July 2, 2013

Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

As dawn was breaking, the angels urged Lot on, saying, “On your way!
Take with you your wife and your two daughters who are here,
or you will be swept away in the punishment of Sodom.”
When he hesitated, the men, by the LORD’s mercy,
seized his hand and the hands of his wife and his two daughters
and led them to safety outside the city.
As soon as they had been brought outside, he was told:
“Flee for your life!
Don’t look back or stop anywhere on the Plain.
Get off to the hills at once, or you will be swept away.”
“Oh, no, my lord!” Lot replied,
“You have already thought enough of your servant
to do me the great kindness of intervening to save my life.
But I cannot flee to the hills to keep the disaster from overtaking me,
and so I shall die.
Look, this town ahead is near enough to escape to.
It’s only a small place.
Let me flee there–it’s a small place, is it not?–
that my life may be saved.”
“Well, then,” he replied,
“I will also grant you the favor you now ask.
I will not overthrow the town you speak of.
Hurry, escape there!
I cannot do anything until you arrive there.”
That is why the town is called Zoar.

The sun was just rising over the earth as Lot arrived in Zoar;
at the same time the LORD rained down sulphurous fire
upon Sodom and Gomorrah
from the LORD out of heaven.
He overthrew those cities and the whole Plain,
together with the inhabitants of the cities
and the produce of the soil.
But Lot’s wife looked back, and she was turned into a pillar of salt.

Early the next morning Abraham went to the place
where he had stood in the LORD’s presence.
As he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah
and the whole region of the Plain,
he saw dense smoke over the land rising like fumes from a furnace.

Thus it came to pass: when God destroyed the Cities of the Plain,
he was mindful of Abraham by sending Lot away from the upheaval
by which God overthrew the cities where Lot had been living.

Responsorial Psalm PS 26:2-3, 9-10, 11-12

R. (3a) O Lord, your mercy is before my eyes.
Search me, O LORD, and try me;
test my soul and my heart.
For your mercy is before my eyes,
and I walk in your truth.
R. O Lord, your mercy is before my eyes.
Gather not my soul with those of sinners,
nor with men of blood my life.
On their hands are crimes,
and their right hands are full of bribes.
R. O Lord, your mercy is before my eyes.
But I walk in integrity;
redeem me, and have mercy on me.
My foot stands on level ground;
in the assemblies I will bless the LORD.
R. O Lord, your mercy is before my eyes.

Gospel Mt 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?”

Matthew
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Matthew 8
23.	And when he entered into the boat, his disciples followed him:	Et ascendente eo in naviculam, secuti sunt eum discipuli ejus :	και εμβαντι αυτω εις το πλοιον ηκολουθησαν αυτω οι μαθηται αυτου
24.	And behold a great tempest arose in the sea, so that the boat was covered with waves, but he was asleep.	et ecce motus magnus factus est in mari, ita ut navicula operiretur fluctibus, ipse vero dormiebat.	και ιδου σεισμος μεγας εγενετο εν τη θαλασση ωστε το πλοιον καλυπτεσθαι υπο των κυματων αυτος δε εκαθευδεν
25.	And they came to him, and awaked him, saying: Lord, save us, we perish.	Et accesserunt ad eum discipuli ejus, et suscitaverunt eum, dicentes : Domine, salva nos, perimus.	και προσελθοντες οι μαθηται ηγειραν αυτον λεγοντες κυριε σωσον ημας απολλυμεθα
26.	And Jesus saith to them: Why are you fearful, O ye of little faith? Then rising up he commanded the winds, and the sea, and there came a great calm.	Et dicit eis Jesus : Quid timidi estis, modicæ fidei ? Tunc surgens imperavit ventis, et mari, et facta est tranquillitas magna.	και λεγει αυτοις τι δειλοι εστε ολιγοπιστοι τοτε εγερθεις επετιμησεν τοις ανεμοις και τη θαλασση και εγενετο γαληνη μεγαλη
27.	But the men wondered, saying: What manner of man is this, for the winds and the sea obey him?	Porro homines mirati sunt, dicentes : Qualis est hic, quia venti et mare obediunt ei ?	οι δε ανθρωποι εθαυμασαν λεγοντες ποταπος εστιν ουτος οτι και οι ανεμοι και η θαλασσα υπακουουσιν αυτω

23. And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
24. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
25. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
26. And he says to them, Why are you fearful, O you of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
27. But the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

PSEUDO-ORIGEN; Christ having performed many great and wonderful things on the land, passes to the sea, that there also He might Show forth His excellent power, presenting Himself before all men as the Lord of both earth and sea. And when he was entered into a boat, his disciples followed him, not being weak but strong and established in the faith. Thus they followed Him not So much treading in His footsteps, as accompanying Him in holiness of spirit.

CHRYS. He took His disciples with Him, and in a boat, that they might learn two lessons; first, not to be confounded in dangers, secondly, to think lowly of themselves in honor. That they should not think great things of themselves because He kept them while He sent the rest away, He suffers them to be tossed by the waves. Where miracles were to be shown, He suffers the people to be present; where temptations and fears were to be stilled, there He takes with Him only the victors of the world, whom He would prepare for strife.

PSEUDO-ORIGEN; Therefore, having entered into the boat He caused the sea to rise; And, lo, there arose a great tempest in the sea, so that the boat was covered by the waves. This tempest did not arise of itself, but in obedience to the power of Him Who gave, commandment, who brings the winds out of his treasures. There arose a great tempest, that a great work might be wrought;. because by how much the more the waves rushed into the boat, so much the more were the disciples troubled, and sought to be delivered by the wonderful power of the Savior.

CHRYS. They had seen others made partakers of Christ's mercies, but for as much as no man has so strong a sense of those things that are done in the person of another as of what is done to himself, it was necessary that in their own bodies they should feel Christ's mercies. Therefore He willed that this tempest should arise, that in their deliverance they might have a more lively sense of His goodness. This tossing of the sea was a type of their future trials of which Paul speaks, I would not have you ignorant, brethren, how that we were troubled beyond our strength. But that there might be time for their fear to arise, it follows, But he was asleep. For if the storm had arisen while He was awake, they would either not have feared, or not have prayed Him, or would not have believed that He had the power to still it.

PSEUDO-ORIGEN; Wonderful, stupendous event! He that never slumbers nor sleeps, is said to be asleep. He slept with His body, but was awake in His Deity, showing that He bare a truly human body which He had taken on Him, corruptible. He slept with the body that He might cause the Apostles to watch, and that we all should never sleep with our mind. With so great fear were the disciples seized, and almost beside themselves, that they rushed to Him, and did not modestly or gently rouse Him, but violently awakened Him, His disciples came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, Lord, save us, we perish.

JEROME; Of this miracle we have a type in Jonah, who while all are in danger is himself unconcerned, sleeps, and is awakened.

PSEUDO-ORIGEN; O you true disciples! You have the Savior with you and do you fear danger? Life itself is among you, and are you afraid of death? They would answer, We are yet children, and weak, and are therefore afraid; whence it follows, Jesus says to them, Why are you afraid, O you of little faith? As though He had said, If you have known me mighty upon earth, why believe you not that I am also mighty upon the sea? And even though death were threatening you, ought you not to support it with constancy? He who believes a little will be reasoned with; he who believes not at all will be neglected.

CHRYS. If any should say, that this was a sign of no small faith to go and rouse Jesus;. it is rather a sign that they had not a fight opinion concerning Him. They knew that when wakened He could rebuke the waves, but they did not yet know that He could do it while sleeping. For this cause He did not do this wonder in the presence of the multitudes, that they should not be charged with their little faith; but He takes His disciples apart to correct them, and first stills the raging of the waters. Thereof He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

JEROME. From this passage we understand, that all creation is conscious of its Creator; for what may be rebuked and commanded is conscious of the mind commanding. I do not mean as some heretics hold, that the whole creation is animate - but by the power of the Maker things which to us have no consciousness have to Him.

PSEUDO-ORIGEN; There fore He gave commandment to time winds and the sea, and frown a great storm it became a great calm. For it behoves Him that is great to do great things; therefore lie who first greatly stirred the depths of the sea, now again commands a great calm, that the disciples who had been too much troubled might have great rejoicing.

CHRYS; Observe also that the storm is stilled at once entirely, and no trace of disturbance appears; which is beyond nature for when a storm ceases in the counsel of nature, yet the water is wont to be agitated for some time longer, but here all is tranquillity at once. Thus what is said of the Father, He spoke, and the storm of wind ceased, this Christ fulfilled in deed; for by His word and bidding only he stayed and checked the waters. For from His appearance, from His sleeping, and His using a boat, they that were present supposed Him a man only, and on this account they fell into admiration of Him; And the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, for the winds and the sea obey him?

GLOSS; Chrysostom explains this, What manner of man is this? His sleeping and His appearance showed the man; the sea and the calm pointed out the God.

PSEUDO-ORIGEN; But who were the men that marveled? You must not think that the Apostles are here meant, for we never find the Lord's disciples mentioned with disrespect; they are always called either the Disciples or the Apostles. They marveled them who sailed with Him, whose was the boat.

JEROME; But if any shall contend that it was the disciples who wondered, we shall answer they are rightly spoken of as' the men,' seeing they had not yet learned the power of the Savior.

PSEUDO-ORIGEN; This is not a question, What manner of man is this? but an affirmation that He is one whom the winds and the sea obey. What manner of man then is this? That is, how powerful, how mighty, how great! He commands every creature, and they transgress not His law; men alone disobey, and are therefore condemned by His judgment. Figuratively; we are all embarked in the vessel of the Holy Church, and voyaging through this stormy world with the Lord. The Lord himself sleeps a merciful sleep while we suffer, and awaits time repentance of the wicked.

HILARY; Or; he sleeps, because by our sloth He is cast asleep in us. This is done that we may hope aid from God in fear of danger; and that hope though late may be confident that it shall escape danger by the might of Christ watching within.

PSEUDO-ORIGEN; Let us therefore come to Him with joy saying with the Prophet, Arise, O Lord, why do you sleep? And He will command the winds, that is, the demons, who raise the waves, that is, the rulers of the world, to persecute the saints, and He shall make a great calm around both body and spirit, peace for the Church, stillness for the world.

RABAN; Otherwise; The sea is the turmoil of the world; the boat in which Christ is embarked is to be understood the tree of the cross, by the aid of which the faithful having passed the waves of the world arrive in their heavenly country, as on a safe shore, whither Christ goes with His own; whence He says below, he that will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me. When then Christ was fixed on the cross, a great commotion was raised, the minds of His disciples troubled at His passion, and the boat was covered by the waves. For the whole strength of persecution was around time cross of Christ, on which He died; as it is here, But he was asleep. His sleep is death. The disciples awaken the Lord, when troubled at His death; they seek His resurrection with earnest prayers, saying, Save us, by rising again; we perish, by our trouble at Your death. He rises again, and rebukes the hardness of their hearts, as we read in other places. He commands the winds, in that He overthrew the power of the Devil; He commanded the sea, in that He disappointed the malice of the Jews; and there was a great calm, because the minds of the disciples were calmed when they beheld His resurrection.

BEDE; Or; The boat is the present Church, it which Christ passes over the sea of this world with His own, and stills the waves of persecution. Wherefore we may wonder, and give thanks.

Catena Aurea Matthew 8

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: July 2nd

Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week of Ordinary Time

Daily Readings for: July 02, 2013
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, who through the grace of adoption chose us to be children of light, grant, we pray, that we may not be wrapped in the darkness of error but always be seen to stand in the bright light of truth. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

o Apple Dowdy

o Summer Apple Cake

ACTIVITIES

o Weather Saints

PRAYERS

o Collect for the Feast of Sts. Processus and Martinian

LIBRARY

Old Calendar: Visitation; Sts. Processus and Martinian, martyrs; St. Swithin (Hist)

According to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which in the Ordinary Form has been transferred to May 31.

It is also the commemoration of Sts. Processus and Martinian whose bodies lie in a chapel at St. Peter's in Rome. During the time when Sts. Peter and Paul were prisoners in the Mamertine, legend says that these two jailors together with forty others were converted through the prayers and miracles of the holy apostles. They were baptized with water that suddenly sprang out from a rock. The jailors then wished to help the apostles make their escape. Both died as martyrs for the faith (about 67 A.D.).

The Roman Martyrology also includes St. Swithin, bishop, from England on this day. The Anglican Church celebrates his feast on July 15, known as "St. Swithin's Day."

Sts. Processus & Marinian
The Holy Martyrs Processus and Martinian were pagans and they served as guards at the Mamertine prison in Rome.

State criminals were held in this prison, among them some Christians. Watching the Christian prisoners and listening to their preaching, Processus and Martinian gradually came to the knowledge of the Savior. When the holy Apostle Peter was locked up at the Mamertine prison, Processus and Martinian came to believe in Christ. They accepted holy Baptism from the apostle and released him from prison.

The jailer Paulinus learned about this, and he demanded that Sts Processus and Martinian renounce Christ. But they fearlessly confessed Christ, and they spat at the golden statue of Jupiter. Paulinus ordered that they be slapped on the face, and then seeing the resolute stance of the holy martyrs, he subjected them to torture. The martyrs were beaten with iron rods, scorched with fire, and finally, thrown into prison.

A certain illustrious and pious woman, by the name of Lucina, visited them in prison and gave them help and encouragement. The torturer Paulinus was soon punished by God. He fell blind and died three days later. The son of Paulinus went to the city ruler demanding that the martyrs be put to death. Sts Processus and Martinian were beheaded by the sword (+ ca. 67).

Lucina buried the bodies of the martyrs. Today their tomb is in the south transept of St Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Excerpted from the Orthodox Church in America

St. Swithin (also known as St. Swithun)

St Swithun died in 862 as bishop of Winchester. It is not known when he was born, but he was a secular clerk with something of a reputation for virtue and learning. He was attached to the West Saxon court and was one of King Egbert's principal advisers. He was given the king's son, Ethelwulf, the father of Alfred the Great, to educate; and to him must go some of the credit for the strongly religious tone of the West Saxon court under Ethelwulf and his sons.

He was consecrated bishop of Winchester in 852, and as bishop was something of a builder. He may also have been one of the first contributors to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. A number of agreeably humble miracles were attributed to him - he was said to have restored a basket of eggs dropped by an old market woman when crossing a bridge. His great reputation for sanctity is, however, largely owing to the cult which sprang up at Winchester a hundred years after his death, in the time of St Ethelwold and the monastic reformation, when his body was translated. His shrine was splendid, but when it was looted by Henry VIII in 1538 its gold and jewels were found to be false.

When he died he was buried at his own request in the churchyard, in order that the passers-by would walk over his grave and the rain fall upon it. It is always said that if it rains on his feast day, it will rain for forty days after, but it is not known how St. Swithun came to be associated with the weather. Similar stories are told of SS Medard, Gervase and Protase in France.

—The Saints, edited by John Coulson

The Roman Martyrology mentions St. Swithin, Bishop of Winchester, England. His holiness was made known by miracles. He died on July 2, but "St. Swithin's Day" is held on July 15 in England, the day his relics were transferred. He is another of the "weather saints" — if it rains on July 15, it will rain forty more days. If no rain, it will be fair for forty more days, as the old rhyme says:

St. Swithin's day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St. Swithin's day if thou be fair
For forty days 'twill rain nae mair.

This weather patronage traces back to July 15, 871 when the monks were translating his body (relics) from the outdoor grave to an indoor shrine in the Cathedral. The saint apparently did not approve, as it rained for 40 days afterward.

Patron: drought relief; Stavenger, England; Winchester, England.

Symbols: cross; rain cloud and rain; crosier and closed book.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Matthew 8:23-27

13th Week in Ordinary Time

“Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 8:26)

Actually, the disciples had quite a lot of faith. They believed that the wind was going to flip their boat. They were convinced that the waves would overpower them, and they had deep faith that their time was over.

Oh wait, that’s not faith; it’s fear! The disciples were so scared that they couldn’t see that this particular boat was probably the safest place on earth—because Jesus was with them. It’s easy to see that in retrospect, but what about us? How often do you feel buffeted by waves of fear and anxiety? Yes, the storm might be real, but you don’t have to put your faith in its power. You can still believe that Jesus is right there with you, even if it appears that he’s fast asleep.

So what rocks your boat? Are you worried about your children? Are your finances overwhelming? Is it a serious illness or disability? Ask the Lord to speak to you through the storm.

“Lord, where are you? I am afraid and alone.”

“I am here. Even if you can’t see me or hear me, I am right beside you.”

“I’m anxious, Lord. I can’t sleep. I’m worried all the time.”

“Just try to fix your heart on me. Let me show you how to find peace in a storm, just as I did.”

“But the storm is still here. It hasn’t gone away.”

“That’s okay. I am bigger than any storm. Let me calm your heart. Let me show you my steadfast love. You can find peace in my presence.”

“Lord, my faith is not very big.”

“Don’t worry. All I need is a mustard seed. Just come to me with whatever faith you do have, and I will see you through.”

Talk honestly with the Lord today. Tell him what you are dealing with. Ask him to give you his peace and to help calm your anxiety. Even if the circumstances don’t change, you’ll see them gradually lose their power to disturb you. Just try your best to believe that you and Jesus are in the same boat.

“Lord, grant me your peace.”

Genesis 19:15-29; Psalm 26:2-3, 9-12

Vultus Christi

Love and Confidence in the Heart of Mary

Dom Mark

on July 2, 2013 3:02 PM |

For today's feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I translated this text of Mother Mectilde de Bar:

I would not know how to incite you enough to the love and to the confidence that you ought to have in the most holy Heart of the Mother of God. There is no reason to fear not being received well, since she refuses no one. Love and confidence must grow in us, considering that our Institute came forth from her holy Heart.

You will say to me, "But I don't have the capacity to love her, nor do I have all the devotion necessary to draw her benevolence and protection down upon me!"

We read in Scripture that she loves those who love her, but I will tell you something more: she loves even those who do not love her, inasmuch as she loves sinners. Affection and tenderness towards the holy Mother of God is a particular grace and a sign of predestination. Ask her to obtain this for you from her divine Son. However incapable you may be, you can always formulate desires: desire to love her, to exalt her, to honour her, each one of you individually, as much as and more than all the saints together.

When you begin to love her, she will teach you to know her divine Son and to love Him. Only through her is it possible to know our Lord Jesus Christ; it was she herself who revealed Him to me.

"No one knows the Son if not the Mother, and no one knows the Mother if not the Son." This is why all that we can think and say on her account is very far from the reality.

Mother Mectilde de Bar
Conference on the Most Holy Heart of Mary
7 February 1695

Vultus Christi

The Weekly Psalter

Dom Mark

on July 2, 2013 10:19 AM |

CHAPTER XVIII. In What Order the Psalms Are to Be Said

24 Feb. ( if it be leap-year; if not it is added to the preceding day). 25 June. 25 Oct.

The order of psalmody for the Day-Hours being now arranged, let all the remaining 25 Psalms be equally distributed among the seven Night Offices, dividing the longer Psalms among them, and assigning twelve to each night. Above all, we recommend that if this arrangement of the Psalms be displeasing to anyone, he should, if he think fit, order it otherwise; taking care in any case that the whole Psalter of a hundred and fifty Psalms be recited every week, and always begun afresh at the Night Office on Sunday. For those monks would shew themselves very slothful in the divine service who said in the course of a week less than the entire Psalter, with the usual canticles; since we read that our holy fathers resolutely performed in a single day what I pray we tepid monks may achieve in a whole week.

One Non-Negotiable

With this section of Chapter XVIII, our father Saint Benedict completes his distribution of the 150 psalms over the course of the week. This being done, he shows his humility and reasonableness by allowing for a different arrangement of the psalms, but under one condition: that the whole Psalter of a hundred and fifty Psalms be recited every week, and always begun afresh at the Night Office on Sunday. So clear is Saint Benedict on this particular point, that one cannot depart from the principle of the recitation of the whole Psalter of a hundred and fifty psalms over the week, without stepping outside the margins of the Holy Rule. The distribution of the Psalter over one week is one of the very few non-negotiables laid down by Saint Benedict.

We Tepid Monks

Why is Saint Benedict so insistent on this principle? He explains: "Those monks would shew themselves very slothful in the divine service who said in the course of a week less than the entire Psalter, with the usual canticles; since we read that our holy fathers resolutely performed in a single day what I pray we tepid monks may achieve in a whole week." It is clear, then, that Benedictines are bound to pray the Psalter in its entirety weekly.

Benefits

Wonderful benefits accrue from the weekly repetition of the Psalter: the psalms become familiar, sometimes to the point of being memorised; the taste of them lingers for a long time on the palate of the soul; they become the ground of an authentic Christian contemplation, for by them, the prayer of Christ passes into us, and we pass into His prayer to the Father.

The Example of the Maurists

Given that Saint Benedict does allow for other distributions of the Psalter, the Benedictines of the Congregation of Saint-Maur, In the 17th century, produced a masterful one week cursus of the psalms for their own Maurist Breviary. The one week distribution of the psalms that we use at Silverstream Priory is based on the Maurist template.

Regnum Christi

Letting Jesus Sleep

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 8:23-27

As Jesus got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!" And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, you of little faith?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?"

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I come to you in this meditation ready to do whatever it is you ask. Left to myself I often take the easy and convenient path, yet I know the way of a Christian is through the narrow gate. In you I find the reason to abandon the easy path for a more perfect mission of love. I’m ready to learn the meaning of your command: “Follow me.”

Petition: Lord, grant me the grace of a mature faith.

1. God’s Silence, Man’s Faith: We can imagine ourselves in the place of the apostles, in this poor boat tossed by the turbulent waves. The situation instantly speaks to our worst of fears; yet Jesus sleeps. Our temptation is to wake him…and too many souls do so through complaining incessantly, despairing attitudes, withdrawing from prayer, or unloading anger on others. When in a moment of trial we find life is no longer under our complete control, the option of meltdown is always at hand. But we mustn’t take that route; instead we must contemplate the power that emanates from the sleeping Christ. Trials are intended by God to draw us closer to him and increase our dependence on him. We have to live from faith; otherwise all that reigns is fear, insecurity and bitterness. The “Silence of Christ” is powerful. To pass over its meaning lightly is to abandon some of the deepest lessons of Christ’s heart. The “Silence of Christ” must teach us.

2. The “Silence of Christ” Speaks to Our Faith: What is Christ’s sleep like? As a young mother, Mary watched Jesus sleep many times. Archbishop Martinez writes:
“Jesus was exceedingly beautiful when he spoke the words of eternal life, accomplished wonders, looked with love, pardoned with mercy and caressed with tenderness. But I would like to have seen him while he was sleeping because I could have contemplated him to my heart’s content, without the fascination of his gaze distracting me, without the perfection of his beauty and the glory of his splendor dazzling my eyes and enrapturing my soul. The beauty of Jesus awake is far too great for my smallness. Who could support it? I felt it more suited to me veiled by sleep, as the glory of the sun is more adapted to my eyes when I look at it through a translucent lens” (When Jesus Sleeps, p.15).
May I trust the power of Christ just as much when he chooses not to act as when he does.

3. God’s Eternal Pedagogy: Water, a boat, the apostles and Christ… this scene repeats itself over and over again in the Gospel. Water is a symbol of the experiences of life taken on a human level; the boat is the experience of faith on a supernatural level -- it is our life with Christ. Christ’s message is that we can never let our experiences of life overwhelm our experience of faith. We have to live not from the surface level of impressions of the moment, but from the deep channel of faith that reveals the action of God, the wisdom of his Providence and the ultimate destiny of eternity. Faith is what reveals Christ’s presence in our boat; faith is what makes us believe that every wave and wind gust are blessed invitations to confide in the One who rules all. Faith is what permits God to console our hearts, calm our fears and preserve our joy in the midst of problems and difficulties that may take months or years to run their course.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, I know belief makes me vulnerable. But I know that I will not know your love if I do not believe that you can make me happier than I can be by myself. If I do not face the enemies of my soul and my mission and abandon myself to your grace, I will not know your victory.

Resolution: Today I will take a problem and, with complete trust and confidence in him, leave it totally in God’s hands.

Who Is This Man?

by CE Editor on July 2, 2013 ·

Lectio:

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Ordinary Time

Opening prayer

Father,
you call your childrento
walk in the light of Christ.
Free us from darkness
and keep us in the radiance of your truth.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Gospel Reading – Matthew 8,23-27

Then Jesus got into the boat followed by his disciples. Suddenly a storm broke over the lake, so violent that the boat was being swamped by the waves. But he was asleep.
So they went to him and woke him saying, ‘Save us, Lord, we are lost!’ And he said to them, ‘Why are you so frightened, you who have so little faith?’ And then he stood up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
They were astounded and said, ‘Whatever kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?’

Reflection

• Matthew writes for the converted Jews of the years 70’s who felt lost like a boat in the middle of a stormy sea, without the hope of being able to get to the desired port. Jesus seems to be asleep in the boat, and it seems to them that no divine power will come to save them from the persecution. In the face of this desperate and anguished situation, Matthew puts together several episodes of the life of Jesus to help the community discover, in the midst of an apparent absence, the welcoming and powerful presence of Jesus the conqueror who dominates the sea (Mt 8, 23-27), who conquers and casts away the power of evil (Mt 9, 28-34) and who has the power to forgive sins (Mt 9, 1-8). In other words, Matthew wants to communicate hope and to suggest that the communities have no reason to fear. This is the reason for the narration of the storm calmed by Jesus in today’s Gospel.

• Matthew 8, 23: The starting point: to enter into the boat. Matthew follows the Gospel of Mark, but makes it shorter and inserts it in the new outline which he has adopted. In Mark, the day had been very heavy because of the work that they had done. Having finished the discourse of the parables (Mk 4, 3-34), the disciples take Jesus into the boat and he was so tired that he fell asleep on a cushion (Mk 4, 38). Matthew’s text is very brief. It only says that Jesus went into the boat and that the disciples accompanied him. Jesus is the Master, the disciples follow the Master.

• Matthew 8, 24-25: The desperate situation: “We are lost!” The Lake of Galilee is close to high mountains. Sometimes, between the cracks of the rocks, the wind blows strongly on the lake causing a sudden storm. Strong wind, agitated sea, the boat full of water! The disciples were experienced fishermen. If they thought that they were about to sink, it meant that the situation was truly dangerous! But Jesus is not aware, and continues to sleep. They cried out: “Save us, Lord, we are lost!” In Matthew the profound sleep of Jesus is not only a sign of tiredness. It is also the expression of the calm trust of Jesus in God. The contrast between the attitude of Jesus and that of the disciples is enormous!

• Matthew 8, 26: The reaction of Jesus: Why are you so frightened, you who have so little faith!” Jesus wakes up, not because of the waves, but because of the desperate cry of the disciples. And he turns to them saying: “Why are you so frightened, you who have so little faith!” Then he stood up and rebuked the winds and the sea, because there was no danger. It is like when one arrives to a friend’s house, and the dog, at the side of his master, barks very much. But one should not be afraid, because the master is present and controls the situation. The episode of the storm calmed by Jesus evokes the episode, when people, without fear, passed across the water of the sea (Ex 14, 22). Jesus recreates this episode. He recalls the Prophet Isaiah who said to the people: “If you have to go across the water, I will be with you!” (Is 43, 2). The episode of the calmed storm recalls and fulfills the prophecy announced in the Psalm 107:

Those who ploughed the waves in the sea on the ships, plying their trade on the great ocean.They have seen the works of the Lord, his wonders in the deep.By his word he raised a storm-wind lashing up towering waves. Up to the sky then down to the depths; their stomachs were turned to water. They staggered and reeled like drunkards, and all their skill went under. They cried out to Yahweh in their distress, he rescued them from their plight. He reduced the storm to a calm, and all the waters subsided. He brought them overjoyed at the stillness, to the port where they were bound (Ps 107, 23-30)

• Matthew 8, 27: The fear of the disciples: “Who is this man?” Jesus asks: “Why are you so frightened?” The disciples do not know what to answer. Astounded, they ask themselves: “Whatever kind of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” In spite of the long time that they had lived with Jesus, they still do not know who he is. Jesus seems to be a foreigner for them! Who is this man?

Concluding Prayer

Each age will praise your deeds to the next,
proclaiming your mighty works.
Your renown is the splendour of your glory,
I will ponder the story of your wonders. (Ps 145,4-5)

This reflection is by the good Carmelites at ocarm.org.

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<< Tuesday, July 2, 2013 >>

Genesis 19:15-29
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Psalm 26:2-3, 9-12

Matthew 8:23-27
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WAKING UP TO FAITH

"The boat began to be swamped by the waves. Jesus was sleeping soundly." —Matthew 8:24-25

Over the centuries, Church fathers and Scripture scholars have seen the gospel boat as a representation of the Church. On occasion, the boat is rocked by violent storms, which threaten imminent destruction. Through it all, Jesus is constantly present to the Church, even when He seems to be sleeping (Mt 8:25).

As this is being written, the Catholic Church in the United States is being "swamped" (Mt 8:24) by the storm of scandal. Some pundits even speculate that "we are lost" as a Church (Mt 8:25). To this, Jesus would reply: "How little faith you have!" (Mt 8:26) As horrible as scandal is, as tragic as the devastation is to a victim, as burdensome as the taint of scandal is to innocent clergy and religious, Jesus maintains that the issue is essentially the same as it was that night in the boat. The disciples naturally saw the problem as the imminent danger of the storm. However, Jesus, upon waking, instantly put His finger on the crisis of faith. How many of us think of faith when we first wake up? Jesus does!

Faith in Jesus is the answer. "All depends on faith" (Rm 4:16, NAB). Jesus is an innocent Victim. In the blood of His cross, He has the answer for victims (Col 1:20). By His wounds, victims are healed (1 Pt 2:24). Jesus died the death of a condemned, scandalized criminal and bore our guilt. He understands and even removes guilt (Mi 7:18) for the repentant guilty. For the innocent clergy who are regarded with suspicion, Jesus shows the way by maintaining His dignity even when wrongly portrayed as a "sinner" (Jn 9:24). Jesus reconciles all things in Himself (Col 1:20). Jesus commands us: Have "faith in Me" (Jn 14:1).

Prayer: Lord, "increase our faith" (Lk 17:5).

Promise: "He stood up and took the winds and the sea to task. Complete calm ensued." —Mt 8:26

Praise: Fr. Rich remains a faithful priest and continues to minister to God's people long after his retirement.

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