Devotion
Who is this Jesus?
Frances Taylor
The apostles had spent time with Jesus listening to him talk about the Kingdom of God, healing those suffering from physical and spiritual illnesses and now they are sailing with him across the sea when the storm comes up. We tend to forget that several of the apostles are fishermen and are accustomed to storms at sea and yet are afraid that the boat will capsize and they will drown. Jesus appears unconcerned and sleeps on. However, when the apostles asked for help, Jesus answered and quieted the storm. The apostles questioned the power of Jesus ever after they had witnessed the other miracles. What about us? We witness God's goodness in our lives, we see his power in the beauties and majesty of nature and yet we often question where he is when the storms of life shake us. Do we really think that we can escape trials and sometimes, persecution? We can be put down because of our beliefs and our attempts to do the right thing. We suffer the pains of illness, loss of loved ones and the problems that come with old age. Do we think that Jesus is sleeping in the back of our boat or do we reach out to him knowing that he is there waiting for us to ask for help. There is a poem called "Footprints" that discusses this attitude of uncertainty about God's care for us. In it, the poet complains that he sees the footprints of Jesus walking with him in time of joy but not in times of trouble. Jesus points out that he only sees one set of footprints during the sad times because Jesus is carrying him. We can always depend on Jesus to be with us.
Prayer
Lord, sometimes I complain because I can't feel your presence. Give me the grace to know that you are always by my side laughing with me in the good times and carrying me when I am burdened or afraid. Amen.
Devotion
Abraham is Father of All
Frances Taylor
There are questions in every age about the importance of the Old Testament for Christians. Abraham is considered to be the Father of Faith for Jews, Christians and Muslims. We forget that it was Abraham who believed in the doctrine of only one God. It is through him and his descendants that this tradition comes down to us. Another fact that we can overlook is that Jesus was Jewish. He was born a Jew, lived as a Jew, died, rose and ascended into heaven as a Jew. Because we believe that he was the Messiah, the Christ, and we follow him, we are called Christian. Without the Old Testament, we wouldn't understand the promise of salvation; we wouldn't understand why it was important for Jesus to be of the family of King David. We would not understand his teaching either, because Jesus quoted from Scripture – the Old Testament – frequently. He told us that he came to fulfill the Scriptures, not to abolish them. In the same way, we can ...
