March 11, 2026 // Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 5:17-19
Reflect on the Word //
As I came out of a season of deep anguish, I found it profoundly difficult to trust God again. The pain that I had experienced caused my heart to be suspicious of His voice and promises. I feared that He was out to take away everything I loved, which caused a whirlwind of self-reliance to take place within me. I kept my trust in Him at arm’s length. The assumptions that I created about Him, based on my pain, seemed easier to believe than the truth of Who He is. The depth of my wounds created a blockage around my heart. I wasn’t able to fully receive His Heart.
My suffering and confused heart created a fog, making it difficult for me to recognize His presence. In today’s Gospel, I was struck by Jesus’ words to His disciples: “I have come not to abolish but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). Jesus does not come to take away, but to fulfill, and give abundantly. In my pain, He is not out to destroy or harm me, but to draw near, to love me exactly where I am. Jesus has a history with me, a history of leading and loving, just as God (including the Son Who became Man) had with the ancestors of the disciples He was speaking to in the Gospel. Jesus speaks to His disciples of the importance of following and believing in the law, the law the Lord gave them to help them become holy (see Matthew 5:19). Through this I am reminded of the importance of coming into agreement with His Word and promises. His Word will forever stay the same. He will never change.
Sister, Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel are true: He will fulfill, not abolish (see Matthew 5:17). The flame of His Sacred Heart will never be dimmed, nor diminished. His Heart that burns for you will never change. The Heart, love, and providence of Jesus are not scarce, but abundant. May we not become fearful of destitution, but instead, little by little, grow in confidence toward His providential abundance. Let us believe in Who He says He is.
Relate to the Lord // Remind yourself of Who God is today. What do you know to be true and unchanging about Him?
Bella Rol is a college student from Monterey, CA and she’s passionate about finding the Lord in the simple things. She was a contributing author to New Wine and GIFT: Eucharistic Study for Teens. In her free time, Bella can be found laughing with her three brothers, enjoying a foamy latte, journaling, doodling, contemplating Jesus in the Eucharist, taking a long walk, or asking Saint Joseph for his intercession.
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