Our Great Journey

Welcome to our weekly summer digital post, designed to share ideas for Living the Gospel at Home. This blog is meant to be interactive, so please share ideas, photos and resources that you have tried at home. Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most meaningful.

This weekend, We read about Jesus (and Peter Walking on Water  Matthew 14:22-33

The miracle of Jesus walking on the water convinced Jesus’ disciples that He was indeed the Son of God .

Things to talk about:

• Do you think Peter was scared? If so, why?
• Peter had to trust Jesus to get out of the boat. Do you trust Jesus? Why?
• Why is Peter a sign of hope for the average believer?
• What is it like to get out of your comfort zone and try something new?

Things to do:

• Hopefully, this Sunday’s weather is better than the weather described in today’s Gospel! If so, consider taking your family to a water park or a nearby park with fountains. Kids of all ages love playing in water! This activity can also be an opportunity to reflect on how Peter was able to do by grace what he could never do by nature!
• Family Justice Challenge: On August 14 we celebrate the feast day of St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe. He gave up his life in a concentration camp during World War II, offering to take the place of a father who was selected for the gas chamber. He was canonized a saint in 1982. Your challenge this week is to give up something on behalf of another person. It won’t be your very life as it was for St. Maximilian, but it might be something you really like. Maybe you are called to give up television to help someone with their homework, or to sacrifice a meal in order to pray for a loved one suffering from cancer. It might be taking money you saved for a smart phone or tablet and donating it to people suffering from a hurricane or typhoon. What are you willing to give up for others?

Fun Fact – The Dead Sea is one of the most interesting lakes in the world. It is south of the Sea of Galilee (the scene of today’s Gospel) and connected by the Jordan River. The Dead Sea is located at the lowest point on Earth. It is eight times saltier than the oceans and has the highest salt concentration of any body of water in the world. As a result, visitors who enter the water are more buoyant. It is impossible to sink in the Dead Sea!

Click the image to explore the Dead Sea in under a minute!

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