Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Matthew 18:23-27
Four responses in the storm: learning to trust the Lord

When life brings us into the storm—when we face temptation, confusion, or fear—how do we respond? Today, it does us good to reflect on four possible attitudes we can take in difficult situations.

First, we have the slowness of Lot. God told him to flee Sodom, to leave behind a place of sin. And yet, he lingered. He hesitated. Sometimes we know what we must leave behind—sinful habits, toxic situations, old attachments—but we delay. It is not easy to cut ties. Yet, the angel’s words still speak to us: “Flee for your life, do not look back!” When the Lord says, “Go,” we must trust and move.

Second, there is the nostalgia of Israel in the desert. Even after being freed, the people longed for “the onions of Egypt,” forgetting they were slaves when they ate them. Brothers and sisters, how often we look back with longing on things that once brought comfort, even if they kept us far from God. The Spirit tells us: Keep going. Don’t look back.

Third, fear. In Matthew’s Gospel, when the storm rages, the disciples cry out, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” Fear is a powerful force—it freezes us, it makes us doubt. But fear is never from the Lord. Jesus reminds us again and again: “Do not be afraid.”

And finally, there is the grace of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus calms the storm, the disciples are filled with awe. This is what we need: not control, not certainty, but wonder, awe, and trust in the Lord who saves.

So today, if we find ourselves in the storm, pray with courage: “Lord, save me, I am perishing.” And trust that He will not leave me alone in the boat.

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Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2025