19th Sunday in Ordinary Time Homily – August 9, 2020

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

INTRO:

There is an old JEWISH legend about Moses….It says when Moses stretched out his staff to divide the water of the Red Sea for the people to cross over….it didn’t divide!!!! ????

The Red Sea ONLY divided when an old couple, HAND IN HAND, lovingly, faithfully, and bravely stepped into the sea (feet in the water) and started to walk across…..
It was only then with a great flourish from the heavens did the Sea divide and bring the chosen people to safety!!!!

One point, as I see it in this legend, is “scary things” need another hand……. We cannot do “scary things” ALONE!

Problem is that some of us ARE ALONE, during this COVID-19 scary thing and many other “scary things” that we endure……some of us are alone, OR, ARE WE???
You heard Peter in the Gospel….he kept his eyes on the Lord and only when he drifted off from the Lord….looking at the wind did he falter. He stopped looking at Him.
He needed to NOT LET GO of our Lord and KEEP LOOKING AT HIM.

The same goes for us…..
⦁ When we attempt to MAKE a scary CHANGE IN OUR LIVES
⦁ when we EMBARK UPON SOMETHING NEW
⦁ When we have to put on our masks in public

If we STOP LOOKING AT GOD, attempting scary things ALL ON OUR OWN
….. We will falter.

The CHURCH wants all of us to GET TO KNOW THE LORD better…to deal with the “scary” things!!!

And sometimes we think we KNOW the Lord, but in reality we are far from “experiencing” His wonderful presence, and like the OT alludes to…..His tiny whisper in the wind!!!

Placing ourselves in the wonderful presence of the Lord is what Catholics today need more now than ever.

So, the legend doesn’t mean…hold your wife’s hand or your husband’s… It means HOLD GOD’S HAND…and become most aware of HIM more and more in all your daily doings so that when something really “scary” occurs it doesn’t shake you!

CONCLUSION

Make a new commitment to Jesus and prayer…seek out some information on how to deepen your spiritual life and fully experience His presence and His whisper in the wind. He makes all the difference in the world and we will get through scary things, but only with Him!

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