Day 150: Calming our Storms

"Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum.  And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.  Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.  But He said to them, 'It is I; do not be afraid.'  Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going."  John 6:16-21

This is a story that works quite well as a metaphor for us today.

I can't imagine going out on a boat into the sea when it is dark, in an age with no electricity to produce flashlights or motors.  Yet, that's what these disciples did, and it's apparent that it was dangerous, since the detail of darkness is included.  Even more, the sea was an unexplored world, and it still is today, for the most part.  So, anything could have sprung up in front of them.  How scary!

At the same time, there is so much symbolism in this story.  The hearers of Jesus wanted to take him and proclaim him as king, kind of the way how the Jews did in the past, against God's will, by proclaiming Adonijah as king rather than Solomon, who had been appointed.  So Jesus went away from them because of their misunderstanding, and it even seems that the disciples went out to sea to look for him, continuing in their seemingly selfish ways.  But, as their ways start to become like the sea that begins to rage, Jesus comes and meets them, walking on the water as if it were still.  They were afraid, not recognizing his face or form, as if they'd never seen him before.

That's what Jesus does for us.  Even though we stray from following him, letting our lives get so messed up that waves are about to break our firm ground and drown us, Jesus will come to us and make himself known.  Jesus will remind us what our duties are as he calms the seas for us.

While the followers wanted to have somebody who would end up killing all of their oppressors, someone who would end up stirring up the waters and storms even more than they already were, Jesus came to change their views.  We stray from Jesus when we turn to ways of hate, following the very evil that scares us.  And as things get so terrible around us, Jesus will remind us that love is the way.  Jesus, in his unconditional love and abounding mercy and forgiveness, will calm the storm, turning us from hate and bringing us to firm land, so that we can continue our journey spreading peace and love.

Day 123: Spiritual Awakening

"But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich."  Luke 18:23

I read something recently that said, "The truth hurts a lot before it feels better."  That's how I feel about this verse.

Jesus speaks to us all through a Gospel of truth that seeks to save us out of pure love for us.  Of course, the truth is the first part that is going to hurt.  It's going to hurt because it's getting us out of our comfort zone.  It's the thing that will call you out of your bed and into the streets.  It's what will reveal all the imperfections in your life that you have grown to become quite used to.  Jesus wakes us up.

I'm writing this from a hospital bed, where I have come to after quite a number of rounds of tests in order to find what's causing my stomach to feel bad.  I find that the Gospel works in the same way.  It puts us into sometimes seemingly uncomfortable situations in order for our doctor, Jesus Christ, to let us know what we need to do to improve.  Do we need to eat less of the gluttony that exists in our lives in the form of spending money and eating unreasonably exorbitant food?  Do we need to exercise more in our lives as spiritual beings, with prayer and reading?  Do we need to calm down from the stresses of life?  Jesus is there to tell us what to do and how to do it.

In this reading, we find that there is a rich man who is sorrowful after hearing that in order to attain ultimate spiritual greatness, he needs to give up his money.  I interpret this not so much as a condemnation of money, but as a condemnation of the care of money.  This man has defined himself by his money.  How many of us are guilty of similar things?  Do we like to show off our worth with our clothes, shoes, cars?  Do we like to flaunt our degrees with high language and off-putting, vacuous philosophical discussions?

Jesus is calling us to remember to care for all those around us.  We need to give our time, talent, and treasures to all of those around us in order to continue the work of the Kingdom of God.  We need to get up out of our comfort zones so that those who live in discomfort can have a breath of relief.  In fact, we might even find new relief when we find ourselves out in the world doing the work we are called to do.

Day 061: Our Mission

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

There is our calling, right in plain sight.  Sure, the language might be a little cluttered, but it's still there.

Think a moment about how education works. There are schools which have teachers who have studied the materials they're teaching.  While the teachers are teaching some necessary skills, they are also, in turn, training some students to become teachers.  In reality, all of the students come out as teachers to certain degrees, utilizing the skills that they learned in school.  That's how God works in us.

God calls us not only so we can be comforted, but also that we might be able to comfort others.  And, the way that we can comfort others is by bringing them to God.  If you find a good picture on social media, you don't just tell your friends about it.  You share it on social media, and if you are interacting in real life, you show your friends right next to you.  In the same way, we are to bring all of those around us to the source of our great comfort, to God.

Make Lent be a time not only to reflect and improve yourself, but let it be a time when you can bring others to God, so that they might be able to experience the same comfort that you do in your own fast and/or discipline.

Day 022: Following

"When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself.  But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.  And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude  and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick." Matthew 14:13-14

I find that this situation is a good structure for how we should live.  Jesus goes away from the place where there are many misunderstandings.  His people follow him there.  He has compassion on them.

Jesus is moving to many different places, constantly.  Jesus is speaking to different groups who haven't accepted the Gospel yet, and he is bringing more and more people to the table.  Jesus is calling us to go with him, so that we might be able to learn even more from him.  Right after this passage, we learn about the feeding of the 5,000, which is a sign of the Eucharist.  Jesus is always teaching us.

Today, especially in the United States, we are constantly facing the arrival of new people, some from different wars or conflicts, and others for their own well-being and/or their goals.  They speak in different languages, they practice different customs, and sometimes we are comfortable with relying on our own misunderstandings.  The women who wear headscarves are wicked in their ways.  The men who murmur in a different language are cursing us under their breath.  The children who are working to provide for their families are obviously trying to atone for their family's sinful ways.

But Jesus is walking before these new people.  Just as he sent all the apostles into foreign territory to preach, baptize, and anoint, he is sending us into the new groups of people so that we ourselves may learn more about the beauty in God's creation.  We can learn about new ways to pray, new ways to worship, and new ways to sing when we go where Jesus is sending us.

Lastly, we need to be ready to learn.  We need to be ready to believe.  When we follow Jesus, he always has compassion on us.  He will forgive us all our sins, our misdoings, our doubts.  He will cleanse us and feed us.  We just need to be ready to depart our comfort zones, our isolated towns, and follow Jesus onto the shores, so that we can learn more about his faithfulness.