Friday, April 1, 2011

The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 8:26

People often tell you after experiencing a great trial: “if it wasn’t for my faith, I would never have got through this.” Faith can be a great comfort in times of trouble; it can give you the power and the strength to persevere, to hold on, to wait it out (whatever it may be) and to survive the test.

There are two great gifts in life: the gift of health and the gift of faith. What health is to the body, faith is to the soul. The gospel is full of stories about faith: the faith of Bartimaeus who had his sight restored; the faith of the Centurion whose servant was cured; and St. Thomas’ shout of faith: “my Lord, and my God” when he experienced the risen Lord. I have written about these stories of faith earlier, and you might want to refresh your memory again by looking them up in the archive provided on this site.

In today’s gospel, the disciples are terrified because the boat they are in is “being swamped by waves.” The seas inspired an awesome fear in ancient times because mariners did not have strong boats or sophisticated instruments like we have today. While the disciples are terrified, Jesus is quietly asleep in the boat. Notice the contrast!

The great Dutch painter, Rembrandt, depicts this scene in one of his greatest paintings. The faces of the disciples are disfigured with terror as the waves threaten to topple the boat while the Lord is sleeping quietly with his head upon a cushion. This painting shows the stark contrast between terror and faith; the terror of the disciples and the calm faith of the Lord.

At times, we feel overwhelmed by life and its problems. Only a calm faith can hold us up in times like this when everything seems to be coming unglued. People ask me today: “have you ever seen so many bad things happening at the same time? What is the meaning of this? Is it the end of the world?” A recent poll indicates that 41% of Americans think the end of the world is upon us.

The Lord cautions us not to be misled by stories about the end of the world if these stories should distract us from following Him and listening to His word.

Faith is a wonderful gift. It is a gift that helps us remain calm in times of personal trial and natural calamities.

Fr. Hugh Duffy