Ordinary Time 
Pause
Faith is a road we walk. It takes us through the wonderful and the terrible times alike. This road has highs and lows and stretches far and wide.
In our darkness, the road can feel lonely; our steps falter, and our hearts and minds slip farther from love and truth.
Have faith, dear one, Jesus has promised that we will not walk that road alone.
Listen
I love the Lord because he hears my requests for mercy. I’ll call out to him as long as I live, because he listens closely to me. Death’s ropes bound me; the distress of the grave found me— I came face-to-face with trouble and grief. So I called on the Lord’s name: “Lord, please save me!”
Psalm 116:1-4
Think
When we cry out in our times of distress we often wonder if we are heard. Fear has a way of making even our small troubles feel like life and death. Heartache has a way of making us feel smaller than we really are, more isolated than we really are. We cry out on thin voices and wonder if we even made a sound.
But we have a good, good Lord. The Lord promises not only to listen, but to hold us close, to stand in our defense, and to be with us in our trials. Cry out and you will be heard. Sometimes, in the midst of our pain and sadness, all we truly need is someone to listen.
Elizabeth Cervasio
Pray
Lord, help me to remember to cry out to you in my distress. Listen to my fears and soothe my soul. Help me to remember that you care and are ready to listen. Amen.
Go
Do not fear the road unknown, the twists and turns, and difficult terrain.
Remember the Lord will always meet you where you are.
The journey may be long, and the going may get tough, but it is always easier when you walk the road with a friend.
