Daily Gospel Reflection for April 18, 2021

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Today's Gospel: Luke 24:35-48

I'm terrified of bodies of water. When we'd take the kids fishing up north, I made my husband stay close to the shore all the way around the lake. We could go no further out that I could comfortably stand in the water. Considering I'm only 5 feet 2 inches, that's not very far.

So, when I pray over today's Gospel, the line that strikes me hardest is, "When they had rowed about three or four miles." The disciples had rowed that distance over the stormy sea of Galilee. There were no boat motors in those days, so these men were working hard to make that kind of progress. The fact that they saw Jesus walking on the water tells me that they were pretty far out and not just clinging to the shore as I would have been.

Here's the crux of this narrative. The disciples were rowing like crazy on choppy waters because they were in search of Jesus. They were expecting Him, but He hadn't shown up. When Jesus did appear, they were afraid. They didn't trust His power to be able to walk right over the turbulence and assumed he was some kind of ghost.

What a great analogy for those times when I'm rowing like crazy over the stormy sea of my life, searching for Jesus so He can save me. When He shows up, I don't recognize Him either because He shows up in a way I didn't expect or because I didn't trust in His power to be there for me.

Ponder:

What kind of waters are you rowing over right now? Are you ready to trust in Jesus' power to save you?

Pray:

Lord, give me the grace to trust completely in Your power to save me from the storms in my life. Please help me to recognize You when You approach me.