SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Tuesday - June 30, 2020

 

Tuesday - June 30, 2020

Never address your words to God

while you are thinking of

something else.

-- Teresa of Avila

 

June 30 2020

 

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Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 378

Reading 1AM 3:1-8; 4:11-12

Hear this word, O children of Israel, that the LORD pronounces over you,
over the whole family that I brought up from the land of Egypt:

You alone have I favored,
more than all the families of the earth;
Therefore I will punish you
for all your crimes.

Do two walk together
unless they have agreed?
Does a lion roar in the forest
when it has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out from its den
unless it has seized something?
Is a bird brought to earth by a snare
when there is no lure for it?
Does a snare spring up from the ground
without catching anything?
If the trumpet sounds in a city,
will the people not be frightened?
If evil befalls a city,
has not the LORD caused it?
Indeed, the Lord GOD does nothing
without revealing his plan
to his servants, the prophets.

The lion roars--
who will not be afraid!
The Lord GOD speaks--
who will not prophesy!

I brought upon you such upheaval
as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah:
you were like a brand plucked from the fire;
Yet you returned not to me,
says the LORD.

So now I will deal with you in my own way, O Israel!
and since I will deal thus with you,
prepare to meet your God, O Israel.

Responsorial Psalm5:4B-6A, 6B-7, 8

R.    (9a)  Lead me in your justice, Lord.
At dawn I bring my plea expectantly before you.
For you, O God, delight not in wickedness;
no evil man remains with you;
the arrogant may not stand in your sight.
R.    Lead me in your justice, Lord.
You hate all evildoers;
you destroy all who speak falsehood;
The bloodthirsty and the deceitful
the LORD abhors.
R.    Lead me in your justice, Lord.
But I, because of your abundant mercy,
will enter your house;
I will worship at your holy temple
in fear of you, O LORD.
R.    Lead me in your justice, Lord.

AlleluiaPS 130:5

R.    Alleluia, alleluia.
I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
R.    Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelMT 8:23-27

As Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him.
Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea,
so that the boat was being swamped by waves;
but he was asleep.
They came and woke him, saying,
“Lord, save us!  We are perishing!”
He said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?”
Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea,
and there was great calm.
The men were amazed and said, “What sort of man is this,
whom even the winds and the sea obey?”

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Calming the Storms We Fail to Avoid

What's stormy in your life right now? From where did this turmoil come? Have you wondered, "Why me?"

Some storms occur because we're living in a world that's full of bad weather and we can't avoid the tumult no matter what we do. These are opportunities to grow stronger in faith by learning from the troubles. We become more humble through them. We have a greater need to rely on God and so we grow closer to him. And then we can help others more effectively endure their own storms. (Our sufferings are pointless if we don't turn them into ministry for others.)

Some storms feel like punishments from God, especially when we know that we deserve it. We have sailed into a hurricane's path by sinning or making other bad decisions. While these storms should make us crawl into the Father's lap for security, if we're feeling guilty, we might see them as a reason to be afraid of God and maybe even angry at him.

One example of just such a storm is the suffering caused by enduring miserable employment, because we have not put forth enough effort to go out and find a better job with God's help. Another example is suffering through division in a significant relationship because we have not put forth the effort to examine and deal with our own shortcomings.
When we make bad decisions and sail into sinful territory, we create our own storms. The choice is ours -- it's always ours. God never wants us to get punished by life. He sends plenty of warnings and then, if we get into a mess anyway, Jesus beckons us. He's eager to calm our storms, and he can do it. Storms are only an interruption in the peaceful skies of God's love.
While it is true that we deserve to be punished because of our sins, Jesus took the Father's righteous wrath upon his own flesh, so that we could receive mercy instead of punishment. As we see in today's Gospel reading, Jesus wants to calm our storms, not cause them.

When we, like the disciples, cry out, "Lord, save us!" Jesus replies, "Where's your courage? How little faith you have! My peace is already here." It's our insufficient faith -- our lack of awareness of his calming presence -- that causes us to wander away from his peace and to fear troubled waters.

If we really knew that he loves us beyond all measure, if we truly understood that he wants what's best for us, if we fully trusted that his ways are the best ways, we would recognize the bad weather warnings and steer away from the avoidable storms, and we'd survive all the other storms without sinking our boats.

What do you need Jesus to save you from today? Trust him, and he will calm your fears today and lead you to peaceful shores.

Prayer
Lord, help me to remember that in the most difficult times of my life, You are always with me in a special way. I believe You will conquer every problem and raise me up from it. Thank You, Lord! Increase my faith! Amen.

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God Bless You.....

The Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”