Seek His Face

Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Ephesians 3:14-21

Brothers and sisters:
I kneel before the Father,
from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory
to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self,
and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;
that you, rooted and grounded in love,
may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones
what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,
so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine,
by the power at work within us,
to him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus
to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 11-12, 18-19

R. (5b) The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
For upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
But see, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

Alleluia Phippians 3:8-9

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I consider all things so much rubbish
that I may gain Christ and be found in him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Luke 12:49-53

Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided,
three against two and two against three;
a father will be divided against his son
and a son against his father,
a mother against her daughter
and a daughter against her mother,
a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint John Paul II, Pope

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Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

October 23, 2026 // Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time //Optional Memorial of Saint John of Capistrano, Priest

Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Psalm: Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

Reflect on the Word //

On an average day I probably see over three hundred faces before 10 a.m. Faces tell us a lot about people. With a quick glance across my classroom I can take in the faces of all my students and know, generally speaking, how class is going to go that day. I know especially that if a certain student in the corner has a mischievous grin there’s a scheme afoot to derail the lesson with some hypothetical, “Sister, what if . . . ?”

I have to ask myself, though, as I take in all the faces I encounter throughout a day, am I seeking the One face that truly matters?

“Lord this is the people that longs to see your face” (Psalm 24:6). Do I recognize that in every face, in every person I encounter throughout the day, I can seek the face of the Lord? In every circumstance, every decision, in every moment, am I seeking the face of the Lord present in time and in eternity? As the Creator of the universe, His “are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it.” (Psalm 24:1).

It is easy to glance superficially at my day and miss out on opportunities to recognize the ways the Lord is speaking to me through a conversation with a friend, an interaction with a student or co-worker, a beautiful sunset. How often I let those things roll off my back and move on to the next encounter without pausing to ask the Lord to show me where He was in that moment.

We are “the race that seeks for Him” (Psalm 24:6), seeking to “stand in his holy place . . . [desiring] not what is vain” (Psalm 24:3-4). To do that, though, we have to look beyond what we notice at first glance. We have to be a people who acknowledge that He is present to us always, longing to show us His face in a myriad of ways so that we can truly come to know His love for us and, gazing upon His face, to truly know Him, our Savior and Redeemer.

Relate to the Lord // Pray for the grace to “seek His face” in the faces of those you meet today.

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About Sister Maria Fatima

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Sister Maria Fatima grew up in Rhode Island and entered the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in 2005. She holds a MA in Theology from the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity. Sister is in her eleventh year of enlightening middle school minds and drawing hearts to Jesus while teaching religion and history. She currently resides at the motherhouse in Ann Arbor, MI, having previously taught in Texas, Florida, and Ohio. She is a contributing author to our Lent devotional All She Had.