June 24, 2026 // Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Isaiah 49:1-6
Reflect on the Word //
A few months after my husband died, my kids and I went to visit our good friends to celebrate their daughter (my goddaughter) receiving her First Holy Communion. The loss was still extremely raw and painful. We had only survived one season, and as we embarked on another, the pain was near constant and so intense as to be almost unmanageable. I was barely hanging on.
That weekend was Father’s Day, as well. I felt freshly broken, and I wept into the arms of my dead husband’s friend: “Why did this happen to me?” He held me tightly and said, “Because God wanted you to be a great Saint.”
In today’s First Reading, the prophet Isaiah speaks of being made a “sharp-edged sword,” and a “polished arrow” (Isaiah 49:2). Think of what it takes to forge these weapons—being sharpened and polished is certainly not a pleasant experience. When I experience suffering and pain, my first response is often, “Why me?” The Lord is teaching me, patiently, repetitively, to surrender to the process of being made, being transformed. My efforts to participate in the redemptive work done on the Cross are not wasted, though I will have to wait to see the heavenly fruit of my labor.
Isaiah’s prophecy applied in the short term to the Jews’ return from exile, and in the long term to Jesus, Who saved all people from bondage to sin. It also applies to each of us, called by our baptismal vocation to continue Christ’s redemptive work until He comes again.
When we allow ourselves to be refashioned by the hands which made us, the God Who has a plan for our lives, we become ever more like Christ. Jesus gave up everything so that the world would be redeemed and bathed in His light. When we join our sufferings to His, Christ’s light within us shines brighter and spreads throughout the world.
Relate to the Lord // Thank God for His good plan for your life, even if you can’t see it yet.
Elizabeth Blanke Show is a remarried widow and mama to seven beautiful kiddos. She is passionate about creating community, and loves gathering people to share meals and music in her home. She also loves spending time in nature and exploring new places. You can find her on Instagram @elizaraxi.
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