January 28, 2026 // Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Mark 4:1-20
Reflect on the Word //
I ended the call dejectedly. I had hoped she would understand all that the Lord was doing and saying, how clear and generous all of the words in prayer had been, but instead I felt misunderstood and self-conscious.
Maybe I’m making too much of it? Maybe my confidence is misplaced? After all, my prayer isn’t infallible, I thought.
This is between you and Me, the Lord responded.
Even though He had been overwhelmingly affirming and consistent in His direction and desires, I was still seeking someone else to confirm them. But not everyone was going to understand what He was asking of me. And no one else was going to discern this with the same time or care that I had. I had to keep my eyes on Jesus and choose to believe what He was saying.
While it’s important to share our prayer with a spiritual mentor or holy friend, at times we can be tempted to rely on human wisdom more than God’s voice. (Of course, we do have to measure what we believe we hear in prayer against the truth preserved for us in the Church through Scripture and teaching passed down from the Apostles.) In the process of growing up as disciples of Jesus, we have to learn to trust Him in prayer. To be obedient to His promptings and trust that He is at work even when we can’t see.
We must cherish the words the Lord has spoken to us, planting and protecting them in rich soil, letting them take root and grow within us. Watering them with the Word and faith. When we wait and trust, that single seed can “bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold” (Mark 4:8).
Maybe the Lord has given you a promise in prayer or the Scriptures, a word that you knew was uniquely for you. Take Him at His word, dear sister. Keep hoping and waiting. Remember that roots grow down before the shoot springs up. Your breakthrough is on the way. The faithful Sower will bring forth the bloom, no matter how long it takes.
Relate to the Lord // What word from Jesus will you cherish in your heart today?
Beth Davis est une amoureuse de Jésus, une ministre de la jeunesse récemment retraitée et la directrice de l'avancement du ministère pour Blessed is She. Elle se passionne pour enseigner aux femmes comment développer une relation intime avec Jésus et parler d'espoir aux cœurs fatigués. Ses choses préférées incluent être la tante de ses cinq nièces et neveux fantastiques, le générateur de noms de saints et tout livre qu'elle lit actuellement.
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