Lost and Found in Scripture

What stands out to me from this week’s readings:

At the end of the Old Testament reading, when manna is lost, “the yield of the land of Canaan” is gained (Josh. 5-12).

In the epistle, I read that:

“[W]hoever is in Christ is a new creation:
the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come.
2 Corinthians 5:17

In the gospel passage, the younger son begins by finding what he thinks he wants and losing the satisfaction he gets from it. He responds by recognizing what he has lost — the experience of belonging to a family and being provided for by his father — and seeking to find these experiences again.

The father begins the passage by losing the portion of his possessions that he gives to his younger son as well as losing the presence of the younger son himself. But he never stops longing for that presence or loving his son. He rejoices in the son’s presence again when the son heads back to the father’s house.

Ironically, once the younger son comes back to the father, the return reveals distance between the father and the older son. By reasoning with the older son, the father does his part to find what has been lost between him and his first son.

What I’m saying (about the readings and beyond) this week:

I was away from the blog and from my journaling practice last week. My first impulse was to try to catch up this week so that I would finish all the journaling books by Easter. But I quickly realized I was getting further and further behind and that catching up catching this week was not a realistic goal. I also realized that if I managed to catch up this week, I might not reap the benefits of the prompts. I’d be focused on checking them off my list rather than on reflecting on what they invite me to reflect on.

So now my goal is to journal in the morning before anyone else gets up, for however long that amount of time is each day. Using this approach, I’m setting the intention of writing through my journaling books to their end, no matter how long it takes me to get there. I hate even to write “get there” because I don’t want to think of journaling as something I need to get done. I want it to help me grow in my relationship with myself, with God, and in my relationships with others. This isn’t a desire for one season. It’s the quest of a lifetime. I’ve let go of one idea and taken hold of another — lost one idea and found another.

This week, Wilderness Within invited readers to consider what sins they find themselves confessing over and over. What are the roots of these sins? Sister Josephine Garrett encourages readers not to respond with what they think is the correct theological answer. Describe the roots in your own words (91).

Here’s how I’d describe the primary root of choices I regret making: fear of discomfort, fear of rejection, fear of being alone. Fear.

Garrett also asks readers to consider how they feel before and after they sin. My answers are helpless and trapped and hypocritical. These are the opposite of liberated, open, and honest.

As I write these words, I’ve been tempted to end this section with my paraphrase of the prompt, but that feels like letting the roots grow deeper so that you don’t worry about me, attack me, or reject me. And letting the roots grow deeper isn’t what I sense is best for any of my relationships.

Also as I write these words, I feel nudged to allow a more relaxed publication scheduled for posts on this blog. Taking into consideration other writing-related activities I feel called to, I will publish this post and future posts whenever I finish them. This will probably make the posts less timely. Maybe I can figure out ways to make them less time-sensitive. Now I’ve written similar things in these posts before, so we’ll see what approach I ease into as I let go of another one.

This week’s prayer:

Lord, help me to discern what’s life-giving and lasting and to let go of what isn’t. Help me to seek and to find strength in you. Give me patience and perseverance amid the challenges of the moment. Help me to trust and to experience that You are the ultimate source of fulfillment. Help me to lay down fear and pick up faith. Amen.

Works cited:

Garrett, Sr. Josephine. Wilderness Within. Kindle version, e-book ed., Ave Maria Press, 2024, A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation, Accessed 23 Feb. 2025.

“Fourth Sunday of Lent Year C— Lectionary: 33.” Daily Readings, Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2nd typical ed, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2025, https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/033025-YearC.cfm.

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