The Catholic Calendar for Tuesday, August 8, 2006
Tuesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
St. Dominic, priest and religious

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Jeremiah 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22
Psalm 102:16-18, 19-21, 29 and 22-23
Matthew 14:22-36

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

Oh my! Today’s reading from Jeremiah is very distressing! It’s so graphic, even to these modern ears and eyes that have heard and seen so much. Maybe it’s because it’s so clear that the devastation described is a clear consequence of sin.

Sin is a reality we don’t like to talk about or hear about. We are even more reluctant to admit that we often perpetuate it.

It is however, just this kind of “talk” preserved for us today in Holy Scripture that we should not be lacking in proper instruction.

Coupled with these stern reminders about sin and faithlessness, the reality of God’s mercy and His love is always part of “the rest of the story.” He has, we must remember, the weapons (and the will and resolve to utilize them) to conquer our ultimate enemy (sin), but unless we avail ourselves of His help and let Him be our truest ally, He cannot help us.

So we have a choice, to be humble before the Lord and admit our failings and great need for His sovereign help, or pretend that we're “okay” and go it alone. The latter of those two choices flies in the face of reality and is foolish because we're not okay unless our refuge and defense comes from the Lord. Our own self-righteousness has no power whatsoever to save us.

O Lord, You have the words of everlasting life!

- Donna Nelson, OCDS
(drn3rd at hughes dot net)

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posted by joachim at 5:16 AM