Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

We learn from Genesis that on the first day God created the heavens and earth and then created light to overcome the darkness. On the second day, we learn that the earth was covered in water. God created land and separated the seas from the land. He conquered the seas. To the ancient people, the seas represented chaos. Fishermen and sailors, then, as well as now, know all too well the sudden turmoil caused by rough waters. That is chaos. But God conquered the seas. And Jesus walked on the water. He continues to walk on water. He walks on the chaos of our lives. That is one of the messages of today’s Gospel reading. No matter what chaos there is in the world and in our lives, Jesus walks on it. Jesus conquers the chaos that is caused by things that our beyond our control. Life itself is chaotic. Just when all is seems to be calm, a loved one suddenly dies. All of us have experienced this. We did not cause the chaos, but we do suffer from it. Jesus conquers the chaos, even that chaos which we ourselves cause in our lives. Many of us have made bad choices. Many of us have sinned. Many of us suffer the results of our sins or the sins of others.  For example, a person finally recognizes that he has gotten into a relationship which is destroying his family and destroying himself. He returns to his family, but the damage has been done. He and his family suffer the results of his sins. It makes no difference whether we caused the chaos or whether we suffer from the chaos caused by others. Jesus still walks on the water. He conquers the chaos. Then, do you know what he does? Well, full of mercy and tenderness He calls us to walk out onto the chaos and walk towards him.  “Come Peter.”  And Peter walked on the water.  At least for a bit. That is what Jesus does for us all. He walks on the chaos of our lives, and then calls us to come and join him. He gives us the strength to walk on water. And what if we fail? What if we blink, and sink like Peter did?  “Don’t be afraid!”, the Lord says. He is there to reach down and lift us out of the water, out of the chaos, just as he lifted Peter out of the water, out of the chaos of his life. The Lord knows that we are not saints, not yet anyway. He knows that we are weak. He accepted Peter, that loud lout, that well-meaning coward, and turned him into the Rock of the Church. He takes us as we are and walks with us on the water. He only asks us to have the courage to put our faith in Him. He gives us the strength to join Him in conquering the chaos. Where is the chaos in your lives, in my life? Is it sickness or death? Is it in some addiction? Is it turmoil in your marriage or your family? Where have the seas raised up to chaotic dimensions? Wherever that chaos is, please remember, that there is nothing, no chaos that is too great for Jesus to conquer. And there is nothing too devastating for us to conquer with Him. He walked on the waters, and He calls us to walk with Him • AE 

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XIX DOMINGO DEL TIEMPO ORDINARIO (CICLO A)

Por qué has dudado? ¡Difícil responder a esta pregunta del Señor! A veces las más hondas convicciones se nos desvanecen, y los ojos del alma se nublan sin saber exactamente por qué. Principios que hasta entonces eran inconmovibles comienzan a tambalearse y se despierta la tentación de abandonarlo todo. La vida es así. Otras veces, el misterio de Dios se nos hace agobiante y abrumador. La última palabra sobre la vida se nos escapa, ¡qué dificil abandonarse al misterio! La razón sigue buscando insatisfecha una luz clara que no encuentra ni podrá jamás encontrar. No pocas veces, la superficialidad y ligereza de nuestra vida cotidiana y el culto secreto a tantos ídolos y a tantos apegos nos sumergen en largas crisis, con la sensación de haber perdido realmente a Dios. Además, nuestro propio pecado quebranta nuestra fe. Si somos sinceros, hemos de confesar que hay una distancia enorme entre el creyente que profesamos ser y el creyente que somos en realidad. ¿Y entonces? ¿Qué hacer al constatar en nosotros una fe a veces tan frágil y vacilante? Lo primero sería quizá no desesperar, ni asustarse al descubrir en nosotros dudas y oscuridad. Ese es el punto de partida. La búsqueda de Dios se vive casi siempre en la inseguridad, en el riesgo. A Dios lo buscamos a tientas. En realidad, la fe genuina sólo puede aparecer como duda superada. Lo que importa es aceptar el misterio de Dios con el corazón abierto, sencillo, sin esperar a que nuestros interrogantes y dudas se encuentren resueltos para vivir de cara a Él. Por eso es tan importante es saber gritar como Pedro, constantemente "¡Señor, sálvame!"; saber levantar hacia Dios nuestras manos vacías, y no sólo como gesto de súplica, sino también como entrega confiada de quien se sabe pequeño, ignorante y necesitado de salvación. La fe, qué duda cabe, es caminar sobre agua, pero con la posibilidad de encontrar siempre esa mano que nos salva del hundimiento total, la mano fuerte y amorosa del Señor Jesús • AE

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Fr. Agustin’s Schedule for August 9, 2020.

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

 

Sunday August 9, 2020.

8.30 a.m. English Mass

@ Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church

(Outdoors mass)

10.30 a.m. English Mass

@ Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church

(Outdoors mass)

12.00 p.m. English Mass

@ Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church

(Main church)