Daily Readings - Tue Jul 02 2019
Genesis
15As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, "Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city."16But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.17And as they brought them out, one said, "Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away."18And Lot said to them, "Oh, no, my lords.19Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I die.20Behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there--is it not a little one?--and my life will be saved!"21He said to him, "Behold, I grant you this favor also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken.22Escape there quickly, for I can do nothing till you arrive there." Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.23The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar.24Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven.25And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.26But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.27And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD.28And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.29So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.
Matthew
23And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.24And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.25And they went and woke him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing."26And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.27And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?"
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter two powerful narratives that invite us to reflect on faith, trust, and God's providence. The first reading from Genesis recounts the story of Lot and his family being led to safety as Sodom and Gomorrah face destruction. Despite the angels' urgent warnings, Lot hesitates, revealing a mixture of faith and doubt. His wife, unable to let go of what is behind her, becomes a pillar of salt, a poignant reminder of the consequences of looking back. Meanwhile, Abraham, who had interceded for the cities, stands as a figure of hope, trusting in God's justice and mercy.
The Gospel reading from Matthew presents a different kind of storm—this time, a tempest on the sea. Jesus, asleep in the boat, is awakened by his disciples, who are consumed by fear. With a word, he calms the winds and the waves, leaving the disciples in awe. This miracle is not just a display of power but a lesson in trust. Jesus' question, "Why are you afraid, O little in faith?" cuts to the heart of their doubt and ours. It reminds us that faith is not the absence of fear but the willingness to place our trust in God even when the world around us seems to be unraveling.
These readings, though separated by centuries, speak to a common truth: our faith is tested in the storms of life. Like Lot, we may hesitate or look back, fearing what lies ahead. Like the disciples, we may doubt God's presence in the chaos. Yet, in both stories, we see the hand of God at work—saving Lot, calming the sea. They remind us that faith is not about having all the answers but about trusting in God's plan, even when the path is uncertain. Let us, then, turn our gaze away from the chaos and fix our eyes on the Lord, who is always near, always in control. In Him, we find the peace that surpasses all understanding.