The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with our sense of storms of disappointment, distrust, defamation, and disaster as our relationships with others dissolve into conflict.
The reading from the Prophet Amos declares Israel’s guilt and punishment.
* [3:3–8] The metaphors in these sayings illustrate the principle of cause and effect, and lead up to the conclusion in v. 8.* [4:12] Therefore thus I will do to you: this climax of vv. 6–12, announcing the sentence the Lord intends to pass on Israel, is open-ended. (Amos, CHAPTER 4, n.d.)
Psalm 5 urges trust in God for deliverance from enemies.
* [Psalm 5] A lament contrasting the security of the house of God (Ps 5:8–9, 12–13) with the danger of the company of evildoers (Ps 5:5–7, 10–11). The psalmist therefore prays that God will hear (Ps 5:2–4) and grant the protection and joy of the Temple. (Psalms, PSALM 5, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus stills the storm.
* [8:26] You of little faith: see note on Mt 6:30. Great calm: Jesus’ calming the sea may be meant to recall the Old Testament theme of God’s control over the chaotic waters (Ps 65:8; 89:10; 93:3–4; 107:29). (Matthew, CHAPTER 8, n.d.)
Jeanne Schuler comments that facing our defects can be painful. Amos’ warning was too much for the priests to countenance. They drove the shepherd from the temple to secure their façade.
Amos, the shepherd, unleashed fiery oracles tempered by recognition of God’s mercy. Amos wasn’t a genius. His prophecy did not arise from superhuman powers. His questions were simple to answer once you bother to ask them. Amos stayed close to God and paid attention to what was happening in the world. He did not close his eyes, plug his ears, and avoid difficult topics. It was integrity, not brilliance, that marked his words. He would not accept corruption as “business as usual.” Amos calls out the con men. The earth abounds with storms in our time. Some days the news is daunting. Will we make it through? Will creatures be crushed by the waves? Is God indifferent to our plight? Jesus says not to be terrified of the storm. Our God is near. (Creighton U. Daily Reflection, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Training in courage and endurance,” by John Chrysostom, 347-407 A.D.
"He took the disciples with him, not for nothing and not merely to face an absurd hazard but in order to permit them to witness the miracle that was to take place on the sea. For like a superb trainer, he was gradually coaching and fitting them for endurance. He had two objectives in mind. He wanted to teach them to remain undismayed amid dangers and modest in honors. So, to prevent them from thinking too much of themselves, having sent away the multitude, he kept them near him but permitted them to be tossed with a tempest. By doing so he disciplined them to bear trials patiently. His former miracles were indeed great, but this one contained a unique kind of discipline of exceptional importance. For it was a sign akin to that of old [referring to Moses parting the Red Sea]. To do this, he took his disciples with him by himself. He permitted others to see his other miracles, but when trials and terrors were rising, he took with him none but those he was training to be champions of the gospel. (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 28.1.2) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 8:23-27 comments that Jesus knows that, like the disciples in the storm, we all struggle with fear. He also knows that, like the disciples, we need more faith. That faith comes from a trusting relationship with our Father. The more secure we are in the knowledge that we are the sons and daughters of a loving, all-powerful God, the less we have to fear. We can trust that God is with us and cares for us, even if it sometimes seems like he is “sleeping.”
Today, sit with the image of Jesus sleeping in the back of the boat surrounded by terrifying wind and waves. There is the Son, completely secure in the knowledge that his Father loves him and provides for him. This is the trust that Jesus had in his Father. And this is the trust he wants to give you. “Jesus, I will trust in you, even when it seems you are ‘sleeping.’” (Meditation on Matthew 8:23-27, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the gift of prophecy of Amos that is about being able to see the signs that are obvious all around us. As Spiderman says “with great gifts come great responsibility.” Friar Jude reminds us of the sense of evil and chaos associated with the sea that Jesus overcomes with his rebuke of the storm.
Franciscan Media relates Saint Irenaeus’ story.
A deep and genuine concern for other people will remind us that the discovery of truth is not to be a victory for some and a defeat for others. Unless all can claim a share in that victory, truth itself will continue to be rejected by the losers, because it will be regarded as inseparable from the yoke of defeat. And so, confrontation, controversy and the like might yield to a genuine united search for God’s truth and how it can best be served. (Saint of the Day - Saint Irenaeus, n.d.)
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Rabbi Or N. Rose and Rabbi Ebn D. Leader who consider the role of silence in Hasidic prayer. They stress the delicate balance of action and contemplation. For Father Richard, the sacred nature of silence is at the heart of contemplative awakening.
To live in this primordial, foundational being, which I am calling silence, creates a kind of sympathetic resonance with what is right in front of us. Without it, we are just reacting instead of responding. The opposite of contemplation is not action, it is reaction. We must wait for pure action, which always proceeds from a contemplative silence. We have to be awake right now and we can be through silence. It is not a matter of being more moral but of being more conscious—which will eventually make us more moral! [3] (Rohr, 2022)
The Spirit prompts us to be mindful of the gifts of peace, patience, and humility that grow from our experience of trust in God to lead us to reconciliation and restoration of community.
References
Amos, CHAPTER 4. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 28, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/amos/4
Creighton U. Daily Reflection. (n.d.). Online Ministries. Retrieved June 28, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/062822.html
Matthew, CHAPTER 8. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 28, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/8?23
Meditation on Matthew 8:23-27. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 28, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/06/28/421321/
Psalms, PSALM 5. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 28, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/5?4
Rohr, R. (2022, June 28). Silence Is Preferable — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 28, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/silence-is-preferable-2022-06-28/
Saint of the Day - Saint Irenaeus. (n.d.). Franciscan Media. Retrieved June 28, 2022, from https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-irenaeus
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 28, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=jun28
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