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?”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I do not want to be of little faith. I want to grow in my faith and trust in you each day. I have no reason to be terrified, for you are my Lord and my God. Save me, O Lord. Calm the winds around me and speak to me in the stillness of my heart.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Hypocrisy of the Wealthy in Israel: In the First Reading, the prophet Amos continues to communicate God’s judgment on the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The ten northern tribes of Israel were accused of oppression, robbery, and violence. For this, they will suffer invasion and plunder. The wealthy women of Samaria are judged for their oppression of the poor and for their indulgent lifestyle. For this, they will be led into exile (Amos 4:1-3). The men of Israel are judged for their idolatrous worship at the sanctuaries of Bethel and Gilgal. For this, they will suffer famine, drought, pestilence, and agricultural ruin (Amos 4:4-13). Amos established himself at the sanctuary of Bethel, in Southern Israel, to preach to the community when they assembled for worship. He did this because he “knew that spiritual lethargy derives from ritual without God’s word. … From Amos, we hear not only God’s word but also the sound of his voice. [The Lord] roars like a lion” (Duggan, The Consuming Fire, 248). Amos knew that the wealthy people of Israel fell into hypocrisy. On the one hand, they were celebrating elaborate rites at the sanctuary of Bethel, and, on the other, they were oppressing the poor and needy in Israel. Centuries later, Jesus will teach that: “if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering” (Matthew 5:23-24). The First Letter of John will echo this: If anyone says they love God, but hate their brother, they are a liar (see 1 John 4:20). Prayer: Is there any hypocrisy in my life? Am I going to mass on Sundays and neglecting the needy around me?

2. Resisting the Word of God: God tried to bring the Northern Kingdom of Israel back and sent them Elijah, Elisha, Amos, and Hosea, but ultimately Israel rejected God’s word: “By rejecting the words of Amos (7:10-13) and by silencing other prophets (2:12), Israel demonstrates an unwillingness to hear the Lord. Amos perceives that the Lord will correct Israel precisely by giving in to her demand for silence: he will not speak to her for some time. In the near future, this materially prosperous land will experience a deep, pervasive famine, not for physical bread, but for hearing God’s word” (Duggan, The Consuming Fire, 248). Israel refuses to listen to God’s word, communicated through the prophets, and this stubbornness will eventually trigger the affliction of exile. In all this God never abandons his people. He permits their humiliation and suffering in an effort to bring them back. Where do I resist God’s word?

3. God Is With His People: Today’s Gospel is an invitation to trust in God and in his Word. The episode in the boat recalls the story of Jonah, when the sea was calmed only by throwing the reluctant prophet into the sea. Jesus, though, is greater than Jonah (Matthew 12:41). Jesus, the Son of God, doesn’t need to be thrown into the sea to calm it, he demonstrates that he has power over all creation, the winds, and the sea. The situation of the apostles reflects the situation of Israel and Judah before the coming of Jesus Christ. They cried out in the psalms and in their prayer: “Lord, save us! We are perishing.” It seemed like God was asleep and indifferent to their cry. However, the opposite is true: God was with his people all along. He prepared them to receive his Son who would save them not just from one storm or for a day, but from the enemy of death and grant them eternal life. The situation of the apostles also reflects our own lives. We battle against the waves, against the temptations of the flesh, against the devil. And it can seem like we are about to perish, overcome by things too great for us to handle. Only when we turn to God, to Jesus Christ, who was there from the beginning, is peace restored. The exile of Israel in 722 B.C. and Judah in 586 B.C., were both allowed by God, so that the people would turn back to him. In exile, they learned the hard lesson to call out to God in their suffering and place their trust in him. God often allows trials in our lives in order to help us turn our hearts to him with renewed trust and love. God is a good Father and will give good things to his children who ask for them. God heard the cry of Israel and sent them a Savior. Christ heard the cry of the Apostles and saved them from the sea. God hears our cry and sends us his Holy Spirit to lead us back to Him through his only-begotten Son Jesus Christ. Do I cry out to God for salvation in prayer?

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, save me. Rouse your strength and defend me. When I am tempted to think you are asleep or have forgotten me, I need to learn that you are always there in the stern of my boat, ready to help. You are mighty and can calm the forces of evil. You are God and can lead me to safe harbor.

Living the Word of God: If I found hypocrisy in my life, how can I work with God’s grace to eradicate it? If I found resistance to God’s word in my life, how can I welcome it better?