Sunday, March 15, 2026 – The Fourth Sunday in Lent
Over the past five to six weeks our nation has been captivated by the disappearance and alleged kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, mother of NBC’s Today Show anchor Savannah Guthrie. After all this time she has not been found and as I write this, there are no firm or solid leads about her whereabouts or who her alleged kidnapper is. Thousands of leads have led to nothing. The question raised now is whether she is still alive? She does have a medical history which is very concerning. This has taken a toll on Savannah and her brother and sister. Savannah is a beautiful woman, but through this ordeal and stress it caused her, you can see the wear and tear on her appearance today. It would be the same for any of us.
The thought of having this type of event happen to anyone is unimaginable. When we think about losing a parent or loved one, we usually associate their death to old age or illness. We are aware of their situations, and we are usually not totally caught off guard. This disappearance, which very likely is a result of foul-play, is more than most of us could stand. I have been thinking about the long-term effects on the Guthrie family and will Savannah ever be the same? Will Savannah’s charming personality change and perhaps become more cynical and negative? Will she forgot the goodness she has always displayed? How does one cope in such tragic circumstances?
There are no clear-cut “rose-colored glasses” answers to this situation. The sadness and mystery of it all throws a dark blanket over so much. All we can do is turn to prayer-and to continue to pray through it all allowing an all caring and loving God to see us through it all. This situation, and many others from your own experience call us to that total dependence on God. There is nowhere else to turn. As the apostle Peter says in John’s Gospel: “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life” (6:68).
All of us have situations and concerns which appear to have no apparent answers, and we live in an unknown space, which is not comfortable. We wonder if we need to travel “north, east, south, or west” to find the answers and/or the comfort we desire. God invites us to pray through them and be united with the divine. The road may not become easier, but the grace the hope offered will be plentiful and sustaining.