What to Do in the Storm: Homily for the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

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In the Gospel reading today, the disciples are in boats on the Sea of Galilee. Last year, I had the opportunity to visit the Holy Land and to go out on the Sea of Galilee in a boat. Our guide explained to us that the topography of this place—the arrangement of the lake and the mountains—was such that at any moment, fast winds could come and cause a violent storm on the waters. The storm would come suddenly and seemingly from out of nowhere. This is how the storms of our lives are, too. We are going about our lives as usual, and then suddenly something happens: a loved one dies or gets sick; we lose our job; a relationship ends. Something unexpected or undesired happens, and we feel like the disciples caught in the stormy waters, full of anxiety and fear.

When storms rise up around us or within us, how do we respond? During the pandemic, Pope Francis gave a beautiful reflection on the response of the disciples in this scene. Jesus is asleep in the boat, and when the disciples wake Him up, they ask him: “Do you not care that we are perishing?” Pope Francis said: How painful this question must have been to Jesus. Because, of course, He is the one who cares more than anyone else. It is precisely because He cares so much about the storms and the pains of our lives that He took on human flesh and entered into our stormy world in order to save us from perishing. It is precisely because He cares so much for us that He was crucified, died, was buried, and rose again from the dead. Seeing His tortured body on the Cross, you and I, in the midst of the storms of life, we still accuse Him: “Do you not care about me?” Jesus does not rebuke the disciples for going to Him and sharing their fears and anxieties with Him; He rebukes them for not believing in His love and care for them.

In Saint Therese’s autobiography, she shares her personal reflection on this scene during a difficult and stormy time in her own life. She thought of the boat as her own soul, and Jesus asleep within her. She noted how often people panic in the midst of the storms of their lives and shake Jesus awake. She said that she would not do this, that she would allow Jesus to rest within the boat of her soul. “How rarely souls let Him sleep peacefully within them. Their agitation and all their requests have so tired out the Good Master that He is only too glad to enjoy the rest I offer Him.” Imagine if you and I were to recognize Jesus’ presence within us, a presence we received at our baptism, our confirmation, and in every Eucharist. Imagine if we were to trust His love and His care for us in the midst of the storms of our lives. Instead of shaking Him awake and accusing Him of not caring, how about we draw near to Him as He sleeps on the cushion of our heart, and we curl up next to Him there, trusting that He knows what He is doing?

Jesus does not promise us a life without sufferings, pains, losses, or storms. But He does promise that He will be with us through them all, and that we will not perish. It is Jesus’ presence that saves us. He Himself is the answer. He Himself is our salvation. Even if the storms of our lives continue raging on, we are safe if we go to Jesus and rest with Him, trusting in His love and care for us. It breaks my heart when someone comes to confession and says that they have been going through difficult times, so they stopped praying and they stopped going to Mass. How tragic! How wrong! You see, the Mass—Sunday after Sunday or even day after day—is our highest opportunity to praise the Lord in the midst of the storm. The Mass is meant to be our anchor keeping us steady in the midst of the storms. It is in the Mass, through Word and Sacrament, that God gives us all the graces and blessings that we need to get through the storms of our lives.

Whatever storms you are facing right now or whatever storms you will face in the future, do not panic. Remind yourself of how much Jesus cares about you, and of all that He has done to save you. Trust in His love and care for you, and draw near to Him as He sleeps in the boat of your soul. Connect ever more fully with the ways that He makes Himself present to you. Because He Himself is the answer. He Himself is our salvation.