TUESDAY OF THE THIRTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

READINGS

Allelulia Psalm 130:5

"I trust in the Lord, my soul trusts in his word."

Gospel Matthew 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?”

REFLECTION

Who do you trust?

Do you rely on someone, because they are always there for you?

Do you trust someone, because you know they are truthful?

I have a terrible fear of heights. On several occasions, I experienced a paralyzing fear of heights. Once, I had to go up 300 feet of stairs on an oil platform to get to the heliport. I couldn't do it alone. My husband took me by the hand and before we climbed the stairs he told me, "Mary, you are going to hold my hand and we are going to go up these stairs fast. Don't look down. Keep going up."

We went up so fast that I could hardly catch my breath, but I trusted him and obeyed his directions. We made it to the top.

The second time was on a visit to the Grande Canyon. There was a special attraction called, "the skywalk". It is a bridge made of clear glass that hangs over a precipice over the canyon. The point was to look down at the view below. I went only with the help of my friend who said he would hold my hand. I trusted that he would not let go. I could only do it because I trusted my friend even though my heart was pounding.

In the Gospel, the disciples are afraid of their boat capsizing in the storm. They were afraid of falling into the sea. They panicked and called out,  “Lord, save us!  We are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?”  

Why were they terrified? Didn't they know that Jesus had the power to save them with just a word?

Trust in the Lord. He will help. One way to learn to trust the Lord is by praying the BJ (Breathing Jesus) prayer.

Come to our Conference July 12-14th and listen to a PAPA Priest about "Blessed are the persecuted!... Do you know Who?" And also learn how to pray the BJ (Breathing Jesus) Prayer.