Friday 14 August 2026 - Give thanks to the Lord

Friday 14 August 2026

Today is Friday the 14th of August, the feast of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, in the 19th week of Ordinary Time. Paul Zach sings, ‘Nothing to Fear’. How do you receive these words? How might you gently place all your hope and trust in God today? When you pass through the waters I will be with you And the depths of the river shall not overwhelm When you walk through the fire you will not be burned I am the Lord, I am the Lord And there is nothing to fear, nothing to fear There is nothing to fear, nothing to fear For I am with you always In the depths of your sorrow I wept beside you When you walked through the shadow I drew you near And yesterday, today, tomorrow, always the same I am the Lord, I am the Lord And there is nothing to fear, nothing to fear There is nothing to fear, nothing to fear For I am with you always And there is nothing to fear, nothing to fear There is nothing to fear, nothing to fear For I am with you always What can separate you from My perfect Love What can separate you from My perfect Love What can separate you from My perfect Love Do not fear Do not fear Do not fear Today’s reading is from the Prophet Isaiah. Isaiah 12:2-6 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say on that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah says: surely God is my salvation; I will trust and will not be afraid. Maximilian Kolbe, whose feast falls today, is remembered for offering his life in place of a stranger in the starvation bunker at Auschwitz. He led the other condemned men in prayer and singing as they waited to die. His trust clearly did not remove his fear but went on alongside it. Is there anywhere in your life that trust and fear are having to sit together, rather than one simply replacing the other? Isaiah promises a joy that does not wait for easier circumstances. Kolbe's fellow prisoners spoke of him bringing something like that joy into the bunker itself. Where do you go, or who do you turn to, when you need to draw on joy that has nothing to do with how well things are going? As we listen to the reading once more, let the repeated command to give thanks and sing settle into you. Isaiah 12:2-6 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say on that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel. Is there anyone whose costly love has shown you what trust looks like in practice? What gifts do St. Maximilian’s freedom from fear and courageous love encourage you to ask God for? Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be World without end Amen