A reading from the First Book of Kings
19:9a, 11-13a
At the mountain of God, Horeb,
Elijah came to a cave where he took shelter.
Then the LORD said to him,
?Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD;
the LORD will be passing by.?
A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains
and crushing rocks before the LORD?
but the LORD was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake?
but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake there was fire?
but the LORD was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
When he heard this,
Elijah hid his face in his cloak
and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans
9:1-5
Brothers and sisters:
I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie;
my conscience joins with the Holy Spirit in bearing me witness
that I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart.
For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ
for the sake of my own people,
my kindred according to the flesh.
They are Israelites;
theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants,
the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;
theirs the patriarchs, and from them,
according to the flesh, is the Christ,
who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
From the Gospel according to Matthew
14:22-33
After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
?It is a ghost,? they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, ?Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.?
Peter said to him in reply,
?Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.?
He said, ?Come.?
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, ?Lord, save me!?
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter,
and said to him, ?O you of little faith, why did you doubt??
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
?Truly, you are the Son of God.?
Today, Christ repeats to each of us, ?Take heart, it is I; have no fear!? Take heart because I am here, because you are no longer alone on the turbulent waters of life. And so, what should we do when we find ourselves on the open sea at the mercy of headwinds? What should we do when we face the fear of the open sea, when we see only darkness and we feel we are going under? We need to do two things that the disciples do in the Gospel. What do the disciples do? They call on and welcome Jesus. At the worst moments, in the darkest of storms, call on Jesus and welcome Jesus.
The disciples call on Jesus: Peter walks a little on the waters towards Jesus, but then gets frightened. He sinks and then cries out: ?Lord, save me!? (v. 30). Invoke Jesus, call on Jesus. This prayer is beautiful. It expresses the certainty that the Lord can save us, that he conquers our evil and our fears. (?)
And then the disciples welcome. First they call on, then they welcome Jesus into the boat. The text says that as soon as he got into the boat, ?the wind ceased? (v. 32). The Lord knows that the boat of our life, as well as the boat of the Church, is threatened by headwinds, and that the sea on which we sail is often turbulent. He does not spare us the hard work of sailing; rather ? the Gospel emphasizes ? he pushes his disciples to depart. He invites us to face difficulties so they too might become salvific places, so Jesus can conquer them, so they become opportunities to meet him. In fact, in our moments of darkness, he comes to meet us, asking to be welcomed like that night on the lake. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 13 August 2023)
Gospel and Word of the Day – 09 August 2026 –
A reading from the First Book of Kings
19:9a, 11-13a
At the mountain of God, Horeb,
Elijah came to a cave where he took shelter.
Then the LORD said to him,
?Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD;
the LORD will be passing by.?
A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains
and crushing rocks before the LORD?
but the LORD was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake?
but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake there was fire?
but the LORD was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
When he heard this,
Elijah hid his face in his cloak
and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans
9:1-5
Brothers and sisters:
I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie;
my conscience joins with the Holy Spirit in bearing me witness
that I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart.
For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ
for the sake of my own people,
my kindred according to the flesh.
They are Israelites;
theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants,
the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;
theirs the patriarchs, and from them,
according to the flesh, is the Christ,
who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
From the Gospel according to Matthew
14:22-33
After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
?It is a ghost,? they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, ?Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.?
Peter said to him in reply,
?Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.?
He said, ?Come.?
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, ?Lord, save me!?
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter,
and said to him, ?O you of little faith, why did you doubt??
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
?Truly, you are the Son of God.?
Today, Christ repeats to each of us, ?Take heart, it is I; have no fear!? Take heart because I am here, because you are no longer alone on the turbulent waters of life. And so, what should we do when we find ourselves on the open sea at the mercy of headwinds? What should we do when we face the fear of the open sea, when we see only darkness and we feel we are going under? We need to do two things that the disciples do in the Gospel. What do the disciples do? They call on and welcome Jesus. At the worst moments, in the darkest of storms, call on Jesus and welcome Jesus.
The disciples call on Jesus: Peter walks a little on the waters towards Jesus, but then gets frightened. He sinks and then cries out: ?Lord, save me!? (v. 30). Invoke Jesus, call on Jesus. This prayer is beautiful. It expresses the certainty that the Lord can save us, that he conquers our evil and our fears. (?)
And then the disciples welcome. First they call on, then they welcome Jesus into the boat. The text says that as soon as he got into the boat, ?the wind ceased? (v. 32). The Lord knows that the boat of our life, as well as the boat of the Church, is threatened by headwinds, and that the sea on which we sail is often turbulent. He does not spare us the hard work of sailing; rather ? the Gospel emphasizes ? he pushes his disciples to depart. He invites us to face difficulties so they too might become salvific places, so Jesus can conquer them, so they become opportunities to meet him. In fact, in our moments of darkness, he comes to meet us, asking to be welcomed like that night on the lake. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 13 August 2023)
A reading from the First Book of Kings
19:9a, 11-13a
At the mountain of God, Horeb,
Elijah came to a cave where he took shelter.
Then the LORD said to him,
?Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD;
the LORD will be passing by.?
A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains
and crushing rocks before the LORD?
but the LORD was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake?
but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake there was fire?
but the LORD was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
When he heard this,
Elijah hid his face in his cloak
and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans
9:1-5
Brothers and sisters:
I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie;
my conscience joins with the Holy Spirit in bearing me witness
that I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart.
For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ
for the sake of my own people,
my kindred according to the flesh.
They are Israelites;
theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants,
the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;
theirs the patriarchs, and from them,
according to the flesh, is the Christ,
who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
From the Gospel according to Matthew
14:22-33
After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
?It is a ghost,? they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, ?Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.?
Peter said to him in reply,
?Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.?
He said, ?Come.?
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, ?Lord, save me!?
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter,
and said to him, ?O you of little faith, why did you doubt??
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
?Truly, you are the Son of God.?
Today, Christ repeats to each of us, ?Take heart, it is I; have no fear!? Take heart because I am here, because you are no longer alone on the turbulent waters of life. And so, what should we do when we find ourselves on the open sea at the mercy of headwinds? What should we do when we face the fear of the open sea, when we see only darkness and we feel we are going under? We need to do two things that the disciples do in the Gospel. What do the disciples do? They call on and welcome Jesus. At the worst moments, in the darkest of storms, call on Jesus and welcome Jesus.
The disciples call on Jesus: Peter walks a little on the waters towards Jesus, but then gets frightened. He sinks and then cries out: ?Lord, save me!? (v. 30). Invoke Jesus, call on Jesus. This prayer is beautiful. It expresses the certainty that the Lord can save us, that he conquers our evil and our fears. (?)
And then the disciples welcome. First they call on, then they welcome Jesus into the boat. The text says that as soon as he got into the boat, ?the wind ceased? (v. 32). The Lord knows that the boat of our life, as well as the boat of the Church, is threatened by headwinds, and that the sea on which we sail is often turbulent. He does not spare us the hard work of sailing; rather ? the Gospel emphasizes ? he pushes his disciples to depart. He invites us to face difficulties so they too might become salvific places, so Jesus can conquer them, so they become opportunities to meet him. In fact, in our moments of darkness, he comes to meet us, asking to be welcomed like that night on the lake. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 13 August 2023)