Man does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. MT 4:4
JEREMIAH 28:1-17
My Soul's Beloved,
False prophets in the Church and in the world are the bane of our existence, and they cause many to remain in their sins and die in their folly.
Grant us many prophets in the Church and in the world, who, like the prophet Jeremiah, speak the word of God in truth, unafraid of the consequence, even if it costs them everything. Grant O Lord that we too, who are members of Your Holy Church, hold fast to the truth as revealed to us by her, for she alone possesses the fullness of Truth, for You are her Bridegroom.
Pity the ignorant, O Lord, who through ignorance and concupiscence prefer to believe a false gospel that proclaims self-indulgence and the pleasures that the world offers rather than embracing the Cross and the Way of Calvary that leads from Gethsamane, to Golgota, to the grace and to the glory of the Resurrection.
At the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah in the fifth month of the fourth year, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, a Gibeonite, spoke as follows to Jeremiah in the Temple of the Lord in the presence of the priests and of all the people. ‘The Lord, the God of Israel, says this, “I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. In two years’ time I will bring back all the vessels of the Temple of the Lord which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon carried off from this place and took to Babylon. And I will also bring back Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles of Judah who have gone to Babylon – it is the Lord who speaks. Yes, I am going to break the yoke of the king of Babylon.”’
The prophet Jeremiah then replied to the prophet Hananiah in front of the priests and all the people there in the Temple of the Lord. ‘I hope so’ the prophet Jeremiah said. ‘May the Lord do so. May he fulfil the words that you have prophesied and bring the vessels of the Temple of the Lord and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon. Listen carefully, however, to this word that I am now going to say for you and all the people to hear: From remote times, the prophets who preceded you and me prophesied war, famine and plague for many countries and for great kingdoms; but the prophet who prophesies peace can only be recognised as one truly sent by the Lord when his word comes true.’
The prophet Hananiah then took the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it. In front of all the people Hananiah then said, ‘The Lord says this, “This is how, two years hence, I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and take it off the necks of all the nations.”’ At this, the prophet Jeremiah went away.
After the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke which he had taken off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah the word of the Lord was addressed to Jeremiah, ‘Go to Hananiah and tell him this, “The Lord says this: You can break wooden yokes? Right, I will make them iron yokes instead! For the Lord Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: An iron yoke is what I now lay on the necks of all these nations to subject them to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. They will be subject to him; I have even given him the wild animals.”’
The prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, ‘Listen carefully, Hananiah: the Lord has not sent you; and thanks to you this people are now relying on what is false. Hence – the Lord says this, “I am going to throw you off the face of the earth: you are going to die this year since you have preached apostasy from the Lord.”’
The prophet Hananiah died the same year, in the seventh month.
PSALM 118(119):29,43,79-80,95,102
Lord, teach me your statutes.
Keep me from the way of error
and teach me your law.
Do not take the word of truth from my mouth
for I trust in your decrees.
Let your faithful turn to me,
those who know your will.
Let my heart be blameless in your statutes
lest I be ashamed.
Though the wicked lie in wait to destroy me
yet I ponder your will.
I have not turned from your decrees;
you yourself have taught me.
Lord, teach me your statutes.
MATTHEW 14:22-36
My Soul's Beloved,
All Your disciples, all those grafted into Your Body, all who belong to Your Church are invited to get into the Boat which is symbolic of the Church that You founded on the Rock of Peter with You as its Cornerstone. You desire us to stay away from the crowds after the work we have done, the works of the Holy Spirit, for the glory is due to You and You alone. Even though we are in the Boat it does not mean that storms will not assail us. That the winds and the waves will not sway us and threaten to take us off course or even drown us. However, our faith is in You, and our gaze is fixed on You alone. You will not allow anything the world, the flesh, and the devil throws at us to destroy us, for we are Yours. Called by Your Name. We eat Your Flesh, and we drink Your Blood, and we are sustained by the Life we have received from the Holy Spirit.
To each of us who are members of Your Body, You say when we are afraid, ‘Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.’ There is no storm, there is no evil, there is no sickness, there is nothing that can separate us from Your Love, O Lord. We are marked and sealed in Your Spirit. As long as our focus and our gaze remain on You, through all the vicissitudes of life, You will bring us safely home to heaven at last. As we navigate with You and the Holy Spirit, we will weather every storm until You come and lead us to the place that the Father has prepared for us from the moment He laid the foundations of the world.
You are not a mirage. You are not a ghost. You are real, and You are present with us, among us, and in us. Thank You, Lord, that all we need to do is to reach out to You, and if all we can manage is to touch the tassels of Your garment, it is enough. You will heal us and make us whole.
Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he would send the crowds away. After sending the crowds away he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, while the boat, by now far out on the lake, was battling with a heavy sea, for there was a head-wind. In the fourth watch of the night he went towards them, walking on the lake, and when the disciples saw him walking on the lake they were terrified. ‘It is a ghost’ they said, and cried out in fear. But at once Jesus called out to them, saying, ‘Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.’ It was Peter who answered. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘if it is you, tell me to come to you across the water.’ ‘Come’ said Jesus. Then Peter got out of the boat and started walking towards Jesus across the water, but as soon as he felt the force of the wind, he took fright and began to sink. ‘Lord! Save me!’ he cried. Jesus put out his hand at once and held him. ‘Man of little faith,’ he said ‘why did you doubt?’ And as they got into the boat the wind dropped. The men in the boat bowed down before him and said, ‘Truly, you are the Son of God.’
Having made the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret. When the local people recognised him they spread the news through the whole neighbourhood and took all that were sick to him, begging him just to let them touch the fringe of his cloak. And all those who touched it were completely cured.
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