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.
R. (8) Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation. I
will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD — for he proclaims peace.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land. R. Lord, let us see your kindness,
and grant us your salvation. Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven. R. Lord, let us see your kindness,
and grant us your salvation. The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and prepare the way of his steps. R. Lord, let us see your kindness,
and grant us your salvation.
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.
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.”
A young
boy, riding in the family car on a trip to the country,
suddenly burst out in a fearful rage begging his dad to slow
down. His father was only going 50 miles an hour, under the
speed limit. The boy didn’t calm down until his dad slowed
down to 40 miles an hour. He was afraid of going too fast.
A
young wife, while hanging clothes on the clothes line
outside, sees lightning in the far off distance and hurries
to gather her three children and take them to the cellar,
afraid that a storm is coming.
We live in a world today, and most folks know it, where
there is a tremendous fear all around. All across the world
there are storms that frighten and trap people in state of
fear. Just about any place we look or choose to look, there
is war – war without a conscience. War waged by terrorists
upon innocent people. Protests upon protests in the Middle
East, bringing bloodshed and uncertainty. In this country we
know and feel the affects of such a war, of defending
ourselves and weaker countries from the grip of such
terrorism. We fear the death of our own as well as those of
all the innocent lives throughout the world who face such
terrorism on a daily basis. It’s a way of life. No one
really wins anything by destroying another life, no matter
how that is done. Lives are lost by the thousands, tens of
thousands each day. People live in constant fear – clinging
to anything that will give them the hope of a more peaceful
existence, of a better tomorrow. And yet, even in our
country, protests are emerging, pitting citizens against
state governments who are trying to stay afloat
economically, citizens against fellow citizens. These are
some of the storms. And most likely they will continue.
We live in a decaying country that knows no bounds to crime,
injustice, and violence. It’s in the media, in the work
place, and on our streets. Everyday someone is caught in
the storm of uncertainty and strife. No longer are these
kinds of storms confined to the big cities, but are rampant
in the smallest of communities, in our homes, and in our
schools. Most certainly in our government that a vast
majority of people find hard to trust.
The storms of humankind are many. For a little child it
might be that first day of school. For a widow or widower
it might be the dark aloneness that engulfs their life day
in and day out. For a young couple with a child it might be
the fear of no employment, leading to all kinds of
problems. Storms of life prevail throughout our lives;
diseases robbing our every breath, broken relationships that
end in heartache, alcohol and abuse in so many forms that
ends in the destruction of a person’s body or mind or in
the lost of life of such innocent people.
And so then we read in this gospel Jesus telling Peter, “O
you of little faith.” Peter terrified that he will drown
when he takes his eyes off of our Lord and his bid for Peter
to come to him.” Peter lacked faith at that moment.
Perhaps Jesus is asking us why we lack faith, why are we so
terrified? We know that all of these things happen, all
over our world, all over in our lives, in us, around us, and
out of us, and behind us. But what are we suppose to do?
We can’t tell a wind to be still or quiet and it will be
calm, or can we? Peter couldn’t. The other disciples
couldn’t. Only Jesus could. However . . . well, that will
come later.
Alone, our chances of getting results in this stormy world
lie very slim. The key to calming all the storms that
happen is togetherness in faith. Together in faith and
prayer, yes, lots of prayer, we can quiet the storm. Well,
maybe we can't, but God can from hearing our prayers. Being
together in one heart, one mind, and one prayer, with faith
in Jesus, is the only way that all storms of the world will
cease. When our prayer is united with each other in faith,
that faith will endure and conquer all that fears us.
Jesus speaks of faith so very much in what he says and so
many times. Perhaps we are to understand that we are the
faith that will calm the storms of life. Perhaps, and not
only does it make sense, but is quite evident for those
whose experience it has been, our praying together is what
heals so many in their world of storms. In faith in our
Savior, as we are empowered to make a difference in our
world, no matter how bleak it seems to be at times. We are
called to make a difference to so many; the wayward
stranger, the oppressed, the afflicted with disease, the
mentally impaired, the lonely person across the road, the
homeless, those who face the uncertainly of employment, of
loosing their jobs in this unstable economy, in this
struggling country where good is constantly battling evil.
As Christians, believers, brothers and sisters in Christ,
and as servants, we are indeed called, together in faith to
calm the storm, to quiet the wind, to be Jesus to each
other! And perhaps, in the process, or in that way of
living, our very own fears will be overcome by faith.
If you read this message and are not a believer, we invite
you to a different kind life. Yes, one of struggle and one
of suffering and pain, but also one of bonding to others, of
receiving many graces and blessings, and most of all a share
in a life that is eternal. You know that this journey of
life is not all there is, you see that every day. The life
I speak of is not of this world. So if that life appeals to
you, then I bid you to believe, starting right now. God
loves you and is waiting for you. Come with us, we will
take you to Him. Time could be running out. Each of us was
once invited just as you are. Be blessed.
From evil’s
claws depression come so many
people live in strife not
knowing how to cope or live always
burdened by the scars of life
Everyone
must bear their share of pain sometimes
alone, sometimes not but no one
is really completely lost there
might be someone they just forgot
We all
carry burdens that are not so light and some
feel heavier as life goes on but
without a friend standing nearby we can
feel like life is finished or done
The scars
we live with won’t
just go away they
remain with us wherever we trod and they
can drag us to the ocean’s
floor if we do
not release them to our God
Some are
permanent and will always be a reminder
of a time when we were lost but why
carry those we can set free and be
victims to a waste less cost
Joy and
happiness reign supreme there is a
time when birds do sing and a time
when the sun does shine and in
soft breezes, chimes do ring
We make
choices every day that often
come with uncertain stress those are
the scars we do not need we can let
them go, or they’ll
make us less
Life’s journey has many paths we can
decide which to take one of
darkness, and stand alone or a path
with friends, for a better fate
We can
control to much degree the kind
of life we want to choose to hold
the hand of a friend indeed someone
who cares, how could we loose?
Joy and
pain live side by side and both
are felt as when they come we can
live the joy in comfort and peace or relent
to the pain; nothing is won
If we
choose to walk our path alone then the
scars of life will victory claim but walk
with a friend who cares and loves then The
Master’s
Paradise will always reign!
God clings
to His children so close and dear the love
He gives cannot be compared we can
overcome the scars of life we fear when
embraced by a friend whose love we share!
