Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
June 23, 2024
On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples:
“Let us cross to the other side.”
Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was.
And other boats were with him.
A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat,
so that it was already filling up.
Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.
They woke him and said to him,
“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
He woke up,
rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!”
The wind ceased and there was great calm.
Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified?
Do you not yet have faith?”
They were filled with great awe and said to one another,
“Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”
Reflection
I can only imagine the fear, helplessness, and desperation the disciples must have felt as their boat filled with water during the storm. Caught up in the high emotions of the squall, they found Jesus asleep in the back of the boat. Likely confused by how Jesus could be sleeping and not helping them during such a commotion, they cried out, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
We all experience storms that show up in our lives and make us feel as though our own boats are sinking. These upheavals can take many forms—loss, heartbreak, illness, or injustice—to name a few. As we become consumed by trying to stay afloat, we may wonder where Jesus is in our lives. We may even wonder if he has abandoned us.
In this passage, Jesus shows us that he is never far from us during even the most significant storms in our lives. Jesus is depicted here as the calm amidst the chaos, peacefully at rest amid the turbulence.
When our eyes are on the storm, it is easy to feel afraid and helpless, like the disciples. But even when we feel like we are alone, Jesus shows us he is there with us as we navigate life’s many ups and downs. When we look for him and call upon him, he will always be ready to offer us peace and calm, even in the roughest of waters.
In what small, actionable way might we seek calm and rest in Jesus during the current storms in our lives?
Prayer
Lord, you have given Jesus authority over all creation, over each one of us. He exercises his authority by having become one with us in our flesh and blood, in our struggles and hopes. Help us to be so closely united with Jesus that our truest selves will be molded in Jesus’ likeness and that his marvelous compassion quiets the storms within us. Amen.
