“WHAT SORT OF MAN IS THIS, WHOM EVEN THE WINDS AND THE SEA OBEY?” MT 8:23-27
Humbly submit your will to God (Thy Will be done) and consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary.
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?” MT 8:23-27
Sometimes I am full of worry and anxiety. It is usually fear of the unknown. I can’t always trust myself or those around me, so today we learn where we should turn in times of distress. Jesus is Lord. Invite Him into those times, sit in silence, and just be with Him. He is the calm in the storms of life!
The Apostles had good reason to be worried and anxious as they were in a violent storm at sea. Huge waves were around them. They came to the Lord who was sleeping through the storm. Jesus responds, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?” What happens next would have been astounding to see.
Jesus rebukes the winds and the sea and “there was great calm.” The lesson is when we put our full trust in the Lord, especially in times of great anxiety, He fills us with a great calm. He has conquered sin and death. He has been through all of the pain and suffering. He has died and resurrected from the dead. He is God and He is alive and present with us here and now in the Holy Spirit.
God has given us a way to conquer our fears, Himself. In the Eucharist, the sacraments, prayer and asking the Holy Spirit to teach us to pray and interpret the Scriptures so we can develop a friendship with Jesus. This is why He died and rose from the dead, it is our way back to the Father!
God is in control. He has a plan for our salvation. He has taken care of the first part, now it is up to us to respond guided by the first installment of our salvation, Christ’s Holy Spirit. When we make Him the center of our lives, we have a great calm in the greatest of storms throughout our life.
We must expect the storms, but how we handle them effects all of the relationships around us and most importantly our relationship with God. Total and complete trust and submission to God is impossible for us weak humans, but God took care of that, too! He gave us the gift of faith. Ask God each day to increase your faith, it is necessary for the lost soul to get to heaven.
Today’s challenge: The next time you are in distress with worry and anxiety, offer up the prayers, “Jesus, I trust in you.” “I believe, help my unbelief.” Be still, Be silent, Surrender and spend time with Jesus during the storms!
Be a servant, become a saint!
#Christian YOLO
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