Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Independence Day [In Dioceses of the United States]

 
Alternate Texts may be taken from the Masses for Various Needs and Occasions, II. For Civil Needs: 13. For the Nation, nos. 882-886; or 14. For Peace and Justice, nos. 887-891. Author’s selection – Independence Day.
 
On this Independence Day, for the General Intercessions one may use an adaptation of the prayer composed by Archbishop John Carroll for the inauguration of George Washington as found in the Book of Blessings (#1965): [1]
 
We [likewise] commend to your unbounded mercy
all citizens of the United States,
that we may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in
  the observance of your holy law.
May we be preserved in union and that peace which the
  world cannot give;
And, after enjoying the blessings of this life,
be admitted to those which are eternal.
 
We pray to you, who are Lord and God
for ever and ever.
 
R. Amen
 
* (Optional Memorial for Saint Elizabeth of Portugal)
Proper readings for the Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Portugal
Biographical information about St. Elizabeth of Portugal
* In the United States, this memorial is perpetually transferred to July 5^th.

“Sleep of Jesus During the Storm”
by Alexandre Bida, c. 1875

Readings for Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
Reading 1: Genesis 19:15-29
 
As dawn was breaking, the angels urged Lot on, saying, "On your way!
Take with you your wife and your two daughters who are here,
or you will be swept away in the punishment of Sodom."
When he hesitated, the men, by the LORD's mercy,
seized his hand and the hands of his wife and his two daughters
and led them to safety outside the city.
As soon as they had been brought outside, he was told:
"Flee for your life!
Don't look back or stop anywhere on the Plain.
Get off to the hills at once, or you will be swept away."
 "Oh, no, my lord!" Lot replied,
"You have already thought enough of your servant
to do me the great kindness of intervening to save my life.
But I cannot flee to the hills to keep the disaster from overtaking me,
and so I shall die.
Look, this town ahead is near enough to escape to.
It's only a small place.
Let me flee there-it's a small place, is it not?-
that my life may be saved."
"Well, then," he replied,
"I will also grant you the favor you now ask.
I will not overthrow the town you speak of.
Hurry, escape there!
I cannot do anything until you arrive there."
That is why the town is called Zoar.
 
The sun was just rising over the earth as Lot arrived in Zoar;
at the same time the LORD rained down sulphurous fire
upon Sodom and Gomorrah
from the LORD out of heaven.
He overthrew those cities and the whole Plain,
together with the inhabitants of the cities
and the produce of the soil.
But Lot's wife looked back, and she was turned into a pillar of salt.
 
Early the next morning Abraham went to the place
where he had stood in the LORD's presence.
As he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah
and the whole region of the Plain,
he saw dense smoke over the land rising like fumes from a furnace.
 
Thus it came to pass: when God destroyed the Cities of the Plain,
he was mindful of Abraham by sending Lot away from the upheaval
by which God overthrew the cities where Lot had been living.
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Commentary on Gn 19:15-29
 
This passage describes the salvation of Lot along with his wife and daughters from the destruction heaped upon Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot is given the boon of salvation because of his righteous actions in the previous section (Genesis 19 1-14). Lot is instructed to flee and not look back at God’s destructive wrath. Lot’s wife violates this instruction (looking upon that which was forbidden by God) and is turned into a pillar of salt.
 
The language used to describe the destruction “He overthrew those cities and the whole Plain” (literally, turned upside down) would be consistent with an earthquake followed by fire. The passage concludes indicating that a principal reason for Lot’s salvation was his relationship to Abraham (Genesis 12:5).
 
CCC: Gn 19 332; Gn 19:1-29 2357
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 26:2-3, 9-10, 11-12
 
R. (3a) O Lord, your mercy is before my eyes.
 
Search me, O LORD, and try me;
test my soul and my heart.
For your mercy is before my eyes,
and I walk in your truth.
R. O Lord, your mercy is before my eyes.
 
Gather not my soul with those of sinners,
nor with men of blood my life.
On their hands are crimes,
and their right hands are full of bribes.
R. O Lord, your mercy is before my eyes.
 
But I walk in integrity;
redeem me, and have mercy on me.
My foot stands on level ground;
in the assemblies I will bless the LORD.
R. O Lord, your mercy is before my eyes.
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Commentary on Ps 26:2-3, 9-10, 11-12
 
Psalm 26 is an individual lament. In these strophes the psalmist seeks the Lord's protection as they approach him (see also Exodus 30:17-21). The singer prays for mercy and purity before God as fidelity and praise of the Lord are pledged.
 
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Gospel: Matthew 8:23-27
 
As Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him.
Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea,
so that the boat was being swamped by waves;
but he was asleep.
They came and woke him, saying,
"Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"
He said to them, "Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?"
Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea,
and there was great calm.
The men were amazed and said, "What sort of man is this,
whom even the winds and the sea obey?"
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Commentary on Mt 8:23-27
 
Jesus calming the sea is the first of this set of miracles recorded in St. Matthew’s Gospel. There are notable differences between St. Matthew’s account and that of St. Mark (Mark 4:35-41). First we note that Jesus leads the disciples into the boat, rather than the disciples taking him there. We also see a more reverent attitude on the part of the twelve as they wake him, contrasted with the accusatory tone in St. Mark’s Gospel (“do you not care that we are perishing?"). This account of the disciples' experience, in both cases, points directly at the identity of Jesus as the Son of God, and serves as a proof for the reader.
 
“Does this icon of Jesus asleep in the midst of a storm with his distraught disciples not dramatize the leap from hopeless despair to tested faith? […] Faith makes us aware of God’s ‘absent presence’ by the very force of the trials faith’s self-surrender brings on. The disciples would not be weathering this storm if they had not followed Jesus.  And yet he sleeps.” [5]
 
CCC: Mt 8:20 2444; Mt 8:26 2610
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Reflection:
 
When the story of Jesus sleeping in the boat during the storm was written (and his subsequent command over the elements), it may have been seen as a proof of his identity as the Messiah. We see another meaning in this story.  If we view this story as a metaphor, we see Jesus bringing calm to the storm.
 
In the fevered pace of our daily lives, we frequently encounter storms, do we not?  They may arise at school, at work, or with family and friends.  The storms may take the form of situations beyond our control or they may be a result of mistakes we have made or events poorly handled.  Whatever their source, we are at constant risk of being thrown to our deaths in sin. 
 
It is difficult to see clearly when we are in the middle of these storms.  Much like a physical storm, our vision is clouded by the turbulence of the storm.  We cannot clearly chart our actions when our sight is so impaired.  If we try to make important decisions while we are tossed by the storms of emotion, if we react to the situation out of desperation, we frequently cause more damage than good and end up worse off than when we started.
 
Where, we may ask, is Jesus, when we are twisting in the wind of these storms?  Is he asleep in the boat?  We certainly hope so because if we are convinced of this, we can wake him up, calling upon the Holy Spirit to bring peace and quiet to the storm.  Even if it continues to rage around us, we feel the interior calm of the Lord that allows us to see clearly, to act correctly.  Our usual problem is we forget he is sleeping there and try to ride the storm out as best we can.
 
Today as we remember the Lord is with us always, we pray that when our life’s storms hurtle themselves in our direction, we may remember quickly that Jesus sleeps with us in our souls, and when we become afraid, angry, or desperate we will reach out to him saying "Lord, save us!”  In our faith he will rebuke the storm and bring us peace.
 
Pax
 

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[1] Book of Blessings, by the Order of St. Benedict, Inc., Collegeville, MN © 1989, p. 747.
[2] The picture is “Sleep of Jesus During the Storm” by Alexandre Bida, c. 1875.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio
[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5] Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume I, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 1996 p. 364