In my Bible class tonight, we took a look through Book 3 of the Psalms. In this section, the temple of worship had been destroyed and defiled. David and others were lamenting the loss of the physical temple, the place where they would worship God. They also felt victimized – rightly so – by their enemies who were prospering. The faithful wondered how long God would allow their suffering and to what end. The instructor of the course is brilliant, in my opinion, having converted to Catholicism and spent several years in seminary. He is currently married and expecting their 6th child, so he also has an understanding of real life. At the beginning of the class tonight, he reflected on how we can relate to David’s lamentations because of the unique times we are living in. He helped us to remember that last year, churches around the entire world were shut down for Easter. He said he tried to go to the church on Good Friday, but it was closed by order of the bishop due to the pandemic. He said it was the saddest day of his spiritual life. As he told his story, his emotion and pain of not being able to worship came pouring through the computer. His faithfulness and love for the Mass was beautiful, challenging, and encouraging. God promised David that one of his descendants would bring the whole world to Him. God fulfilled that promise in Jesus, long after David was gone. The question of how long will God allow whatever we are suffering as individuals and as a people is one that has been asked for thousands of years. Scripture reminds us that God always keeps His promises, sometimes in surprising ways. So, our part is to remain faithful and trust that God is working out His perfect plan.

I Found God today in a deeper appreciation for the Mass.