SAINT CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA, (OPTIONAL MEMORIAL)

The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew. 

As we do from time to time, we wanted to share a reader’s testimony for today’s meditation:

“Today’s Gospel may seem like an unlikely reading for a wedding, but my wife and I were sure that this was the right passage for us. In spite of the blush of young love, we knew our married life would have ups and downs. So we wanted Jesus to be our foundation from the very beginning. And he has been!

“The rain fell. Like many newlyweds, we sometimes struggled to blend very different family traditions. My wife’s family relished lively discussions, but mine was more reserved. When dinner conversations got stormy and led to hurt feelings, we tried to remember that we were forming a new family with Jesus as our foundation. Did we sometimes still feel offended? Of course. But we tried to let Paul’s words from Philippians 2:3 guide us: ‘Humbly regard others as more important than yourselves.’

“The floods came. I was in the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, when a jetliner crashed into the building. I escaped unharmed, but the attack filled me with fear. Would God really take care of our family? As we grappled with these questions, we found strength in Romans 8:28—the promise that ‘all things work for good’ has become a refrain for our family.

“The winds blew. Sending kids out into the world can whip your emotions around like a strong wind. ‘Is this the best place for our son? Can he afford to live on his own?’ As we prayed, the same Scripture passage kept coming up: ‘After three days they found him in the temple’ (Luke 2:46). So when our son decided to go to college halfway across the country, we hung onto that truth: God was calling each of our kids, and even if they went on different paths, they would find him in the end.

“The house did not collapse. We’ve been married more than twenty-five years now. Things haven’t always been picture-perfect, but we keep trying to trust Jesus. His word has helped us so far, and we’re confident it will in the future.”

“Jesus, you help us weather the storms of life. Keep us on your firm foundation.”

2 Kings 24:8-17
Psalm 79:1-5, 8-9
Matthew 7:21-29