Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (2022-2023)

We live in Florida, and we all agree that the storms and hurricanes can be harsh here.

I love riding my bike in the Ocala Forest and other parks.

Last year, while I was in the middle of the forest, a strong storm came with lightning and heavy rain. I had my poncho, but you know, being in the forest is not a truly safe place to hide from lightning with your metal bike and phone.

So, what should you do? Stay away from isolated trees, drop off any metal objects, crouch with your feet together and head low, and wait.

Yes, it can be terrifying when you are in the middle of a storm.

There is a feeling of helplessness that can be overwhelming.

What is the worst storm that you have ever been in? Was it a hurricane?

Have you experienced any storms producing tornadoes around you?

Sometimes, just as scary, is when we have storms in our minds.

These storms are often caused by conflict and relational issues.

We are overwhelmed by the decisions we need to make. We can't seem to figure out how to continue living normally, all the while we have a tornado of thoughts going through our minds.

Questions and analysis continue to swirl in our brains like bands of rainfall - Why did he say that?

Why did she do that? What were they thinking?

Saint Paul, in our second reading, reveals in some way an issue that was so bad in the Philippian church that Paul publicly called it out.

The storm caused by the two women (we do not have their names in our reading today, but a few verses earlier you have them: Euodia and Syntyche - Philippians 4:2).

The storm caused by these two women was dividing the church, so Saint Paul, who was imprisoned in Rome, wrote a letter to the Church in Philippi, but he didn't condemn them for being a pain.

Rather than shaming them for their poor behavior, Paul speaks graciously to them.

How can we have a peaceful mind even in the midst of a stormy world?

As we do not have control over the weather, we have no full control over the storms that appear in our world, including our families.

So the solution is not about changing the outside but the inside.

One of the best books I ever read, and it was at the time I needed it the most - during the Covid pandemic, when I experienced a lot of storms from both outside and inside, including anxiety. That book was written by the Orthodox monk Thaddeus and titled "Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives."

What I found there was nothing new; it was a biblical and patristic teaching throughout - things that can so easily be forgotten in your fast-paced world.

Let me share a few sentences:

Our life depends on the kind of thoughts we nurture.

If our thoughts are kind, peaceful, and quiet, turned only toward good, then we also influence ourselves and radiate peace all around us—in our family, in the whole country, everywhere. This is true not only here on earth, but in the cosmos as well. When we labor in the fields of the Lord, we create harmony. Divine harmony, peace, and quiet spread everywhere.

However, when we breed negative thoughts, that is a great evil. When there is evil in us, we radiate it among our family members and wherever we go. So you see, we can be very good or very evil. If that’s the way it is, it is certainly better to choose good! Destructive thoughts destroy the stillness within, and then we have no peace.

Saint Paul writes today: "Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

But how can we have gentle thoughts and peace, if our mind is a great wanderer? It is always traveling.

We need to learn how to fight to acquire peace and good thoughts.

Maintain right away gentle thoughts, full of love and forgiveness; otherwise, we bear grudges, and we will have no peace.

Saint Paul gives us today three steps to help us:

1. The First Step is prayer and petition.

I'm guessing that everyone here prays, no doubt. But do we think about prayer as simply being with, thinking about, and listening to a personal God? A God who knows you, loves you, cares for you, and holds your destiny in His hands, much like many of you have held an infant in your hands?

2. The Second Step is our thanksgiving for everything, being grateful and kind.

I'm thinking now, when was the last time I said thank you to God? For even the little things.

3. The Third step is to make your requests known to God, and do not be afraid to bring them in front of Him.

God is not too busy worrying to hear your requests, and He is the only One who can put your worries to rest.

So, when you've taken these three steps, our thoughts will become gentler and kinder toward the world and ourselves.

And then what?

Paul says: "Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

Who could ask for anything more?