13th Week OT (T)
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
St. Dominic Priory, NOLA
We
used to ask the Lord to protect us from “all anxiety.” Now, we
ask to be “safe from all distress.” Both translations come from
the Latin, ab omni
perturbatione securi,
from all perturbations, secure us. The aquatic perturbations scaring
the disciples to death demonstrate in dramatic form the point Jesus
has been making for some time in his public ministry – fear and
faith are not compatible. Faith necessarily entails trusting in
divine providence that all will work out as it should. Not
necessarily how we want. . .how
it should. And that
level of letting go can create its own layer of anxiety and fear.
Jesus reprimands his seasick students: “Why are you terrified, O
you of little faith?” The clear implication here is that faith
overcomes fear. If you have faith, you won't be afraid. Or, better:
faith transforms fear
into courage. Thanks
be to God, faith doesn't require us to abandon reason. Neither does
it require us to abandon planning or taking precautions. What it does
require is that we surrender control. Be reasonable. Plan
accordingly. Take precautions. But at the same time surrender
whatever control you think you have. The disciples freaking out
didn't calm the storm. Their day-planners and Google calendars didn't
calm the storm. All their preparations and precautions didn't calm
the storm. Their fear, anxiety, distress – none of those calmed the
storm. Jesus did.
Follow HancAquam or Subscribe ----->
No comments:
Post a Comment