ST. IRENAEUS, BISHOP, MARTYR, AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH

Why are you terrified?

It is easy to wonder how Jesus could chastise the disciples for having “little faith” (Matthew 8:26). They were, after all, in the middle of a violent storm and in danger of drowning. They did not know the future and could not have known that Jesus would miraculously calm the storm. Were they supposed to sleep too and let the boat just sail itself?

The disciples were dealing with a deep-seated fear—one that we all experience when we are in danger or facing death. But Jesus wasn’t afraid. Why? Because he knew that whatever happened in the boat that day, his Father was holding him in the palm of his hand. He knew that nothing—no storm, no waves, no danger at all—could separate him from his Father. As St. Paul later wrote so confidently, “Whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:8).

This kind of faith—the same faith that Jesus had—can help prevent us from being terrified even when we feel utterly lost and exposed. And not only when we’re in physical danger, but in other frightening situations as well.

Jesus knows that, like the disciples in the storm, we all struggle with fear. He also knows that, like the disciples, we need more faith. That faith comes from a trusting relationship with our Father. The more secure we are in the knowledge that we are the sons and daughters of a loving, all-powerful God, the less we have to fear. We can trust that God is with us and cares for us, even if it sometimes seems like he is “sleeping.”

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, the disciples faced many more precarious, life-threatening situations. Yet they still preached the good news with courage and boldness. They grew in their faith and trust of the Father, and so can we.

Today, sit with the image of Jesus sleeping in the back of the boat surrounded by terrifying wind and waves. There is the Son, completely secure in the knowledge that his Father loves him and provides for him. This is the trust that Jesus had in his Father. And this is the trust he wants to give you.

“Jesus, I will trust in you, even when it seems you are ‘sleeping.’”

Amos 3:1-8; 4:11-12
Psalm 5:4-8
Matthew 8:23-27