Today's Gospel

The Calm Your Soul Needs

Welcome back to Radical and Relevant. I'm Matthew Kelly. Each day we're reflecting on the gospel of the day to discover the genius of the gospel, the genius of the life and teachings of Jesus, and to find a way to anchor our day in with the gospel. Today's reading is about a storm, and we all experience storms in our lives. And we don't know when the next storm is coming, but we do know a next storm is coming. And so when the storm comes, it's too late to prepare. And the way strong trees weather any storm is by sinking deep roots. And one of the deep roots you're sinking into your life is to reflect on the gospel each day. That's a deep root of wisdom to sink into your life. And a tree with strong roots can weather any storm. It's too late to start sinking the roots when the storm comes. And so let's be mindful of that and continue to sink these deep spiritual roots into our lives. Today's reading is from Matthew 8:23-27.

And when Jesus got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea. And the boat was being swamped by the waves, but he was asleep. And they went and woke him saying, "Save us, Lord. We are perishing." And he said to them, "Why are you so afraid, oh men of little faith?" Then he rose, rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this that even the winds and sea obey him?"

What jumps out at you? Maybe you're experiencing a storm right now in your life. If that's the case, turn to God. Turn to Jesus. Ask Him to save you from that storm. Ask Him to calm that storm in your life. What jumps out of me is this question that's at the end of the reading, what sort of man is this that even the winds and the sea obey him? It's an interesting question, right? Because you can't say, well, he was no man at all because he was God. You can't say that because he was fully man and fully God. And even those closest to him, you can see that they're grappling with this. On one hand, he is telling them outright. Like I am. And then on the other hand, they're trying to work out what kind of man he is because they see he's a man. They see him living as a man among them. And so you can imagine the confusion. But the two words that really jump out at me is great calm. Such a need for that in our lives. What do you need to do today to create a great calm in your soul? Have an amazing day. Remember, Be Bold, Be Catholic.

The Seven Pillars of Catholic Spirituality has just been released. I want to read you just the first line. What if everything the Catholic Church teaches is true? This is the one question most people never consider when it comes to Catholic faith. The Seven Pillars transformed my life when I was a teenager. I was 15 years old. A spiritual mentor entered my life and taught me about the Seven Pillars, challenged me to ingrain them into my life as habits. And I would not be sitting here today if it were not The Seven Pillars of Catholic Spirituality. They are ancient habits that are ever new, that are ever relevant, that are ever willing to transform our lives if we're willing to embrace them. Question is, are we willing to embrace them? And that's my challenge for you today. Wherever you are in your journey, maybe you've practiced the Seven Pillars for a long time. Discover them anew. Enter into them at a new level, at a new depth with new commitment. Have a great day. Enjoy The Seven Pillars of Catholic Spirituality. And remember, Be Bold, Be Catholic.