Days of Drought and Decision

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate the good and evil that we encounter on our journey and consider how Jesus would teach us to deal with this dichotomy. 

Harvest and Weeds

The Reading from the Prophet Jeremiah laments The Great Drought.

n. [14:17] Jer 9:17.

o. [14:19] Jer 8:15; 2 Chr 36:16.

p. [14:20] Ps 106:6; Dn 9:5, 8.

q. [14:21] Jer 14:7; Lv 26:44; Ps 25:11.

r. [14:22] Jer 5:24; Zec 10:1. (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 79 admits that their own sins have brought about the catastrophe of destruction of Jerusalem.

* [Psalm 79] A communal lament complaining that the nations have defiled the Temple and murdered the holy people, leaving their corpses unburied (Ps 79:1–4). The occasion is probably the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian army in 587 B.C. The people ask how long the withdrawal of divine favor will last (Ps 79:5), pray for action now (Ps 79:6–7), and admit that their own sins have brought about the catastrophe (Ps 79:8–9). They seek to persuade God to act for reasons of honor: the nations who do not call upon the Name are running amok (Ps 79:6); the divine honor is compromised (Ps 79:1, 10, 12); God’s own servants suffer (Ps 79:2–4, 11). (Psalms. CHAPTER 79 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus presents the Explanation of the Parable of the Weeds.

* [13:36] Dismissing the crowds: the return of Jesus to the house marks a break with the crowds, who represent unbelieving Israel. From now on his attention is directed more and more to his disciples and to their instruction. The rest of the discourse is addressed to them alone.

* [13:37–43] In the explanation of the parable of the weeds emphasis lies on the fearful end of the wicked, whereas the parable itself concentrates on patience with them until judgment time. (Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)

Edward Morse comments that as the hospital for sinners, even the church is not safe from these effects. Saint Augustine saw the church as containing weeds and wheat, too.

His greatest concern for new converts was not the influence of the pagan world, but the influence of bad Christians! So we can all read this parable and Jesus’ explanation of the final judgment with a little uneasiness. We know that without the grace of God, none of us can produce a harvest worthy of being gathered in by the Master. Moreover, we are all liable to being choked out by weeds. God forbid that we might be weeds rather than good plants; recall that the weeds were sown by the enemy, not by the Master! (Morse, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes “Let us become friends of Jesus,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).

"Now, having discoursed sufficiently to the multitudes in parables, he sends them away and goes to his own house, where his disciples come to him. His disciples did not go with those he sent away. As many as are more genuine hearers of Jesus first follow him, then having inquired about his house, are permitted to see it. Having come, they saw and stayed with him for all that day, and perhaps some of them even longer. In my opinion, such things are implied in the Gospel according to John... And if then, unlike the multitudes whom he sends away, we wish to hear Jesus and go to the house and receive something better than the multitudes did, let us become friends of Jesus, so that as his disciples come, we may also come to him when he goes into the house. And having come, let us inquire about the explanation of the parable, whether of the tares of the field, or of any other. (excerpt from the COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 10.1-3) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler reflects on the Readings for today. Jeremiah normally offers a condemnation of the people of Israel. Today it is a lamentation imploring God to be merciful and take back the punishment.  The author voices the woes of the people and takes the time to say the punishment and pain is too great. There are very good lamentations in the Psalms. God has to take care of his people. In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus gives the explanation of the parable of the weed and wheat. God waits till the harvest to separate good and evil. Friar Jude queries that if the Kingdom is dawning why is there still evil? The Kingdom has not fully come but there will be a time of reckoning at the end of time.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 13:36-43 notes that St. Augustine argued against this kind of thinking by leaders who wanted to exclude people who had renounced their faith under persecution. They believed the Church should consist only of perfectly holy people. Augustine disagreed, saying that the Church will remain a corpus permixtum, a “mixed body,” with good and bad together, until the final judgment. Perhaps recalling his own sinful past, Augustine urged, “They who today are tares, may tomorrow be wheat” (Sermon 23).

Jesus and Augustine are telling us there is always hope! God wants all people to know his salvation. His patience is meant to lead everyone to repentance (Romans 2:4). For now, our Church is a mixture. That’s why our best strategy is to leave the weeding to God. We can also ask the Lord to search our own hearts and help us uproot our sins. And we can pray that all darkness would be turned back and that everyone we know would turn to God and shine like the sun at the end of time.

“Lord Jesus, purify my heart today.” (Meditation on Matthew 13:36-43, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis who explains how Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29–37) to illustrate God’s desire that no one be left alone in their hour of need. Rabbi Jesus is talking to a religious leader—a lawyer—about what it means to be faithful.

Together, they review the Jewish scriptures: The way to live right is to love God with everything you have and love your neighbor as yourself. Looking for a loophole, the lawyer wants to know who qualifies as a neighbor. Jesus answers by telling a story about a man who was robbed, beaten, and left for dead by a marauding gang. A priest and another religious man walked by and, seeing the man on the ground, they did nothing…. But a Samaritan—a mixed-race person considered in ancient times to be an impure enemy of the Jewish people—did not cross the street. Instead, he tended to the wounded man….

In using this story to answer his companion’s question about the definition of neighbor, Rabbi Jesus was getting to what he considered to be the essential laws—love God with all you have and love your neighbor as yourself…. If you want to know what love looks like, Rabbi Jesus is saying, here it is: Love crosses borders and boundaries; it makes new cultural rules; it cares for the stranger. Love turns strangers into friends. [1] (Rohr, n.d.)

We implore the Spirit to illuminate our attitude of self righteousness that blinds us to the plan of God to sustain both the good and evil in faith, love, and hope for a return to the community that seeks fullness in the Bread of Life.

References

Jeremiah, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/14?17 

Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved July 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/13?36

Meditation on Matthew 13:36-43. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved July 28, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/07/28/1634233/ 

Morse, E. (2026, July 28). Daily Reflection July 28, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved July 28, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-july-28-2026 

Psalms. CHAPTER 79 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved July 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/79?8 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 28, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/reading-the-good-samaritan/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Righteous Will Shine like the Sun in the Father's Kingdom. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 28, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Blessed as Believers

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate our understanding of “Blessing” as we ponder the sermon of Jesus on the Mount.

Inherit the Earth

In the Reading from the First Book of Kings, Elijah Proclaims a Drought

* [17:1] This verse introduces the enigmatic figure of Elijah the Tishbite. (The name “Elijah” means “the Lord is my God.” The meaning of “Tishbite” is unknown; it may refer to a place or to a social class.) His appearance before Ahab is abrupt and involves several matters that will unify the whole Elijah story. His claim to “serve the Lord” (lit., to “stand before the Lord”) points forward to 19:13, where he refuses to do so; the center of narrative tension on this level is the question of the prophet’s autonomy in God’s service. His proclamation of a drought points forward to 18:41–45 where he announces the drought’s end; the center of narrative tension on this level is the struggle between the Lord and the Canaanite fertility god Baal for the loyalties of Israel. His claim that the drought is due to his own word of power (“except at my word”) points forward to 17:24 where the widow acknowledges the divine source of the word Elijah speaks; the center of narrative tension on this level is the gradual characterization of the prophet as one who receives a divine word (vv. 2, 8), obeys it (v. 5), conveys an effective divine word of threat (v. 1) or promise (vv. 14, 16), and even speaks an effective human word of entreaty to God (vv. 20, 22). (1 Kings, CHAPTER 17 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 121 is a blessing given to someone embarking on a dangerous journey.

* [Psalm 121] A blessing given to someone embarking on a dangerous journey whether a soldier going on a campaign or a pilgrim returning home from the Temple. People look anxiously at the wooded hills. Will God protect them on their journey (Ps 121:1)? The speaker declares that God is not confined to a place or a time (Ps 121:2), that every step is guarded (Ps 121:3–4); night and day (Ps 121:5–6) God watches over their every movement (Ps 121:7–8). (Psalms, PSALM 121 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, The Sermon on the Mount proclaims The Beatitudes.

* [5:3–12] The form Blessed are (is) occurs frequently in the Old Testament in the Wisdom literature and in the psalms. Although modified by Matthew, the first, second, fourth, and ninth beatitudes have Lucan parallels (Mt 5:3 // Lk 6:20; Mt 5:4 // Lk 6:21b; Mt 5:6 // Lk 6:21a; Mt 5:11–12 // Lk 5:22–23). The others were added by the evangelist and are probably his own composition. A few manuscripts, Western and Alexandrian, and many versions and patristic quotations give the second and third beatitudes in inverted order.

* [5:3] The poor in spirit: in the Old Testament, the poor (’anāwîm) are those who are without material possessions and whose confidence is in God (see Is 61:1; Zep 2:3; in the NAB the word is translated lowly and humble, respectively, in those texts). Matthew added in spirit in order either to indicate that only the devout poor were meant or to extend the beatitude to all, of whatever social rank, who recognized their complete dependence on God. The same phrase poor in spirit is found in the Qumran literature (1QM 14:7).

* [5:4] Cf. Is 61:2, “(The Lord has sent me)…to comfort all who mourn.” They will be comforted: here the passive is a “theological passive” equivalent to the active “God will comfort them”; so also in Mt 5:6, 7.

* [5:5] Cf. Ps 37:11, “…the meek shall possess the land.” In the psalm “the land” means the land of Palestine; here it means the kingdom.

* [5:6] For righteousness: a Matthean addition. For the meaning of righteousness here, see note on Mt 3:14–15.

* [5:8] Cf. Ps 24:4. Only one “whose heart is clean” can take part in the temple worship. To be with God in the temple is described in Ps 42:3 as “beholding his face,” but here the promise to the clean of heart is that they will see God not in the temple but in the coming kingdom.

* [5:10] Righteousness here, as usually in Matthew, means conduct in conformity with God’s will.

* [5:12] The prophets who were before you: the disciples of Jesus stand in the line of the persecuted prophets of Israel. Some would see the expression as indicating also that Matthew considered all Christian disciples as prophets. (Matthew, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

Margo Minnich comments that in the Beatitudes, Jesus offers us eternal joy rather than temporary worldly approval. He reverses worldly values and reveals what true blessedness looks like. The poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, and those who hunger for righteousness are called blessed because their hearts are oriented toward God.

This Gospel becomes a call to discernment and self-knowledge. His words challenge us to examine where we place trust and what truly governs our daily choices. It asks us to honestly confront the temptations that draw us away from the service of faith and the pursuit of justice toward selfishness. We should ask ourselves: In what ways do I place my own comfort or success before the needs of others? How often do I imitate the priorities of the world rather than recognize God’s goodness already present around me? The Beatitudes invite us to seek Ignatian indifference, not rejecting worldly goods entirely, but refusing to let them control our hearts or determine our worth.

Christ’s standard is not easy because it calls for humility, sacrifice, and trust. Yet it is also the path to authentic freedom and lasting peace. Jesus reminds us that suffering for righteousness is not failure, but participation in the Kingdom of God. His final words offer both consolation and hope: “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.” In those words, Christ invites us to live not for the praise of this world, but for the deeper joy that comes from faithfully following Him. (Minnich, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes “Perfect blessedness is humility of spirit,” by Hilary of Poitiers (315-367 AD).

"'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' The Lord taught by way of example that the glory of human ambition must be left behind when he said, 'The Lord your God shall you adore and him only shall you serve' (Matthew 4:10). And when he announced through the prophets that he would choose a people humble and in awe of his words [Isaiah 66:2], he introduced the perfect Beatitude as humility of spirit. Therefore he defines those who are inspired as people aware that they are in possession of the heavenly kingdom... Nothing belongs to anyone as being properly one's own, but all have the same things by the gift of a single parent. They have been given the first things needed to come into life and have been supplied with the means to use them." (excerpt from commentary ON MATTHEW 4.2) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 5:1-12 comments that as we hold fast to our vision of Jesus, however cloudy that vision might be, the Holy Spirit takes our efforts and exchanges them with his own divine grace.

This time, instead of getting sucked into saying something negative, you find a way to steer the conversation to a different topic. Maybe you even make a positive comment about the neighbor with the weedy garden. That’s God at work! And because you cooperated with him, your vision of him became just a little clearer and your heart just a little more like his.

So keep cleaning your spiritual glasses and asking yourself, “Where will I see God today?”

“Jesus, I long to see you. Help me turn away from sin. Purify my heart as I gaze on you.” (Meditation on Matthew 5:1-12, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that, in 1 Kings, Elijah tells of drought upon the land that reminds us that  “as the sin, so the punishment” after worship by the people of the false God of fertility, there would be a drought. The Gospel of Matthew begins the Sermon on the Mount (Ch 5- 7) The structure of the Gospel of Matthew mirrors the Pentateuch with five sections to indicate a New Law for the people of God. The Beatitudes are a version of that new law in Matthew. Of the three versions in Scripture, Luke with four blessings and four curses follows a traditional format. “Poor in Spirit” means being humble. Those who mourn are blessed as we realize our need for others and God. The meek change the world by their gentleness. Righteousness in Matthew is presented as Joseph by taking care of Mary and Jesus and those leaders who care for their sheep are truly compassionate and righteous. “Clean of heart” is single minded as, in the Bible thinking is a function of our heart. When we are persecuted for justice and care of the poor we are blessed in God’s eyes. Friar Jude also invites us to consider the parable of the sheep and the goats as our choice to be sheep, living a blessed life.

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, describes relationship as the nature of God and reality. It’s true that nothing stands alone! We are intrinsically like the Trinity, living in an absolute relatedness. We call this love.

We really were made for love, and outside of love we die very quickly. If we are going to start with Trinity, then loving relationship is the universal pattern, the nature of our being. When we start with a philosophical concept of being and then try to convince everyone that this being is, in fact, love, we don’t have a lot of success. I’ve been a priest for over fifty years and can say that more Christians seem to be afraid of God than in love with God. Sadly, Christians aren’t more loving than anyone else; sometimes, we’re even less loving than other people! In some ways, that’s inevitable if we’re basically relating to God out of fear, if we haven’t been drawn into the love between the Father and the Son by the Spirit.(Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the guidance of the Spirit as we live in accord with our Baptismal anointing as priest, prophet, and leader in our work of transformation to a society living the Beatitudes.

 

References

Matthew, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 8, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5? 

Meditation on Matthew 5:1-12. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved June 8, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/06/08/1587749/ 

Minnich, M. (2026, June 8). Daily Reflection June 8, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved June 8, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-june-8-2026 

1 Kings, CHAPTER 17 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved June 8, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1kings/17?1 

Psalms, PSALM 121 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 8, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/121? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC.org. Retrieved June 8, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-positive-relationship/  

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Rejoice and Be Glad, for Your Reward Is Great in Heaven. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 8, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/ 

Providence and Anger

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today affirm our need to maintain faith in Providence even as we seek wisdom to address our disputes and frustrations without delay.

Dealing with Disputes

In the reading from the First Book of Kings, Elijah Ends the Drought.

* [18:1–45] The story of the conflict with the prophets of Baal (vv. 21–40) is embedded in the story of the drought and its ending (vv. 1–20, 41–45). The connection between the two stories is found in Canaanite theology, in whose pantheon Baal, “the Cloud Rider,” the god of rain and storm, was recognized as the one who brings fertility. Worship of many gods was virtually universal in the ancient world; the Israelite requirement of exclusive worship of the Lord (Ex 20:3) was unique. The people of Israel had apparently become comfortable worshiping both Baal and the Lord, perhaps assigning mutually exclusive spheres of influence to each. By claiming authority over the rain (17:1; 18:1), the Lord was challenging Baal’s power in Baal’s own domain. The entire drought story in chaps. 17–18 implies what becomes explicit in 18:21–40: this is a struggle between the Lord and Baal for the loyalties of the people of Israel. (1 Kings, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 65 offers thanksgiving for Earth’s Bounty.

* [Psalm 65] The community, aware of its unworthiness (Ps 65:3–4), gives thanks for divine bounty (Ps 65:5), a bounty resulting from God’s creation victory (Ps 65:6–9). At God’s touch the earth comes alive with vegetation and flocks (Ps 65:10–13). (Psalms, PSALM 65 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, the Sermon on the Mount is Concerning Anger.

* [5:22–26] Reconciliation with an offended brother is urged in the admonition of Mt 5:23–24 and the parable of Mt 5:25–26 (//Lk 12:58–59). The severity of the judge in the parable is a warning of the fate of unrepentant sinners in the coming judgment by God.

* [5:22] Anger is the motive behind murder, as the insulting epithets are steps that may lead to it. They, as well as the deed, are all forbidden. Raqa: an Aramaic word rēqā’ or rēqâ probably meaning “imbecile,” “blockhead,” a term of abuse. The ascending order of punishment, judgment (by a local council?), trial before the Sanhedrin, condemnation to Gehenna, points to a higher degree of seriousness in each of the offenses. Sanhedrin: the highest judicial body of Judaism. Gehenna: in Hebrew gê-hinnōm, “Valley of Hinnom,” or gê ben-hinnōm, “Valley of the son of Hinnom,” southwest of Jerusalem, the center of an idolatrous cult during the monarchy in which children were offered in sacrifice (see 2 Kgs 23:10; Jer 7:31). In Jos 18:16 (Septuagint, Codex Vaticanus) the Hebrew is transliterated into Greek as gaienna, which appears in the New Testament as geenna. The concept of punishment of sinners by fire either after death or after the final judgment is found in Jewish apocalyptic literature (e.g., Enoch 90:26) but the name geenna is first given to the place of punishment in the New Testament. (Matthew, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

Jeanne Schuler comments that Wisdom takes the long view.  We see forces moving in our direction.  On the horizon emerge possibilities and storms of many kinds.  At times the big picture is more than we can manage.

Let me focus on the day’s tasks.  Ignore climate change.  Disregard wars and forced migration.  Tune out messy social movements and disturbing critiques.  To shield ourselves, we wonder who really knows what’s true?  The only hunger I must address is at my kitchen table.  To see at a distance takes resolve; like Elijah we must pray, so we can take action and bring what is far away into our lives.

Matthew’s gospel reminds us that a righteous person attends to small things.  Laws punish murder and robbery.  Behind disaster lies a string of mishaps. Crimes are mesmerizing, so misdemeanors hardly register.  We overlook the flirting that gives way to infidelity.  Like Elijah, Jesus uses threats to redirect us to our lapses and slipups.  Mend relationships early.  The same mouth that screws up must learn to be sorry.  God yearns for a humble spirit, not gold heaped on the altar. (Schuler, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Taming the Tongue,” by Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD).

"What are we to do? Whoever says, 'You fool!' hall be liable to the hell of fire. But no human being can tame the tongue. Will everyone therefore go to the hell of fire? By no means. Lord, you have become our refuge from generation to generation (Psalm 90:1). Your wrath is just. You send no one to hell unjustly. Where shall I go from your spirit? or where shall I flee from your presence (Psalm 139:7), unless to you? Thus let us understand, my dearly beloved, that if no human being can tame the tongue, we must take refuge in God, who will tame it. Does your own human nature prevent you from taming your tongue? No human being can tame the tongue (James 3:8). Consider this analogy from the animals that we tame. A horse does not tame itself; a camel does not tame itself; an elephant does not tame itself; a snake does not tame itself; a lion does not tame itself. So too a man does not tame himself. In order to tame a horse, an ox, a camel, an elephant, a lion and a snake, a human being is required. Therefore God should be required in order for a human being to be tamed. (excerpt from Sermon 55:2) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Kings 18:41-46 comments that Elijah kept sending him back. The servant must have wondered if his master had lost his mind! Imagine how relieved he felt when he finally spotted a cloud “as small as a man’s hand” (1 Kings 18:44). Rain was on the way, and now they could make their escape.

How often have you felt like Elijah’s servant?

The kind of patient waiting that Elijah showed, coupled with the persistent seeking that he asked of his servant, is the perfect response to God’s apparent silence. Because sooner or later, the Lord will answer you. Sooner or later, he will shower you with his blessings—maybe in ways you aren’t expecting. And along the way, he will produce in you the kind of stubborn, trusting faith that will sustain you in feast or famine, in drought or downpour, in success or failure.

“Lord, help me to keep looking for your coming, no matter how long it takes!” (Meditation on 1 Kings 18:41-46, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the battle of Elijah against the worship of Baal in which Yahweh brings rain after the perfect number of expectant gazes at the sky. The fertility aspect of Yahweh is emphasized in the Hebrew description of the small cloud. Friar Jude reminds us that Jesus wants us to treat anger in the widest interpretation to avoid killing important components of people’s lives and how we understand purgatory as a purification of the unhealed parts of our being.

 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, considers expressions of love that exist in our passion for one another.

Sexuality is a much broader mystery than its physical expression. It’s an inner drive—which some call eros—toward the other and beyond the small self. A commitment to celibacy doesn’t negate this pull to give oneself to another. And at the same time someone can be sexually active and totally self-absorbed, which is not eros at all, but merely “lustful.” 

Healthy intimate relationships take away our existential anxiety. Even without touch, true intimacy overcomes our feelings of separateness and insecurity: “I’m not attractive; I’m not important; I’m not …” is our desperate and disparate state. Once someone affirms that we’re lovable and enough for them, once we begin to deeply trust ourselves, then we discover that what we also desire is agape, or divine love. Agape is much more inclusive and all-embracing than eros. Yet agape builds on eros and even deepens eros because it hugely expands our sense of True Self. Agape love includes and transcends all other genuine loves. [1] (Rohr, n.d.)

We are encouraged to take the long look when we ponder our role in the plan of God for our lives and paradoxically to be prepared to deal with anger and discontent quickly as to avoid disruption in our loving response to the people in our life.

References

Matthew, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 13, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5?20 

Meditation on 1 Kings 18:41-46. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 13, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/06/13/995351/ 

1 Kings, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 13, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1kings/18?41 

Psalms, PSALM 65 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 13, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/65?10 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 13, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/eros-and-agape/ 

Schuler, J. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved June 13, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/061324.htm 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Be Reconciled to Your Brother. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 13, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=jun13