Hey, everybody. This is Father John Ricardo with Acts 29. And in the middle of all the craziness

and the uncertainty that's going on right now, it seems from our perspective as a team that it's

worth using these days to reflect in a more deliberate way on the scriptures every day, which

for many of us now is the only spiritual food that we're receiving. And so we're going to do a special podcast series simply entitled,

Be Not Afraid, God's Word in Uncertain Times.

And we'll try to post something every day, usually reflecting on the scriptures,

so that we can listen in on what God is trying to say to us in these days.

Still trying to find a way to describe this time.

In insight, I felt God gave me this morning

in a really bad habit that I am becoming more and more aware of.

Those are the three things that were on my mind this morning as I

was reflecting on the scriptures and perhaps even more so reflecting on the prayers that are in the

missile for this day, March 18th at Mass. So first, trying to find a way to describe this time.

I don't know what you're feeling right now. The way I describe

this more and more is it feels a lot like grief. And what I mean by that is when I've lost loved

ones, when I lost my mom, when I lost my dad, my brother, close friends, especially my family,

everything just seemed numb. I felt numb. Like I didn't feel like I had a whole lot of desire to do anything. Nothing seemed urgent. Nothing seemed worthwhile. Nothing

seemed important. Clearly, lots of things were important and were worthwhile and worth doing.

I just didn't feel that way.

And as I continue to struggle to just kind of get my balance or get my sea legs,

however you want to describe that, that's how I feel right now.

Everything just seems numb.

...