28th of June

Gospel text (Mt 8:23-27): 

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?”

The Application

It seems to us that an external upheaval has caused an internal upheaval. In truth, the opposite is true. Since the man was not inwardly calm, and quiet, the outward movement upset everything, caused fear, fear of death. Since the Lord's interior was calm and composed, the external movements were not able to pierce the wall of faith and certainty. It is true that He was the Lord of lords, and the king of the universe, with all possible power, including over nature.

"We are lost" is a righteous cry, not from a momentary glance, but a deep cry of confidence in His presence. We must know how to cry out, to cry out as loud as possible, so that others may hear our stress and the Lord may answer us. It is not enough that the Lord hears us, for he already sees it. Since God acts through our brothers and sisters, the ones sent by the Father, they must also hear this cry. Let us be true and transparent.

Action of the day: Learn to cry towards God.

"Follow me"

Fr. Jordi PASCUAL i Bancells

(Salt, Girona, Spain)

Today, the Gospel presents us —through two characters— a quality the good disciple of Jesus must have: a detachment from material goods. Before that St. Matthew's Gospel points out to a detail I would not like to overlook: “When Jesus saw a crowd around him…” (Mt 8:18). Crowds gather around the Lord to listen to his words, to be healed of their material and spiritual sicknesses; they are seeking their salvation and a breath of eternal Life amidst a world in conflict.

As at that time, something similar happens in today's world: more or less consciously, all of us need God's help, to satiate our heart with true spiritual goods, such as a better knowledge of Jesus Christ and a life of friendship and love for Him. Otherwise, we risk tumbling into the trap filling out our heart with other “gods” that cannot give meaning to our live: mobile phones, Internet, tourist holidays, a frantic work schedule to make more money, a car better than the neighbor’s or a gym to excel as the best figure of them all... This is what is happening to many people right now.

In sharp contrast, though, St. John Paul II's outcry to the youth resounded full of force and confidence: «It is possible to be both modern and profoundly faithful to Jesus Christ». For this we need to do as the Lord, breaking away with what may link us to a much materialized way of life that serves no purpose other than closing the doors to the Holy Spirit.

“The Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head (...) Follow me” (Mt 8:22), says today's Gospel. And St. Gregory the Great reminds us: “We make use of temporal things, but our hearts are set on what is eternal. Temporal goods help us on our way, but our desire must be for those eternal realities which are our goal.” This is a good guideline to examine whether we are properly following Jesus.