Walking on Water

Matthew 14: 22-33

    The crowds had been large.  The group needed to travel to the other side of the lake to minister to the people in other towns.  They had a boat, so Jesus sent His men on ahead to be ready for the crowds who would be gathering there in the morning.  Jesus continued His ministry with the people and slowly sent them away.  Since Jesus was so tired when His children had gone to their homes, He went up on the mountain to pray.  He knew He would be refreshed when He began His journey to the other side of the lake.
   
As the Apostles continued on their journey across the lake, the winds began to blow.  Seasoned sailors, they made adjustments as they steered across the lake.  It was late into the night. 

"Peter," said Matthew, " Do you think he'll be there?" 

Peter replied, "The Master said that He would be there, and He will." 

"How is He getting there?"  John asked. 

"I don't know," said Peter, "But He will.  He promised.  The Master does not go back on His promises."

    The waves began to crash on the deck.  The Apostles were getting soaked as they tried to steer the boat in the storm.  The boat was taking on water.  "If the Master were here..." Thomas began.  Peter cut him off, "The Master is not here, so we have to steer the boat."  Peter was sounding angry.
   
    The men were working hard to stay afloat.  In the distance, they saw a light coming towards them.  "Peter," shouted Judas, "What is that?" 
   
    "How should I know!" shouted Peter.  He truly did not like Judas, but the Master had called Judas to walk with them.  "Steer the boat!  Steer the boat!" 
   
    The light grew brighter as it came closer to them.  They could make out the figure of a man in the light.  "It's a ghost!  It's a ghost!"  Great fear began to overtake them.  The men began to panic.  The waves seemed to be even higher than before.  "It's a ghost!"  Then they heard the Master's calm voice in the heart of the storm, "It is I."  He said it again, "It is I."

    Peter, soaked to the bone from the storm, shouted back to Jesus in the storm, "Master, if it is truly You, allow me to come to You."  Jesus, very calmly said, "Come."
Peter, shaking from cold and fear, looked at the other Apostles whose eyes were filled with fear.  He could not retreat now.  He even thought he felt someone push him towards the edge of the boat.  He stood on the edge and jumped into the water.  Peter fully expected to sink into the water, but he didn't.  He stayed on the water.  Filled with even more fear, Peter looked at the waves crashing into the boat.  He took one step forward towards the Master.  He took another step on the water.  He could hear the men into the boat gasp as he began to walk on the water.  The Master stood where He was holding a welcoming hand out to Peter.  Then Peter saw the waves.  They were bigger than he was, and he felt more fear than he had ever known before.  He took a step forward, but he began to sink into the black, murky water.

    "Lord," screamed Peter, "Save me!"

    The Master leaned forward and helped him up with His Hands.  "Oh, you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

    The Master and Peter got into the boat.  Immediately, the storm calmed.  The waves no longer broke over the boat.  The sea suddenly reflected the moon as if the sea were crystal.  In the distance, the sky was beginning to lighten.

    The men in the boat began to worship their King.

    "Truly," they exclaimed, "You are the Son of God!"

Psalm 9: 1-2

Psalm 8: 1

Gratitude

To give thanks to God is to acknowledge His greatness and power in our lives.  Gratitude is an act of humility by which we praise God for the ways in which He has worked in our lives, thanking Him for His greatness, His love, and His kindnesses to us. When we thank God, we demonstrate that we love Him more than anyone or anything in our lives.  Thanking God helps us to recognize our finite natures and reminds us that He, the Great I AM, is above all else. 
   
When we thank God, we remind ourselves that we are His creatures, His creations.  We grow in the virtue of humility, and we align ourselves more closely with the Will of God.  We use our gift of free will, to acknowledge that God is our Creator, our Redeemer, and our Enabler.  We give ourselves over to the Triune God, and we allow  Him to work in our souls, molding and changing us into His likeness.  Even in dire circumstances, when we focus on the Lord knowing that, no matter what happens, He is with us, we acknowledge that God is our Creator and that without Him, our lives would lack meaning and virtue. 
   
Paul reminds us to “pray without ceasing, giving thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  (1 Thessalonians 5: 17-18)  To pray without ceasing means to offer our lives to Him so that each act, each thought, each word becomes a prayer.  Let us offer our lives in thanksgiving so that we might praise Him and thank Him endlessly.

The Prayers of the Rosary

Sign of the Cross:

In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Apostles' Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into Hell; on the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
 I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.
Amen. 

Our Father 

Our Father, Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day, our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.  Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.  Amen.

Glory Be

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Fatima Prayer

Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are in most need of they mercy.

Hail Holy Queen

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve: to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus, O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! 

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Amen.  

St. Michael Prayer 

St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Next week, we learn the the mysteries of the rosary.  We will also be given some meditations on the mysteries. 

How To Pray the Rosary

How to say the Rosary.

Make the Sign of the Cross.

Offer up the Rosary for your intentions.

1) Begin the rosary by using the crucifix and saying the Apostles’ Creed. Meditate on the truths of our faith.

2) On the first large bead say the Our Father.
 
3) On the next 3 beads say the Hail Mary.
 
4) On the next bead, say the Glory Be to the Father. 

Begin to recite and meditate on the mysteries of the day. 

Each mystery of the Rosary has 5 decades.  

Each decade consists of the following prayers.

On the first large bead, pray the Our Father.

On each of the next 10 beads recite one Hail Mary.

On the next large bead, recite the Glory Be. 

After the Glory Be, recite the Fatima Prayer. 

Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell.  Lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are in most need of Thy mercy.  

Then, using the same large bead that you used for the Glory Be, begin the next decade of the Rosary.  

After completing the prayers of the 5 decades of the Rosary, end your rosary using the Hail Holy Queen. 


Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of mercy,
our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve:
to thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious Advocate,
thine eyes of mercy toward us,
and after this our exile,
show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
 

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Amen.

 

Pray for us Oh, Holy Mother of God,

That we May be Made Worthy of the Promises of Christ.

October, the Month of the Most Holy Rosary

October is the month dedicated to  the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Tradition has it that the Rosary was given to St. Dominic by the Mother of God.  However, there is some dispute about this story.  Check out this article by Father William Saunders.  Click HERE for the link.  This is an older article about the Rosary because Father Saunders does not include the Luminous mysteries in his discussion,
however, that omission does not make this article any less relevant.

Notes about October.  October 7 is the Feast of the Holy Rosary.

This year, on October 13,  Pope Francis will consecrate the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  The original statue of Our Lady of Fatima will be brought to the Vatican as a part of this consecration. 

Pope Pius XI dedicated the entire month of October to the Rosary.

What saints say about the recitation of the Rosary.

“The greatest method of praying is to pray the Rosary.”
Saint Francis de Sales

“The Holy Rosary is the storehouse of countless blessing.”
Blessed Alan de la Roche

“The Rosary is the most beautiful and the most rich in graces of all prayers; it is the prayer that touches most the Heart of the Mother of God…and if you wish peace to reign in your homes, recite the family Rosary.”
Pope Saint Pius X

“When you say your Rosary, the angels rejoice, the Blessed Trinity delights in it, my Son finds joy in it too, and I myself am happier than you can possibly guess. After the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, there is nothing in the Church that I love as much as the Rosary.”
Our Lady to Blessed Alan de la Roche 

“Never will anyone who says his Rosary every day be led astray. This is a statement that I would gladly sign with my blood.”
Saint Louis de Montfort 

So, how do you say the Rosary?

Stay tuned.  We're going to cover that next.