Letting Jesus Sleep
Matthew 8:23-27
by Father Eamonn Shelly, LC | Source: Catholic.net
As Jesus got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A
windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the
waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, "Lord,
save us! We are perishing!" And he said to them, "Why are you afraid,
you of little faith?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea;
and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, "What sort of man is this,
that even the winds and the sea obey him?"
Introductory Prayer:
Lord, I come to you in this meditation
ready to do whatever it is you ask. Left to myself I often take the easy and
convenient path, yet I know the way of a Christian is through the narrow gate.
In you I find the reason to abandon the easy path for a more perfect mission of
love. I’m ready to learn the meaning of your command: “Follow me.” Lord as
worries tug at my heart, let me learn to rise above them and trust in you.
Master of my life, I love the goods you have placed in my hands: my health,
family, mission in life…. Grant me faith that can pass through the worst of
storms and come through it profoundly enriched, humanly stronger, and more
deeply united to you, my protector and guide.
We can imagine ourselves in the place of the
apostles, in this poor boat tossed by the turbulent waves. The situation
instantly speaks to our worst of fears; yet Jesus sleeps. Our temptation is to
wake him…and too many souls do so through incessant complaining incessantly,
despairing attitudes, withdrawal withdrawing from prayer, or unloaded unloading
anger on others. When in a moment of trial we find life is no longer under our
complete control, the option of meltdown is always at hand. But I we mustn’t
take that route; instead I we must contemplate the power that emanates from the
sleeping Christ. Trials are intended by God to draw us closer to him and
increase our dependence on him. I We have to live from faith; otherwise all
that reigns is fear, insecurity and bitterness. The “Silence of Christ” is
powerful. To pass over its meaning lightly is to abandon some of the deepest
lessons of Christ’s heart. The “Silence of Christ” must teach us.
What is Christ’s sleep like? As a young mother, Mary watched
Jesus sleep many times. Archbishop Martinez writes:
“Jesus was exceedingly beautiful when he spoke the words of
eternal life, accomplished wonders, looked with love, pardoned with mercy, and
caressed with tenderness. But I would like to have seen him while he was
sleeping because I could have contemplated him to my heart’s content, without
the fascination of his gaze distracting me, without the perfection of his
beauty and the glory of his splendor dazzling my eyes and enrapturing my soul.
The beauty of Jesus awake is far too great for my smallness. Who could support
it? I felt it more suited to me veiled by sleep, as the glory of the sun is
more adapted to my eyes when I look at it through a translucent lens” (When
Jesus Sleeps, p.15).
May I trust the power of Christ
just as much
when He chooses
not to act -- as when He does.
Water, a boat , the apostles, and Christ… this scene repeats
itself over and over again in the Gospel. Water is a symbol of the experiences
of life taken on a human level; the boat is the experience of faith on a
supernatural level -- it is our life with Christ. Christ’s message is that I we
can never let my our experiences of life overwhelm my our experience of faith.
I/We have to live not from the surface level of impressions of the moment, but
open myself up to/from the deep channel of faith that reveals the action of God,
the wisdom of his Providence, and the ultimate destiny of eternity.
Faith is
what reveals Christ’s presence in our boat;
faith is what makes us believe that
every wave and wind
gust are blessed invitations to confide in the One who
rules all.
Faith is what permits God to console our hearts, calm our fears, and
preserve our joy in the midst of many problems and difficulties that may take
months or years to run their course.
Conversation Dialogue with Christ:
Lord, I know belief makes me vulnerable. To
believe is to push out from shore with you in my boat, leaving behind the
security I find in my talents and plans, my friends and relatives, my financial
and social standing But I know. I will not know your power if I do not know how
to truly leave my whole life in your hands. that I will not know your love if I
do not believe that you can make me happier than I could can be by myself. I
will not know your victory if I do not face the enemies of my soul and my
mission with and abandonment myself to your grace, I will not know your
victory.
Today I
will take a recent problem and, with complete trust and confidence in him,
leave it totally in God’s hands today with complete trust and confidence in
him.
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| Jesus Calms the Sea |
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