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First Reading: 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.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 26:2-3, 9-10, 11-12
R./ 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.
Gospel Reading: 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?"
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
you let your Son reassure us
with a word of reprimand:
"Why are you afraid, people of little faith?"
Let that little faith grow in us
and make us absolutely certain
that you are with us in your creation,
in the dark and in the night,
in the wind and in the storm,
even in the depths of death.
For you are the God who said:
"I am there for you,"
now and for ever.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction
The Bible gives us Sodom and Gomorrah as the typical cities of sin.
Gospel Reading Introduction
We have to recognize the Lord's presence and to keep trusting in him, when storms rage within us and in our world as they threaten to engulf us and make us ask: "Lord, where are you?" These may be the storms of temptation, of doubts and fears regarding the faith, of threatened loyalty. The winds of change too, may be howling typhoons tossing the bark of the Church around, before we can enter the calm waters of a renewed Church. The Lord is there, we should not be afraid.
General Intercessions
– For the Church of Jesus Christ, that its faith and love may not waver in the difficulties and storms of our time, we pray:
– For sailors and fishers, that the sea may be peaceful and generous to them; for all who travel, that they may safely reach their destination, we pray:
– For ourselves, that we should never be afraid, for we know that Jesus is with us. That we may remain serene and in peace, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
we have prepared this bread and wine
to welcome your Son in our midst.
May we also recognize his presence
and keep relying on him
in our human achievements.
May no success, however great,
cause us to forget
that without him we can do nothing,
that this world is your creation
and that we can be fully human only
in Jesus Christ,
who lives with you and with us for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
to whom else should we entrust ourselves
than to Jesus, our God-with-us?
Let him sail with us to brave the waves,
and to face the heart of the storm.
When he is with us,
even when apparently asleep,
let us no longer be afraid
of committing ourselves to your sea,
for we are sure Jesus will lead us
to your safe harbor of peace for ever.
Blessing
"Why are you afraid, people of little faith?" Let us entrust ourselves wholeheartedly to the Lord. With him, we can overcome all difficulties. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
