Lk 8, 22-25 Even the winds and the sea obey him

(Lk 8, 22-25) Even the winds and the sea obey him

[22] One day he got into a boat with his disciples and said to them, "Let us cross to the other side of the lake." So they set sail, [23] and while they were sailing he fell asleep. A squall blew over the lake, and they were taking in water and were in danger. [24] They came and woke him saying, "Master, master, we are perishing!" He awakened, rebuked the wind and the waves, and they subsided and there was a calm. [25] Then he asked them, "Where is your faith?" But they were filled with awe and amazed and said to one another, "Who then is this, who commands even the winds and the sea, and they obey him?"

(CCC 227) It means trusting God in every circumstance, even in adversity. A prayer of St. Teresa of Jesus wonderfully expresses this trust: Let nothing trouble you / Let nothing frighten you Everything passes / God never changes Patience / Obtains all Whoever has God / Wants for nothing God alone is enough (St. Teresa of Jesus, Poesias 30 in The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, vol. III, tr. K. Kavanaugh OCD and O. Rodriguez OCD, Washington DC Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1985, 386 no. 9. tr. John Wall). (CCC 301) With creation, God does not abandon his creatures to themselves. He not only gives them being and existence, but also, and at every moment, upholds and sustains them in being, enables them to act and brings them to their final end. Recognizing this utter dependence with respect to the Creator is a source of wisdom and freedom, of joy and confidence: For you love all things that exist, and detest none of the things that you have made; for you would not have made anything if you had hated it. How would anything have endured, if you had not willed it? Or how would anything not called forth by you have been preserved? You spare all things, for they are yours, O Lord, you who love the living (Wis 11:24-26). (CCC 2743) It is always possible to pray: the time of the Christian is that of the risen Christ who is with us always, no matter what tempests may arise (Cf. Mt 28:20; Lk 8:24). Our time is in the hands of God: It is possible to offer fervent prayer even while walking in public or strolling alone, or seated in your shop,… while buying or selling,… or even while cooking (St. John Chrysostom, Ecloga de oratione 2: PG 63, 585).