Lord, Save Us
Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
Matthew 8: 23-27 - As Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him. Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep. They came and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?” Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm. The men were amazed and said, “What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?”
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
Again in the Gospels, for a second day in a row, it seems like Jesus might be crabby—he is certainly abrupt here after He has just been woken up. Jesus is not really crabby here (He never is), but He is stern. It may be easy for us to identify with the disciples in this story—after all, their boat is in danger of tipping or sinking in the midst of a violent storm, while Jesus is fast asleep. It’s natural that they would be frazzled, so why does Jesus rebuke them?
The disciples are concerned with their surroundings and their situation—the danger, the boat, the storm. These are very real things to be considered. This isn’t their mistake. Their mistake is that they fail to consider that there is someone else very real who is present: Christ! And He is even more real (and infinitely more powerful) than the storm. It is not okay for us to simply focus on our present problems—deadlines, homework, sickness, stress, danger… We must focus more intently on the present solution—Christ. This is faith. And the truest way to look at any situation is with the eyes of faith. We cannot forget that Christ is present with us in our problems, and that He is more powerful than them all.
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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