Twenty-Fifth Wednesday in Ordinary Time

Blessed be God, who lives forever. Praise him, you children of Israel, before the Gentiles, for though he has scattered you among them, he has shown you his greatness even there.

Even when we are in the midst of trials and difficulties, we should find it in our hearts to praise God. The world might look at our challenges and sufferings and mock us, saying, “Where is your God now?” But we know that even in the darkest of nights, our God is with us. Even when we are scattered and defeated, He is there to pick up the pieces and put us back together even better than before. We might not understand why we suffer or appreciate how our failures and defeats can lead us to better things, but they do if we allow them. Sometimes in order to make a jump, we have to step back from the edge and get a running start. These leaps of faith require great trust in God, but as long as we do believe, we will make it to the other side and once again to see the greatness of God and be able to show it to others.

Do we praise God even in the middle of our trials? How can we learn to trust God enough to go through periods of darkness and suffering without losing faith? How can we help others do the same?

O Lord, you show your greatness to us each and every day.

Amen.