Jesus said to his disciples:
“Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which one of you would hand his son a stone
when he asked for a loaf of bread,
or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things
to those who ask him.

“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the law and the prophets.”

Matthew 7: 7-12

Here are the complete readings for Thursday, March 13, 2025

(“The Scorpion” by Stanley Spencer)

I’ve had to learn to be assertive over time, and I suspect many others have as well. I don’t have a problem asking for help, or saying “I don’t know”, but asking for what I want or need is a skill I’ve had to develop. Given the human condition though, whether one is outwardly confident to speak one’s mind or not, it is likely universal that we all have difficulty discerning what to ask for when we ask for what we need. Discernment is not embedded into western culture. It does not fit our rapid pace of life, which we have been shown as the norm since early childhood. How can we take intentional time for quiet discernment, and to meditate about what we are really experiencing or longing for in the present moment? Developing that habit of reflection is a skill that can lead to greater insight about why we feel or act a certain way, and how to more accurately ask for help in being closer to who we want to be. I think it is helpful to look at discernment as both an action for a purpose and a moment for its own sake. We are then less likely to evaluate the discernment on what we may have achieved and more so on the gratitude that we experience in the process.

Above all else remember
that your God is forever faithful.
In the words of the prophet God says:
Can a mother forget her infant
or be without tenderness
for the child of her womb?
I will never forget you.
I have branded you
on the palms of my hands.
For your part,
God asks you in return
to make the word of God your home. – The Fundamental Principles of the Xaverian Brothers

God, we are grateful to always be in your presence, and thank you for welcoming us to your divine mystery. When we are not sure of the way to go, help us to know what we don’t know. May we then trust that in striving for what is good and true, we grow ever closer to you and feel the connection you give to us as neighbors and strangers as companions on the journey.

Amen