“And when he entered into the boat, his disciples followed him: and behold a great tempest arose in the sea, so that the boat was covered with waves, but he was asleep. And they came to him, and awaked him, saying, ‘Lord, save us, we perish.’ And Jesus saith to them: ‘Why are you fearful, O ye of little faith?’ Then rising up he commanded the winds, and the sea, and there came a great calm. But the men wondered, saying: ‘What manner of man is this, for the winds and the sea obey him?’”
Jesus, having exhibited His power over things of the earth, then takes to the sea: “By his power the seas are suddenly gathered together, and his wisdom has struck the proud one” (Job 26:12); “What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou didst flee: and thou, O Jordan, that thou wast turned back?” (Psalm 113:5). He brings with Him His disciples, that those that are closest to Him may know how truly helpless they are without Him: “For I will not trust in my bow: neither shall my sword save me” (Psalm 43:7). This perception of one’s littleness is not meant to discourage, but to realize that in God’s eyes, you are as helpless yet as precious as a little baby, and you can trust in His merciful love with all the security that a baby does its parent. Now, because nothing occurs without either the permission or active will of the Divine Majesty overseeing it, the sea rose against the little boat by His command: “But I am the Lord thy God, who trouble the sea, and the waves thereof swell: the Lord of hosts is my name” (Isaias 51:15), and so it is with all trials that arise as your love story unfolds: “For we would not have you ignorant ,brethren, of our tribulation, which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure above our strength, so that we were weary even of life” (2 Corinthians 1:8). Nothing is permitted without the tender love of Jesus, who hands you His cross with wincing, for in His merciful compassion He loathes to see you suffer: “If any mischief befall him in the land to which you go, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to hell” (Genesis 42:38). The beasts in your life arise from the depths of the enemy’s thought: “And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns” (Apocalypse 13:1), which in time will only serve to adorn the love story of your life with victorious tales: “And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire, and them that had overcome the beast, and his image, and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having the harps of God: and singing the canticle of Moses, the servant of God, and the canticle of the Lamb” (Apocalypse 15:2-3). In these trials, the beast may seem to be given free reign: “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them” (Apocalypse 13:7), and trample upon you while Jesus seemingly sleeps, but in His divinity He is always watching you with love: “Behold he shall neither slumber nor sleep, that keepeth Israel” (Psalm 120:4). How then, when the waves arise, do you go to Jesus? Do you violently awake Him, trusting not in His love, His omnipotence, or both? Or do you go to Him with a humble act of trust, turning from the waves and looking at Him, peacefully sleeping? To look at the waves makes your littleness quake and despair: “But seeing the wind strong, he was afraid: and when he began to sink, he cried out, saying: ‘Lord, save me’” (Matthew 14:30), but to look at Jesus keeps you set on rock: “Decline not to the right hand, nor to the left” (Proverbs 4:27). Realize, dearest Theophila, that you are the boat in which Christ dwells; your state of grace makes Him sublimely present in you, oftentimes resting and imperceptible, but no less present to you than He was to these same disciples. Would, then, a loving Abba let you be overwhelmed with Him by trials and waves that you would sink into the abyss? “When thou shalt pass through the waters, I will be with the, and the rivers shall not cover thee: when thou shalt walk in the fire, thou shalt not be burnt, and the flames shall not burn in thee: for I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour” (Isaias 43:2-3). Thus Jesus reprimands those the meager faith of those that don’t understand His all-powerful, infinite love: “The Lord is high above all nations; and his glory above the heavens” (Psalm 112:4), showing that a fundamental act of loving Jesus is to trust Him: “Blessed be the man that trusteth in the Lord, and the Lord shall be his confidence” (Jeremias 17:7). Now, while it can be said that it is a great act of faith to rouse Jesus to ask for help, it is still more so to trust in His providence and His divinity, choosing to lay beside Him rather than anxiously entreating Him, or worse, acting impatiently and entrusting in one’s own way: “Saul answered: ‘Because I saw that the people slipt from me, and thou wast not come according to the days appointed…’ And Samuel said to Saul: ‘Thou hast done foolishly, and hast not kept the commandments of the Lord thy God” (1 Kings 13:11-13). However, the King of Kings is a gentle Lord, and only rebukes that you may better trust in His merciful love, and therefore stays the sea to calm His poor disciples and give them a better appreciation for what He is capable of doing. So too, when a trial finally falls away and your love still remains, do you see more clearly how loved you are, and how the infinite might and love of the Trinity is with you: “Who alone doth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever” (Psalm 135:4). Look at the history of Israel in the Old Testament or the Catholic Church throughout history, and through them you will see your own history; where persecution, error, scandal, and general failure arise against it and sometimes within it constantly, “They went out from us, but they were not of us” (1 John 2:19), the faithfulness of the Lord endures, upholding His beloved people, yourself included: “But he is merciful, and will forgive their sins: and will not destroy them. And many a time did he turn away his anger: and did not kindle all his wrath. And he remembered that they are flesh: a wind that goeth and returneth not” (Psalm 77:38-39). When storms inevitably arise, then, do not scream, do not wake Him that rests within you, but embrace the cross with trust and love, knowing that you are “rooted and built up in him” (Colossians 2:7). It is said of St. Bonaventure that the crucifix he carried with him was blackened and discolored from the number of kisses he gave it, so too when the cross arises in your life can its burden be softened with kisses as you draw closer to your Savior in love: “For unto you it is given for Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him” (Philippians 1:29).