March 19, 2025 // Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Second Reading: Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22
Reflect on the Word //
My husband died without warning four years ago on the vigil of the Solemnity of Saint Joseph. His death shook our life to its core, leaving my three children and me with grief and trauma that will continue in waves of varying intensity for the rest of our lives. In the years since that terrible day, we have walked together in faith, believing that the promises of God for His children were still for us, even though so much had been torn apart. We believed, unwaveringly, that God would redeem us, would use this suffering for our sanctification and for His kingdom.
I had no idea what the next chapter of my life would look like when tragedy struck. I only knew that God is good. I knew the promise—that “those who follow the faith of Abraham [. . .] would inherit the world” (Romans 4:13, 16). Walking forward in faith, I knew I could trust the promises that were whispered in the depths of my heart:
I can provide for all of your needs.
I can heal you.
I can be a Father to your fatherless children. I will send foster fathers to guide them and help them.
And so He did. God sent holy men into my children’s lives, men who nurtured them for a season, who reminded them what fatherly love felt like and provided a balm for their aching hearts. And then our meandering path of faith led me to a new love and a permanent foster father who loves them as his own, who takes his cues from Saint Joseph, the foster father par excellence. We walk forward in faith together now, believing that all of this is a gift.
We all have places in our hearts that we are tempted to feel are beyond redemption. Hurts that are too deep, hopes that seem too impossible. But our God “gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not exist” (Romans 4:18). His promises are for you too.
Relate to the Lord // What promises has the Lord kept? What promises are you waiting to see fulfilled? Pray in gratitude and with hope today.
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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