Christians are like the flowers in a garden, that have each of them the dew of Heaven, which, being shaken with the wind, they let fall at each other’s roots, whereby they are jointly nourished, and become nourishers of each other.
... John Bunyan (1628-1688)
(A lovely way of imaging how our gifts nourish one another. Be especially open to receiving the gifts of others this day.)
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Nm 12:1-13; Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 6cd-7, 12-13
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.”
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.
Reflection on the Scriptures
Faith to me means a belief firmly held and upon which we feel compelled to act in a manner that is consistent with the belief. As Christians we believe in the salvific power of the resurrection, the admonitions from Jesus about how to live our lives, the exponential power of love of others versus love of self. We strive to help rather than hurt, to heal rather than injure, to share rather than
hoard. We believe that by following these examples we will create the Kingdom of God on earth, and result in a better tomorrow, even if we are not alive to enjoy the results ourselves. . .
I think when we see good people respond in good ways to the challenges we all face to our faith in all its dimensions, we are seeing the power of the Spirit working through them to remind us that our Loving Parent will give us the strength we need to sustain ourselves, our sisters and brothers, our societies, and our world. This is ultimately the message of Jesus – we should love each other as our God loves
us. If we can, then our faith will grow, not diminish, and our actions will be a loving expression of gratitude to the Parent who made us all.
And so, my prayer today is for the grace to be aware of how my faith is being challenged in so many ways, to feel the power of the Spirit in strengthening that faith, and to be grateful for how faith in all its manifestations shapes my life.
- by Tom Purcell
The Son of God Became Human
From The Catechism of the Catholic Church
Part One, Section Two, Chapter Three
Article 8: I Believe in the Holy Spirit
III. GOD'S SPIRIT AND WORD IN THE TIME OF THE PROMISES
The Spirit in Theophanies and the Law
707 Theophanies (manifestations of God) light up the way of the promise, from the patriarchs to Moses and from Joshua to the visions that inaugurated the missions of the great prophets. Christian tradition has always recognized that God's Word allowed himself to be seen and heard in these theophanies, in which the cloud of the Holy Spirit both revealed him and concealed him in its
shadow.
(Footnote references in the Catechism.)
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