Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Tuesday of the 13th week in ordinary time, July 1, 2025

Delivered by Samue Ivan Gunarsa from the Parish of Mary of All Nations in the Diocese of Bogor, Indonesia. Genesis 19: 15-29; Rs psalm 26: 2-3.9-10.11-12; Matthew 8: 23-27.STORM The title for our meditation today is:Storm. A person who is very distress, a family that is facing economicproblems, a Church hit by disputes between factions of faithful, and a countrythat is massively destroyed by corruption; these are all examples of stormsthat hit our human life. All people are affected by the damage of theirphysicall, mental and spiritual lives, just like natural disaster that destroysthe life of a particular neighbourhood. Various kinds of storms that threatenhuman life and their environment are known as the natural forces that do notprovide comfort and serenity, but trouble and destruction of life. When natureis calm and beautiful, we are certainly very fascinated to enjoy it. Naturetruly offers a kind of nourishment to our souls, so that we become peaceful andjoyful. But when nature rebels, for example hurricanes, floods, or earthquakes,human life instead perils. In the scriptures we can find so manynatural phenomena. In our lives, especially in the Indonesian lands, naturaldisasters have become the story of the entire population of the archipelago.Often people interpret every disaster as a form of punishment given by nature.The punishment is actually a consequence of human behavior which damages natureand does not care for the nature. This understanding can be further deepening.God allows the disasters or storms to happen to strike human life, so thathumans become aware of their sinfulness then return to God. The question we canwould be: by allowing that, is God far away and watching us suffer? Is itpermissible for humans to be tortured while God does nothing to protectcreation that He loves so much? Of course the answer is no. Godremains in the hearts of every human being. He is in the homes of families, inplaces where men work, and in all matters of this world. He lives there and isoften silent. We may be too busy with all things of the world, that is why wedo not remember and realize the presence of God in our midst. He seems to besleeping soundly in the midst of all the busy life of this world. But thestorm, even though as big as we cannot imagine, is impossible to eliminate thislife, because God is there, He is truly with us. We should always remember, realize andcall on Him when the storm comes and threatens us. With Him, even if the stormis real and very harmful, we are certainly able to face it. Let's pray. In the name of theFather ... O Lord, bless us that we are able to survive and face all kinds ofstorms in life. Our Father who art in heaven ... In the name of the Father ...