† Saint Quote:Put your heart aside. Duty comes first. But when fulfilling your duty, put your heart into it. It helps. St. Josemaria Escriva Today's Meditation“While St. Teresa was well acquainted with methods of meditation and wished her young nuns to be instructed in them, she emphatically insisted that the primary need for beginners is not to find the ideal method but to do God’s will from moment to moment throughout the day—which is probably the last thing the beginner thinks is primary. Her thought is strong and unambiguous: ‘The whole aim of any person who is beginning prayer—and don’t forget this, because it is very important—should be that he work and prepare himself with determination and every effort to bring his will in conformity with God’s will’. She then adds that ‘it is the person who lives in more perfect conformity who will receive more from the Lord and be more advanced on this road of prayer.’”
—Fr. Thomas Dubay, p. 112 Daily VerseOne who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyati′ra, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to give heed to what was said by Paul. And when she was baptized, with her household, she besought us, saying, 'If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.' Acts 16:14-15
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St. Lydia PurpurariaPatron Saint of: Merchants, cloth workers, dyers, and Christian businesswomen
Feast Day: August 3 St. Lydia Purpuraria, also called Lydia of Thyatira (1st. c), was a pious and wealthy woman involved in the textile trade in Philippi, Macedonia. She and her husband manufactured and traded in the lucrative business of purple dyes and fabrics, a luxury for the elite. Lydia was a worshiper of the true God, and when St. Paul’s missionary journeys brought him to Philippi in about 50 A.D., God opened Lydia’s heart to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Lydia and her family became St. Paul’s very first converts to Christianity, as mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. After her family was baptized, Lydia invited Paul and his companion, St. Timothy, to stay in her home. Lydia served the Lord through her gift of hospitality, and her home became a meeting place for the early Christians. After Paul and Silas were released from prison, it was to Lydia’s home that they first went to meet and encourage the believers gathered there. St. Lydia’s feast day is August 3.
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Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary TimeLectionary: 407/408 Reading 1Jeremiah 28:1-17 In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah,
in the fifth month of the fourth year,
the prophet Hananiah, son of Azzur, from Gibeon,
said to me in the house of the LORD
in the presence of the priests and all the people:
“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel:
‘I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.
Within two years I will restore to this place
all the vessels of the temple of the LORD which Nebuchadnezzar,
king of Babylon, took away from this place to Babylon.
And I will bring back to this place Jeconiah,
son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah,
and all the exiles of Judah who went to Babylon,’ says the LORD,
‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’” The prophet Jeremiah answered the prophet Hananiah
in the presence of the priests and all the people assembled
in the house of the LORD, and said:
Amen! thus may the LORD do!
May he fulfill the things you have prophesied
by bringing the vessels of the house of the LORD
and all the exiles back from Babylon to this place!
But now, listen to what I am about to state in your hearing
and the hearing of all the people.
From of old, the prophets who were before you and me prophesied
war, woe, and pestilence against many lands and mighty kingdoms.
But the prophet who prophesies peace
is recognized as truly sent by the LORD
only when his prophetic prediction is fulfilled. Thereupon the prophet Hananiah took the yoke
from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it,
and said in the presence of all the people:
“Thus says the LORD: ‘Even so, within two years
I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,
from off the neck of all the nations.’” At that, the prophet Jeremiah went away. Some time after the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke
from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah,
The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah:
Go tell Hananiah this:
Thus says the LORD:
By breaking a wooden yoke, you forge an iron yoke!
For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel:
A yoke of iron I will place on the necks
of all these nations serving Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,
and they shall serve him; even the beasts of the field I give him. To the prophet Hananiah the prophet Jeremiah said:
Hear this, Hananiah!
The LORD has not sent you,
and you have raised false confidence in this people.
For this, says the LORD, I will dispatch you from the face of the earth;
this very year you shall die,
because you have preached rebellion against the LORD.
That same year, in the seventh month, Hananiah the prophet died. Responsorial PsalmPsalm 119:29, 43, 79, 80, 95, 102 R. (68b) Lord, teach me your statutes.
Remove from me the way of falsehood,
and favor me with your law.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Take not the word of truth from my mouth,
for in your ordinances is my hope.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Let those turn to me who fear you
and acknowledge your decrees.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Let my heart be perfect in your statutes,
that I be not put to shame.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Sinners wait to destroy me,
but I pay heed to your decrees.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
From your ordinances I turn not away,
for you have instructed me.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes. AlleluiaJohn 1:49b R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Rabbi, you are the Son of God;
you are the King of Israel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelMatthew 14:22-36 Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side of the sea,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them, walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to him in reply,
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.”
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him,
and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
“Truly, you are the Son of God.” After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret.
When the men of that place recognized him,
they sent word to all the surrounding country.
People brought to him all those who were sick
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak,
and as many as touched it were healed.
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Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ!
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From Word Among Us WAU.org
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Daily Meditation: Jeremiah 28:1-17You have preached rebellion against the Lord. (Jeremiah 28:16) It’s human nature. We all want to hope for the best. We all want to see conflict resolved and suffering healed. That’s what seemed to motivate the prophet Hananiah. He wanted to see Judah return to the days of prosperity it had enjoyed before the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem and took King Jeconiah into captivity. But Hananiah missed the point. “Don’t worry,” he seemed to be saying. “No need to repent. Just keep on doing what you’re doing, and God will restore you.” And that’s what Jeremiah called “preaching rebellion” (Jeremiah 28:16). Jeremiah didn’t enjoy rebuking Hananiah. His heart was breaking for his people. He knew that God wanted to protect and reunite them, but their sin was an immense roadblock. They needed to return to God in repentance. Living as a conquered people was painful, but it helped show them how far they had fallen away from the Lord. It was a chance to change and turn back to God before they were exiled themselves. We all have times when we want to pretend everything is fine. Or we want to blame our troubles on someone else. That’s when we need to face the challenging but merciful message of the gospel. The truth is that some of the negative things in our lives are the consequence of our own sin. Yes, God loves us and wants to give us good things. And yes, he calls us to conversion and freedom. But we can’t ignore the need to repent. When we avoid dealing with our sins, we make things worse. When we close our ears to everything but the outcome we want, we cut ourselves off from the healing and renewal God wants to give us. The Lord always has more for us. And because he has so much for us, he is always calling us to change, to align ourselves a little more closely with him. So take a moment to reflect on what God is calling you to do. Are you listening to the prophets of the world who tell you everything is fine? Or are you heeding the call to repentance so that you can experience the freedom God wants to give you? “Lord, I want to be at peace. Help me to turn to you more deeply so that I can experience even more freedom!” Psalm 119:29, 43, 79-80, 95, 102
Matthew 14:22-36
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Reflections with Brother Adrian:
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From today's Holy Gospel: "... During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them, walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to him in reply,
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.”
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From Bishop Barron: "Friends, our Gospel today tells the story of Jesus walking on water. Water, throughout Scripture, is a symbol of danger. In the beginning, the Spirit of the Lord floated on the surface of the water. This points to God's lordship over all the forces of disorder.
The boat, with Peter and the other disciples, evokes the Church. It sails through the waters, as the Church moves through time. Storms—chaos, corruption, foolishness, danger, persecution—will inevitably arise.
Now, in the fourth watch of the night, that is, in the darkest moment, Jesus comes walking on the sea. This is interpreted as an affirmation of his divinity: just as the Spirit of God floated on the waters at the beginning of time, so Jesus floats on them today. And then he says to his terrified disciples: "Be calm and do not be afraid. It's me." But even more than this, he says to them: you can share in my power. "Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus." This is the story of all the saints....” End quote.
From Roberto Juarez: " When Jesus enters the boat, the wind ceases. Then the disciples fall down and say, "Truly you are the Son of God." The storm ends up strengthening their faith. The same thing often happens in our lives. Trials, when lived with Christ, make us grow. They help us discover that only God remains when all else fails.
The Gospel ends with the arrival in Gennesaret. People recognize Jesus and bring all the sick to Him. It is enough to touch the edge of his cloak to be cured. It's a beautiful picture of trust. Those people do not demand explanations. They do not set conditions. They simply approach Christ in faith. And that faith opens the way to the miracle. We too are called to approach the Lord in this way, with humility, with trust, with an open heart.
We all have a boat to steer: our family, our vocation, our work, our community, our own life. And we all know what it means to row with the wind against you. Today's Gospel invites us never to lose hope. When we feel that God is far away, let us remember that He always comes to meet us. When fear wants to paralyze us, let us listen to his words: "Courage, it is I, do not be afraid!" When we feel ourselves sinking because of our weaknesses or the weight of difficulties, let us repeat Peter's prayer: "Lord, save me." And we will discover that the hand of Christ is still extended, firm and merciful, sustaining our lives. Let us ask the Virgin Mary, Star of the Sea, to teach us to always keep our gaze fixed on her Son. May she accompany us on all the journeys of our existence and help us to arrive one day at the definitive port of the Kingdom, where there will no longer be storms, but the eternal peace of God...." end quote.
Our Lord landed at seashore with the Apostles after having walked on water and having pulled out our First Pope out of the water!
Saint Peter wanted to walk on water.
Have you ever asked for something so astonishing? And Saint Peter did indeed start walking...and then started sinking, as doubts started sinking him in.
Has that happened to you?
Have you lost faith sometimes? Has it sunk you underwater, spiritually?
Has the currents of the ocean began to sweep you away into a dark abyss of the storms and the night?
What did our Lord say to us all in the Gospel today? “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Do NOT be afraid! He has heard you calling. Have you heard Him speaking? “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” We are forgetful at times, yet He calls us to walk.
He has dominion over the waters. The book of Genesis begins to speak. The Holy Spirit swept over the oceans. God Himself, the Holy Spirit. Genesis speaks at the transfiguration. "Let there be light". And Jesus appeared brighter than the sun.
God is speaking to you right now. “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” When you feel worthless:
“Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid." When you feel lost:
“Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” When you feel alone:
“Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” When you feel overwhelmed:
“Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” "I take you by the hand. Because, I Love You. At the cross, I ask you for your hand, do you love me too?"
Do not be afraid to answer the Love of Life and the Life of Love: “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
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Random Bible Verse 1
1 John 3:1 "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him."
Word of the Lord!
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