is Jesus real for you?

Welcome to my blog.

The Catholic Church provides each day with God’s Word. If we put aside time each to read, meditate and pray over his Word we will come to know the truth and grow in love.

Here in my blog, you will find the readings from Bible chosen for us by the Church. The New Testament was written by members of the Church. It was the Catholic Church, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, which decided which books were inspired and which not. We should read the Scripture listening to the Spirit, who inspired those who first wrote these words. May he speak to you too.

Tuesday 30 June 2020

Is Jesus real for you?

Ps 46: 2

All peoples, clap your hands.

Cry to God with shouts of joy!

____________________

Prayer

Father in heaven, in Baptism you recreated us

in Jesus as your children and we became

children of light in a world of darkness.

Grant that we may never go back to the darkness

of unbelief and error, but remain for ever in the light of your truth.

We make our prayer through your Son,

Christ Jesus, our Lord.

First reading

Amos 3:1-8; 4:11-12

The Lord God speaks - who will not prophesy!

Hear this word, O children of Israel, that the Lord pronounces over you, over the whole family that I brought up from the land of Egypt:

You alone have I favoured,

more than all the families of the earth;

Therefore I will punish you

for all your crimes.

Do two walk together

unless they have agreed?

Does a lion roar in the forest

when it has no prey?

Does a young lion cry out from its den

unless it has seized something?

Is a bird brought to earth by a snare

when there is no lure for it?

Does a snare spring up from the ground

without catching anything?

If the trumpet sounds in a city,

will the people not be frightened?

If evil befalls a city,

has not the Lord caused it?

Indeed, the Lord God does nothing

without revealing his plan

to his servants, the prophets.

The lion roars –

who will not be afraid!

The Lord God speaks –

who will not prophesy!

I brought upon you  such upheaval

as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah:

you were like a brand plucked from the fire;

Yet you returned not to me,

says the Lord.

So now I will deal with you in my own way, O Israel!

and since I will deal thus with you,

prepare to meet your God, O Israel.

Prayerful reflection

Though born in the southern kingdom of Judah, Amos preaches in the northern kingdom of Israel. He lived at a prosperous time for the well-to-do there. However, the poor were exploited by the rich who flaunted their wealth and even participated in extravagant liturgical ceremonies. 

“The Lord God speaks – who then will not prophecy”. God has chosen Israel and did bring the Israelites out of Egypt. This is not something to simply rejoice over. God’s gifts carry with them a responsibility. This is the message of Amos.

‘I have favoured you more than any other race and so I will punish you’. We are to show the fruits of repentance and respond to God’s love in kind and not simply in words and empty liturgical services. God's gifts carry a responsibility to bear fruit.

It was the Word of God then and it is the Word of God for us today. Have I hardened my heart like so many in Israel, or have I listened to the Word of God? Has his Word, like the rain on the fields produces a harvest, produced a life of holiness in me? This is the question to be asked.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 5:4b-6a, 6b-7, 8

Lead me in your justice, Lord.

At dawn I bring my plea expectantly before you.

For you, O God, delight not in wickedness;

no evil man remains with you;

the arrogant may not stand in your sight.

Lead me in your justice, Lord.

You hate all evildoers;

you destroy all who speak falsehood;

The bloodthirsty and the deceitful

the Lord abhors.

Lead me in your justice, Lord.

But I, because of your abundant mercy,

will enter your house;

I will worship at your holy temple

in fear of you, O Lord.

Lead me in your justice, Lord.

Psalm 130:5

Alleluia, alleluia.

I trust in the Lord;

my soul trusts in his word.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Matthew 8:23-27

Jesus rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm.

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?”

Prayerful reflection

The Risen Lord is with us today. He is with his Church and he is with each of us too. With a living faith, we must make him real - not some vague person ‘in whom we believe’. There will be many storms in our journey through life, both for us as individuals and for the Church. If we have faith in him as present with us, then he will calm our seas also. The key to life is our belief in his presence. Is Jesus real for you? Are you deliberately his disciple?

Ps 102: 1

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and all within me, his holy name.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, may our Baptism in which we offered our lives to you,

fill us with life so that we may always be bound to you

in everlasting love.

We make our prayer of you who

live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit

one God for ever and ever.