Last Sunday, I celebrated another birthday.

This year’s celebration was especially meaningful because it coincided with the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. I can think of no better way to begin another year of life than by worshipping Jesus, receiving Him in the Holy Eucharist, and being reminded that He faithfully nourishes and sustains us on our pilgrimage toward heaven.

As I received greetings from family and friends, I found myself thanking God for another year of life. Another year to love my wife and children. Another year to receive Jesus in the Eucharist. Another year to serve Him in the Church and in ministry. Another year to witness His goodness and faithfulness.

Birthdays have a way of making us look back.

As I reflected on this past year, I realized that it felt a lot like Psalm 13. There were moments when I found myself asking the same question that King David asked thousands of years ago:

                   “How long, O Lord?”

How long would I wait for answers?

How long would certain doors remain closed?

How long would I carry the pain of being misunderstood and treated unfairly?

Last year was filled with challenges that I did not expect. Some of those experiences led me to write about the difficult decision to continue speaking the truth, even when it came at a personal cost. If you would like to understand that part of my journey, you can read my reflection here:

Speaking the Truth Even When It Costs
https://welovethedivinelogos.org/speaking-the-truth-even-when-it-costs/

There were moments when I felt like the Psalmist- confused, discouraged, and wondering what God was doing. Yet even in those moments, I knew that walking away from the truth was not an option. As Catholics, we are called to follow Christ, who is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

Not long after, I found myself facing another difficult lesson: trusting God when doors close without explanation.

Many of us have experienced this. We pray. We ask God for guidance. We seek to do what is right. Yet the answer seems to be silence, and the door in front of us remains firmly shut.

That experience inspired another reflection:

Trusting God When Doors Close Without Explanation
https://welovethedivinelogos.org/trusting-god-when-doors-close-without-explanation-june-13-2025/

Looking back now, I realize that God was doing something deeper than simply opening or closing doors. He was teaching me to trust Him more completely.

One of the greatest blessings that emerged from this difficult season was a renewed devotion to St. Joseph.

When I did not know what the future would look like, I found myself turning to him more often. I prayed to him as a husband, father, protector, and worker. I entrusted my worries, my family’s needs, and my uncertain future to his intercession.

That experience eventually became another reflection:

Trusting God Through St. Joseph: How He Guided My Family Through Unexpected Trials
https://welovethedivinelogos.org/trusting-god-through-st-joseph-how-he-guided-my-family-through-unexpected-trials/

Somewhere along the journey, something began to change. Not necessarily my circumstances right away, but my heart.

I began to realize that faith is not simply trusting God when everything makes sense. Faith is trusting Him when it doesn’t.

The Catechism reminds us that faith is a gift by which we entrust ourselves entirely to God. Sometimes He reveals His plans quickly. Other times He invites us to walk with Him in the dark, trusting that He sees what we cannot.

As I reflect on this past year, I am reminded of a song inspired by Psalm 13. One line has stayed with me:

“I will trust Your unfailing love. I will rest knowing You’re enough. I will give praise through all my days.”

That is where I find myself today.

Not because every question has been answered.

Not because every wound has completely healed.

Not because life has suddenly become easy.

But because I can look back and see God’s fingerprints all over the journey.

I see Him in the trials that strengthened my faith.

I see Him in the closed doors that redirected my path.

I see Him in the people who prayed for my family.

I see Him in the Eucharist, where He continued to nourish me even when I felt weak.

I see Him in St. Joseph’s quiet intercession.

I see Him in the opportunities that eventually came when I least expected them.

Most of all, I see a God who never abandoned me.

Psalm 13 begins with a cry of anguish, but it ends with these beautiful words:

“But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.” (Psalm 13:5-6)

As I begin another year of life, I realize that these words have become my own.

I do not have all the answers.

I still have questions about certain chapters of my journey.

But I have something better than answers: the certainty that God has been faithful.

Faithful in my joys.

Faithful in my struggles.

Faithful in my waiting.

Faithful in my family.

Faithful in His Church.

Faithful in the Eucharist.

Faithful yesterday, today, and always.

And so my prayer on this birthday is simple:

Thank You, Lord.

Thank You for the blessings and the trials.

Thank You for the victories and the setbacks.

Thank You for the doors You opened and the doors You closed.

Thank You for teaching me to trust You more deeply.

Like David, I can now sing:

“I will trust in Your unfailing love.”

And with gratitude in my heart, I can say:

Lord, You have been good to me.