MATTHEW 8:23-27 WHY ARE YOU AFRAID?

Year A, Tuesday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time

In today's Gospel, Jesus and His disciples are caught in a violent storm while crossing the sea. As the waves crash over the boat, the disciples are terrified. Yet Jesus is asleep. Desperate, they wake Him and cry out, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!" Before calming the storm, Jesus asks them a penetrating question: "Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?"

The storm on the sea is much like the storms we experience in our own lives. We face illness, financial difficulties, family struggles, disappointments, uncertainty, and loss. In those moments, it may seem as though God is silent or distant. Like the disciples, we may wonder, "Lord, where are You?"

The Gospel reminds us that Jesus is always in the boat with us, even when He seems silent. His presence does not mean that storms will never come, but it does mean that we never face them alone. Faith is not the absence of storms; it is the confidence that Christ is stronger than every storm.

When Jesus speaks, "Quiet! Be still!" the winds and the sea obey Him. He alone has the power to bring peace where there is fear, hope where there is despair, and calm where there is anxiety. Often, the first storm He wants to calm is not around us but within us.

Today, Jesus asks each of us the same question He asked His disciples: "Why are you afraid?" May we learn to trust Him more deeply, placing every worry and every burden into His hands. With Christ in our boat, we have every reason to hope, because no storm is greater than His love and power.

With Love and Prayers

Your Co-Traveler

Father Leo