Memory of the Mother of the Lord

Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The Spirit of the Lord is upon you.
The child you shall bear will be holy.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Matthew 8,23-27

Then he got into the boat followed by his disciples. Suddenly a storm broke over the lake, so violent that the boat was being swamped by the waves. But he was asleep. So they went to him and woke him saying, 'Save us, Lord, we are lost!' And he said to them, 'Why are you so frightened, you who have so little faith?' And then he stood up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. They were astounded and said, 'Whatever kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?'

 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Look down, O Lord, on your servants.
Be it unto us according to your word.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Jesus is in the boat with the disciples crossing to the other side of the lake. During the crossing he falls asleep. Suddenly a storm breaks out. Like the disciples we experience our fragility, how we are without real security and protection. The boat is tossed about by the waves. Jesus continues to sleep. The disciples are gripped by fear and are more than a little bewildered by their master's sleep. He does not seem to care about them. "Lord, save us! We are perishing!" It is a cry of despair and at the same time of trust, as our prayer often is. Certainly, they think Jesus is indifferent. How many times has our little faith made us believe that the Lord does not defend us, does not help us, does not protect us. We forget, in fact, that Jesus is in our same boat. Jesus wakes up and rebukes the disciples for having little faith. They should have known, in fact, that while one is with the Lord, one should fear no evil. Psalm 23 sings: "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me." Jesus is not indifferent, but as serene as one who abandons himself to the Father's protection. Faced with Jesus' calm, the apostles and we too are truly of little faith. All it takes is a word from Jesus, that evil retreats. Those who witnessed the scene - the evangelist seems to suggest that it is not only the disciples, but also those who may have seen from the shore - are astonished. Discipleship (and also conversion) is born out of amazement at seeing that the Word of Jesus calms every storm of life, even when it seems that nothing else remains but sinking.