In this Sunday’s Gospel account, Jesus sends his disciples into a storm!
We sometimes have these beautiful experiences of God—times of great consolation: perhaps that one time we had a really good time during Adoration, or that one Mass where we really felt like we were in Heaven, or that Confession we went to and really felt the closeness of God. You name it. The disciples had just witnessed Jesus feeding more than 5000 people with just five loaves and two fish (Mt 14:13-21)! With a guy who could do that on your side, what could possibly go wrong?
Our spiritual lives always involve the—sometimes surprising—discovery that just because we are “close” to God, it doesn’t mean that we shall be spared from suffering, much less that it will be easy. In fact, sometimes it just appears to get worse. Not a few times people have been scandalised by this “suffering of the just,” or at least asked themselves the question: “Where is God when we are suffering?”
The account of Jesus walking on the water gives us the answer (Mt 14:22–33, Mk 6:45–52, Jn 6:15–21). After “Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and precede Him to the other side … he went up on the mountain by himself to pray”. In the meantime, the waves and the wind turn against the disciples. Jesus, however, did not send them out all alone and helpless. St Mark tells us that “he saw that they were tossed about while rowing” (Mk 6:48), and “during the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them walking on the sea.”
The point is, when he sent them out to meet the storm, he also watched over them: he accompanied them. Perhaps the storm was meant to test their faith, perhaps he wanted them to see his power when he delivered them; whatever the reason, he never allowed the storm to break them. At the right moment, he came to them, walking on the very waves that had frightened them, and said to them: “Do not be afraid!”
These words, “Do not be afraid”, might remind us of the great Pope St John Paul II. He famously declared in his homily at his inauguration (Sunday, 22 October 1978): “Do not be afraid”. The phrase became a constant refrain throughout the entirety of his papacy so that it could be said to summarise his message. History of course proves that when he said these words, he spoke from a place of having experienced in his own life many “storms” that would have caused him to fear.
Born Karol Wojtyła in 1920 in Wadowice, Poland, his sister died in infancy (1916), he lost his mother when he was 8, and his older brother when he was 12. Then he had to live through the brutality of World War II. To avoid arrest and deportation to labour camps, he had to work demanding shifts at a quarry and a chemical factory. At age 20, returning home from the quarry, he found his father dead, and spent the night praying in grief. He attended a secret seminary to avoid arrest, saw his country fall under communist control, and even when he became pope, someone attempted to assassinate him. In his later years, he suffered from Parkinson’s disease and died of cardiocirculatory collapse in 2005.
Regardless of the storms, St John Paul II knew that he was not alone. He knew that it was Jesus who had called him and sent him into this life and mission that involved much suffering. And if Jesus had commanded, willed and permitted it, then he knew that the same Jesus would never allow the storm to break him, and at the right time, he would come to still the storm and say, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
For Jesus’ disciples, crossing the sea was part of the mission. They still had a long way ahead of them. For Pope St John Paul II, too, the suffering was part of the mission. The same can be said of all the saints. One will be hard-pressed to name a saint whose life didn’t involve some storms, some suffering. Even the youngest saints like St Jacinta and St Francisco had to endure great suffering on their road to Heaven. They became saints because they understood that while many questions linger about the purpose and the “timing” of our trials, it is a fact that Jesus accompanies us through every single step of our lives, including our suffering. It is also a fact that he is more powerful than our pain and confusion—he walks on the raging water! And, somehow, by means of the storm, he leads us to where he wants us to be.
Pope St John Paul II famously said, as his last words, “Let me go to the House of the Father.” He knew that through everything, Jesus had been leading him Home.
Looking for more Catholic Gospel Reflections?
Catholic Gospel Reflections
The Liturgical Sense of The Readings at Mass – Year A by David L. Gray
Food for the Soul: Reflections on the Mass Readings (Cycle A) (Food for the Soul Series)
Breaking the Bread: A Biblical Devotional for Catholics Year A
The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Mass Readings for Solemnities and Feasts
Through the Year with Jesus: Gospel Readings and Reflections for Children
Image: Karemin1094, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
