Daily Gospel Reflection
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April 22, 2023
When it was evening, the disciples of Jesus went down to the sea,
embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum.
It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing.
When they had rowed about three or four miles,
they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat,
and they began to be afraid.
But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.”
They wanted to take him into the boat,
but the boat immediately arrived at the shore
to which they were heading.
I have always been comforted by the image of Jesus calming the waters by getting into the boat with the frightened disciples. Imagine my shock to discover that in today’s account, Jesus never climbs into the boat! And yet, the take-away is the same—Jesus was there for the disciples.
Years ago, when my Dad died unexpectedly, I felt my world had turned upside down. Living four states away, I flew back for the funeral and eventually returned to my condo late on a Friday night. None of my friends were available that weekend, and I did not know how I would survive those first two days alone.
Saturday morning, I woke up to find two large birds in my flowerbox on my seventh-floor balcony. I tried to shoo them away without success. I decided to research what type of birds they were and discovered they were mourning doves. Approaching them slowly, I saw they had already built a nest and laid eggs.
The mourning doves stayed with me and kept me company for many weeks as the eggs hatched and the baby doves gradually learned to fly.
Many times over the years, especially at difficult times or significant transitions, I have noticed mourning doves coming to visit. They never stay long. But their visit reminds me that God’s love and comfort are with me always.
Sometimes the comfort that we seek arrives in unexpected ways. Even though Jesus did not get into the boat or calm the storm in today’s gospel, the disciples still arrived at the shore safely. It is not what the disciples expected. But they were safe, and Jesus was nearby.
When you find yourself amid a storm, look around. You are not alone. God’s spirit is with you, though maybe in ways you did not expect.
Prayer
God of all strength and consolation, you hear those who cry out to you in their need. Though we face darkness and rough seas, you never let your faithful people be overcome. You send us your Son to walk with us in the storms that threaten our journey. Let your face shine upon us, and we shall be saved. Grant this through Christ, our risen Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Blessed Maria Gabriella Sagheddu was a Sardinian woman who became a Trappist sister and whose life ended in an unusual kind of martyrdom.
Maria Sagheddu was born in 1914 to a poor Italian shepherding family on the island of Sardinia. She was the fifth of eight children. Her father died when she was only five years old. Her mother and older siblings raised the strong-willed Sagheddu family. Maria was a stubborn child, and she was prone to disobedience and to criticize whatever displeased her. But Maria was bright and quick-witted. She excelled at school and loved to learn. Her love of learning led her, when she was in her late teen years, to become a catechism teacher for the local schoolchildren.
Their local pastor helped Maria fulfill her dream to enter religious life. Her family had mixed reactions to Maria's choice, but eventually, shortly after her twenty-first birthday, Maria entered the Trappist convent in Grottaferrata near Rome. She took the name Maria Gabriella.
In the early twentieth century, the cause of Christian Unity was sweeping Europe. In an increasingly divided world, wracked by wars and violence, Western Christians began to realize that their deep divisions, fomented by the many turns of history since the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century, were a scandal to the rest of the world. Christ prayed on the night of his death that all his followers might be one (John 17:21), in imitation of his unity with the Father.
Sister Maria Gabriella entered a convent that had caught this fervor for Christian Unity. The Octave of Christian Unity was first proposed in 1908 for a week in January. It was further developed and renamed the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 1935. A French priest, Abbé Paul Couturier, was widely influential in promoting this week of prayer, and he was a great apostle for ecumenism. Sr. Maria Gabriella was inspired by his witness.
During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 1938, Sister Maria Gabriella asked permission from her superior to offer up her life as a sacrifice for Christian Unity. Mother Superior agreed and, soon afterward, Maria Gabriella fell ill and was diagnosed with tuberculosis. She suffered for eighteen months before she died in the evening between April 22 and April 23, 1939.
Maria Gabriella was recognized by John Paul II in his encyclical on Christian Unity, Ut Unum Sint ("That they may be one") as a model of concern for Christian unity. Christian unity is not a cause for "special times" John Paul II writes, rather it is a cause for "everyone, always, and everywhere."
Blessed Maria Gabriella Sagheddu, Trappist sister and martyr for Christian Unity—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Blessed Maria Gabriella Sagheddu is in the public domain. Last accessed February 21, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
