June 30, 2026 Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time / The First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church Gospel: Matthew 8:23-27
Today is Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time. The Church celebrates the memorial of the First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church. The newly published Roman Missal tells us: The Church celebrates this feast in memory of the martyrs who suffered during the persecution of Nero; in the year 64, a fire destroyed much of Rome, and in the ensuing persecution, Christians from every background were put to death with ingenious cruelty. It was in this very persecution that the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul were killed. Truly, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.
Today’s Mass Gospel is taken from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew, in which he recounts the narrative of Jesus rebuking the wind and the sea amidst a storm. I take this opportunity to offer some reflections.
In life, we face various storms; at times, we find ourselves caught in whirlpools. For instance, when our words or actions cause misunderstandings in others, and if this misunderstanding is not promptly clarified but rather amplified into a public incident, we then find ourselves trapped in a vortex of public opinion.
The Church likewise encounters diverse whirlpools—such as recent debates concerning the restoration of the Tridentine Mass, the expansion of roles for women, and the question of vocations. These challenges, compounded by external pressures, confront the Church on many fronts.
When we face these trials alongside the Church, an instinct often arises within us: the notion that we alone must resolve these problems, as though God were absent. Whenever we succumb to this feeling, we resemble the disciples in the boat, unaware of the Lord’s presence. Then, we say in our hearts: “Jesus is sleeping” (cf. Matt 8:24b).
When we realize that our own strength proves insufficient to overcome these present difficulties, what do we do? Perhaps we choose to give up—in contemporary terms, we might “opt out” or disengage. Or perhaps, like the disciples, we approach Jesus and cry out: “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” (cf. Matt 8:25). Yet once the crisis passes, we often set Jesus aside—a manifestation of what Pope Francis calls the “throwaway culture.”
Today, as the Church honors the First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church, she invites us to imitate them in our daily lives. May we root our faith firmly in Christ, entrust ourselves wholly to Him, and emulate these first martyrs by courageously carrying out God’s holy will, faithfully fulfilling the unique mission He has entrusted to us.
O God, who consecrated the abundant first fruits of the Roman Church by the blood of the Martyrs, grant, we pray, that with firm courage we may together draw strength from so great a struggle and ever rejoice at the triumph of faithful love. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,God, for ever and ever.
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