April 24, 2004 Daily Prayer with Regnum Christi




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lord we pray for those who are persecuted or suffer injury, that they may know how to forgive, and to bear their burden heroically, remembering that God does not seek the destruction of the sinner but rather his conversion.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It is I. Do Not Be Afraid



April 24, 2004
Saturday of the Second Week of Easter

John 6:16-21
When it was evening, Jesus’ disciples went down to the sea, embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum. It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they began to be afraid. But he said to them, "It is I. Do not be afraid." They wanted to take him into the boat, but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading.

Introductory Prayer:Lord, I know you are always here and I thank you for that. Never let me be separated from you. I know how much I need you amid the storms of life. I also know that you have chosen to need me during these stormy times in the history of the Church. Here I am, present.

Petition:Lord, in the storms as well as the calm, you never leave your sheep untended. Increase my faith in the Church’s future. Increase my commitment to her.

1. In Spite of Darkness, Waves and Fear. We know from another Gospel passage that when Jesus was not with them, he was praying. Jesus never really left them alone, even though it appeared so. On another occasion, he was in their boat but sleeping. On this occasion perhaps they wondered if he had forgotten about them. What was to become of them? Many of them had spent a good portion of their lives on the sea – would they now perish there? Worn out by fear, the buffeting winds and hard rowing, his appearance walking on water brought no security. Like the apostles, we can feel abandoned and sometimes all but shipwrecked in our Christian lives. We often hear words such as, “Where was God when this tragedy happened?” or “How is the Church going to survive this?”

2. “It is I. Do Not Be Afraid.” Christ built his Church on rock that the gates of hell could not prevail against. His walking on water as much as said, “What have you to fear? Am I not above all this?” Then they wanted the security of having him in their boat. In the midst of storms – persecutions, heresy, temptations, bad example and scandal – all human elements that make the Church and her members suffer –– Christ is present and the Church remains standing. We have little faith if hard circumstances make us doubt. What we need is more prayer and faithfulness.

3. Remaining Strong. Christ brought the disciples’ boat to safe harbor. He does the same for the Church. The Gospel of John tells us how Christ knew what they would go through. He prayed for them. He promised the help of the Holy Spirit. He gave them the Eucharist and promised to be with them always. He gave them his Mother. Many times we don’t comprehend the meaning of difficulties until after we have gone through them. Do I respond to difficulty with increased prayer and confidence?

Dialogue with Christ: Lord, I know that you never leave me. I trust in your promise. I believe that truth and goodness will prevail. Thank you for remaining with me always and keeping me on course.

Resolution: I will pray and offer a sacrifice for someone in the Church who is suffering.


By Father Jon Budke, LC

Vocation.com announces a pilgrimage to the Eternal City for college-aged men and High School Seniors discerning God´s will in their lives. For more information click here.

Want to help us maintain this free service? Make a tax-deductible donation online by clicking here.This link will take you to the online donation page of the Legion of Christ, but accessing it by this specific link will create a report letting us know your donation is for the daily meditation service from RegnumChristi.org.Thank you and God bless you.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can send your testimony to testimonies@regnumchristi.org

If you would like any further information please contact infoeng@regnumchristi.org

If you did not subscribe to this service or you would like to cancel your subscription please click here or send an email to meditation-request@regnumchristi.org with the word unsubscribe in the subject line.

© Regnum Christi http://www.regnumchristi.org/