Scripture for Your Inner Outcasts

Transcript

"But if any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it."

Welcome back to Scripture for Your Inner Outcasts. Today is February 16th, 2026, Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time. Today we are joined by Peta Evans, a wife and mother and the founder of Esencia Life Center, a pregnancy resource center in Albury, Australia.

The first reading James 1, verses 1 to 8. "Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it. But he should ask in faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, since he is a man of two minds, unstable in all his ways." As you reflect on this passage, you may consider the times that you have faced trials and experienced doubts. You may fear that you are the one who has doubted, has not persevered, and therefore are not welcome. On the contrary, this reading is for you, how you, with your weakness and your fears, are called to live out faith with wisdom and steadfastness. You may remember times in your life when doubts have threatened to overtake you, when the swelling seas of suffering or indecision have tossed you about as the wind. Questions may have surfaced such as, is God really faithful? Is he trustworthy? Am I worthy of continuing the journey with him? Bring to mind the Apostle Thomas after the resurrection, who was not with the 12 when Jesus appeared. When the other apostles told him of this, he said, "Unless I put my finger into the nail marks of Jesus's hands and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."

What do you need to see, to touch, to taste, to smell, to feel in order to believe that Jesus Christ is truly risen, alive and is who he says he is? Your innermost self can help lead you to this meeting through getting to know the humanity and the divinity of Jesus in the scriptures and the sacraments, especially through Confession and Holy Mass, where he is present in Holy Communion. You may doubt because of the distorted images you hold of God. Does this contribute to you wavering as a double-minded man? The Didache Bible describes this as one whose conviction wavers between trust in God and doubt. Can you ask God to provide the evidence, as Thomas the Apostle, required to really experience the presence of Christ and get to know his character and to hear what he wants to say to you in response to your fears, wounds, and past heartaches in relationship with Christ? You can wrestle through your doubts, and it is in this struggle that you persevere. God knew that Thomas and you needed experiences such as these close personal encounters with him in order to be transformed. So ask for what you need, so that, like Thomas, you too may one day say with conviction, "My Lord and my God."

In the description of today's episode, you'll find an excellent article about having faith in God's providence. Thanks for joining us and we hope to see you again tomorrow.

Let us end with our invocations. Our Lady, our Mother, Untier of Knots, pray for us. Saint Joseph, pray for us. Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.