Today I reflected on how tired Jesus must have been to be able to sleep in the boat when the storm came up so suddenly and threatened to swamp the boat. The Apostles were terrified and had to wake him up. He used this incident to strengthen their faith and trust in him. I think we all still cry out when the waves get too big in our own lives and we feel that we are going to be swamped and maybe go down, but Jesus is with us and he can make all calm again immediately. Jesus can always control the storms both outside and within us. We need only to trust him.
Yesterday I shared the inner attitudes of Paul from Cardinal Martini's book The Gospel According to St. Paul and today I will tell you what he says about Paul's modes of action. He says that the first mode of action that points to Paul's transfiguration involves "a never-ending capacity to bounce back" and we see this over and over. He tells us that this ability is more than human and is a gift of God.
The second mode of action is characterized by "freedom in the spirit."
Let us reflect on these gifts and pray for them as it is so easy to get discouraged and to give in to pressure of what others think, want, try to dictate, etc. May we always have the grace to bounce back and to act with freedom in the spirit from human respect.
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