REFLECTIONS TODAY
This phrase translates the Greek word oligopistoi. Implicit in this word’s use is the statement: You are terrified because your faith is so little. Surely, faith here is considered not in terms of size but in terms of intensity or quality.
Oligopistoi is Matthew’s favorite expression for those disciples who have proven their faith but who now seem to succumb to doubts and temptations since their faith in Jesus is not as deep as it should be. Obviously, the theme of “little faith,” already found in the tradition, concerns Matthew’s readers whose faith in the risen Christ starts to waver when faced with the turbulent sea of persecution and oppression. On the World Day of Prayer for Vocations (Aug. 9, 2020), Pope Francis said that the image of the disciples crossing the lake can evoke our own life’s journey. Indeed, the boat of our lives slowly advances, restlessly looking for a safe haven and prepared to face the perils and promises of the sea, yet at the same time trusting that the helmsman will ultimately keep us on the right course. Something similar takes place in the hearts of those who, called to follow Jesus, have to undertake a crossing and abandon their own security to become the Lord’s disciples.
The Gospel, however, tells us that in the midst of this challenging journey we are not alone; Jesus makes the winds die down.
Gospel • Matthew 8:23-27
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?”
Source: “366 Days with the Lord 2024.” E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.