Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

 

“What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?”

 

Gospel Reading Matthew 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?”

 

How do you react to conflict in your life?  How many times have you felt that your life was a total wreck or that life was just tossing you around like a violent storm?  In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus’ disciples are being violently tossed around.  When they cry out for help, Jesus responds, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?”  Jesus says the same thing to us when we let the world overwhelm us.  It is easy to feel like life is batting you around like a terrible storm.  During this period it is easy to fall into a position of despair.  Despair is the opposite of love and if God is love then despair is the most powerful tool that Satan can use to pull us away from God.  Satan uses these periods of despair to attach our soul and to get us down.  However, it is through our faith that we can turn these stormy periods in our life around and defeat despair.  It is during this periods that we can find calm in the storm and comfort in the arms of Jesus Christ.  We need to put our storms into the hands of God an let him control the winds and the sea.  It is only through our faith in the power of our God that we will find calm in the storm.

 

A Simple Prayer

 

Lord God, you are the calm in my life.

You subdue the winds of turmoil and calm the seas of despair.

Take my life and help me rebuke the storms.

 

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon