These scriptures present us with powerful images of divine mercy, obedience, trust, and God’s calling to us to be faithful and loyal to Him. In Genesis, we witness God's mercy in rescuing Lot and his family from destruction, guiding them away from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Yet, the story also warns us about looking back—Lot’s wife’s tragic glance back towards Sodom turned her into a pillar of salt, symbolizing the peril of longing for past sins or attachments that hinder our spiritual progress. How many times do we look back? Our Lord reminds us in other parts of the gospel that when God calls us we need to be a people of vision looking forward. In fact, Jesus used very serious language when he says that “no one who sets his hands to the plough and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God.
How many times do we still look back on things we knew kept us distant from God? Gambling, alcohol, addictions of all sorts but mostly relationships that were perhaps sinful, complications at best, which really thwarted our connection and relationship with God. Rather, we need God’s help to detach us from these distractions and obstacles to our growth. It’s definitely not easy.
The psalm echoes this theme of seeking God's mercy and walking in integrity. It reminds us that God's mercy is before us, calling us to walk in truth, to seek purity of heart, and to trust in His goodness in seeking to let go of the past.
In the Gospel, Jesus calms the storm, revealing His divine authority over nature. His disciples, afraid and desperate, wake Him, and He responds with patience, rebuking their little faith and then commanding the storm to cease. Their awe at His power invites us to deepen our trust in His sovereignty and love.
These passages teach us that closeness to Christ requires trust, obedience, and detachment from what distracts us from His mercy. The story of Lot encourages us to heed God's guidance and to avoid looking back at sins or worldly attachments that can impede our spiritual journey. The calming of the storm reminds us that Christ’s presence in our lives brings peace amid chaos, but only if we trust Him fully.
Saint Francis of Assisi exemplifies this surrender and trust. Once he heard Christ’s call to rebuild His Church, a call he initially misunderstood as a literal rebuilding of a physical structure. But as he grew in faith, Francis understood that Christ was calling him to rebuild the spiritual life of the Church and to live in radical reliance on God's mercy. He left his wealth, his attachments, and his comfort behind, trusting fully in God's providence. His life was marked by a deep trust in Christ’s sovereignty—similar to the disciples trusting Jesus during the storm—and a willingness to detach from worldly attachments, just as Lot was called to flee Sodom.
To draw closer to Christ, we must imitate the faith of the disciples—trusting Him even amid life's storms.
Like Saint Francis, we are called to surrender our possessions, our ego, and our fears, trusting that Christ’s mercy is greater than any storm we face.
Let us pray for the grace to trust Jesus more deeply, to heed His guidance without hesitation, and to detach from what keeps us from His mercy. May our lives reflect a steadfast faith, trusting that Christ’s power and love will calm our storms and lead us to eternal life.
God bless you all as you seek to draw nearer to our Lord, Jesus Christ who saves us from our sins and from our past hurts. Our Lady, Queen of Peace, set our hearts ablaze with love for Jesus. Amen
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