We are called to faith in Christ whose life “impels us” to give our lives for others by entering their storms and sharing our faith in Christ. Freed from the storms of selfishness and egoism, we live not for ourselves but for Him who for our sake died and was raised by strengthening the faith of others.
By Fr. Thaddaeus Lancton, MIC
A gaze of the heart. Examining the depth of one’s heart.
There is no one way to translate the Latin title Inspectio Cordis, given to the collection of meditations for Sundays by the Founder of the Marians, St. Stanislaus Papczyński (1631-1701).
These meditations, published weekly on Fridays in preparation for the Sunday Mass, follow the style and purpose of our holy Father Founder. While his original text is worth reading, his examples and style can feel outdated to the modern reader. As his spiritual son, I will attempt my best to imitate his style and imitate his ministry of preaching to hearts.
The goal is to allow Jesus to gaze into your heart and teach you self-examination, leading you to a more fruitful reception of Holy Communion, where there is a true encounter of our hearts with His Sacred Heart – especially fitting during this period of National Eucharistic Revival.
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle B
June 23, 2024
This Sunday’s Inspectio Cordis meditation uses the original meditations – in the quotation marks – from St. Stanislaus Papczyński.
Before Holy Communion
1. “The Lord addressed Job out of the storm…”
Job, after chapters of complaints about his suffering, receives what he demanded: a direct encounter with the Lord. The Hebrew – Lord – is the substitute for His proper name, YHWH (Yahweh). He is not the product of human thinking, according to who we think He should be or what He should do. Rather, He reveals Himself and His character to us, above all, “out of the storm.” This week, we may be approaching Jesus in Holy Communion from within our own storms, with our struggles and questions.
Jesus addresses us “out of the storm,” for He enters our hearts and lives, to speak to us, reminding us that He has set “limits” for every storm and trial. But we receive the same privilege as Job: Jesus responds to our desire to encounter Him in our pain.
What storms persist over your life or heart as you come to Mass? What questions do you have for the Lord? What answers do you need from Him?
2. “His command raised up a storm wind.”
We prefer to focus upon the Lord’s kindness in calming the storms of life, because we want the “desired haven” of peace. But the Lord’s command permits – raises up – the problems in the first place. Of course, He does not will that others sin. But He does permit them as trials for us to grow in trust and faith in His loving Providence. We “mount” up to heaven but then “sink” into the depths, like the sailors on the raging sea.
Far from a calm, simple life, following Christ entails many highs and lows before reaching our destination of Heaven. He challenges us to trust Him both when He orders the storm to be still and when His command raises the storm wind, that with Him in Holy Communion, we will never be tried beyond our capacity.
How do you see (or fail to see) the hidden hand of God in “raising up storm winds” in your life? How can you trust better in His Providence?
3. “Let us cross to the other side.”
Jesus commands His disciples to set out into the deep to cross the Sea of Galilee. As Lord, He foreknew the storm that would arise to test their faith. But He ordered them to traverse the Sea even so. It would have been safer – from a human point of view – to remain on the same shore, without taking such risks. Yet, Jesus persists in His command, and He does so for us. In following Him, He knows we will encounter trials; in traversing this life to arrive at heaven, we will meet many a storm.
We do not know ahead of time the reasons for His decisions. We only know, as the disciples knew, that He travels with us, for He comes into our boat – our heart – in Holy Communion.
When has following the Lord led you into more storms? How do you react when obedience to Jesus causes more – not less – difficulties? How do you experience His presence with you in such moments?
After Holy Communion
1. “Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.”
Saint Peter, whose preaching and stories about Jesus is recounted in the Gospel of Mark, must have remembered this detail of Jesus asleep on a cushion. He is comfortably asleep while the Apostles are panicked. Jesus reveals the attitude of a son confident in the Father’s care, even amid the storm. The first miracle is His peaceful, untroubled sleep, which exemplifies perfect trust in the Father (see Mary Healy, The Gospel of Mark). At times, Jesus’ silence is His teaching to focus not upon preventing our boats from sinking but upon trusting in the Father’s providence.
In Holy Communion, Jesus comes in silence, to rest not on a cushion, but your heart, there to find His quiet in a world filled with the storms of sin and hearts that reject Him.
How well do you sleep when you face significant problems? How can you deepen your trust in the Father and rest even when things are not ‘fixed’? How can you provide your heart to Jesus as a cushion for Him to sleep?
2. “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
We quickly interpret Jesus’ silence as indifference to our suffering. Yet, He has come as man to enter our sinful world and reveal that He fully shares our human condition, even to the point of crucifixion on the Cross. He is deeply moved in the Gospels by the trauma others have endured. Yet, when He does not “fix” problems immediately, we may interpret that as His lack of interest in us and our hearts. But Jesus permits the question, so that He can reveal how much He does care.
Similarly, to Jesus whom you received in Holy Communion, you can bring your own questions to Him, inquiring about how He feels regarding your suffering and trials.
What emotions do you think Jesus feels when He sees you suffering? When do you tend to think that He is indifferent or uninterested in you?
3. “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”
In the Old Testament, only God calms the storms. Jesus does not pray that the Father calm the storm; He rebukes the wind – as He had rebuked the demons previously – by His own authority. The fear the Apostles had because of the storm is now replaced by reverential fear – awe – of Jesus in their question: “Who then is this…?” That question is meant to be open ended.
We are called to faith in Christ whose life “impels us” to give our lives for others by entering their storms and sharing our faith in Christ. Freed from the storms of selfishness and egoism, we live not for ourselves but for Him who for our sake died and was raised by strengthening the faith of others.
How would you answer this question of the Apostles – “Who then is this…”? How can you share your faith in Christ with others amid their storms?
Next week: Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 30.
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