One should not say that it is impossible to reach a virtuous life; but one should say that it is not easy. Nor do those who have reached it find it easy to maintain.
- and
Expect temptation to your last breath.
- St. Anthony the Great
(Be wary of those who claim to have risen above it all, to some kind of enlightenment whereby they are no longer capable of sin. Even Christ was tempted all the way to the Cross.)
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JER 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22; PS 102:16-18, 19-21, 29 AND 22-23
MT 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.”
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.
Reflection on the Scriptures
Our lives can be like this wonderful gospel passage over and over. We go from fear and doubt to trust and belief, only to stumble and be saved by this Jesus who, in his eagerness to save us, quickly reaches out his strong arm. We wake at night - tossing in our sleep rather than on the waves - during the fourth watch – typically 3 am, and grumble “not
again” instead of seeing it as a call from the Lord to reach out to him in prayer, remembering that this hour, this fourth watch, is holy time, a time of close encounter with our loving Lord.
May my first thoughts on waking be:
‘Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
“Come”
“Lord, save me!”
- by Suzanne Braddock
The Existence of God
by Francois Fenelon
SECTION XIX. Of Animals, Beasts, Fowl, Birds, Fishes, Reptiles, and Insects.
Certain animals seem to be made on purpose for man. The dog is born to caress and fawn upon him; to obey and be under command; to give him an agreeable image of society, friendship, fidelity, and tenderness; to be true to his trust; eagerly to hunt down, course, and catch several other creatures, to leave them afterwards to man, without retaining any part
of the quarry. The horse, and such other animals, are within the reach and power of man; to ease him of his labour, and to take upon them a thousand burdens. They are born to carry, to walk, to supply man's weakness, and to obey all his motions. Oxen are endowed with strength and patience, in order to draw the plough and till the ground. Cows yield streams of milk. Sheep have in their fleeces a superfluity which is not for them, and which still grows and renews, as
it were to invite men to shear them every year. Even goats furnish man with a long hair, for which they have no use, and of which he makes stuffs to cover himself. The skins of some beasts supply men with the finest and best linings, in the countries that are most remote from the sun.
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