attached to gambling. A heart restless, seeking purpose. A relationship torn apart.
THIS WEEK’S GOSPEL IS MARK 7:31-37
Where do you need healing in your life? Today, Allen reflects on something we all need: God’s healing power.
Daily Reflection – It Comes Down to This
Seeking God in Suffering – Been There Done That
Been There, Done That
DAY 24 | 2 Corinthians 1:3-7
God . . . comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. —2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Parents who have suffered the death of a child have a special understanding of one another’s pain. The same can be said of war veterans, chemotherapy patients, abuse survivors, and recovering addicts. Empathy is a tie that binds.
The apostle Paul explains that there can be a higher purpose in our suffering: we can pass along to others the comfort we have received from God. In a world where the focus is increasingly on our individual needs, God’s plan is that we would have compassion for one another. God wants us to look beyond ourselves to the needs of the people around us, being like Jesus to them.
The first time I was diagnosed with melanoma, I had to register with a large cancer center in Los Angeles. I felt sad and overwhelmed as I watched dozens of other patients in the waiting room—many had lost their hair, were pushing walkers, or appeared frail and weak. I was now a member of a club I had never sought to join.
But now I am better equipped to comfort cancer patients with the same comfort I have received from God. I can testify that I’ve “been there, done that”—and God has never left my side, despite a recurrence.
Our comfort abounds in Christ, and in his strength we can pass along God’s love and comfort to others.
Lord, you have been so good to us. In times of trouble, your Spirit comes near and comforts us. May we give generously of your comfort as we meet others who are hurting. Amen.
//Reframe Ministries//
Seeking God in Suffering – More Than a Platitude
DAY 17 | Romans 8:18-30
We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. —Romans 8:28
Christians sometimes have the best intentions but say the wrong things. In attempts to comfort someone who is grieving the death of a loved one, we have been known to offer platitudes like “God had a plan” or “She’s in a better place” or “His suffering is over.” All true, but perhaps we should simply imitate the Spirit with “wordless groans,” offering a hug and ongoing prayers.
The greater the degree of suffering on this earth, the more we long for the day when we will be with Christ in heaven, free from the tyranny of sickness and sorrow.
In this passage, the apostle Paul seeks to encourage God’s people with both strength to get through today and a glorious vision of the future. He tells us that in all things God works for our ultimate good and his purpose. This does not mean all things are inherently good but that God redeems the pain and blesses us.
My Uncle Leon quotes Romans 8:28 as a text that has comforted him and his wife, Shirley, since losing both of their sons in early adulthood. Through tears and a shattered heart, he still expresses confidence that God will use his scars to bless others in similar circumstances. This verse is more than a platitude; it’s a promise based on God’s enduring love.
Lord, in the midst of our deep suffering and crippling grief, may your Spirit begin to heal our hearts and translate our tears into something that is ultimately good. Amen
//Reframe Ministries//
Morning Offering – Everyone Who Breathes Has a Mission
“Realize it, my brethren; —every one who breathes, high and low, educated and ignorant, young and old, man and woman, has a mission, has a work. We are not sent into this world for nothing; we are not born at random; . . . God sees every one of us; He creates every soul, He lodges it in the body, one by one, for a purpose. He needs, He deigns to need, every one of us. He has an end for each of us; we are all equal in His sight, and we are placed in our different ranks and stations, not to get what we can out of them for ourselves, but to labor in them for Him. As Christ has His work, we too have ours; as He rejoiced to do His work, we must rejoice in ours also.”
— St. John Henry Newman
My Plan for Today
The Bible in a Year – Day 25 – Job’s Questioning
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job’s Questioning
Where is God in Job’s suffering? Today, Fr. Mike dives deeper into Job’s questions as he wrestles with his suffering. We learn that God always uses our suffering for a purpose although we may not understand it in the moment. Today’s readings are Genesis 47-48, Job 39-40, and Psalm 16.
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