Tuesday of the First Week of Lent, March 11, 2025

Tuesday of the First Week of Lent, March 11, 2025

Today’s Readings, from the USCCB:

Reading 1

Isaiah 55:10-11

Thus says the LORD: Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down And do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, Giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 34:4-5, 6-7, 16-17, 18-19

R. From all their distress God rescues the just.

Glorify the LORD with me, let us together extol his name. I sought the LORD, and he answered me

and delivered me from all my fears.

R. From all their distress God rescues the just.

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him.

R. From all their distress God rescues the just.

The LORD has eyes for the just, and ears for their cry. The LORD confronts the evildoers, to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.

R. From all their distress God rescues the just.

When the just cry out, the LORD hears them, and from all their distress he rescues them. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.

R. From all their distress God rescues the just.

Verse Before the Gospel

Matthew 4:4b

One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

Gospel

Matthew 6:7-15

Jesus said to his disciples: "In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

"This is how you are to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

"If you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions."

 

Prayers That Don’t Return Empty

"So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it." – Isaiah 55:11

I want to believe this.

I want to believe that every prayer I’ve ever sent up – every plea, every whispered desperation, every angry Why, God? – was heard.

That it wasn’t wasted.

That it didn’t disappear into nothing.

But if I’m being honest, sometimes it feels like my prayers have returned empty.

I’ve prayed for healing that never came.

I’ve prayed for answers that never arrived.

I’ve prayed for relief from burdens that still sit heavy on my shoulders.

So what does this verse from Isaiah really mean?

If God’s word never returns void, why does it sometimes feel like my prayers fall flat?

The Silence of Unanswered Prayers

The Gospel today is Jesus teaching His disciples how to pray. Not with long-winded speeches, not with empty words, but with simplicity and trust.

"Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."

That’s comforting, but also frustrating. Because if He knows, why doesn’t He fix it?

Why didn’t He heal my mother when I begged Him to?

Why didn’t He give my father more time after she was gone?

Why didn’t He give my son a break from the struggles that made him withdraw?

I’ve cried out.

I’ve prayed.

And yet, there were times when I felt nothing but silence in return.

So was I praying wrong?

Was I not faithful enough?

Was I expecting too much?

Or – was God answering in ways I didn’t understand?

Prayers That Work From the Inside Out

Isaiah reminds me that God’s word always achieves its purpose. But what if that purpose isn’t always what I expect?

I wanted healing for my mother, but maybe the answer wasn’t physical – it was the love we poured into her final days.

I wanted more time for my father, but maybe the answer was the unspoken understanding that he couldn’t live without her.

I wanted a win for my son, but maybe the answer wasn’t about changing his circumstances – it was about him growing through them.

Maybe my prayers weren’t ignored.

Maybe they were shaping something deeper.

Because prayer isn’t about giving God a to-do list.

It’s about transformation.

And maybe I’ve been changing in ways I didn’t see.

The Hardest Part – Forgiveness

Jesus ends the Gospel today with something that’s tough to swallow:

"If you do not forgive men their transgressions, neither will your Father forgive yours."

Forgiveness is easy when it’s small. When it’s an apology over something petty. When the wound wasn’t deep.

But what about the real wounds?

What about the people who let me down when I needed them?

What about the ones who judged me unfairly?

What about the times I’ve held onto bitterness because it felt justified?

Jesus isn’t saying forgiveness is optional. He’s saying it’s essential.

But how do I do that?

How do I let go of the things that feel like they’ve defined me?

How do I forgive when I still feel the sting of being wronged?

Maybe, like prayer, forgiveness isn’t about changing them.

Maybe it’s about changing me.

The Promise of Today

The responsorial psalm reminds me of something powerful:

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit He saves."

That means He was there when I thought He wasn’t.

That means He did hear me, even when I thought my words were lost.

That means the prayers I thought had returned empty were doing something inside of me, even when I couldn’t see it.

And that means today – right now – I have another chance.

A chance to pray, not for what I want, but for what I need.

A chance to forgive, not because they deserve it, but because I need it.

A chance to trust that God’s word, His presence, His promises, are never empty – even when I don’t understand them.

Because no prayer is wasted.

No cry goes unheard.

No faith, however fragile, is ignored.

And even when I don’t understand, I can trust that God is still working – both in the world and within me.