Friday March 1, 2024

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“To have faith in Jesus means that we, too, can experience joy even while we suffer and grieve.”

Good News Reflection for:

Friday of the 2nd Week of Lent
March 1, 2024

Today’s Prayer:

Forgive me, Lord, for all the times I’ve been a stumbling stone for Your plans. Remove in me pride, arrogance, stubbornness and rebelliousness. I want to be Your servant for the sake of my neighbors and for Your Glory. Amen.

Subscribe to Today’s Saint Quote & Prayer:
gnm.org/SaintQuotes/

Today’s Readings:

Genesis 37:3-4,12-13,17b-28a
Ps 105:16-21 (with 5a)
Matthew 21:33-43,45-46
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030124.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/daily-mass-reading-podcast-march-1-2024

When things are bad, God makes good

Name the worst thing that’s happening in your life right now. How bad does it look? Is it hopeless? How frustrated do you feel? How sad? Okay, name the worst two things (we always have much to complain about, don’t we).

In today’s first reading, things looked very bad for Joseph. His brothers ganged up against him and threw him into a cistern so that they could murder him. Even when they changed their minds and sold him to Ishmaelites (a rival clan), he must have felt sure that his life was over despite not dying.

You can imagine how he felt. You and I have had these same feelings.

Joseph did not know that God was going to turn his terrible ordeal into a huge blessing. He couldn’t see the plan that included becoming a redeemer for his people. (Years later, during a severe drought, Joseph would save Egypt and his own Jewish tribe from starvation.)

You can imagine, too, how Jesus might have felt in today’s Gospel story. He knew that he was talking about himself in the parable. How did it feel to be around Pharisees who wanted to get rid of him?

If Joseph had known his future, if he could have foreseen how God would turn his frightening circumstances into a great blessing, he probably would have felt grief and joy simultaneously. Jesus knew his future, and even as he agonized over it in the Garden of Gethsemane on Good Friday, he also understood the joy that was to come on Sunday.

To have faith in Jesus means that we, too, can experience joy even while we suffer and grieve.

We cannot be sure of what our future holds, but we do know Who holds our future. That’s all that we really need to know (although we surely want to know more).

We don’t need to foresee the future. We don’t even need to see the next step on the path in front of us.

By holding tight to God’s hand, letting him lead us while remembering that he is always working a plan for our good (see Jeremiah 29:11 and Romans 8:28) and that therefore we can and should trust in his care, we, too can have hope and joy even while we suffer in anguish.

Faith-filled joy does not wait for our sorrows to end. The stronger our faith, the more joy we can actually feel, even in the worst of times. It’s not a giddy happiness; joy is a peaceful satisfaction that God is good.

For more help on this topic, see our WordByte called: “What are you afraid of?” @ https://wordbytes.org/spiritual-growth/fear/.

© 2024 by Terry A. Modica

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