READING OF THE DAY First reading from the First Book of Kings 1 KGS 19:9A, 11-13A
At the mountain of God, Horeb, Elijah came to a cave where he took shelter. Then the LORD said to him, “Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD; the LORD will be passing by.” A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the LORD— but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake— but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was fire— but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound. When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.
Second reading from the First letter of St. Paul to the Romans ROM 9:1-5
Brothers and sisters: I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie; my conscience joins with the Holy Spirit in bearing me witness that I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. They are Israelites; theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; theirs the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY From the Gospel according to Matthew MT 14:22-33
After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and precede him to the other side, 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 Peter, 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.”
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER Today’s Gospel reminds us that faith in the Lord and in his Word does not open a way for us where everything is easy and calm. Faith gives us the assurance of a Presence, the presence of Jesus who encourages us to overcome the existential tempests, the certainty of a hand that grabs hold of us so as to help us face the difficulties, pointing the way for us even when it is dark. Faith, in short, is not an escape route from life’s problems, but it sustains the journey and gives it meaning. (Angelus, 13 august 2017)
Psalm 85 Yahweh, you are gracious to your land, you bring back the captives of Jacob, you take away the guilt of your people, you blot out all their sin.Pause You retract all your anger, you renounce the heat of your fury. Bring us back, God our Saviour, appease your indignation against us! Will you be angry with us for ever? Will you prolong your wrath age after age? Will you not give us life again, for your people to rejoice in you? Show us, Lord, your faithful love, grant us your saving help. I am listening. What is God's message? Yahweh's message is peace for his people, for his faithful, if only they renounce their folly. His saving help is near for those who fear him, his glory will dwell in our land. 1 Faithful Love and Loyalty join together, Saving Justice and Peace embrace. Loyalty will spring up from the earth, and Justice will lean down from heaven. Yahweh will himself give prosperity, and our soil will yield its harvest. Justice will walk before him, treading out a path."
FAUSTI – "Thou of little faith, why did you doubt?" Jesus asks Peter, called by him to walk on the waters, like Him and with Him. This tale shows the journey from disturbance to the courage of the faith, however harassed by the doubt and by the fall that in the experience of salvation comes to its fullness. The doubt, halfway between incredulity and faith, is the needed passage for everyone. For a conscious and adult faith, it is necessary that the unbeliever must doubt of his unbelieving and that the believer doubts of his believing . A blind dogmatism precludes the access to the truth. However, anyone when goes down, opens himself up to the invocation of salvation, beyond what it believes or does not believe. Peter represents each of us and the whole Church. When we turn our eyes to the Lord and to His vocation , we have confidence and are able to go on when we look our difficulties, we are afraid and we sink. After the gift of bread, Jesus climbs alone on the mountain to pray. The disciples descend, by themselves, to the sea to row. After the night of the bread a new day comes- the one of the alone disciples on the boat - where Jesus is present in another way, through His Word ordering to make His own path, dealing the same night that He has won. . We stand in the night, on the contrary wind, suspended on the agitated abyss that wants to swallow us, struggling unnecessarily to reach the other shore. It is Church's condition, called to face His own path after His Ascension on Mount. Wrapped in darkness, suspended between sky and abyss, the disciples are far from the starting point and from the arrival point. The situation is anguishing . Not to be swallowed up by the abyss is the impossible dream of every man, overcoming the reality that he knows well, done of night, loneliness, distance, fatigue, torment, anguish, terror and sinking. Walking on the sea is the theme of the piece. It is what disciple is called to do, on the Word of His Lord. They who are played by fear mistake their fantasies for reality and reality for fantasy. The disciples think that the Living One between them is a ghost, a dead man. It is the reproach of Paul to those of Corinth when he says that their Eucharist is not a eating the Supper of the Lord , but an eating their condemnation, because they make the opposite of what they celebrate. (1 Cor 11: 17-34). Fear is scarsity of faith. Faith is instead the courage of believing and daring the impossible, impossible to man, but not to God. He who walks on the waters is not a ghost but "I am", Jesus in person. "I-am" refers to the revelation of the God of the Exodus. Salvation through water is not an illusion. It is the fear that makes them perceive the reality of God an illusion. "Come !" It's the definitive vocation. On His Word, we are called by Him to walk as Him and with Him on the abyss. In obedience to Him, Peter manages to do as He did. The opposite spirit frightens Peter. If he looks Jesus , he walks, if he looks his fears, he sinks. The "tense arm" indicates the intervention of God, which grabs and saves from the great waters him who invokes Him. There is faith, but little, insufficient after hard tests like this. But there is always the cry in his heart: "Lord, save me!" It is the inalienable root of faith. The resulting experience of salvation leads to peace and to Lord's acknowledgment. The journey of trust and recognition lasts forever. Salvation leads to worship to the kiss of the Lord, aim of the Gospel.
The Church, represented by the boat of the disciples, on Lord's indication, proceeds along the way, also encountering difficulties and storms, and can cross them by listening to His Voice. In the storm He is beside us, even if we do not see Him and do not recognize Him, but if we listen to Him, He comforts us: "Courage! It is I! Don't be afraid!" Listen made of Silence and faith! Elijah listens and discovers his mission. Peter listens to Him and wants to reach Him on the waters, but his faith still has doubts and uncertainties. He asks for help and gets it! We, listening to Paul who, in the Letter to the Hebrews, after having enumerated the profound motivation of our ancestors in the faith and the positive outcome of their undertakings (Heb 11), invites us: "Let us run with perseverance in the race that stands before us, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, author and perfector of the faith..." (Heb 12), we will be able to enter into His plan for us! Never think of letting Him enter into our projects and our expectations..... We ask Him to be able to listen to His wishes!
READING OF THE DAY
RispondiEliminaFirst reading from the First Book of Kings
1 KGS 19:9A, 11-13A
At the mountain of God, Horeb,
Elijah came to a cave where he took shelter.
Then the LORD said to him,
“Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD;
the LORD will be passing by.”
A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains
and crushing rocks before the LORD—
but the LORD was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake—
but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake there was fire—
but the LORD was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
When he heard this,
Elijah hid his face in his cloak
and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.
Second reading from the First letter of St. Paul to the Romans
ROM 9:1-5
Brothers and sisters:
I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie;
my conscience joins with the Holy Spirit in bearing me witness
that I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart.
For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ
for the sake of my own people,
my kindred according to the flesh.
They are Israelites;
theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants,
the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;
theirs the patriarchs, and from them,
according to the flesh, is the Christ,
who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Matthew
MT 14:22-33
After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side,
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 Peter,
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.”
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER
Today’s Gospel reminds us that faith in the Lord and in his Word does not open a way for us where everything is easy and calm. Faith gives us the assurance of a Presence, the presence of Jesus who encourages us to overcome the existential tempests, the certainty of a hand that grabs hold of us so as to help us face the difficulties, pointing the way for us even when it is dark. Faith, in short, is not an escape route from life’s problems, but it sustains the journey and gives it meaning. (Angelus, 13 august 2017)
Psalm 85
RispondiEliminaYahweh, you are gracious to your land, you bring back the captives of Jacob,
you take away the guilt of your people, you blot out all their sin.Pause
You retract all your anger, you renounce the heat of your fury.
Bring us back, God our Saviour, appease your indignation against us!
Will you be angry with us for ever? Will you prolong your wrath age after age?
Will you not give us life again, for your people to rejoice in you?
Show us, Lord, your faithful love, grant us your saving help.
I am listening. What is God's message? Yahweh's message is peace for his people, for his faithful, if only they renounce their folly.
His saving help is near for those who fear him, his glory will dwell in our land. 1
Faithful Love and Loyalty join together, Saving Justice and Peace embrace.
Loyalty will spring up from the earth, and Justice will lean down from heaven.
Yahweh will himself give prosperity, and our soil will yield its harvest.
Justice will walk before him, treading out a path."
FAUSTI – "Thou of little faith, why did you doubt?" Jesus asks Peter, called by him to walk on the waters, like Him and with Him.
RispondiEliminaThis tale shows the journey from disturbance to the courage of the faith, however harassed by the doubt and by the fall that in the experience of salvation comes to its fullness.
The doubt, halfway between incredulity and faith, is the needed passage for everyone.
For a conscious and adult faith, it is necessary that the unbeliever must doubt of his unbelieving and that the believer doubts of his believing . A blind dogmatism precludes the access to the truth.
However, anyone when goes down,
opens himself up to the invocation of salvation, beyond what it believes or does not believe.
Peter represents each of us and the whole Church. When we turn our eyes to the Lord and to His vocation , we have confidence and are able to go on when we look our difficulties, we are afraid and we sink.
After the gift of bread, Jesus climbs alone on the mountain to pray.
The disciples descend, by themselves, to the sea to row.
After the night of the bread a new day comes- the one of the alone disciples on the boat - where Jesus is present in another way, through His Word ordering to make His own path, dealing the same night that He has won. .
We stand in the night, on the contrary wind, suspended on the agitated abyss that wants to swallow us, struggling unnecessarily to reach the other shore.
It is Church's condition, called to face His own path after His Ascension on Mount.
Wrapped in darkness, suspended between sky and abyss, the disciples are far from the starting point and from the arrival point. The situation is anguishing .
Not to be swallowed up by the abyss is the impossible dream of every man, overcoming the reality that he knows well, done of night, loneliness, distance, fatigue, torment, anguish, terror and sinking.
Walking on the sea is the theme of the piece.
It is what disciple is called to do, on the Word of His Lord.
They who are played by fear mistake their fantasies for reality and reality for fantasy.
The disciples think that the Living One between them is a ghost, a dead man.
It is the reproach of Paul to those of Corinth when he says that their Eucharist is not a eating the Supper of the Lord , but an eating their condemnation, because they make the opposite of what they celebrate. (1 Cor 11: 17-34).
Fear is scarsity of faith.
Faith is instead the courage of believing and daring the impossible, impossible to man, but not to God.
He who walks on the waters is not a ghost but "I am", Jesus in person.
"I-am" refers to the revelation of the God of the Exodus. Salvation through water is not an illusion. It is the fear that makes them perceive the reality of God an illusion.
"Come !" It's the definitive vocation. On His Word, we are called by Him to walk as Him and with Him on the abyss. In obedience to Him, Peter manages to do as He did.
The opposite spirit frightens Peter.
If he looks Jesus , he walks, if he looks his fears, he sinks.
The "tense arm" indicates the intervention of God, which grabs and saves from the great waters him who invokes Him.
There is faith, but little, insufficient after hard tests like this.
But there is always the cry in his heart: "Lord, save me!"
It is the inalienable root of faith.
The resulting experience of salvation leads to peace and to Lord's acknowledgment.
The journey of trust and recognition lasts forever.
Salvation leads to worship to the kiss of the Lord, aim of the Gospel.
The Church, represented by the boat of the disciples, on Lord's indication, proceeds along the way, also encountering difficulties and storms, and can cross them by listening to His Voice.
RispondiEliminaIn the storm He is beside us, even if we do not see Him and do not recognize Him, but if we listen to Him, He comforts us: "Courage! It is I! Don't be afraid!"
Listen made of Silence and faith!
Elijah listens and discovers his mission.
Peter listens to Him and wants to reach Him on the waters, but his faith still has doubts and uncertainties. He asks for help and gets it!
We, listening to Paul who, in the Letter to the Hebrews, after having enumerated the profound motivation of our ancestors in the faith and the positive outcome of their undertakings (Heb 11), invites us: "Let us run with perseverance in the race that stands before us, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, author and perfector of the faith..." (Heb 12), we will be able to enter into His plan for us!
Never think of letting Him enter into our projects and our expectations..... We ask Him to be able to listen to His wishes!