TWELFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - 2021

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

A great prophet has appeared among us;
God has visited his people. LK 7:16

JOB 38:1,8-11 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

You always answer whether in the calm of a normal day or in the eye of the storm for You are always with us. You never leave us nor do You abandon those who know You, those who are called by Your Name, those who recognize the sound of Your voice and follow it even in the midst of thick fog or in the night that is darker than night.

Lord God, Almighty Father, Lord God, Redeemer of the world, Lord God, the Breath of Life, You created all, You sustain all, and those redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb exult and give thanks to our God who saves.

No matter how terrifying life may get, no matter how deep the waters, or how mighty the tempest that swirls around us and threatens to annihilate us, You, O Lord, are in control. Your Word has the power to change the course of the storm, to calm the angry wind, and lead us gently to shore.

I shall fear nothing for You are my God whom I love. I believe in You, hope in You, and trust You always.

PSALM 107:23-26,28-32 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Every psalm exhorts us to praise and thank You, to worship and adore You, to sing songs of gladness, and to exult in Your goodness, kindness, mercy, and love because He discovered that You dwell in the praises of Your people.

From the moment we are conceived we experience the turbulence of life and some more than others. It is no wonder then that the psalmist speaks about ships on the sea and those who sail in them. A storm rises from nowhere and suddenly they are tossed about by gale-force winds and mighty waves that threaten to smash their boats and cast them into the dark, swirling ocean perhaps to their death.

Life can be like that too. There are times when we experience years of calm. One ordinary day runs into another for long stretches of time then suddenly from nowhere we are rammed on every side with calamity. Anxiety, fear, terror, pain, suffering, and uncertainty threaten to drown us - today we are reminded that it is precisely in these times that we are to lift our gaze to You unwaveringly and trust You to keep every one of Your promises and You will. You are God and we are yours. 

2 CORINTHIANS 5:14-17 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The more we contemplate and meditate on Your Word as Mary did, the more we will be transfixed by the overwhelming love that God has for us. Who are we that You love us in the way that You do? We have done nothing to merit this love. Truth be told we are quite undeserving and most unworthy of it.

St. Paul gives us a clue in today's First Reading - You died for us so we could receive Your life in us and in grateful response to Your love we are to love one another with the same self-sacrificial love. 

God created us for eternity and while our flesh will perish our souls will live forever. The things of the earth are passing and we were not created for that which is temporal. We are baptized into Your Body, we are members of the family of God, and we are heirs to the Kingdom of heaven. Let us not get caught up in the frivolities of the flesh that will eventually die, decay, and turn to dust rather, let us as St. Paul urges us, remember that we no longer ought to live by the standards of the world but by the standards of God who is holy and perfect. Since we are now a new creation in You we must put to death our old sinful ways and become more and more like You.

MARK 4:35-41 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

I never tire of reading, meditating, and imagining what it would have been like to have been in the boat with You and Your disciples when that storm suddenly whipped the waves into a frenzy. The boat was tossed about by the wind, the waves crashed into it filling the boat and terrifying the disciples some of whom were seasoned fishermen and no strangers to such storms. 

Through it all, You were fast asleep with Your dear head lying on a cushion. I love that little detail. You knew no fear because You are God. One can imagine the poor nonplussed disciples wondering whether or not to wake You up when they could stand it no longer they woke You up saying: Master, do you not care? We are going down!’  When we are filled with terror we are unable to think straight. Of course You care, You care more than we can ever comprehend.

You woke up and St. Mark tells us You rebuked the wind and said to the sea, saying, ‘Quiet now! Be calm!’ Immediately the wind dropped, and all was calm again. Then turning to Your disciples You rebuked them gently too, ‘Why are you so frightened? How is it that you have no faith?’ This is what You say to us too when we allow our fears to overwhelm us. You are God whom even the wind and the sea obey and we can always trust You for we are Yours.