Daily Gospel Reflection
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July 2, 2019
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?”
Today’s passage from Matthew’s Gospel always makes me smile because it reminds me of over twenty-five years of sailing adventures with my husband Wade. Sometimes we were just like the scared apostles in that boat of this gospel passage.
When we were still beginners, sailing on a 12,000-acre lake in Kansas on a hot summer day, a severe thunderstorm suddenly rolled in off the prairie, bringing high winds, lightning and thunder. Frightened, pelted by rain, we asked God for help. Against the odds, we sailed our sixteen-footer back to our slip. Jesus was certainly in our boat that day!
Years later, on a sailing vacation in the Caribbean, we were unexpectedly hit by storm-strength wind gusts that caused our boat to “heel over” so far that the sails were touching the water. Again, a quick prayer restored our calm as we righted the boat and sailed on to enjoy the rest of the day. We certainly did not feel alone in our boat that day!
In our lives there are many variations of the apostles’ boat in the storm: in the hospital room of a critically-ill loved one; the unhappy home hit by wave after wave of discord, discontent and estrangement; the classroom filled with nervous students preparing to take the test that will affect their future.
God is always there and everywhere! He will help, guide, and inspire us if we just ask and believe! Instead of being “of little faith”, let us remember Jesus is in our boat, helping us navigate the rough seas in our lives.
Prayer
There are times, O Lord, when daily realities frustrate us. Sometimes one thing after another happens, and we feel overwhelmed. These are the times when we most yearn for your presence and your support, yet we don’t feel it or sense it. Please…..tell us what we can do! We need your help so much at those times. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Monegundis was a woman who lived in Chartres, France, in the sixth century. She married and had two children, both daughters, whom she adored.
Both of her daughters died in childhood, and Monegundis was thrown into a deep depression. She decided to fill the hole in her life with devotion to God, and she began to spend her time in prayer.
With her husband’s permission, Monegundis became an anchoress—a person who lived in a small, walled-up cell attached to a church. Such people spent their days in prayer, and acted as a spiritual director for many who would come to visit them and speak to them through the one, small window in their cell.
Monegundis lived on nothing but bread and water, and her cell was furnished with only a small mat on which she would sleep for a few hours. After living this way for several years, she moved to Tours and built a hermitage near the tomb of St. Martin of Tours.
Over time, Monegundis became known as a holy woman, and other women began to join her there in a life of solitude and prayer; eventually, they built a convent there. She died of natural causes around the year 570, and miracles were reported at her tomb.
St. Monegundis, you were the mother who grieved the death of both of your daughters by giving yourself to God—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Monegundis is in the public domain. Modified from the original. Last accessed March 19, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
