Today, June 30
Feast of the Day
No feast of the day
Saint of the Day
This day is dedicated to the Christians who were martyred under the Emperor Nero. In the year 64, a great fire broke out in Rome and when suspicion fell on Nero himself, he accused the Christians of having set the fire. The historian Tacitus wrote that while no one believed this, nevertheless, countless Christians were seized, mocked and put to death in various and unspeakable ways. Their martyrdom preceded that of Saints Peter and Paul, and to this day they are honoured in the Piazza of the Protomartyrs in Vatican City.
©2011 Living with Christ, Novalis - Bayard Press Canada Inc., http://www.livingwithchrist.ca/. Reprinted with permission.
Readings of the Day
Book of Amos 3,1-8.4,11-12.
Hear this word, O children of Israel, that the LORD pronounces over you, over the whole family that I brought up from the land of Egypt: You alone have I favored, more than all the families of the earth; Therefore I will punish you for all your crimes. Do two walk together unless they have agreed? Does a lion roar in the forest when it has no prey? Does a young lion cry out from its den unless it has seized something? Is a bird brought to earth by a snare when there is no lure for it? Does a snare spring up from the ground without catching anything? If the trumpet sounds in a city, will the people not be frightened? If evil befalls a city, has not the LORD caused it? Indeed, the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants, the prophets. The lion roars-- who will not be afraid! The Lord GOD speaks-- who will not prophesy! I brought upon you such upheaval as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah: you were like a brand plucked from the fire; Yet you returned not to me, says the LORD. So now I will deal with you in my own way, O Israel! and since I will deal thus with you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel:
Psalms 5,5-6.7.8.
For you, O God, delight not in wickedness; No evil man remains with you; The arrogant may not stand in your sight. You hate all evildoers. You destroy all who speak falsehood; the bloodthirsty and the deceitful the LORD abhors. But I can enter your house because of your great love. I can worship in your holy temple because of my reverence for you, LORD.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 8,23-27.
As Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him. Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep. They came and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!" He said to them, "Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?" Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm. The men were amazed and said, "What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?"
Daily Reflection
Just as the good soldier is not afraid of battle so the good Christian has no fear of temptation. (…) The greatest temptation is not to have one! It might even be said that we are fortunate to have temptations: these are the times of spiritual harvest when we gather up for heaven. (…) If we were thoroughly saturated with God’s holy presence it would be easy for us to resist the enemy. With the thought ‘God sees you!’ we would never sin. There was a saint who complained to our Lord after being tempted and said to him: “Where were you, my most loveable Jesus, during that awful storm?” Our Lord answered: “I was in the center of your heart…”