The Gospel according to 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?”
Reflection:
First of all, I know that these days for many are days of fear and worry. The immigration enforcement actions reported on in the news (and which have affected so many, especially in the greater Southern California area) are shaking the confidence of so many. I will say that I probably will never truly understand the depth of that fear. Whether or not those being rounded up were here “illegally”, the truth is that each of those individuals is a human being, a son or daughter of God, and deserves at least the dignity that goes along with being created by God.
I know that those who are facing separation from family members who have been confined or deported, or who fear that may happen to them, are all feeling the sense of fear that the disciples did in today’s Gospel. That is the ultimate cry of our hearts when we are in distress: “Lord, save us!”
Of course, there is a great deal of debate in the media and on social media in particular about whether or not those who have been impacted by these ongoing raids “deserve” what happened to them. At Mass a week or so ago, our pastor spoke very strongly about it during his homily, saying that we need to first of all look at these individuals as people, not as anything less. For his trouble, some at that particular Mass were very upset and expressed their ire to me. The truth is that we who profess the faith of Jesus are called to sometimes say hard things. The Church has always stood for some issues that run counter to what the world at large believes. That has never changed the Church or caused her to stop standing with God’s least children in every age.
Our lives have to show that we, too, stand for what Jesus would stand for. He would be right there, challenging the authorities for their treatment of these brothers and sisters. We can do no less. Our lives should always point back to our true Source, and our actions should always be those of love and care. We may not be able to do much on our own individually, but our God can do anything. Let us trust in Him even more in these challenging days.
Action for the Day:
Please pray for all those who are affected by the continuing ICE raids. Pray that those in leadership temper justice with mercy, and choose a path forward that does its best not to disrupt families (especially those whose only offense was that a family member did not enter the country with authorization). These are hard times for all, but let us not lose sight of the fact that these are all children of God and that He loves them just as He loves us.
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