god alone
“Help me, who am alone and have no help but You.” —Esther C:14, 25
We have been taught to always have something to fall back on. We avoid ever getting in the position where we would have to depend on God for our next meal.
However, the Lord may be doing something which is almost the opposite of what we’re trying to do. He is trying to strip us and leave us with nothing but Him to depend on. For example, when He sent out His apostles on mission, He commanded: “Provide yourselves with neither gold nor silver nor copper in your belts; no traveling bag, no change of shirt, no sandals, no walking staff” (Mt 10:9-10). St. Paul described one of his missions thus: “We were left to feel like men condemned to death so that we might trust, not in ourselves, but in God Who raises the dead” (2 Cor 1:9).
Lent is intended to be a desert experience (see Mt 4:1). The Lord wants to take food, comfort, and even some support from our lives. He wants us to know that the people and possessions He has put in our lives are not to be used as crutches; rather, they are to be accepted as gifts from Him. He wants us to know that He can love us without any intermediaries. He wants us to be alone with Him and have no help but Him. Let the Lord lead you into the desert of Lent (Hos 2:16; Jer 2:2).
Prayer: Lord, You only are “my Rock and my Salvation, my Stronghold; I shall not be disturbed at all” (Ps 62:3).
Promise: “If you, with all your sins, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to anyone who asks Him!” —Mt 7:11
Praise: Brian, a Protestant pastor, realized he could no longer teach what he knew to be false teaching on marriage and divorce. He gave up his ministry and income, joined the Catholic Church shortly after, and God provided for all of his needs.
Reference:
Rescript: "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from February 1, 2026, through March 31, 2026. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio August 27, 2025"
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.