May the Lord give you peace and health in the Holy Spirit. It is 28th June 2022. We celebrate the memorial of St. Irenaeus, Martyr, Bishop, and Doctor of the Church. “Life in man is the glory of God; the life of man is the vision of God,” teaches St. Irenaeus.
We reflect on Amos 3:1-8; 4:11-12 and Matthew 8:23-27.
Fear freezes with the power of faith.
Does God care when we are so scared? Are we prepared to face the worst?
The most painful and unbearable things do happen when we are least expected. But we all face it with courage when we feel the accompaniment of the Lord and have faith in Him. At times, we are not aware of the presence of the One who is with us always. So, we panic and scream out of desperation and fear. The inevitable moments will surely pass by, yet the impact could be felt differently if we acknowledged the presence of Jesus in our life.
Our self-talk is the indicator as our being switches on to the auto-suggestive mode for survival. Our personal conversion is much needed to realize the presence of Jesus in our life when the storms wash all hopes and beliefs without warning. “Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!” (Amos 4:12).
In the Gospel, we read that Jesus and the disciples are in the eye of the storm.
In life, when things go beyond our control, we mostly wonder whether God cares. Yes, surely God does care. We need faith to realise that God truly cares. Peace is permanent wherever Jesus is present. The disciples on the boat were fully aware of the power of the storm and harm but did not realise the mighty presence that could handle any unexpected events of life. It looks as though Jesus rests while we are so restless. “Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a dead calm.” (Mt. 8:26).
Lord, you alone know the storm that stunts and shatters our lives, “Save us, Lord, we are going down”. May God bless you.