1. --
Lanie LeBlanc
OP -
< lanie@leblanc.one>
2. --
Fr. Jude Siciliano OP -
<FrJude@JudeOP.org>
3. --
Elaine H. Ireland <ehireland@gmail.com>
4. --
Carmen Mele OP <cmeleop@yahoo.com>
5. --(Your reflection
can be here!)
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1.
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Blessings,
Dr. Lanie LeBlanc OP
Southern Dominican Laity
lanie@leblanc.one
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2.
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From today’s Gospel reading:
During the fourth watch of the night, Jesus came toward the disciples [in the
storm] 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.”
Reflection:
After the multiplication of the
loaves and fish, Jesus sent his disciples off in the boat, dismissed the crowds
and then went to pray. Jesus’ powers to calm the storm are manifested right
after prayer. The power to overcome storms seems to come from praying. Jesus
prays at crucial points in the gospels: before important decisions; before and
during his suffering and here, before he calms the storm. He is praying his
disciples through the storm.
So, we ask ourselves:
·
•
Would some of the storms we now face be more manageable if we put aside time for
prayer?
·
•
Is there someone we know experiencing their own storms we could be praying for
at our Eucharist?
Click here for a link to this Sunday’s readings:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/080926.cfm
Fr. Jude Siciliano
OP -
<FrJude@JudeOP.org>
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3.
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Elaine H. Ireland <ehireland@gmail.com>
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4.
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19th Sunday in
Ordinary Time, August 9, 2026
(1
Kings 19:9, 11-13; Romans 9:1-5; Matthew 14:22-33)
“War is hell.” We have all heard this lament. Yet, it seems few truly believe
it. If it were believed, there wouldn't be so many movies glorifying war. There
wouldn't be so many children's toys highlighting combat gear. Perhaps there
wouldn't be so many young people seeking a military career.
However, the phrase “war is hell” makes sense when we recognize hell as the
worst of all situations. It is so horrific that soldiers who have seen combat
often do not want to speak of what they have experienced. Nevertheless, we can
sometimes catch a glimpse of those conditions: images not only of blood but also
of torn, exposed organs; the stench not only of clothing worn for days in
extreme weather but also of vomit and rotting flesh; sounds not only of
exploding bombs but of blaring sirens and screaming men.
We begin this reflection by referring to war because Elijah, in the first
reading, has just come from a kind of war. There has been religious conflict in
Israel. Just days earlier, Elijah himself had slaughtered 450 prophets of the
pagan god Baal. He had to flee south to Horeb, the mountain of the Lord, to
escape the vengeance of Jezebel, the queen of Israel. She—a foreigner devoted to
Baal—vowed to take Elijah’s life for his audacity. The prophet seeks refuge in a
mountain cave when the word of God comes to him. He tells the Lord that the
Israelites, following Queen Jezebel, have put all the Lord’s prophets to the
sword, leaving him as the only survivor. God tells him to come out of the cave
and stand on the mountain; He is about to pass by.
A hurricane passes—the kind in which God revealed Himself to Job. However, in
this instance, the storm does not bring about a divine revelation. Then, an
earthquake—the kind that preceded the giving of the Ten Commandments to
Moses—shakes the earth. Yet, once again, God does not reveal Himself. Finally,
Elijah hears "the sound of a gentle breeze," through which God makes His will
known.
God most often reveals Himself as a lover of peace through a gentle voice. While
He can come with fury, He prefers to come with tenderness. He is close at hand
to support the weak and encourage the disheartened. This is also what happens in
today’s Gospel. The disciples are crossing the Sea of Galilee by boat. They
had left Jesus on the mountain to pray alone. It is night—a symbol of evil.
Waves batter the boat, washing water over the sides and endangering the
disciples' lives. They are terrified when they see what appears to be a ghost
walking on the water. Jesus calms them: "Take heart and do not be afraid," He
says, "it is I."
Just like the Christians of the first century, we too can find comfort today in
the Lord’s gentle voice. In the early Church, Christians endured external
persecution and internal discord. Through this story, the apostles taught them
how Jesus remained close and spoke to them in a gentle voice. Today, we face
rising violence and indifference toward religion, and the threat of war is
ever-present. Yet Jesus remains with us. "Take heart and do not be afraid," He
tells us in the Gospels and through our fellow believers in the Church, "it is
I."
Carmen Mele OP <cmeleop@yahoo.com>
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5.
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Volume 2 is for you. These reflections follow the Liturgical Calendar and appear
here about mid-week each week. They are written by various guest authors. If
you would like to submit a reflection of your own,
or subscribe to free weekly emails, then click
here to send an email request to post to the Webmaster. Deadline is Monday
morning of each week for the upcoming Sunday.
VOLUME II ARCHIVE
• 19th Sunday •
• 18th Sunday •
• 17th Sunday •
• 16th Sunday •
• 15th Sunday •
• 14th Sunday •
A service of The Order of Preachers,
The Dominicans.
Province of St. Martin De Porres
(Southern Dominican Province USA)
P.O. Box 8129, New Orleans, LA 70182
(504) 837-2129; Fax (504) 837-6604
http://www.opsouth.org
(form revised 10/13/2025)
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