Let’s learn that we are the best critics when we take other people “for a show”. We can perhaps find faults in them that they don’t even have. Today we again feel like criticizing, of course, not ourselves, but the apostles. We will point out their weakness, wavering faith, or better said, unbelief. But only Christ has the right to do that, and we have the duty to subject our personal faith to criticism. What is our faith? Are we not acting like apostles? Don’t we wish that Christ would miraculously intervene in our favor, calm the waves of violently beating life, and make it easier for us? We only want the Lord’s intervention, but not his help, to weather the waves. His presence in the Eucharist is not enough for us, but it seems to us that he is asleep and knows nothing of our suffering and the danger that lies in wait for us.
Overcoming life’s difficulties fills us with joy that we love to share with others. It is actually a story about our heroic deeds, the joy of overcoming evil, defeating it and getting out of it. However, the difficult trial that God led us through does not have to be a one-time trial, but He can lead us through it again and again. How do we behave? We often lose faith in his power, strength and love, which guides us, and thus with our fear we make life’s journey more difficult for our neighbors. Our fear is sometimes even panicky, which has nothing to do with caution, because it springs from our little faith, even unbelief.
That is why it is important to have confidence in suffering. Are we not ashamed of the Old Testament Job, who suffered so much, which the Church gives us as an example in today’s 1st reading? He did not whine, he did not grumble, he was and remained a man of firm faith even in the most difficult life situations. He was able to accept from God’s hands and with firm faith to safely go through what today’s world calls a stressful situation, thus clearly confirming that where there is no faith, there is no life. Let’s not be surprised that the apostles had a “little soul” on the stormy sea and called out to Jesus: Teacher, don’t you care that we are perishing? They did not understand that it was he who cared about their lives, because they had not yet seen him suffer and die. They could not even imagine that in their apostolic life they would have to sail through many stormy seas at his command, while the terrible waves of human passions, ignorance, hatred, and enmity would rise against them.
Such were the apostles of yesterday. And today? Through Christ’s blood and resurrection, they became a new creation, which, together with the apostle Paul, asks: Who will separate us from Christ’s love? Perhaps distress, or persecution, hunger, or nakedness, danger or sword?
We are also a new creation after baptism. That’s when the Lord entered the boat of our life, and we have to sail with him to the other shore to the port of salvation. We don’t swim alone, but with him! But what are we like? Timid, unbelieving, scared, maybe even ashamed of him for dating us. But let’s not forget that we are Christians of a new type who should ask: Who will separate us from Christ? Storms, discomforts of life, troubles, difficulties or bad people?
A group of tourists was climbing a high mountain to spend the night there. They wanted to see the sunrise in the morning. As they laboriously ascended, before they reached the top, they noticed that a storm was approaching. One of the tourists immediately said to the guide: Look, there will be a storm. Take us back! The mountain guide smiled and calmly said: I think we will soon be after the storm. We have to go higher. That’s the best and fastest way to escape from her. So they ascended higher, and indeed in a little while they came to a place where it was clear and calm as in any other summer weather. A storm roared below them, they heard the rumble of thunder and flashes of lightning, but on top it was calm and clear. Once they believed the guide, they avoided the storm.
How do we believe in Christ? What is my faith? Don’t I only need it when I need something? Am I not one of those people who pull Jesus from heaven only when things are bad? We are not ashamed to pray always and under all circumstances, but not to cry desperately: Lord, save us, help us! And he calms the storm on the sea of our life and calms its turbulent surface. We just have to trust him!
