13/08/2023

Of course God is in the storm and raging thunder. He is in floods and earthquake. We ignore him at our peril for his providence does not pick and chose; his sun shines on the wicked as well as on the righteous.

St Paul is very much a Jew. He knows the sound of the gentle breeze and he has also been called by the intense light of the Resurrection. He knows that the body which reveals the new life of the resurrected Jesus is his own flesh and blood descended from Abraham. When he offers to repeat Jesus' sacrifice in his own flesh, he is not denigrating the Supreme Love of Father, Son and Holy Spirit which accepted the sacrifice of the Son incarnated to be Jewish from before the beginning of time, he is horrified that any of God's chosen ones would keep themselves from heaven.

There has been no prayer that can approach the Glory of Calvary. St Paul knows this but he is human and he too has fought as we do to find words and ideas that can interpret the longings of our own souls. 

St Peter is total human sincerity, but he does let his actions speak much louder than a gentle breeze. As far as we know he is the only Apostle even to attempt to get out of the boat. In Gethsemane he drew the sword. He wanted to stay on Mount Tabor. He would have avoided Jesus' sign of loving humility at the Last Supper, but most of all he took on the role of Satan by putting the things of this world before God, and. as such, was duly reprimanded.

We who are alive on Earth in 2023 cannot avoid seeing the volatile foundation stone in the present all too human institution. Human technology, however, enables us to search for the still quiet voice throughout the world and communicate our belief in Father Son and Holy Spirit to the Universe.

Dear Lord help me to pray and to avoid being self-centered. You will be with us to the end of time and are in the heart of the Church which is not only an institution on earth but also the loving community of all faithful souls on earth, You, your mother, all the saints in Heaven and the Holy Souls happy in the knowledge that they are able to atone for the sins of which they now know the true horror and stupidity.