Angels came to rescue Lot and his wife and two daughters when their city, Sodom, was to be destroyed. Lot hesitated so the angels took them all by the hand and led them out of the city. The angels said to them, “Flee for your life! Don’t look back…” They escaped to a town called Zoar. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah went up in flames. Lot’s wife couldn’t resist looking back at Sodom, and she instantly turned into a pillar of salt. God mercifully sent Lot the advice he needed to leave Sodom before it was destroyed but his wife disobeyed the angel’s command. The people in the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah also disobeyed and were not spared either.
Even though we can be tempted to doubt the Word of God, always believe. God knows what is best for us. We can get the best advice for living happy, virtuous lives by reading His Word in the Bible.
Not everyone gets touched by or sees angels, at least not as far as we know. But we need to trust that God can send them to help us, rescue us, and save us. When no human is available to help, who’s to say that God, in His mercy, can’t send one of heaven’s angels to step in? As the Psalm Response says, “O Lord, your mercy is before my eyes.”
When Jesus calmed the storm for the Apostles in today’s Gospel they said, “What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?” They asked for His help but still wondered about Him even after they saw the miracle He performed. His mercy was too great to be so easily believed.
Today we celebrate the feast day of a Spanish priest named Junipero Serra, sent as a missionary to the New World. Along with his Franciscan Friars, he helped found missions in Mexico and California. Between 1750 and 1823, they built five mission churches in Mexico and 21 in California. Serra is also known as the Apostle of California. He taught the Catholic faith to the indigenous peoples, improved their farming practices, showed them new ways of trade, and defended them against non-native settlers. Saint Junipero Serra was merciful to many.
It’s often hard to believe when someone offers to assist us. It’s easy to mistrust or misunderstand their motives. But godly men and women can be merciful as well. God can use angels and also people to aid others in their time of need and better their lives. Live a virtuous life and trust in God, and you too can witness His great mercy.
Daily Reading
Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading I Genesis 32:23-33 In the course of the night, Jacob arose, took his two wives, with the two maidservants and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the…
Saint of the Day
Sts. Aquila and Priscilla
Sts. Aquila and Priscilla
Feast date: Jul 08
Saints Aquila and Priscilla were a Jewish couple from Rome who had been exiled to Corinth, and were friends of St. Paul in the first century. They hosted St. Paul on his visit to that city and were probably converted by him. They are mentioned a few times in the New Testament in glowing terms by their friend Paul, who calls them “my helpers in Christ, who have for my life laid down their own necks” (Romans 16:3-4).They were tentmakers, thus sharing the same profession as Paul, and because of this it is thought that Paul may have worked with them. Acts 18:18-19 tells us that they accompanied Paul to Ephesus and stayed there with him for three years.In the era of house churches – when Mass was always celebrated in the house of one of the Christian community – their house was an important one.According to tradition they were martyred in Rome on their return, probably around the same time as St. Paul.