13th Week in OT 2019 - Tuesday - Stormy Weather

Billy Holiday sang, “Life is bare/Gloom and misery everywhere/ Stormy weather, stormy weather/And I just can't get my poor self together/Oh I'm weary all of the time/The time, so weary all of the time.”

Earthly life is certainly not without stormy weather. For Billy Holiday, it was the break-up with her man. Stormy weather. Dissatisfaction with work, or loss of a job and one’s economic stability. Personal illness. Sickness of a child or a parent or a spouse. A marriage or a friendship or a close relationship can end through death or through an argument.  The obligations of life can overwhelm us. We can be the victim of an act of violence or a betrayal or terrible luck.

The storms of life can become so violent that we feel like we are in a boat being tossed about on the seas like the Apostles in the Gospels today. And today’s Gospel immediately follows yesterday’s account of Jesus’ invitation to “follow him” and become his disciples. It is St. Matthew’s way of emphasizing that following Jesus won’t guarantee that our life will be free from stormy weather. But it will guarantee a relationship with the Lord who has all power to calm those storms, to grant peace, and courage amidst the storms.

Our Christian faith enables us to experience peace and courage in the face of life’s storms because the Lord is with us always.

Now sometimes we might wonder if the Lord is asleep in the boat, as our stormy weather ceases to dissipate according to our plans. And in those cases, I believe the Lord is inviting us to trust him, to allow him to calm our inner storms before he calms our outer storms. Where we are still experiencing inner storms: anger, impatience, lust, bitterness, confusion, anxiety, and hurt, we do well to open ourselves to the calming presence of Christ.

Having our inner storms calmed by the Christ, the Christian, then is to be a calm, steady presence in the world—to be a lighthouse amidst the storms, shining with the light of Christ, pointing to Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For abundant blessings for the whole Christian people.
For those who lack faith.
For those who hold public office.
For favorable weather and abundant fruits from the earth.
For the sick and the suffering.
For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed.
O God, our refuge and our strength, hear the prayers of your Church; grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith, we may truly obtain. Through Christ our Lord.