Tony Worner, St Agnes’ Catholic Parish’s Leader of Formation, reads today from the Gospel of Matthew (8: 23-27) in which Jesus calms the wind and the sea.

Tony says, today’s Gospel, which follows on after yesterday’s, can seem a little confronting.

Jesus was asleep or seemingly unaware of the violent storm that surrounded the boat they were in. The storm was so violent that the waves were breaking over the boat. Perhaps these words reflect the turbulence and the conflict we experience in our own hearts and minds, in our present lives. And yet, amidst the storm, there is an invitation to call out to Jesus, to place our trust in Him, and to allow Jesus to calm the turmoil within us. In times of difficulty, we are called to find hope in the Lord.

It reminds me of a favourite painting of mine. It’s called Christ’s Entry into Brussels in 1889. It was painted by James Ensor in 1888. Forgetting the year date difference, and the imagery of people with faces masked, is for the historical context of the time. The painting is representative of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem, as described in Scripture. In James Ensor’s artwork, Christ is not easily identifiable. However, he is there, as a central figure. It speaks to me that Christ is the centre of my life, in all the mess, in all the heartache and the storms of life. He isn’t asleep but invites me to place my trust in him.

May we always call out to Jesus … my rock, my refuge.