Walkino on Water, by Ivan Aivazovsky (1888)
When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going. John 6:19-21
In my RCIA class the other night we were learning about the Eucharist. The Priest was going through John chapter 6 with the class. Many of us know and have read this passage, but the Priest who was teaching shed new light on this passage for me. He did what a Priest should do, like a Good Shepherd, he revealed our God and opened our eyes even more. Many of you may have already seen and known these things I am about to write, but I write them as I feel compelled to share them with the hopes that you remember how great God is in the trying times we live in.
The passage begins with a multitude of hungry people coming to see Jesus. Jesus responds with a question for his disciples;
“Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” John 6:5
Scripture tells us that Jesus said this to test them. “Why would Jesus want to test them?“, The Priest asked us. One adept student answered, “He wants to know if they know who He is yet?” Jesus who has been with the disciples healing the sick and the blind and casting out demons wants to know right here, if they recognize him for who He is, and if they do, how big do they think He is?
We can know by the response, that some know him a little more than others, some have progressed further than others. Thomas tells him what two hundred denari won’t do. Andrew, responds about a boy with five barely loaves and two fish. Andrew perhaps has no idea what Jesus will do, but he brings his meager observation to Jesus and let’s Jesus do what He will do. Thomas, brings him the worldly response. Isn’t this just like all of us? Some are a little more progressed in trust and knowing God than others; Some are more illuminated about who He is than others. But neither disciple in this story realizes the greatness that is about to be. They are looking at the circumstance that looms large. They receive a giant miracle.
The feeding of the 5000 ends with the people wanting to force Jesus to be their king. Isn’t that just like us? God, the gentleman, who doesn’t force Himself on us, reveals something of Himself, and we begin wanting to force Him into our ways. The People of God have never been great at choosing what is good for them. It is why we do need the Mystical Body with Christ as the head. For Jesus knows the kind of earthly King they want is not what their souls need. It would not heal them the way they need to be healed.
Smack in the middle of this chapter, in between the feeding of the 5000 and the Bread of Life discourse, John tells us of the miracle of Jesus walking on water;
When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going. John 6:16-21
Why did Jesus perform this miracle here? There are two things the Priest who was teaching us pointed out. The first is of course that Jesus is defying nature by walking on water. But the second is more subtle. Immediately the boat reach the land towards which they were going. This happened because they tried to get Jesus into the boat. Later the people realize Jesus wasn’t in the boat and wonder how he got to the other side. But Jesus did two things here, he had control of space, walking on water, and he sped up time, so they couldn’t get Him in the boat.
He is Lord of space and time. He is outside of them and He is held within them. He can control nature. When I think of the immensity of that, I feel small and humbled that I have ever questioned God’s timing on anything. And it made me to understand so much more how he is definitely hidden in that tiny host on the altar that we can receive everyday. His nature in that accident of bread and wine. He is great enough and humble enough to do that for us.
The latter part of John 6 is the Bread of Life Discourse. He chastises the people, imploring them to believe;
When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us, then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” John 6:25 – 34
He tells them that they came because of their fill of loaves and then they ask for signs. Jesus isn’t looking for us to believe because of signs and worldly fill. He wants for us to look for Him regardless of signs and wonders. Jesus brought us the path to perfect love. It can involve signs and wonders, and abundance, but my friends, that is not why we should believe. And when we look for signs and wonders, in the way that we think things will play out, we may miss what God is actually doing. Lord knows, even the Apostles, who were told everything in advance, missed the destination of the Cross as the goal to resurrection. He is showing us how to do the Will of the Father. Only one Apostle stood beneath the Cross. Perhaps only one was needed for the mission of our cooperation with God to be accomplished. I don’t know.
But I do know, we’re on a precipice in time. We see the signs of the times. And yet, do we? Are we thinking big enough about God?
I believe their will be an illumination of conscience. I don’t know if it will be at a specific moment in time because I actually see it happening everyday. I pray for it to happen, and then my friends, I actually see it happen, with different individuals at different times. I know some people have very specific ideas of how this will go. And perhaps it will go that way. But perhaps, the God who knows us, and knows that we are all in different places, has set this illumination in motion already. Perhaps individual consciences are being awakened right now. I am being contacted almost daily by people from all walks of life who want to become Catholic. Perhaps this will all culminate with a specific moment in time in a blaze of glory. The Cross of course was a specific moment in time. But all of Salvation History is held within that Sacrifice, now, at each Mass. The representation of Calvary is the collision of space and time, here, now, in our present moment. So do not be discouraged if things aren’t happening the way you think they should or in the time you think they should. Jesus is Lord of time and space. And He knows what he is doing.
Many who have contacted me have asked me for reassurance that the church will stand as they see their Protestant churches fall to division and immorality. I always reassure them that the church will stand, because we were promised that it will, but I have no idea what that looks like. It may look like death and resurrection. I believe it will be a ride of suffering, so cling to love, not signs and wonders.
In my prayer of late, I just here, Ephphatha, that is, “be opened”. My friends, be opened to whatever God wills. Pay attention and stay awake. And don’t put God in a box of how you think things should get done. The people who did that in the past ended up walking away from the bread of life and returning to their former sin. And they did this after seeing and experiencing signs and wonders. For us, we must focus on love and what that looks like, not the signs and wonders. Love is Lord of space and time.
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. John 6:68
Veil of Veronica 
Beautiful. Thank you. 😔
Thank you. Tests are not for the teacher, they are for the students. Teachers generally know how their students are doing. Tests tell the students how they are doing. Tests let us know what we know, but more important highlight what we don’t know, so we are aware of our own ignorance or misinformation.
The stories of Jesus walking on water and calming the seas had a bigger effect on his Jewish audience than to us. They know the Old Testament well, Psalms were recited daily. Job 9:8 states “He alone stretches out the heavens and treads upon the crests of the sea”. Psalm 89:10 “You rule the raging sea; you still its swelling waves.” What he did, and was reported was a proof that Jesus is God, there was no way around it from the old testament.
As for time and space God is everywhere always. The physics of this are truly fascinating. “The first gulp from the glass of natural sciences will turn you into an atheist, but at the bottom of the glass God is waiting for you” (Werner Heisenberg – father of Quantum Physics)
The eternal all-knowing God is actually well reflected in the current model of physics. “the conservation of quantum information means that information cannot be created nor destroyed.” (Quantum no-hiding theorem experimentally confirmed for first time) From this we can see that “Information”, that which informs, is eternal why? Ultimately because God who is eternal is all-knowing and all that is true comes from him outside of time. If information can not be created, given a universe that expanded from a moment of creation, then that information must be super natural and eternal since it existed at the creation of time and space itself.
Given the theory of conservation of information in quantum mechanics and the Big Bang and inflation, information for all points in spacetime had to exist at the moment of creation, before their own creation. The initial point created was equipped with (inherited or received) all the information to describe all points from any frame of reference for all of time and their interactions or influences. (Note: information is a contraction of “in formation”, it is the guidance need to form all the future states of existence!) At the moment of creation, no existent material (such as particles like the Higgs boson (the particle attributed to the existence of mass) etc.) existed to direct, affect, or tune the universe. All future points, and states would have had description before any matter, relativistic references, time, space, or material interactions existed (or any known structure to store this vast amount of information on a minimum of a plank length scale! (1.616255×10⁻³⁵ m per “quantum of time” (10-43 second) for all of time)). All of creation and the information for it had to be and was preconceived before the first point was even created (and that can only be attributed to the Omniscient will of God).
Ecclesiastes 3:14-15 “I know that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; God has done this, so that all should stand in awe before him. 15 That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already is; and God seeks out what has gone by”
Thank you, and may God bless you!
Mark
That all makes my head explode, lol.
Susan, this reflection is wonderfully inspiring for me!
As I was reading it, I began to “relive” the horrific details of the shocking “closure” of Catholic Churches throughout the entire world resulting from the onset of the pandemic. The image of Pope Francis sitting completely alone in St Peter’s square that Easter is an image that is forever in my mind. The excruciating pain of NOT being able to receive the Eucharist was so bad that I cannot find words to describe it. The word “unprecedented” was the buzzword of that time. Who could have ever known that such a thing could possibly happen? The uncertainty of those times lasted all too long. Would we ever get back to the way it was before? I remember telling a very close priest friend of mine that the actual “death on the cross” of the church was taking place and that the church would never be the same again. The exposing of the sex abuse scandal and subsequent lawsuits that then followed were the time period of the passion and/or crucifixion itself of the church, but the actual shutting down and closure of the churches was the actual (spiritual) death of the church. Countless people have never returned since the reopening of the churches.
I believe that we have presently entered into the (spiritual) “resurrection” phase of the life of the church at this time. Your article speaks of the many people from all walks of life are coming to the Catholic Church. I have been noticing the same phenomena. The church has begun to be built anew. While there have been countless “lifelong” mediocre Catholics who have since walked away, there are countless more who are taking their places, with a faith (in the True Presence of Jesus) that far supersedes those who left. When Jesus asked if the others would leave as well…Simon Peter responded “Lord to whom shall we go?” A few knew at that time that there was no other! As the “Easter season” (after the resurrection of the Church progresses), I believe that in the future we will begin to see incredible widespread miracles much like had been reported in the very infancy of the church by the first Christians in the first couple of hundred years. Of course, martyrdom will be widespread as well. Not to fear though, but for the grace of God. Martyrdom is a great privilege. No other sort of death mirrors the absolute certainty of the beatific vision!
I think the call has gone out for the final harvest. It is wonderful people are answering the call and entering the Church. I do not believe the Church has begun to be built anew. The Church has to follow Christ’s Passion, and it will appear to be dead and defeated, as Christ was. All man made edifices in His Church will be brought to ruin, out of His Mercy, so that we can worship God once again in spirit and in truth. All being done in His Church, and in His Holy Name that is not in accordance with the will of God will be done away with. In some areas, the Church will appear to be gone if their actions are man made and man/worldly centered. COVID restrictions were simply a revelation of the truth of the state of the priesthood, the Body of Christ, and governments. I think many of us saw this and we’re not surprised. It was also a call. A priest once told us that “suffering doesn’t BUILD character, it REVEALS IT”. If we take that to heart, we should ask ourselves what it all revealed about our faith, our trust in the Lord, and how attached we may be to worldliness, ease, and comfort. As Catholics, we will have very difficult decisions to discern in the near future. Are we exercising the gifts of the Holy Spirit or do we turn to the world to tell us what to do? Are we so full of fear of going without that we would jeopardize our salvation and that of those in our care? These are things the Lord has revealed to me over the last twelve years of pruning, suffering, and warfare. They’re worth pondering. The Resurrection will come as promised, but we have yet to enter fully in the Passion of our Lord. God is good, faithful, and oh so loving. We aren’t to fear at all, but take this time to learn, purge, submit to Him, trust Him. With everything. Temporal and spiritual.
I would agree with that. The structures we have in play now are corrupt and the Lord revealed all of that.
He will purify that which is not of Him.
Trust is the most important part of our journey.
Beautifully written. I see myself in many places in this post. The Holy Spirit is trying to tell me something. I need to lean in and make out the words He is writing on my heart.
I’m with you on the illumination of conscience, Susan. For a long time now, I have sensed that even as it might be referring to a specific day, it is also already unfolding. I too see it happening all around me, and some years back, I experienced a “form of it” myself. It brought to light my sins of ingratitude. How painful that light was – and it was only 1 specific sin. If that day wasn’t the the day, then, I cannot imagine how the actual day would be, or even if I would be able to live through it seeing all my sins.
Thank you for these precious words, Susan. Tonight, I go to my Father’s Heart as a child much in need of cleansing.
Thank you for another wonderful post. A thought:. While I understand your necessary caution about emphasizing signs and wonders too much, and the need to be grounded in faith first, I do believe that these are important parts of our faith journey. I used to delight in surprising my children with special gifts and to see the joy on their faces. In a similar way, when I receive a sign from God (even the small ones are wonder-ful… really there are no small ones) they are so reassuring and truly increase my intimacy with God and trust in His love. As the darkness increases, He may want to show himself more, so we should be open to receiving and even expecting these little evidences that he us with us.
I agree, in the story itself he chastises them for coming for signs but it didn’t stop him from performing them, he still fed them earthly bread. But he wanted the belief in the heavenly bread that came down from heaven. And we need to know God’s surprises don’t always look the way we think. None of the would ever have thought of the Eucharist but it’s the greatest surprise we were ever given.
Beautiful
Thank you so much- this is both beautiful and inspiring.
And doesn’t this also point once again to our Blessed Mother as the perfect example of how to navigate these times? Her “fiat” was a total surrender of her will to the Divine Will. She gave her “yes” unconditionally , without it being dependent on what she expected to unfold or how it would all play out. She faced everything with trust and docility, pondering all things in her heart…please God that we may do the same
love this readnings GOD bless you sis !Day three
Mary and Holiness
Humanity cannot be converted without the sanctification of each human soul, hence the obligation to decide for holiness. Jesus exhorts us to do so by saying: “You, then, be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5, 48)
There is no holiness without humility. Humility will always grow in the soul that is on its way to holiness. The more the soul humbles itself, the more holiness grows in it. From our humble confidence in God, springs the procession of all other virtues. Every moment of Mary’s life was a continual “Yes” to God’s will. Why? Because Mary is the humble one who, in total submission, accepted God’s Will for her life: to be the Mother of the Savior: to go to Bethlehem to obey the census edict, to flee to Egypt, to welcome the prophecy of Simeon, to see her Son die on the Cross, to witness his burial, etc. Let us observe Mary who takes jealous care to preserve humility in the heart of her messenger Elisabeth and so protecting her holiness.
Virgin Mary – “My little one, why did you try so hard? Why did you want to speak eloquent words on behalf of my Flame of Love? Keep before your eyes that you are destined for suffering. Remember also the words my Divine Son told you: ‘Give yourself to suffering and sacrifice yourself ceaselessly.’ Your sufferings are not in vain, but it is not for you to worry about who understands my Flame of Love. Do not be surprised, my little instrument, that you cannot speak eloquent words. I am the one who acts and who enkindles the Flame of Love in the depth of hearts. I am the one who confused your words and darkened your mind. I did not want any pride in your soul. That would be a great fault. You, little instrument, be reasonable and totally humble. You are an instrument in our hands. We care for you and allow no sin to come close to you. Be careful in all your temptations. The Evil One takes advantage of every situation to shake your humility.” (Spiritual Diary – December 17, 1962)
Jesus – “With each beat of your heart, repent of your sins. Make reparation and console Me. If your love decreases, turn to our heavenly Mother and she will fill your heart with abundant love for Me. I am grateful to you because your heart suffers with Me, beats in Me. Never tire of contemplating My sacred Wounds, from which you will always draw strength. Offer yourself to the Eternal Father. Abide within the Most Holy Trinity. In temptations, flee under the mantle of our Mother. She will defend you from the Evil One who will continually trouble you. I will be with you if you stay close to Me. No one and nothing will snatch you from Me.” (Spiritual Diary – Between March 4 and 7, 1962)
Moment for reflection
1. Do we desire the peace that holiness brings? How will we achieve this?
2. Do we guard and preserve the sanctifying grace we received at baptism?
3. Do we faithfully love the Unity Prayer Jesus gave us in order to be united with Him at every moment in our lives and to let Him transform our hearts?
Intention We renew our decision for holiness and we live every day in the Grace of our baptism—always choosing good and renouncing evil.
Closing Prayers:
+ST. MICHAEL ARCHANGEL, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen. O glorious prince St. Michael, chief and commander of the heavenly hosts, guardian of souls, vanquisher of rebel spirits, servant in the house of the Divine King and our admirable conductor, you who shine with excellence and superhuman virtue deliver us from all evil, who turn to you with confidence and enable us by your gracious protection to serve God more and more faithfully every day. Amen.
+Prayer to St. Joseph- O GOD, who by your ineffable Providence has deigned to choose Saint Joseph as the husband of your Most Holy Mother, grant us, we ask you, that we may have for an intercessor in Heaven the one we venerate as protector on earth. Amen. SAINT Joseph, you sought refuge for the Blessed Virgin in Bethlehem, help us to seek refuge for her Flame of Love in the hearts of all people. Amen
+Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Act of consecration, revealed by Jesus to Saint Margaret-Marie Alacoque (1647-1690) During an appearance at Paray Le Monial- I [ ] give and consecrate to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ, my person, my life, my actions, my pains and sufferings, so that I may be unwilling to make use of any part of my being save to honor, love, and glorify the Sacred Heart. It is my unchanging intention to be all His and to do all for love of Him. I renounce at the same time with all my heart whatever can displease Him. I, therefore, take You, O Sacred Heart, for the only object of my love, the protector of my life, the pledge of my salvation, the remedy of my weakness and inconstancy, the atonement for the faults of my life, and the secure refuge at the hour of my death. Be then, O Heart of goodness, my justification before God the Father, and turn away from me the punishment of His just anger. O Heart of love, I put my confidence in You, because I fear everything from my own sinfulness and weakness. I hope for all things from Your mercy and generosity. Destroy in me all that can displease or resist Your holy Will. Let Your pure love impress You so deeply upon my heart, that I may never forget You or be separated from You. May my name, by your loving kindness, be written In You, because in You I desire to place all my happiness and all my glory in living and dying in very bondage to you. Amen.
+Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary- O IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, ever-filled with kindness, show us Your Love. May the Flame of Love of Your Heart descend upon all men. We love You with all that we are. Instill true love in our hearts, that we may have toward You an unceasing devotion. O MARY, who art meek and humble of Heart, remember us when we are in a state of sin. By means of Your motherly and Immaculate Heart, heal us from all our spiritual ailments and deficiencies. Grant that we may always see the kindness of Your motherly Heart, and be converted by Your Flame of Love. Amen.
+Prayer for the spread of the Flame of Love With the personal approval of His Holiness Paul VI November 1973 – Blessed Virgin Mary our Mother, Your love of God and Your love for us your children is such that You offer us to Your Divine Son Jesus on the Cross, to obtain forgiveness for our sins from the Eternal Father, and thus, obtain our salvation, and for anyone believing in Jesus not to perish but obtain Eternal Life. It is with filial trust that we beseech you, Blessed Mother, with the Flame of Love of Your Immaculate Heart and through the Holy Spirit, to inflame in our hearts the fire of a perfect love for God and all men. Help us to spread this Holy Flame to all people of goodwill, so that the Flame of Love may extinguish the fires of hate all over the world, and Jesus, the Prince of Peace, may be King, front and center, in every heart, in the Sacrament of His Love on the throne of our Altars. Amen
** Initial approach and prayers for each day of the Novena
1. Each day, before reciting the prayers of this Novena, we light a candle and begin by making the sign of the cross five times while taking refuge in the five wounds of Jesus.
2. We pray for the intentions of our Blessed Mother and we also ask her for graces for each of our personal intentions. The most important thing is to live every step of this Novena with a generous loving heart—with a living faith and a deep recollection.
3. We take a moment to acknowledge our faults and ask God’s forgiveness:
Act of contrition My God, I am very sorry for offending you because you are infinitely good, infinitely kind and you hate sin. Forgive me by the merits of Jesus Christ my Savior. I resolve, by your holy grace, not to offend you and to do penance. Amen.
4. We ask for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all humanity for the salvation of souls. Invocation of the Holy Spirit Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the power of the Flame of Love of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. (3 times)
Du har skickat
You gladden my heart more than in the days when grain and wine are plentiful.
Psalm 4:8
The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Romans 14:17
On Today’s Gospel
16h sedan
Catholicjules.net
What then is the purpose of light, if not to shine? To shine brightly so as to drive out all darkness. That is precisely what every Christian, disciples of Christ Jesus our Lord must do. We are to be His light into the world, to love, heal and drive out all darkness in the lives of those who do not yet know Him.
We have power from on High to love others into the kingdom. We must therefore be disciplined, exercising self control so as to be powerful witnesses of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
We want more of You Lord in our lives! More! Come Holy Spirit fill us with Your presence! Drive out all forms of darkness within us, so that we can pure lights of Him who sends us into the world. Amen
Saints Timothy and Titus pray for us…
________
First reading
2 Timothy 1:1-8 ·
Fan into a flame the gift God gave you
From Paul, appointed by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus in his design to promise life in Christ Jesus; to Timothy, dear child of mine, wishing you grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Lord.
Night and day I thank God, keeping my conscience clear and remembering my duty to him as my ancestors did, and always I remember you in my prayers; I remember your tears and long to see you again to complete my happiness. Then I am reminded of the sincere faith which you have; it came first to live in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice, and I have no doubt that it is the same faith in you as well.
That is why I am reminding you now to fan into a flame the gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you. God’s gift was not a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power, and love, and self-control. So you are never to be ashamed of witnessing to the Lord, or ashamed of me for being his prisoner; but with me, bear the hardships for the sake of the Good News, relying on the power of God who has saved us and called us to be holy.
________
Gospel
Mark 4:21-25
A lamp is to be put on a lampstand. The amount you measure out is the amount you will be given
Jesus said to the crowd, ‘Would you bring in a lamp to put it under a tub or under the bed? Surely you will put it on the lamp-stand? For there is nothing hidden but it must be disclosed, nothing kept secret except to be brought to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to this.’
He also said to them, ‘Take notice of what you are hearing. The amount you measure out is the amount you will be given – and more besides; for the man who has will be given more; from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away.’
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“Jesus is Lord of time and space. And He knows what he is doing.” Amen!