At 12 noon today, the Holy Father Francis appeared at the window of the study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to recite the Angelus with the faithful and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
These are the words of the Pope in introducing the Marian prayer:
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
This Sunday’s Gospel passage (cf. Mt 14 : 22-33) tells of Jesus walking on the waters of the stormy lake. After feeding the crowds with five loaves and two fish – as we saw last Sunday -, Jesus orders the disciples to get into the boat and return to the other shore. He dismisses the people and then goes up the hill, alone, to pray. He immerses himself in communion with the Father.
During the night crossing of the lake, the disciples’ boat gets blocked by a sudden wind storm. This is common on the lake. At one point, they see someone walking on the water coming towards them. Shocked, they think it’s a ghost and scream in fear. Jesus reassures them: «Courage, it’s me, don’t be afraid!». Peter then – Peter, who was so determined – replies: “Lord, if it is you, command me to come towards you on the water”. A challenge. And Jesus says to him: «Come!». Pietro gets off the boat and takes a few steps; then the wind and the waves frighten him and he begins to sink. «Lord, save me!» He cries, and Jesus takes him by the hand and says to him: «O you of little faith, why did you doubt?».
This story is an invitation to abandon ourselves confidently to God in every moment of our life, especially in the moment of trial and disturbance. When we feel strong doubt and fear we seem to sink, in the difficult moments of life, where everything becomes dark, we must not be ashamed to cry out, like Peter: “Lord, save me!” (v. 30). Knocking on the heart of God, on the heart of Jesus: «Lord, save me!». It is a beautiful prayer. We can repeat it many times: «Lord, save me!». And the gesture of Jesus, who immediately extends his hand and grasps that of his friend, must be contemplated for a long time: Jesus is this, Jesus does this, Jesus is the hand of the Father who never abandons us; the strong and faithful hand of the Father, who always and only wants our good. God is not the great noise, God is not the hurricane, he is not the fire, he is not the earthquake, as the account of the prophet Elijah recalls today; God is the light breeze – literally says this: it is that “thread of sonorous silence” – which does not impose itself but asks to listen (cf. 1 Kings 19 : 11-13). Having faith means, in the midst of the storm, keeping your heart turned to God, to his love, to his tenderness as a Father. Jesus wanted to teach this to Peter and the disciples, and also to us today. In dark moments, in moments of sadness, He knows well that our faith is poor – we are all people of little faith, all of us, me too, all – and that our path can be troubled, blocked by adverse forces. But He is the Risen One! Let’s not forget this: He is the Lord who went through death to bring us to safety. Even before we begin looking for him, he is present beside us. And by rising from our falls, it makes us grow in faith. Perhaps we, in the dark, cry out: “Lord! Lord! ”, Thinking he is far away. And He says: “I’m here!”. Ah, he was with me! So is the Lord.
The boat at the mercy of the storm is an image of the Church, which in every age encounters headwinds, sometimes very hard trials: let us think of certain long and bitter persecutions of the last century, and even today, in some parts. At such times, she may be tempted to think that God has abandoned her. But in reality, it is precisely in those moments that the witness of faith, the testimony of love, the testimony of hope shines the most. It is the presence of the risen Christ in his Church that gives the grace of witness to the point of martyrdom, from which new Christians and fruits of reconciliation and peace for the whole world sprout.
May Mary’s intercession help us to persevere in faith and brotherly love when the darkness and storms of life undermine our trust in God.
[00932-EN.02] [Original text: Italian]
Taken from Vatican News – Daily Bulletin
