Matthew 8: 23-27
When Jesus got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Another Reason to Trust Him
“Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” If you ask me, the disciples seem to have many good reasons to be afraid, the raging windstorm for one.
In Matthew’s Gospel, this scene follows a whole series of Jesus’ miraculous healings. All the while his refrain is always the same; he encourages his followers to have faith. In the storm-tossed boat, Jesus does not chastise the disciples for not having enough faith, instead it almost seems he is giving them one more moment of encouragement. Jesus is giving them another reason to trust him.
Today, let’s ask ourselves, like the disciples, “What sort of man is this?” Who is the Jesus in the boats of our lives? What does he desire to do for us? What encouragement or reason for trust does he desire to give us?
—Jon Herrington, SJ, is a Jesuit scholastic of the Midwest Province studying philosophy at Fordham University in New York City.
Prayer
That You are continually holding me, sustaining me, loving me … Jesus, I trust in you.
That my life is a gift … Jesus, I trust in you.
That You will teach me to trust You … Jesus, I trust in you.
That You are my Lord and my God … Jesus, I trust in you.
That I am Your beloved one … Jesus, I trust in you.
Amen.
—From the Litany of Trust, written by the Sisters of Life